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N5.2BILLION CLAIM BY PETITIONER NOT OUR HEADACHE, POLICE COUNSEL TELLS PANEL

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N5.2BILLION CLAIM BY PETITIONER NOT OUR HEADACHE, POLICE COUNSEL TELLS PANEL

N5.2BILLION CLAIM BY PETITIONER NOT OUR HEADACHE, POLICE COUNSEL TELLS PANEL

By: Michael Mike

Counsel to the police Mr. Fidelis Ogobe  told the Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations by the defunct SARS and other Units of the Nigerian Police Force that they will not oppose the N5.2 billion naira claim by a petitioner, Ifechukwu Okolie, provided he can prove his case of unlawful arrest ,detention and extra judicial killing beyond reasonable doubt.

The police lawyer noted that no amount of money can be enough for the loss of life of any individual even as he however prayed the panel members to use their discretion in the circumstances to decide what is just.

According to Mr. Ogobe this became necessary owing to the fact that the complainant was not able to prove that those who abducted the victim were indeed Men of the Nigerian police force.

While concluding his defense, Ogwobe told the panel to hold that the petitioner’s counsel failed to link the alleged abduction of his father to extra-judicial killing, saying that it is settled in law that where there is no wrong there is no remedy.

Also Read: Nollywood actress Veronica found dead in hotel room

 Ifechukwu Okolie Iduh a complainant before the panel had asked to be compensated to the tune 5.2billion for police brutality.

Mr. Okolie in his prayers before the panel demanded the police to compensate him with the sum of N100 million being compensation for all manner of in human and degrading treatment meted to his father, Paulinus Okolie Iduh while he was unlawfully detained for eight months by SARS Awkuzu in Anambra state.

The complainant is also demanding the sum of N100 million being compensation for the alleged malicious prosecution on which Paulinus was later discharged and acquitted.

Additionally, the complainant asked that the sum of N5 billion should be paid to him as compensation for the abduction and eventual extra judicial killing of his father.

In his testimony before the panel the complainant narrated how his father, Paulinus Okolie Iduh, a freelance journalist,  writer and proprietor of Gods intervention computer secondary school Azia, In Ihiala local government area of Anambra state was arrested in March 2013 by officers of the defunct SARS in Akwuzu.

According to the complainant the victim was brutally tortured starved of food and water; adding that he was severally threatened with execution in order to extract information from him and for the victim to accept the allegation of kidnapping and robbery etc.

Narrating further the complainant told the panel that he severally went to Akwuzu SARS  where his father was kept to demand for bail but all efforts proved abortive he said.

Meanwhile the complainant also noted that he was directed by the IPO in the matter to desist from coming to check on his father as he may be killed sooner or later having failed to avail the police of the truth.

However, the victim fell sick in the custody of police without adequate treatment and after spending eight months in police custody he was charged to court and remanded in Nkisi prison for four months and was later discharged and acquitted.

The complainant said afterwards, the victim was warned by the police on that fateful day and threatened before he (the complainant dropped his father at Azia junction in Ihaila LGA of Anambra state to board a vehicle to Abuja where he had secured an invitation with the National Assembly to unveil his book, “the shame of a nation”, which aims at exposing the activities of Akwuzu SARS, before he was abduction.

The matter has been adjourned for a report of the panel.

N5.2BILLION CLAIM BY PETITIONER NOT OUR HEADACHE, POLICE COUNSEL TELLS PANEL

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Crime

Chinese expatriate dies in Kogi after collapsing at work

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Chinese expatriate dies in Kogi after collapsing at work

By: Zagazola Makama

A 47-year-old Chinese national working as a supervisor at BN Ceramics in Ajaokuta, Kogi State, has died after slumping at his duty post, the police have confirmed.

Sources said that the expatriate, identified as Mr. Luo Zhi Mao, collapsed on Aug. 2 at about 6:30 p.m. while working at the Press Department of the factory.

He was immediately rushed to Covenant Hospital, Ajaokuta, and subsequently referred to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Lokoja. However, due to an ongoing strike by doctors and nurses at FMC, he was later moved to Shifaah Hospital in Lokoja.

At about 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 5, Mr. Luo was confirmed dead at Shifaah Hospital.

His body has been deposited at the Kogi State Specialist Hospital Mortuary for autopsy.

Sources said investigations were ongoing to determine the exact cause of death, though no foul play has been suspected at this stage.

The management of BN Ceramics has yet to issue a formal statement on the incident.

Chinese expatriate dies in Kogi after collapsing at work

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Crime

Bandits abduct Zamfara monarch after deadly NAF airstrike that kills scores of bandits in Tsafe

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Bandits abduct Zamfara monarch after deadly NAF airstrike that kills scores of bandits in Tsafe

By: Zagazola Makama

Armed bandits have abducted the traditional ruler of Yankuzo, Alhaji Babangida Kogo, in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, barely hours after a devastating Nigerian Air Force (NAF) airstrike killed dozens of bandits in a forest enclave near the area.

The monarch was reportedly abducted on Tuesday evening along the Mararraba axis as he attempted to flee his community amid fears of reprisal attacks by the terrorists.

Sources confirmed to Zagazola Makama that the abduction was carried out by a large group of armed men riding on over 10 motorcycles. The assailants intercepted the monarch and his entourage near the abandoned farm of the late Alhaji Malami Yandoto and took him away, leaving others behind.

The abduction followed a precision airstrike carried out by the Air Component of Operation Hadarin Daji on the same day, targeting a large bandit assembly believed to be a wedding or celebratory gathering in a forest location between Yankuzo and Munhaye.

Zagazola gathered that the air raid followed credible intelligence and aerial surveillance, which tracked the movement of over 100 armed bandits converging at the location. The strike led to the killing of scores of terrorists and left many others wounded.

Security sources said the gathering was attended by fighters loyal to notorious bandit kingpins operating in the Tsafe–Zurmi axis, some of whom had crossed over from neighboring forests in Katsina and Sokoto states.

“The impact was massive, charred bodies and destroyed motorcycles littered the area after the strike,”said a source.

Following the air raid, fear gripped surrounding villages, with many residents fleeing in anticipation of retaliatory attacks by the surviving bandits.

“We knew they would strike back. That’s why our district head was leaving. Unfortunately, he ran into them before reaching safety,” said a Yankuzo resident who requested anonymity for security reasons.

Local vigilante sources confirmed that efforts were ongoing to trace the whereabouts of the abducted monarch. Military ground troops have also been deployed to the area to prevent further attacks.

The abduction point to the growing desperation of bandit groups under sustained military pressure in Zamfara and the wider North West region.

Bandits abduct Zamfara monarch after deadly NAF airstrike that kills scores of bandits in Tsafe

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Crime

Gunmen in military uniform abduct passengers in Benue

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Gunmen in military uniform abduct passengers in Benue

By: Zagazola Makama

Suspected armed men dressed in military camouflage have abducted at least four passengers from a commercial bus along the Otukpo axis of Benue State.

Zagazola Makama gathered that the incident occurred on Aug. 3 at about 10:00 p.m. near Mechanic Village in Otukpo, when a commercial Hummer bus, en route from Abia State to Otukpo, was attacked by the assailants.

Sources said that the gunmen, believed to be Fulani herdsmen, whisked away between four and five passengers to an unknown destination.

One of the passengers, Sandra Okoh, a resident of Otobi Akpa, managed to escape during the attack and was later found during a joint search and rescue operation by the Nigerian Troops.

She told the security forces that her husband, Okoh Mike, was among those abducted. She also alleged that the bus driver fled the scene with passengers’ luggage and failed to report the incident to any nearby police station.

The security forces have since launched a manhunt for the suspects and intensified efforts to rescue the kidnapped victims.

Gunmen in military uniform abduct passengers in Benue

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