Police Arrest Three over the Death of two Youths in the Bariga Area

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Three young men  32years old Olamilekan Shokunbi, 20years old,Shakiru Oloyede and 32years old Jacob Sunday have been  arrested by the Men of the Police force and are presently undergoing interrogation at the State Criminal Investigation Department(SCID),  Panti in connection with  the gruesome killing of  two people and injuring of two others Samuel omeh and Micheal who are still recuperating at the Lagos State Teaching Hospital ,LUTH ,Idi Araba
The incident which happened around 3.15A.M  on the 5th of August at 16 ,Ebunoluwa Street in the Sun gas area of Bariga, Lagos State.
This incident brought panic and fear into the lives of the residents of the area when some hoodlums believe to be cultist stormed the house where one of the suspects Shakiru reside and killed two of his friends injuring two others and left Shakiru untouched ,this has brought a lot of controversy over how he escaped  without injury
According to an eye witness account ,the five Boys Shakiru Oloyede a furniture maker ,owns the room where four of his friends where squatting with him. Malik and Wale now deceased. while Micheal and Samuel injured and still undergoing treatment at the Hospital.
''he said it was a reprisal attack as the boys have a foreknowledge of the attack .The boys were all sitting outside until 12midnight expecting the attackers but unfortunately the attackers did not turn up as at that time.''
Furthermore ,''they went in to sleep but some of the residents who were still awake saw Shakiru making a call outside and they overheard him telling the receiver to come over  but nobody understood him.Later around around some few minutes after three A.M in the wee hours of the morning some Cult boys believed to be members of the dreaded Eye Confraternity stormed the house and shot  Malik and Wale  who tried to escape after inflicting serious machete cuts on them, but Micheal  and Samuel who were also shot  survived while Shakiru was not touched.''
Speaking  with  one of the suspects arrested,Olamilekan , a bricklayer and  father of three from Obada, Ogun State said,''I stay in the same Compound with the boys but my apartment is at the back building where i stay with my family.On this fateful day in the midnight ,i heard a gunshot and people shouting where is your money ,where is your money.Myself and my wife woke up and before you know it ,i heard another gunshot that was when i moved my wife and children to the back of the house where Sunday met us.After about 30 minutes,i heard Shakiru shouting for help and Sunday said we should go and see what was going on.When we got there we saw Shakiru's two friends shot dead and two seriously injured .We then helped to take the two survivors to the nearest remedy Remedy Hospital at Sungas but they were rejected.We had to call in the Police from Pedro and Bariga to assist us in taking the injured to the Government owned hospital. I was then asked to come to the Station at C.M.s Bariga to write a statement where i was subsequently detained and later transfer to the SCID ,Panti''
Speaking with Shakiru,he said  ''the Boys about five in number ,armed with guns and cutlasses pointed their torch light on our  faces and shouted where is the money,one of us ,Malik was shot twice,and  when Wale tried  to escape they also shot him outside the room and inflicted serious cutlas wound on Micheal  and Samuel who tried to challenge them.;
On how he manage to escape unhurt,he said, ''I was only lying on the floor close to Wale ,I do not know anything''
One of the suspects  Sunday ,a printer from ,From Ibadan in Oyo State also narrated his ordeal.According to him,when he heard the gunshot ,he ran to the back of the building where he found Olamilekan and his family hiding.he hid himself beside the dustbin but came out thirty minutes later to assist Shakiru who was shouting for help. According to him, ''I do not know anything about this issue, i only assisted the injured boys but i was told at the Stationthat one of the deceased was asked not to sleep in the house to avoid the attack,I am not their friend,i go about my work ,people in the neighborhood can attest to this ,i have never been bad I am innocent'
 when i  visited one of the injured boys who is responding to treatment at the hospital ,Micheal,he said it was actually a reprisal attack and they had knowledge of the attack but he felt it was non of his business, he decided to stay behind,according to him there was a Ramadan Lecture at Oworonsoki on the 3rd of August 2013 where some boys from Bariga and Oworonsoki clashed and disrupted the Lecture.
Furthermore,on the 5th of August,there was a rumour that Some boys from Oworonsoki believed to be cult boys are staging a reprisal attack that night. On entering the house, Samuel challenge them and they shot him ,he fell to the floor and pretended to have died,,he was badly inflicted with cutlass wounds.
Meanwhile the three boys are still cooling their feet at the SCID ,Panti while Iinterrogation contin

Nigerian Al Qaeda Member To Be Extradited To the US

A Nigerian suspect, Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi, is expected to face trial in the United States for allegedly supporting a designated foreign terrorist organisation, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
The 33-year old suspect was allegedly given about $9,000 by AQAP leadership to recruit other English speakers from Nigeria to join the terrorist group.
Charges were preferred against Babafemi yesterday by the U.S Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Loretta E. Lynch; the Acting Assistant Attorney-General, National Security Division, John Carlin and the Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), New York Field Office, George Venizelos.
A statement by the Information Office, Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, said Babafemi is also known as “Abdullah” and “Ayatollah Mustapha”.
The embassy said the suspect would soon be extradited from Nigeria to the U.S for trial.
The statement said: “An indictment was unsealed yesterday in the Federal Court in Brooklyn, New York, charging a Nigerian citizen with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (“AQAP”), and using high-powered firearms in furtherance of that crime.
“The United States is currently seeking the extradition of the defendant, Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi, also known as “Abdullah” and “Ayatollah Mustapha,” from Nigeria.
“At the request of the United States, the Nigerian government thereafter commenced extradition proceedings against the defendant in July 2013.
“The charges were announced by E. Lynch, Carlin, and Venizelos.
“United States Attorney Lynch acknowledged the continued cooperation and assistance of the government of Nigeria in terrorism matters affecting both nations.
“According to court documents, between approximately January 2010 and August 2011, the defendant travelled twice from Nigeria to Yemen to meet and train with leaders of AQAP, the Yemen-based branch of al-Qaeda.
“Babafemi assisted in AQAP’s English language media operations, which include the publication of the magazine, Inspire.
“At the direction of the now-deceased senior AQAP commander Anwar al-Aulaqi, Babafemi was provided by AQAP leadership with the equivalent of almost $9,000 in cash to recruit other English-Speakers from Nigeria to join that group.
“While in Yemen, Babafemi also received weapons training from AQAP.”

KIDNAPPER ALMOST LYNCHED

This woman was was almost lynched after tghe beating of her life he got from some angry residents in somolu area today at about 5,30p.m .Axccording to some residents ,the woman who claimed to be mad and dresses like a mad woman is always seeing parabukating the nooks and crannies of somolu but relocates to God knows where latwer in the night.THey suspect she has been behind the series of child kidnap for ritual purpose.It was a resident who saw her that exposed her as been normal but only pretends to be mad to commit her attrocities,the man claimed she was caught stealing a young girl in one of the areas in Mushin sometimes ago and almost killed

Last week the Police at Alade also arrested hert and found a black berry phone with her but allowed her to go but disd not released the phone to her.

When she was accosted by some residents this evening the who who had always pretended to be mad begged the people not to snap her pictture nor film her as she promisedthem not to ever come into somolu again.She was rational in hwer thinkings and thoughts.She was beaten from the market street junction og Balogun down to the ikorodu expressway ,they found with her money of different denominations ,hidden in her private parts.when they got to the Onipan Police Station the police seems not to be concerned and only looked the other way round.traffick was held to a stand still at the ikorodu expressway while the woman was asked to cross to the mushin end and told never to come to somolu again

Security Man Killed by unknown Gunmen

died inside this vehicle on his way to the hospital

Ahmed

Ahmed  Lawal , a trained IT Technician who also doubles as a security man was this morning shot by six hoodlums  at Banji Lawal Street in the Bariga Area of  Lagos State.The killers  are suspected to be armed Robbers terrorizing the Bariga Area of the State.

Ahmed Lawal according to an eye witness Segun Olawaiye ,a co security man attached to the same Street '',We had just closed for the day and was leaving for our different homes when all of a sudden we saw six boys marching towards our direction.It was as if they noticed we were the security men , one of them brought out a gun and shot at us with the gun hitting Ahmed,People in the vicinity had to run for cover as it was just 5.30a.m,they shot several rounds and escaped.I later called for help.When our Supervisors came we took Ahmed to the General Hospital Gbagada,he was bleading profusely through the head and other places the gun hit him.Unfortunately the Hospitals refused to accept him because they were on strike.We took him to the General Hospital Somolu and before we could get to Luth he gave up the ghost.Because he was brought in dead the hospital too rejected him.''

Ahmed Lawal ,30year old native of Imodi Imosan in Ogun State according to a Police source at the Bariga Police Station was a member of the OPC He was employed as a night Guard by the residents of Banji Lawal .

He resides at 13 Onasanya Street off Buraimoh Alli Street Bariga ,Lagos State.He is not yet Married

his remains has been taking to his home Town Imodi Mosan For burial.

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SECURITY GUARD SHOT BY CULTIST

Toba Joel

Toib Sodiq

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For daring to severe his relationship with his former boss and  question frivolous spending of proceeds from their ‘work,’ a security man is currently recovering at an undisclosed hospital in Lagos after being shot and several bullets extracted from his legs and thighs.
Toib Alamu used to collect tolls from shop owners and other traders for a former unit chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) identified simply as Toba Joel. When the going was good between master and subject, Alamu was Toba’s most trusted and reliable collector of tolls in an area spanning dozens of streets and,shops and bussinesses  around Jibowu, Mushin and Fadeyi areas of Lagos State. However, somewhere along the line, Alamu, 32, reportedly fell out with his boss and had to take to working as a security man.According to Alamu working with Toba was like monkey de work Baboon de Chop
It is reported that now as a security guard, part of Alamu’s briefs was to guard dozens of commercial buses parked on a particular stretch of road Because of his new job, a clash was imminent between him and his former boss as the latter was the one said to be in control of the collection of the parking lot tolls before that time.Further more Toba had also lost out in his supremacy battle with other youths in Mushin wehich has affected his sources of income especially in the Awolowo Market Mushin where he once hold sway as the defacto security man.
Odd as his job appears, Alamu is also a devout and practising Muslim. On series of occasions in the past, Alamu had allegedly been attacked by agents of his former boss.
No matter the seeming atrocities committed in the course of his duties, Alamu was always quick to seek the face of his Creator. Quite unlike his peers, Alamu even always observed the whole 30 days of Ramadan (the Muslim fasting period).
But unfortunately, it was during the last Muslim fasting period that Alamu’s perceived enemies chose to strike him rendering him almost crippled now. On Saturday, 13 July, 2013, around 8:50p.m, Alamu was outside the Ansarudeen mosque at Lawani area of Jibowu discussing with one of the elders of the mosque. As a matter of fact, Alamu was said to have been saddled with the task of delivering the Tafsir (sermon) the next day and was seeking knowledge from the cleric.
But while he was in discussion with the cleric, a green Toyota Camry car reportedly moved towards where Alamu sat with the elderly cleric. Since he was not stranger to atrocities of cultists and notorious groups, having worked closely with many of them in the past, Alamu sensed danger lurked around.
So, he reportedly got up to see where the suspecting car was heading to. Alamu later said he identified one Dauda Adigun, said to be a protégé of his former boss with whom he had been at daggers-drawn. Speaking with LIVINGSTONE.COM, Alamu claimed he immediately recognized Adigun in the car. He continued: “When I saw Dauda inside the car, I immediately knew they came for me.
So I dashed towards the driver of the car and that was when I saw all of them. They were six in number including the driver all wearing black T-shirts. As I tried to grab the steering from the driver, Dauda brought out a gun shot me in the thighs and legs.” Alamu reportedly fell, but the mob that had gathered prevented the assailants from finishing off their ‘job’.
They reportedly sped off in the car leaving a profusely bleeding Alamu on the asphalt. He was eventually rushed to a nearby hospital where he was reportedly given first aid before he was referred to another hospital. In the meantime, the alleged mastermind of the attack, Toba, was reportedly arrested by security operatives last week but was later freed because of what some called “order from above.”
Alamu recounted further: “After the gunshots and blood was gushing out of my legs and thighs, I heard one of the occupants in the car saying ‘Dauda why did you come out of the vehicle before you shoot? You know people in the area know you well. Oga did not say you should come down from the car.’” A resident of the area identified as Alhaji Baba Dele confirmed the attack to LIVINGSTONE.COM. According to Baba Dele, “We all left the mosque together but Toib stayed behind to see one of the leaders there.
Though my house was just 10 blocks away from the mosque, I had not stepped into my compound when I heard gunshots. After coming out of hiding and I headed back to where the sounds came from, it was Toib I saw on the ground in the pool of his own blood.”
Prior to this incident Toib had reportedly sent a petition to the Inspector General of Police via an email about the threat to his life by Toba Joel and one inspector Banjoko attached to the FEDSARS Adeniji Lagos
An inspector at Alakara Police Station told LIVINGSTONE.COM that Toib and the gang that attacked him had been locked in a fierce battle for the ownership of motor park which had cost a lot of lives in the area. A police source at SARS also confirmed Toba’s arrest but declined to comment on his sudden release.

HOW PASTOR IRETIOLA AJANAKU WAS BURIED IN GBONGAN ,OSUN STATE

The Late Spiritual Father Of Tope Alabi Pastor Ireti Ajanaku who died sometime last week was said to have been buried in the traditional way by the Oro Cult in Gbongan ,Osun State.According to a source

Prophet Ajanaku was An Oro Cult  Member; his burial  rites  was  Performed By Oro Traditional Worshipers In Gbongan, Osun State.

 In a false attempt to keep his memory alive, some members of the  late Prophet Ajanaku‘s church
claimed  he woke up from the dead  as mortuary attendants were preparing  his corpse ready for burial. 

According to the  rumor making round, Pastor Ajanaku allegedly woke up and shouted “Thank you Jesus ” before relapsing into another spiritual slumber. The members also claimrd  his wife, Joy Ajanaku has been claiming daddy is not dead but has gone on spiritual  journey with the saint triumphants.

According to sources from Gbogban (the hometown of late Ajanaku), in his lifetime, the founder of Christ Revival Victory Chapel International in Lagos, Pastor Iretiola Ajanaku who was a muslim before converting toChristianity.He was also said to be a member   of the popular Oro cult. 

 Some  residents of Ikola Odunsi, in the Ipaja Area of Lagos State where  Prophet Ajanaku lived before his untimely death on Saturday evening where at Gbongan for his burial where surprised  when Oro Adherents and Priest  Conducted  his burial rites. His funeral rites that started around 12:30am in the morningon Tuesday August 20, 2013 didn’t end until 4am. 

The residents claim the oro  worshipers chanted Ajanaku’s name throughout the nooks and crannies of Gbongan  town. They  Oro members stated the funeral rites from his residence and ended the rites at Folarin Williams Close.. The oro traditionalists chanted ““Ajanaku lo, o di gbere odarin na ko .otun doju ala” meaning “Ajanaku is gone forever, adieu”. This development has led to confusion among his faithful church members as some have vowed never to step into Christ Revival Victory chapel International again. This is unbeliavable said some of the confused members,they never knew the man they have come to trust as their spiritual head had all along lived a dual life.it is so sad.

A Community Lost and Forgotten

The foot bridge leading to Maidan Community

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They are literally a hungry, naked , hapless and hopeless people.  Theirs is not an inspiring story; it is rather a piece of doleful tale.  Their experience, to put it mildly, is not like a cup of honey that sweetens the tongue, but it is more like bile, so distasteful. What a life!  Even a toddler, without recourse to exaggeration, will tell you that the government is the cause of their seeming sleepless nights.
To some people, Lagos is the next place to heaven in Nigeria; and to some others, it is the only place to be in Nigeria.  And to the government of the day, Lagos is working; a state that stands out as the envy of all other states combined.
But to the residents of Maidan community, their Lagos is ‘dead’.
Located within the Isheri ikosi lcda of Lagos State, Maidan community has a population of over five thousand people of different professions and occupations.
A visitor to Maidan community can navigate through the Mile 12 axis, passing through Oniyanrin Street. But a more spectacular fact is that, despite being located in Lagos State, which prides herself as the most populous, most sophisticated and most developed state in Nigeria, this community lacks the simplest of all basic social amenities.
For Chief Mukaila Runsewe, a resident and Asiwaju of Maidan  Community, living in the community is like living 30 years back. He claimed that the community had not had any trace of modernization.
With palpable anger, he said,“When people from other places ask us where we stay, we tend to tell them that we live in Lagos. But the truth is that we stay in Lagos and we are not really staying in Lagos. This is because our own Lagos is different from the real Lagos. Apart from this, living in the community is just like living 30 years behind modernisation.
“We are a totally forgotten people. We have no electricity supply, potable water, health care centre, hospital and even modern primary or secondary schools. We live as if we are in a remote village, but in actual fact, we live in Lagos State.
“The closest place to our community is Oniyanrin and when you see Oniyanrin, you will see that the road leading to oniyanrin is well tarred with paving stones and also illuminated with street lights. But incredulously, the tarred road stopped at the end of Oniyanrin.Can you believe we have a councillor representing us at LCDA?But he has never represented us ,he represents his pocket alone.”
Speaking further with LIVINGSTONE.COM, another resident, Mr. Wale Thompson, claimed that it was the regime of Buba Marwa that made attempts to link them with the outside world, with the intention of constructing a pedestrian bridge
According to him, “It was the Buba Marwa administration that made attempt to build the pedestrian bridge for us when he was the state military administrator and his lofty intention was to link us with the outside world. But unfortunately, after he left, the bridge was abandoned and a footbridge built instead. When you look at it very well, at the foot, the bridge was not completed and it was the effort of the community that the bridge was built to connect the community.”
Thompson further claimed that there is another road like a footpath that leads to Owode Onirin from Maidan, but the place is permanently rendered impassable during the raining season for both vehicle owners and pedestrians.
“The Community is totally disconnected from the outside world. There is no single government presence,” he added.
In the same vein, Mr. Tolani Ajisegiri, an elder in the community, while speaking with Daily Newswatch said, “Can you imagine there is no single government hospital or health centre in Maidan?  No school primary and secondary schools or even no electricity.”
He, however, alleged that the painful aspect of it is the silence of the member of the Lagos State House of assembly representing the community.
“Hon. Adeyeye has never represented the people,” he alleged.
He also alleged that the Oba of Ikosi, who once lived in the community before becoming the traditional ruler, never lent any helping hand to re-write their story.
Speaking further, he claimed that the pathetic situation of the community had affected everything in the community.
“We have written series of letters to the appropriate authorities, but there has not been any response. On the whole, life has become very unbearable to us. It is very difficult for our children to go to schools, enjoy basic things required for growing up in a modern world. In fact, with the situation of things, our children cannot relate with their peers outside because they have been deprived of so many things. Worse still, every month, the govt and council officials will come and collect land use and other money from us; yet, they have refused to improve our lives.”
On a conciliatory note, however, the community is calling on the Lagos State government to come to their aid and as a matter of urgency, help them construct a road to link them to the outside world.
They also called on the government to establish primary and secondary schools, among other basic needs of a growing community.
‘We are using this medium to appeal to Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola to kindly come to our aid. He is  the only person that can save us from this neglect, if not because of we the adults but because of our children who don’t even know that a place like the National Theatre or Tafawa Balewa Square exist,” pleaded Ajisegiri.

Lynch mmobs rule Badagry

Author(s): Patience Ogbo
Famed for its various tourist sites, most of which highlight the history of the slave trade era, Badagry is also known for its vicious mobs, regular residents who can instantly transform to wild animals at the first scream of “thief!” and mete out the capital punishment on any suspect.
There are no trials, and no questions asked. The development has risen to such proportions that police officers in the area are powerless, and in some cases encourage the mobs.

In May 2013, Quadri Adisa, got the beating of his life when a mob accused him of armed robbery. He is still alive to tell the tale.

The latest recorded lynching occurred on July 21, 2013, when two friends – Ifechukwudi Nwanikpor, 25, and Kazeem Onayemi, 26, were beaten to death by villagers in Tozukame Ajara in Badagry. The villagers had accused the men of theft but there was no evidence of what they stole; nobody saw them break into a house; nobody saw them take anything.
While the killing has continued to provoke public outcry, the greater horror lies in the fact that video evidence of the murder shows police officers from the Badagry Police Station watching gleefully as the lynching occurred.
Stories behind the story
The late Kazeem had a misunderstanding with a yet-to-be identified man, which led to the mother of the said man rising a false alarm, calling Kazeem and Ifechukwudi armed robbers.
The head of the vigilante group in the community, whose name was given as Mr Ashirigbo, and who was called to arrest the duo, died when his gun discharged as he tried to stuff it inside his pocket on arriving the scene. The bullet hit him in the stomach and he was confirmed dead at a nearby hospital.
Mr Ashirigbo’s death infuriated the villagers, who blamed the two men for it. Instantly, the mob grew as more villagers poured out of their homes as they sensed a lynching. In seconds, planks and stones rained down on the two men. As the bloodied men writhed in agony, the mob delivered the coup de grace by pouring fuel on them and lighting the men up.
The Chelsea FC connection
Samuel Nwankpor, Ifechukwudi’s father, is a shadow of himself. He told Nigerian Telegraph that his son wept whenever English club, Chelsea, lost a match.
“Ifechukwudi was a great fan of Chelsea Football Club,” he said. “Though he was a very quiet person, but he can argue with anybody who brought up anything against Chelsea. He loved going to viewing centres to watch his beloved club play but anytime they lose a match, he would be unhappy and would refuse to eat. His mother even bought him a Chelsea molar which he carries on his neck every time. It may be in the course of watching football in the viewing centre that he met Kazeem.”
Tajudeen Onayemi shared a similar story about his son. “Kazeem loved Chelsea Football Club madly,” he said. “He can do anything for that club. He had two Chelsea hand bands on his wrist. He would not eat for days if Chelsea lost a match. I’m sure was the great love the two of them had for Chelsea that made them to become friends.”
Ifechukuwdi was a graduate of Geology and Mining. He worked as a clearing agent while he waited for his call-up for the national youth service scheme.
Kazeem was an apprentice at an aluminium fabrication shop, and was supposed to have graduated in December 2013.
The two men had gone to Tozukame Village to see another clearing agent on the day they were killed.
Gangsters paradise
Armed robbery has become a weekly occurrence in Tozukame Village, and a robbery was said to have occurred in the community a few days before the men were killed.

In most cases, vigilante groups take the law into their hands and lynch people at the slightest chance.

Like typical Nigerian communities, vigilante groups play a prominent role in providing security in the area due to the poor presence of police officers in the village.
The vigilante groups are expected to complement the police,; but in most cases they take the laws into their hands. Suspects are supposed to be handed over to the police; but in most cases, when emotions run high, the vigilantes initiate the lynching of said suspects. The villagers, most of whom have been affected by robberies, are quick to take vengeance.
As the case of Onayemi and Nwanikpor suggests, some villagers take advantage of this development to settle scores with perceived enemies as well. Usually, no questions are asked when someone raises an alarm.
Lawyer and police authorities react
Giwa Amu, a human rights activist and lawyer, has urged the Lagos State government to address the issue of lynching in the state.
Reacting to the Badagry lynching, Mr Amu expressed sadness over the role the police officers played and called for their prosecution.
“It was a gruesome murder,” he said. “There is no way we can absolve the police from the increasing spate of mob justice in the country. Those police men should be charged to court for accessory before the fact of murder and conspiracy to commit murder and murder itself. I am not surprised at the behavior of those policemen, because policemen engage in extra-judicial murders, so killing itself does not matter to them. It is a way of the average policeman in this country to carry out extra-judicial killing.
“For a policeman to watch in his presence when such act is being perpetrated shows that we do not have trained men and officers in the Force. Their primary duty was to take those suspects and if they are found wanting, they charge them to court. Also, if they need superior power due to the mob, they should have called for backup but that was not the case. The policemen may not have participated directly but they encouraged it, they connived and consented to it and that was why those men were murdered. It is sad looking at the call for state police and community policing. This shows that we are not ready for state police as this can be used for personal vendetta, so those policemen must be charged to court.”
The Lagos State Police Commissioner, Umar Manko, has set up a special team to investigate the lynching and arrest the perpetrators. As a result of this, most of the villagers in Tozukame have fled their homes but the team has been tasked to fish them out.
“When we saw the video clips and watched the way those boys were killed, we told ourselves that we would be failing in our duties if we fail to bring everyone involved to justice,” Manko said

Hoodlums Beat up Policemen And Attempt to Take Their Riffles

The EfCC/FEELINGSTEALING BOYS who also doubles as members of the eye confraternity cult on thursday  trrorising some parts of somolu  on thursday at about 2.15 p.m at olabiran street beat up some policemen attached to pedro police station in the bariga lcda .The policemen were mercilessly beaten and one of them was almost dispossed of his gun if not for the timely intervention of a rescue team from the Alade  division dpo supol Aminu mohammed who drafted his men in to save the situation.Problem stated for the Policemen who had a distress call from an okada rider whose bike was forcefully taking by some hoodlums suspected to be armed robbers,The anti robbery team quickly moved to the scene to rescue the victim ,in pursuit the bike was abandoned and the suspected robber took to his heels.The policemen pursued the suspect into olabiran street the den of the cultist.,the suspect ran into a building and effort by the policeman to enter the building and arrest the fleeing suspect was thwarted by another hoodlum named sanjay who i a squatter in the building.Sanjay refused to allow the policeman into the building as the suspect scaled the fence into another building.He sanjay later threatened to deal with the Police man telling him wether he the policeman does not know the building is a residential area and if he has anyright into the building and moreso the area falls within the Alade juridistion.All entreaties by the policeman to make Sanjay a hoodlum see rason and allow him to pursue the armed robber fell on deaf ears .later the other 3policemen arrived and saw Sanjay harrasing their collleague,sanjay seen that the policeman was not alone ran into a room of one of the tenants an old woman to escape when it now dawned on him that the police man was not alone.The police attempt to arrest him was blocked by an old woman who pleaded that the boy be left alne as he was a friend of his son .Further attempt to enter the room ,the woman fell on the ground and fainted ,Sanjay and the other hoodlums led by Yesiru Adesanya aka Talonskibo ,Yomi Ado ,Friday igbinabaro ,Eyin BOuncng and other hoodlums operating within salami ,fagbeyiro , ajose ,fadipe okoh close ,sodimu ,and others from majiyagbe stormed the area beating the police men while some wanted to force the gun out of them.The policemen whom where all in the police anti robbery vest were humiliated by the boys.they were beaten and the clothes of one of them torn ,he was later given another cloth to change .

According to an eye witness ,one of the policemen was pined to the ground by five of the hoodlums ,they wanted to snatch the gun from him,the police man however resisted them ,while shouting that the gun was loaded .his colleagues to loked helpless as they were stoned and battered,said the witness who does not want his name inprint for fear of of been attacked by the boys whom have taking total control of the area.Another witness Mr Agbaje said for the first time in his live he saw policemen in danger but restrained from shooting..it is good it happened to policemen this time around ,maybe they will take drastic action against these hoodlums whom have made lives so terrible for the residents.

Most of these boys family members have relocated from somolu ,those few of the like yesiru adesanya ,kunle eyin bouncing and okanlawon oluwa who still have family members continue to bring wanted criminals to the community.The residence of the area said they are totally fed up with the activities of th hoodlums who are well known in the community.each time they are declared wanted ,they are always their with the politicians and causing more havoc.

Who are they deceiving when they said they declared the brother of the Lg cso wanted ,Elewure is always seen in the local council with the lg chairman .The federal sars are on the trail of others yet they are with politicians walking freely

It  was when a reinforcement of policemen came and  shot into the air that the hoodlums escaped .Though some were arrested and taking to the Pedro Police Station ,they were charged to court on friday the 16th based on the other of the area commander who was visibly annoyed at the audacity of the hoodlums .he has vowed to arrest those hoodlums

The Arrest and Release of Toba Joel

Yesterday one of the Notorious guys responsible for the series of Mayhem in mushin was arrested based on strong evidences against him ,but to the surprise of all including the Policemen ,he was released based on order from above.It is now clear that it is the Government that continues to sponsor these Vampires .They are the hitmen ,no wonder so many high profile cases has remained unresolved in the country.The Politicians knows that if they TARKA the blood hounds ,the Blood hounds will DABOH them by exposing their ugly deeds.
This is Toba Joel of Ereko in Mushin.Who ordered for his release without investigating the allegations against him as the one who gave guns and sponsors killer squad?

Add caption

OLORUNTOBA  JOEL

POLICE ARRAIGN THREE FOR ASSAULTING POLICEMEN

The police in Lagos State Command have arraigned three men at the Shomolu Magistrate’s Court for assaulting policemen and preventing them from carrying out their duties.

The men, Afees Ismaila, 29, Eddy Thomas, 40, and Wasiu Lateef, 40, were on Monday arraigned before the court on four counts of assault and obstruction of duties.

The suspects, said to be members of a notorious cult group in Somolu, had last Thursday allegedly attacked two policemen, Jacob Obande and Olugbenga Oloare, attached to the Pedro Police Division. It was said that the policemen responded to a distress call from a commercial motorcyclist whose bike was seized by a hoodlum at Somolu.

Obande and Oloare reportedly chased the suspect to Olabiran Street, where they were allegedly ambushed by a group of hoodlums comprising of about 12 men who were the hoodlum’s friends.

 They allegedly pounced on the policemen, beat them up and attempted to disarm them. It was said the timely intervention of a fresh team of policemen from the Alade Division  saved the situation.

The charges read in part, “That you Afees Ismaila, Eddy Thomas, Wasiu Lateef and others at large on the 15th day of August 2013, about 1300hrs at Number 27 Olabiran Street, Shomolu, Lagos did inflict injuries on the following officers FNo. 432967, Cpl Jacob Obande; and FNo. 355965, Cpl Olugbenga Oloare, by hitting them with stones, plank, and other weapons, thereby committing an offence  punishable under Section 171 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2011.”

The men pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Magistrate, Mrs. B. O. Osunsanmi, granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N100,000 each. The case was adjourned to September 11 2013.

DEATH IN A POLICE CELL,FRIENDS OF VICTIM CRY FOUL

Friends of a 25-year-old driver, Babatunde aka Apoche, are crying foul over the manner of his death at the Denton Police Station, Ebute Meta, Lagos State.

 Apoche was said to have been tortured by the police while in custody over claims that he stabbed his brother-in-law during a fight in June 2013.

 One of the friends of the deceased, who identified himself as Babatunde Adeleye, said, “Although Apoche was married, he lived separately from his wife. The couple had no children and had been quarreling for a while over Apoche’s drinking problem.

 “On that fateful day, Apoche had gone to his mother-in-law’s house to ask his wife for money. His wife had earlier complained to Apoche’s boss that he often spent his salary on drinks and gave her no money for her upkeep.  As a result, the boss began to pay her Apoche’s salary. “

 LIVINGSTONE.COM, gathered that Apoche’s wife declined her husband’s request, which led to a quarrel. It was said that the rift was eventually settled by neighbours.

 Adeleye said, “Unknown to Apoche, his wife’s brother, a known cultist at Evans Square area in Ebutte Metta got wind of the quarrel between his sister and Apoche and trailed him to Evans Square.

 “A fight ensued between Apoche and his brother-in-law after the latter accosted him. In the process, both men stabbed each other with a broken bottle. After both men had been separated by bystanders, his brother-in-law went to the Denton Police Station to report the incident.

 “The police arrested Apoche, who was also bleeding from a side wound which he sustained in the fight. They threw him in a cell and denied him medical attention for three days. We suspect he was also tortured too because the next thing we heard was that he was dead.

“While Apoche was in detention, he was denied access to his family and friends.”

 Apoche’s family was said to have been denied his corpse until sometime in July 2013, when it was eventually released. The policemen reportedly said Apoche hung himself in the cell.

 Another friend of the deceased, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of backlash from the police said the policemen lied

 “Nobody believes that allegation; Apoche can  never commit suicide he was a jolly good fellow who enjoys life.There was never a dull moment in his life,people within and outside Ebutte Metta can testify to this.  But Apoche’s family members are being harassed by the police to keep silent. The matter is gradually being swept under the carpet,” he lamented.

 LIVINGSTONE.COM gathered that the Divisional Police Officer  of  the station had been summoned by the command over the incident.

In fact, some members of the press  has been paid to sweep the case under the carpet as they have compromised and refused to publish the story.

It has become the usual habit of the Crime Writers Association to sweep stories under the carpet once money has exchange hands,The CRAN as they are called have lost credibility and can no longer be trusted to report objectively

IGP redeploys 14 commissioners of police

The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has ordered the redeployment of 14 Commissioners of Police to commands and various formations.
This was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by CSP Frank Mba, Deputy Force Public Relations Officer.
Four of the commissioners are in charge of state commands: Lawal Tanko, (Borno); Ibrahim Ahmed, (Zamfara); Hilary Okpara, (Bayelsa), and Maigari Dikko, (Ebonyi).
The statement urged the affected commissioners to step up the fight against all forms of criminality in their new commands and formations.
It advised them to leverage on the cordial relationship among sister security agencies in their beats to ensure that criminal activities were reduced to the barest minimum.
The IGP, however, told the commissioners to ensure that officers and men under their supervision were mindful of the rights of the citizenry.
“All postings are with immediate effect,” the statement said.
In a similar development, the IG ordered six Assistant Inspectors-General of Police and 13 Commissioners of Police from various commands to proceed on a Leadership and Strategic Management Course.
The five-day course will take place at the Centre for Management Development, Shangisha, Lagos.
The IG said that the course, billed for August 19 to 23, would equip the officers with requisite leadership and managerial skills necessary to drive the vision and mission of the current police management.

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Nigeria Government send 8,000 more troops to Borno

The President and Commander In Chief of Nigerian Armed Forces, Dr Goodluck Jonathan has stepped up measure to check the activities of the deadly Boko Haram sect in his efforts to bring to an end their activities in the Country.

Dr Jonathan ordered the immediate deployment of 8,000 troops to further boost the military presence in the North-east of the country where the terrorists operate. The Troop  will be under a new Army Division in Maiduguri, named 7th Infantry Division.

Military sources told LIVINGSTONE.COM that the new army Division will be solely responsible for securing the entire North-East and protect the  Nigerian border with Niger,Chad and Cameroon where the terrorists get their training and regroup  for attacks.

President Jonathan also ordered  the immediate injection of more fighter and patrol aircraft as well as helicopter gunships of the Nigerian Air force tactical Strike Group with headquarters in Yola, Adamawa State, where some attack aircraft of the Tactical Air Command are stationed.

According to our source this new development, will help to tackle the reprisal attacks from the frustrated Boko Haram members and increase the house-to-house search for the terrorists and their supporters.

community offers cash settlement to placate family of lynched Youths in Badagry

 

 

Tears  freely flowed as the remains of Ifechukwudi Nwanikpor was laid to rest at the Badagry Cemetery in Lagos yesterday. The 24-year-old was one of two young men lynched by villagers from the Tozukame community area in Ajara, Badagry .
Policemen watched as both men – Nwanikpor and Kazeem Onayemi (26) were beaten and killed by the community members after being labelled armed robbers.
Mourners and family members came out in their numbers at the Badagry cemetery but couldn’t hold back their tears at the burial.

Rev. Fidelis Ajoko commits Ifechukwudi Nwanikpor’s remains to the earth.

LIVINGSTONE.COM spoke to the Sam Nwanikpor, a retired Immigrations officer and father of the deceased after his son’s interment. The senior Nwanikpor, who served for 30 years before he retired in 2008, said that John was the oldest of his two sons.
“He was born on 25th September, 1988 and he was born here in Badagry, the same area where he was murdered. He read Geology and Mining at the Delta State University, Abraka and he was home, hoping to put some things in place.
“Instead of being idle, myself and his mother decided that he should go into clearing and forwarding though with his consent. We handed him over to a relation, who is from Isialuku and ever since then, that’s what he has been doing; his only free time is Sundays due to his job.”
Asked if he intends to press charges, he said, that they would wait for the outcome of the investigation by the police.
“We are watching and waiting. The whole world is watching,” Nwanikpor said.
“I have a lawyer and I think he is in the best position to answer that question. He is not around now, if not I would have referred you to speak to him because he knows the next line of action.”
LIVINGSTONE.COM also spoke to some of the deceased’s family members.
One of them, Mrs Rose, said, “[He] is my nephew and I hope the Nigerian police comes out with a better investigation [The police] are currently doing a very good job with the arrest of some youths involved in the killing, the Baale of the community, who gave the order and the police officers, who were at the scene to supervise the horrible incident. But we are still going to press charges; we want justice. All the people who have a hand in the death of my nephew must be brought to face the law.”
Blood money on the table
Some sources said that the community is now pleading with the families of the lynched young men and have offered about N2.5 million to the families so that the matter is closed and forgotten.
In reaction to that, one of the relations, Ike Daphey, who was visibly angry, told LIVINGSTONE.COM that the said amount offered to the families cannot bring back the dead and that the most painful part of the whole situation was that his family was humiliated, by labelling their son an armed robber and killing them [Nwanikpor and Kazeem Onayemi] like animals.

“Now, the community is begging with money, saying it was a mistaken identity. We are not ready for all their rubbish talks, we are taking the case to court to seek real justice, I also blame the police because they gave their consent to the community and supervised the killing.

Ifechukwudi Nwanikpor’s family at their residence in Ajara, Badagry.

“The two young men were innocent of what they were accused of. The police is supposed to protect lives and properties and not supervise the killing of poor innocent people, all these people including the police that were at the scene will never go unpunished.”
The pastor, who officiated the burial, Rev. Fidelis Ajoko, advised the family of the deceased to leave the case for Almighty God to handle and he also advised the friends of the deceased to be very careful and mindful of the kind of places they go to. He also advised them to be prayerful at all times.
Ajoko, who said he was shocked when he got the news, described the late Ifechukwudi Nwanikpor as cool-headed.
The young man’s friends from the Delta State University were also in attendance but refused to speak on the matter. The late Ifechukwudi Nwanikpor was a football lover and a fan of Chelsea Football Club of London. He was buried with the club’s muffler.

JUNIOR PASTOR RAPES AND IMPREGNATE’S SENIOR PASTORS DAUGHTER

A 29-year-old pastor (name withheld) is  presently  standing trial for allegedly raping and impregnating his senior pastor’s daughter in Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti State, has  establish his own church after he was granted bail by an Ekiti State Magistrate Court.

After spending three months in detention ,the Pastor finally perfected his bail Condition and was released.Though it was not the Lower court that granted him bail as his Lawyers appealed to the High Court for his bail .

The new church, which he started in Ikoyi area of Ikere-Ekiti was said to be  attracting  a lot of people,apart from Members who left the former Church to worship with him ,lots of others are daily  swelling the number of the congregation.
The girl, Oluwadamilola (surname withheld) who until her ordeal was a SS1 student of a High School in Ikere-Ekiti, was said to have eventually gave birth to a baby boy on May 26th ,2013while the man was still in detention .
Damilola’s mother said that the father of the young pastor had entered  into a written agreement with the parents of the girl in March this year, promising that they would take care of the girl and her pregnancy but the alleged lackadaisical attitude of the pastor thereafter compelled the girl’s parents to report the case to the police.
According to our source, the embattled pastor had been organizing revival programmes and crusade, calling members of the public who were not aware of his atrocities to come for miracles.
After he was granted bail, he organized a thanksgiving service in his  newly formed church.
  The Pastor was allege to have raped Damilola in July 2012  when the Youths of the church were having a special Revival programme at night, but Damiolola’s mother said: “We did not know the girl was pregnant until January this year, while he (the pastor) had hurriedly left in September 2012.”

According to Damilola  Mother ,they never thought the Pastor could decend so low as a man of God and a trusted member of the Church, who is also  married ,to defile their daughter.He hurriedly left the Church after he realized Damilola  was pregnant .He also warned her not to reveal the source of her pregnancy.

MOST POLICEMEN ARE ARMED ROBBERS

The Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Zone 6 Command, Mr. Jonathan Johnson, has alleged that many Nigerian policemen are armed robbers and get killed daily because of their involvement in various crimes.
Johnson stated this during his visit to Akwa Ibom State Police Command in Uyo on Tuesday
He said, “If you investigate our men, you will discover some are armed robbers. Who  are not contented with what they have; we go to the road to extort money from people, engage in illegal business, and liaise with armed robbers.”
The AIG warned that any policemen caught in anti-social acts would be dismissed.
According to him, “No criminal has lived in his criminality and never been caught. If you want to live in palava, you will die in palava.”
He accused police officers of selling arms and ammunition to criminals, aiding and abetting crime, turning cases upside down, conniving with suspects, and engaging in conspiracy.
He further revealed that corruption was embedded in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Nigeria Police Force, even as he accused police officers of giving information to hoodlums leading to the criminals killing their colleagues.

Pictures Showing the involvement of the Police in the lynching of the two youths

These are pictures showing the involvement of The Nigerian Police men in the lynching of two youths at Badagry in Lagos Nigeria

The Station Officer who initially denied the Police were not at the sceneAdd caption

Bianca Ojukwu and I were intimate for years, says Femi Fani-Kayode

Controversial ex-minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, who is at the centre of a fire-storm for a series of alleged anti-Igbo articles, added a fresh layer to the testy debate on Tuesday with a boastful revelation of the Igbo women he dated “intimately”, including Bianca Ojukwu, the widow of ex-Biafra warlord, Odumegwu Ojukwu.
Mr. Fani-Kayode had sought to counter criticisms that trailed his initial articles in which he appeared to celebrate the multiple massacres of southerners – mainly Igbos – in the north in the 1950s and 1960s. Critics said he was anti-Igbo, and accused him of tribalism.

Bianca Ojukwu, currently Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain, started dating the late Emeka Ojukwu in 1988.

Mr. Fani-Kayode’s first articles came as a reaction to the controversial deportation from Lagos of more than a dozen indigenes of Anambra State by the Lagos State Government.
In a rejoinder published on several outlets on Tuesday, the ex-aviation minster, who has increasingly gained notoriety for spiteful essays particularly attacking the Igbo, dismissed criticisms about his ethnic intolerance by detailing a long list of his pro-Igbo efforts which he claimed demonstrated the falsity of his critics.
The efforts include “longstanding” affairs with at least three Igbo ladies – Mrs. Ojukwu, currently the Nigerian ambassador to Spain, whom he said later married the late Mr. Ojukwu; Adaobi Uchegbu, who works at the National Headquarters of the ruling PDP, and a third, Chioma Anasoh.
Ms. Uchegbu studied at the Onabisi Onabanjo University; she is currently “engaged”, and appears to have left her post at the PDP, according to her social media profile. She merely writes “Former office of the national chairman at PDP”.
“I was not a tribalist when I had a long-standing and intimate relationship with Miss Bianca Onoh, an Igbo lady, who many years later married Ojukwu and who is now our Ambassador in Spain,” Mr. Fani-Kayode wrote.
“I was not a tribalist when I had a long-standing and intimate relationship with Miss Chioma Anasoh, another Igbo lady, who I almost took as a second wife. I was not a tribalist when I had a long-standing and intimate relationship with Miss Adaobi Uchegbu, another Igbo lady, who was exceptionally close to me and who is now at the National Headquarters of the ruling PDP.”

Nigerians want government to shun nepotism ,create jobs- Survey.

Add Nigerians arrested randomly in the street of Lagos caption

Nigerians have identified job creation as the most essential characteristics of a good democracy and urged government to create  more job opportunities. 
This need was expressed in a recent survey conducted by the CLEEN Foundation in collaboration with  Afrobarometer a non partisan and independent network research team in Africa.
Kemi Okenyodo,the Executive Director of CLEEN FOUNDATION while presenting    the Round 5 third release area of the survey  which focused on the political and democratic attitudes in Nigeria at a press briefing in Lagos State on Monday , stated that the goal of the research is to give the public a voice in policy making processes.  "By providing high quality public opinion data to policy makers,policy advocates and civil society groups,academics,donors and investors and ordinary Africans".
She stated that  two thousand four hundred respondents were interviewed in their homes using face-to-face interview  and multi-stage sampling technique. "Respondents were adult  males and female while the field administration of questionnaire was handled by the Practical Sampling International. The process of collecting and analysing the data adhered to the highest possible international standard in reliability".
Prof. Etanibi Alemika, the Chairman Board of Director CLEEN FOUNDATION  while discussing the findings  stated that the results  will enhance democracy .
The research shows that 40% of Nigerians need jobs as  80%  prefer the selection of leaders through regular open and honest elections while 20% prefer other methods.
The survey also revealed that 54% agree that women should have the same chance of being elected to political office as men. However, 46% believe  that men make better political leaders than women and should be elected rather than women. Another majority 60% said women should have equal rights and receive the same treatment as men do but a minority is of the opinion that women have always been  subject to traditional laws and customs in the country and should remain so.
Also the survey reveals that 55% of nigerians believe that many political parties are needed to make nigerians have choices in who to govern them while 60% believe that better cooperation between the opposition parties would develop the country while 39% support the opposition to regularly examine and criticise government policies and action.
Strangely,while majority of Nigerians prefer democracy ,the survey shows that 44% describe democracy in the country as "democracy with major problems".  It was also discovered that 41% are not very satisfied with the way democracy works in the country as  59% of nigerians believe government is not accountable to citizens.
In the same vein,61% believe government do not carry them along and they see politics and government too complicated such that it is difficult to understand what is going on in the country.
A sizeable percentage of Nigerians 66% want government to do away with nepotism and treat everybody equally.
In defining the relationship between the Parliament and the President, the survey shows that 60% want  the National Assembly as a representative of the people to ensure the President explains to it on a regular basis how his government spends taxpayers' money while 67% support laws by the parliament. The survey also revealed that 68% say the President has been carrying out major decisions without the consent of the Parliament and the citizens and want him to obey laws and the courts even if he thinks they are wrong.
Also, an overwheming 77% wants a presidential two term government while 60% say they are completely free to vote.

Women, rape & obnoxious law By - Patience ogbo

Here goes the grim list according to police records
In February this year villagers in Omuma (Imo State) found a 30-year-old man digging a shallow grave on a farm. He was about to bury a child’s corpse. Under questioning by police, the suspect confessed he had indeed raped a four-year-old girl to death .The little girl had been on her way to school when he lured her into the bushes and raped her.
Six-year-old P knew the men who attacked her in Ogbe-ljoh community in Delta State. They were her stepbrothers, a 19-year-old and a 16-year-old, who sexually assaulted her at home until she died from her injuries days later. The two brothers were arrested, they admitted taking turns with the girl and inflicting wounds on her body to stop her from struggling. The girl, scared by the young men's threats, told no one about the attack but her parents took her to the hospital when her stomach began to swell. She died there.
The Child Protection Network, a non-governmental organisation, told the police about the rape of a minor by a 62-year-old man, her stepfather. The 10-year-old victim said that he had frequently raped her when her mother was not in the house. “Daddy always sleeps with me when Mummy is not around, and always tells me not to tell anybody, else I would die," she said. "I have lost count of the number of times my step-father slept with me”. Her stepfather escaped but he was eventually caught and charged.
Civil groups, activists and lawyers say rape is widespread in Nigeria and not regarded as a serious offence under Nigerian law.
Under section 353 of the Criminal Code Act any person who unlawfully and indecently assaults any male person is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for three years. But section 360 of the Act regards the indecent assault of a woman as a misdemeanour which attracts a punishment of two years’ imprisonment..
The serious criminal offence of having carnal knowledge of a girl being of or above 13 years and under 16 years of age is classified as a misdemeanour which is punishable by two years imprisonment under Section 221 of the Criminal Code. Even then the accused may be discharged and acquitted if he can prove that he believed on reasonable grounds that the girl was of or above the age of 16 years,
A coalition of civil society groups marched to the office of the Deputy Governor of Lagos state in April 2012 with placards and chanting anti-rape slogans to draw the attention of the government to the rising number of cases and to demand the government strictly enforce the law on rape.
They accuse the police of turning a blind eye to the crime.
According to the Lagos state government, 427 cases of rape were reported in the state in 2012. This figure does not, however, reflect the scale of the problem because most rapes are not reported to the police. Ade Ipaye, the state's Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, expressed concern: “It is regrettable that other cases were not reported by parents wanting to protect the integrity and identity of the child-victim. Though the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) got positive judgments in respect of six rape cases recently, the Ministry had serious challenges in assembling evidence on rape cases because most of the cases were reported late."
Adaobi Egboka, executive director of LEDAP (Legal Defense and Assistance Project) said: "We are not saying the state government is doing nothing. But it has to do more. Rape cases should be prosecuted in such a way that victims and parents of victims will be willing to come forward and make reports."
Gloria Ebuji, executive director of Crime Victims Foundation, a non-profit organisation in Lagos, said the increasing cases of rape of minors are committed by people close to the girl such as her father, uncle, brother, the driver or her guardian: “These men are very close to the family and the girl trusts them ".
Likewise, Ene Sarah Unobe, executive Director of the Human RightsEducation and Awareness Centre (HUREAC), said family ties, law enforcement officers, culture, religion and tradition helped to protect rapists. "We have seen several cases of rape where the family will come and withdraw the petition, (saying) that their church or village members will solve it. Some victims are afraid of the stigma so they stay back and settle with the man and let him off the hook.
“Most of these girls come from very poor homes where they can't afford legal fees. In spite of having the Office of the Public Defender in Lagos State saddled with the responsibility of handling rape of minors’ cases, there is the challenge of money as the agency lacks adequate funds to carry out its activities. The parents then get tired and you see them collecting cash resettlement from the perpetrator, therefore allowing the rapists to go free".
Umar Manko, the commissioner of police for Lagos State, denied police gave rapists an easy time. "Honestly, I don't know what you mean by 'settling cases in police stations'. We prosecute rape cases that come our way in accordance with the law while we protect the identity of the victims. It is natural for the parents to want to withdraw the case because of the moral implication but the law must take its course," he said in an interview. "Somebody who defiled a child must go to jail as the law does not give room for the family to withdraw a case that is horrendous in nature."
The rape and murder of Cynthia Osokugu, a 26-year-old postgraduate student at Nasarawa State University, in July 2012 triggered outrage in Nigeria and abroad. Cynthia was killed in a hotel room in Lagos by men she met on Facebook. The men drugged Osokugu's drink with Rohypnol, a powerful sedative often used in rape cases, and tied her up before raping her. They recorded the scene for blackmail purposes, stole her mobile phones and then strangled her. The young men fled the hotel but called the hotel attendant to go and remove that “useless girl from the room”. Two men were arrested a month later and have been charged with her rape and murder.
But rapists are also targeting older members of Nigerian society. The Enugu-Umuada Igbo, a women's group promoting reproductive health and the rights of women, raised the alarm over the spate of rapes of older women. In Opi, Nsukka, local government area of Enugu State,. Kate Ezeofor, the group's president, said young men are targeting women aged over 70.
“At least 13 older women have been raped in recent times; the perpetrators were usually young men of between 17 and 25 years," Ezeofor said. "I can tell you that one of the rape victims is a blind woman. One has even died as a result of the disease she contracted from the incident.” Narrating their ordeals, the women blamed the leaders and elders in their community for shielding the suspected rapists from prosecution. Older women are targeted because they are more vulnerable but it is also feared that men rape old women for ritual purposes: it is believed to be a form of acquiring wealth in the eastern part of Nigeria.
The women said the suspected rapists were arrested by the police and detained at the State Police Headquarters in Enugu State but the elders of their village allegedly secured their bail in late 2011.The rapists subsequently took revenge on the women.
NC, a widow, said: “After the first rape, I relocated away from my husband’s house because the place was lonely but the bad boys still traced my hide-out and raped me a second time .The first time they came, I was with a small child. They broke my window and came in around midnight. I shouted and even started preaching the word of God to him but he was not moved. {Afterwards) he ordered me to bring my purse and took 5000 Naira inside it and left only N30. He said he was leaving the N30 because it is not good for a woman’s purse to be empty.
"After the incident, my husband’s relations moved me to a place in their neighbourhood to ensure my protection. So, I have been living with them since last year, until two weeks ago, when the son-of-the-devil visited again. Three men swooped on me and threw me on the floor. I shouted and shouted but before help came, one of them had raped me and they all fled."
JA, a victim from Ogbozalla Opi community, said her eldest son could not bear the trauma and shame of his mother's rape and had died soon afterwards. "My son who lives in Abuja came home and took me back to the city for treatment and to avoid future occurrences since the community can no longer protect us but he died in his sleep .He just couldn’t come to terms with the cruelty being visited on his mother." As for married women, Under section 55 (10) of the Penal Code, corporal punishment of a married woman by her husband for the purpose of correcting her is legally justified and permissible!
Yet, the House of Representatives’ bill on “Violence Against Persons” (Prohibition) is seeking stiffer penalties for rapists .The 51-clause bill, which was sponsored by Abike Dabiri-Erewa, representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency in Lagos, has been adopted by lawmakers. Under the bill any man convicted of rape is liable to life imprisonment while gang rape will attract prison sentences of at least 20 years.
Unobe, a barrister, believes more should be done to protect minors. “Action regarding the rape of minors was given a stronger backing with the passing into law of the Child Right Act in 2002. This federal law cannot, however, be enforced in all states in the country until it is adopted by the states.
“In Nigeria, out of the 36 states, only 24 have adopted the Child Rights Law - all the states in the northern part of the country have refused to adopt it because the Penal Code which is operational in the North permits child marriage and betrothal of girls to elderly men.
When the law does not recognise defilement of a girl child, there is simply no legal backing to prosecute the offender!