Bank Robbery: Six cops killed in gun battle


Armed robbers, this morning, raided a bureau de change in Kano and killed six policemen during a gun battle. The incident happened at about 2 a.m., at the bureau de change, located on Murtala Mohammed Way near Triumph Newspapers , Kano.

Three of the six policemen killed were identified as ASP Koluko Umar, Sergeant Rayan Ilyasu and ASP Mamudu Mohammed, all from the Sabon Gari police post. The robbers were said to have deflated the tyres of the police armoured personnel carrier stationed near Triumph Newspapers before raiding the bureau de change. Sources told P.M.NEWS that when the police received information about the robbery operation, they moved in and engaged the robbers in a fierce gun battle lasting about two hours.

It was in the course of the duel that the six police officers were killed. Though the robbers escaped with some money they got from seven offices of the bureau de change, the police chased and killed two of the robbers and recovered some of the money. The police also recovered three of the cars brought for the operation by the robbers. An AK47 rifle, three military rifles and some amunition were also recovered from the robbers who were still fleeing at the time of filing this report.

The police were said to be on the trail of the robbers said to be escaping toward Dedeji Forest. The state Police Commissioner, Mohammed Yusufu, at a press conference this afternoon, confirmed the death of the policemen. He said 16 bandits carried out the attack and vowed to track them down. Robbers carried out a similar raid on 8 April, 2007, at the bureau de change

 
You got News for us, give us a tip at: newstip@pointblanknews.com. We treat them confidential as we investigate!
http://www.pointblanknews.com/os1565.html

**osis people.

osis.

:-x

;d

igbo people rebranding nigeria. :-x

:-x

Nigerians Drug Dealers Unknown In Foreign Jails.
« on: February 23, 2009, 09:56 AM » 


Drug traffickers: ‘Number of Nigerians in foreign jails unknown’
By John Ameh, Abuja

The Director-General of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Mr. Lanre Ipinmisho, said on Thursday that the number of Nigerians involved in the trafficking of hard drugs across international borders had taken a frightening dimension.

Lanre Ipinmesho, DG, NDLEA

He called for additional support for the agency by all segments of the Nigerian society to combat the problem, which, he said, was fast destroying the country.

Ipinmisho, who appeared before the House of Representatives’ Committee on the Diaspora, headed by Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa in Abuja, disclosed that as at 2005, about 1,120 Nigerians were languishing in jails outside the country for drug-related offences.

The NDLEA boss admitted that the figures were grossly underestimated as the agency did not have the figures for 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

He blamed the lack of reliable statistics on the alleged non-compliance with Section 45 of the NDLEA Act by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Ipinmisho said, “This section mandates all heads of Nigerian diplomatic missions abroad to forward to the NDLEA every six months, statistics of Nigerians in jail abroad for drug offences.

“Lack of cooperation stems from foreign countries particularly the Western world of United Kingdom and the United States of America.”

Reacting to the statistics provided by Ipinmisho, Dabiri-Erewa and other members of the committee expressed shock, saying that the situation demanded urgent intervention from government.

She said, “Obviously, this is not good for us as nation. It is not good for our image. The NDLEA needs massive support, in funding and logistics.”

“At the level of the committee, we shall try and assist by collaborating with the Committee on Foreign Affairs to overcome some of your challenges.”


“These countries refuse to provide relevant information relating to Nigerians involved in drug trafficking in their countries on grounds that double jeopardy exists in the Nigerian law –Decree 33 of 1990.”

Giving a breakdown of current available statistics, he said that over 600 Nigerians were in jail in Thailand as at 2002, out which 521 were transferred home between 2003 and 2008.

There were 229 in Russia (2001); 226 in Pakistan (2006); 28 in Indonesia (2003); another 12 in the same country in (2004); and 25 in Italy (2004).

“As can be seen from above, the statistics available are not up to date and very unreliable as the agency neither has the capacity nor the resources to gather these statistics.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a very crucial role to perform in this respect”, he added.

But, quoting from the 2008 report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for West and Central Africa , Ipinmisho stated that out of 1,357 couriers arrested, “Nigerian citizens were by far more detected nationally, accounting for about 57 per cent of the total arrested.”

He noted, “Between 2005 and 2008, at least 46 tons of Cocaine were seized in West African Sub-Region; this is alarming when compared with the fact that before then, the entire continent hardly seized a ton.

“About 3.4 tons of Cocaine were seized from 1, 357 West African couriers on commercial flights from West Africa to Europe between 2004 and 2008.

“53 per cent of those arrested in South Africa in 2005 were Nigerians while in 2006, 31 per cent of those arrested for drug trafficking in France were Nigerians.”

The DG, who told the committee that the “problem was getting more alarming”, said it had reached a point where out of every 100 suspects arrested, 55 per cent were Nigerians.

“Sadly, 90 per cent of these Nigerians are from the South-East, especially Anambra State .

“We have been engaging the South-East governors, traditional and religious leaders in discussions and they are doing something about it,” he stated.

Locally, he revealed that Kano State had the highest number of consumption of all illicit drugs, while the South-West supplied 90 per cent of Cannabis Sativa (Indian hemp) in the country.

Meanwhile, the House in plenary, mandated the joint Committee on the Diaspora, Foreign Affairs and Justice to investigate within three weeks and submit a report on the circumstances leading to the killing of a Nigerian, Shefiu Salaudeen, in Ukraine on January 18, 2009.

http://www.punchng.com/article_comments.aspx?theartic=Art2009012339235

@topic,an igboman caught with drugs.

ijawman=igboman.on underdown  a fake name.what a coward.

osisi=ijawman

that ijawman is an igboman on that fake name.

the man is igbo.

;d

lol.

Ezillo Mayhem: 23 Arrested Suspects Escape

By Felix Uka , Reporter, Abakaliki

Twenty three (23) persons arrested in connection with the mayhem that claimed over 10 lives and culminated in the burning of over 100 houses in Ezillo, Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State have escaped.

The development that has thrown up renewed fears among the populace was on Wednesday confirmed by the state Governor, Martin Elechi, while receiving the new General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Mohammed Isah, who paid him a courtesy call.

Though the governor was not explicit as to whether the suspects escaped from custody of the soldiers, the Police Public Relations Officer of the state police command, Chris Anyanwu, told Daily Independent on telephone that the governor would have mentioned the matter before the Police Commissioner, not the GOC if the escape was from the guardianship of the police.

The governor, while explaining the matter to the GOC, regretted that despite the huge sums of money expended in maintaining the soldiers deployed to the area, the suspected perpetrators of the crime who were arrested could still escape.

He reasoned that some situation could be susceptible to acts of sabotage.

Soldiers were deployed to the Ishielu Llocal Government Area following bloody communal crisis that erupted on May 10, 2008 between Ezillo and Ezzas.

The development culminated in the enactment of a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the area to pave way for the soldiers to restore peace in the zone and avert the escalation of the fracas.

The soldiers were then mandated to arrest those seen to be fomenting trouble.

Elechi also drew attention of the new GOC to some strange people who were settling in farmlands at Nkweagu military cantonment Abakaliki with a ploy to escape from the state government's directive for their relocation to a new site mapped out for them at Umuoghara in Ezza North Local Government Area of the state.

http://www.independentngonline.com/news/head/article09

;d ;d

VC laments Ndigbo apathy to education
By Our Correspondent
Published: Thursday, 19 Mar 2009
The Vice-Chancellor, Renaissance University, Enugu, Prof. Emeka Okpara, has said that the low investment in education by Ndigbo would continue to impact negatively on the development of the South-East
He noted that the Igbo might not get out of poverty if the people continued to neglect education and scholarship.

Okpara, a professor of Industrial/Organisational Psychology and Strategic Management, said this during an interview in Enugu on Wednesday.

He stated that the number of private universities in the zone was so low that Ogun State alone with 11 private universities had more than the whole of the South-East region.

He, therefore, advised the people to invest more in education instead of building petrol stations and hotels, which he said could end in the land. The professor noted that the people would be impoverished without education.

He said that the tragedy that befell the education sector in the country was caused by the political declaration that education was free, insisting that the cost of educating a child could not be too much.

The vice chancellor enjoined parents to enroll their wards in the university which he said has the necessary infrastructure and resources to mould her students, adding that the tuition fees had been moderated to encourage both the rich and the indigent.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200903192333020

Nigerian detained at Beijing airport with 87kg of marijuana
By Agency Reporter
Published: Thursday, 19 Mar 2009
[b]Customs police at Beijing airport caught a Nigerian man carrying 87 kilogrammes of marijuana, in the country‘s biggest drug bust so far this year, state press said on Wednesday.

The Nigerian, whose identity has not been disclosed, was apprehended early this month attempting to bring 72 bricks of marijuana wrapped in black plastic bags into the country, the China Daily said.

The man arrived in Beijing on March 2 and checked the suitcase containing the drugs into airport storage, the paper said, adding he was detained the next day when he returned to collect it.

It was not immediately clear if the man would be formally arrested and charged with drug trafficking.

Police told the paper it was China‘s biggest drug haul this year, the AFP stated.

Drug trafficking into China has nearly doubled in recent years along with a rise in illegal narcotics use, the paper said.

The number of registered drug addicts has risen by a third in the past three years to more than one million, the paper said, citing the Public Security Ministry.

Meanwhile, Spanish police have arrested 23 people, mainly Nigerians, who are suspected of running an email and letter scam that is thought to have defrauded over 150 people in the United States and Europe, the Spanish Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.

The gang sent out 20,000 letters every day to potential victims, making them believe they had been left an inheritance of up to 53 million euros ($69m) from an unknown family member, it said in a statement.

Those who responded received official-looking but faked documents asking them to pay administrative costs or taxes to collect their inheritance and some were even encouraged to come to Spain to speed up the process.

”Once they were in Madrid they were taken to the supposed offices of a security firm where they were shown chests or safes which apparently contained large quantaties of money,” the statement said.

Officials did not say how much money the victims lost but in similar schemes operated by other groups thousands of dollars are requested from those who show an interest in the letters.[/b]Those arrested operated from Madrid and the surrounding areas.

Police searched 13 residences and seized over 20,000 letters which were ready to be mailed, 30,000 euros and 55,000 email addresses of possible victims and a large amount of fake documents as part of their operation..

:d ;d

:-x

;d

Heartless! Man bathes daughter with acid

Justin Ozuzu, Nnewi


A 60-year-old man, Ignatius Anajaemba, has been arrested by the police after bathing his 23 year-old daughter with acid.

The incident which occurred at Nkpka Nnewichi, in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State, attracted concerned neighbours and the Nkpka vigilante who came to the rescue of the victim, by giving her first aid before taking her to the Anamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Nnewi, where she is currently being treated.

Daily Champion learnt that Anajemba returned late from an alleged drinking spree and became enraged that his daughter spent some time before opening the door for him to enter the house.

He was allegedly angered by the delay and went for a bottle of acid which he had concealed in the house. He emptied the content on the daughter.

However, a source said the acid attack may not be connected with drunkenness as the wife and children would want people to believe, as he was said to have complained of being assaulted by his family just before the incident.

The source said Anajemba may have procured the acid in a bid to defend himself from reprisal attack, considering the escalating crisis that had engulfed the family for quite sometime, which the source said often time resulted in exchange of blows.

"Just last year, the man in question was seen walking with crutches, as the children in connivance with their mother allegedly broke his limbs during one of such fights," the source said.

When Daily Champion visited the hospital, the victim who is an undergraduate of one of the higher institutions in the state, pleaded that her identity be played down in the press to avoid stigmatization.

When a source at Nnewi Central Police Station was contacted by our correspondent, he confirmed the incident but revealed that the suspect in question is a motor mechanic with his workshop beside a popular hotel on Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu drive, and that he was being kept at the police headquarters, Awka.

http://www.champion-newspapers.com/news/article1_180309.htm
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Awka, who could not be reached at the time of filing in this story.

16 Nigerians killed in E’Guinea
…12 others languish in jail
From CHUKS ONUOHA Aba
Wednesday, March 18, 2009


More Stories on This Section
A total of sixteen Nigerians, residing in Equatorial Guinea , have been murdered in cold blood, while 128 others are languishing in jail, after they were tagged coup plotters and arrested by the government of the day ,in an exercise that could be described as renewed aggression against Nigerian nationals in that country.

Out of the number of those who were murdered, three were shot at the beach , one inside the town, while he was looking for something to eat and twelve others beaten to death inside their cell rooms.

Following this development, Nigerians in that country have gone into hiding , to avoid regular raids organized to get them arrested dead or alive.
The latest incident was the shooting, last Friday of an Ilaje boy, who having been famished by hunger, came out of hiding to look for food to eat.

He was cut down by hail of bullets from the barrels of combined security operatives who sighted and recognized him as a Nigerian.
[b]In a petition written to the President of the Senate, David Mark, by members of Nigeria/Malabo Boat Operators Association, signed by the Secretary, Ebong Sunday , dated March 10, 2009, made available to Daily Sun in Aba, the members called on the Senate president to intervene in the situation with a view to causing the government of Equatorial Guinea to release 128 Nigerians who are still being detained in their prisons.

“They should also set free our eleven boats and all the merchandise therein as twelveare already dead and 128 in their cell . Our entire lives are in danger if the government of Equatorial Guinea are allowed to punish innocent Nigerians who knew nothing about breach of Security in that country,” the petition stated.
Speaking to Daily Sun on the matter, Chief Marcelenus Duru, a concerned Nigerian , who managed to escape from Malabo, the Guinean capital, under the guise of a missionary said that what he saw there was exhibition of hatred and cruelty against Nigerian nationals in that country.

According to the petition, “on February 17, 2009, while eleven of our boats anchored on the Malabo Port, some trying to off-load their goods and others already loaded and ready to sail to Nigeria, the Equatorial Guinea Police, Navy and Customs swooped on 68 Nigerian crew men on the beach and other Nigerians found on the streets of Malabo, arrested and took them to their central police station and detained them their . They openly shot dead three Nigerian in cold blood , one Mr shola jide and two others.”

Meanwhile, 128 Nigerians are languishing in Malabo prisons and Daily Sun learnt that authorities in the country are threatening to kill them. As we are writing this letter, the authorities have acquired the services of cranes to lift our boats with the merchandise out of the port. The reasons for this inhuman treatment is yet to be made public officially.[/b][b]Some of the names of those in jail are Captain Nnamdi Nnani, Eng Sunday Dorawola, Captain Fred Waroga, Gabriel Effiong, Friday Udo, Udo Ukpong, Eng Mathew Tom, Ariyo Ebouno, Captain Femi Ebeiesuwa, Eng Festus Ogundeji, Eng Nasiri Oyetomi, Ojola Ajuwaye, Omalade Olademeji, Glory Ago Korolo, Kola Victor, Sylvester Hwatu, Emmanuel Sunday, Lucky Michael, Joseph Edet, Etim Ukara, Robinson Udechukwu , Authority Ayomike, Henry Eniola and forty others are now in Guinean prison.[/b]But from what we gathered informally, a group of persons were said to have gone to Malabo prison situated inside the presidential villa to forcefully free some white men jailed as a result of their involvement in a coup plot three years ago. Then there was shooting and exchange of firing between them and prison security Officials. I t was these people that they claimed were Niger Delta Militants from Nigeria, which made them to start dealing with any Nigerian they see.”

It was reported that about three years ago, a coup which was allegedly sponsored by the son of the then British Prime Minister Magerete Thatcher was botched and some of the white men who were involved were arrested and jailed by Theodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogos Government.

Nigerians in this Country are mostly traders who trade on mattresses, food stuff rubber products etc and claim to be duly registered both in Nigeria and Malabo. Some are artisans like Mechanics, electricians shoe makers drivers etc. In fact, there are nothing less than nothing less than 40,000 Nigerians resident in that country.
Following the experience of Nigerians in that country, some members of the Association of Nigeria/Malabo Boat Operators were said to have gone to the Governor of Cross River state Lione Imoke on February 23 to register their protest over ill-treatment meted out to Nigerians by Guinean Authorities.

Earlier on February 20, the same group went to the Consulate General of Equatorial Guinea in Calabar to register a peaceful protest of what their Government is doing to Nigerians in that Country and implored them to plead with their police , Navy and other security agents to release Nigerians detained in that Country,
Efforts made to make Guinean Government show one Nigerian who they said participated in their assumed coup did not yield any result as they continue to comb for Nigerians where ever they are. An inside source from the presidency said that the Government in power used the incident as a ploy to arrest and sack some cabinet members who are in the presidents bad book.

Some Minister and cabinet members of the Government are thrown into jail with Nigerian nationas who they alleged are accomplices to the alleged coup.
Meanwhile , every effort made by the Nigerian consulate to that Country to see those who were arrested have been rebuffed by the police at the Central police station , Malabo.
Last week , when the consulate went to the police to seek access to see the Nigerian boys who were arrested, he was said to have been pushed out of the police station and threatened to be beaten up if he did not leave the station.

It is no longer news that Guinean are always pointing accusing fingers to Nigerians whenever anything goes wrong with their Country.

For now , every Nigerian in that Country is living in fear as their safety is no longer guaranteed.
It could be recalled that Equotorial Guinea got their Independence in 1968 and inherited some Nigerians who were working in their Cocoa farms . With the exit of their Colonians masters, these Nigerians were turned into slaves . It took the intervention of the Government of Muritala Muhammed of the blessed memory to liberate these Nigerians and for the first time, over 40000 Nigerians came home from Equatorial Guinea.

Their first president , Macais Nguema was overthrown in August 3, 1979 by his cousin Theodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasago, who killed his cousin during the coup detat.
It was when he formed a new Government that Nigerians went back to that Country , having seen the end of that despotic era of Macais Nguema.

Ever since Nigerians have continued to do business with them and are as well doing well , till last month when all hell was let loose and Nigerians were being hunted as preys.
In late February 1985, about 500 Nigerian workers escaped to Nigerian embassy in Malabo after a Nigerian was killed in a clash. Ships and aircrafts were sent to go and evacuate them. The Nigerian foreign Minister then said that the workers were illegally recruited as slaves. The president , Mbasogo apologized for the workers death and two of his men were sent as delegates to come and apologize to Nigeria.

The two major tribes that make up Equatorial Guinea are the Fang who control 80% of the population of the mainland and the Bube people who are the owners of the Island. The minority tribes are the Balangue and the Bechuba who are the minority , occupying the coastal areas of the Island.
Domination of the Fang people ,is said to be bringing opposition from time to time.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2009/mar/18/national-18-03-2009-05.htm

WHAT IS GOING ON.

NIGERIA HIV/AIDS NEWS
190,000 persons infected with HIV/AIDS in NigeR::

Abdulazeez Sani,Abuja Leadership,Abuja


No fewer than 190,000 persons are confirmed to be infected by the dreaded HIV/AIDS disease in Niger State.

The director-general of HIV and other communicable diseases in the state, Alh. Baba Umar, who disclosed this in an interview with LEADERSHIP in Minna, put the prevalent rate of the disease in the state at 5.3 percent.


Umar said ignorance and poverty are largely responsible for the devastating effects of the disease.

He explained that it was discovered that some medical personnel were yet to be convinced that HIV/AIDS is real, as they believe that those suffering from the disease are sinners who are being punished by God.

According to him, "the vision of the present administration in the state is to, through sensitisation and advocacy visits, reduce the prevalent rate to less than one percent in the next eight years."

The director-general disclosed that there are four centres in Minna, Suleja, Bida and Kontagora, where people living with HIV/AIDS are treated free of charge. Umar stated that the state government will soon sign a memorandum of understanding with an NGO, Management Sciences for Health, to create five additional free treatment centres in Lapai, Bida, New-Bussa, Kagara and Tunga-Magajiya to enable more people have access to anti retroviral drugs.

He said that "our plan is to have a minimum of 15 free treatment centres in different parts of the state by 2010." According to him, it will cost the NGO about N50 million to rehabilitate, provide equipment and drugs in the five proposed centres.

The director-general disclosed that apart from the free treatment, the state government had also commenced the distribution of food items and supplements to people living with the disease to boost their immune level. Umar explained that during the last Sallah celebration, 125 persons in Minna and 70 others from Bida benefited from the gesture.

Gambians 'taken by witch doctors'

Traditional healers, often called witch doctors, use ancient treatments
Up to 1,000 Gambian villagers have been abducted by "witch doctors" to secret detention centres and forced to drink potions, a human rights group says.

Amnesty International said some forced to drink the concoctions developed kidney problems, and two had died.

Officials in the police, army and the president's personal protection guard had accompanied the "witch doctors" in the bizarre roundup, said witnesses.

Gambia's government was unavailable to comment on the claims.

The human rights group asserted that many of those abducted were elderly.

The London-based rights group said the witch hunters, said to be from neighbouring Guinea, were invited into Gambia after the death of the president's aunt earlier this year was blamed on witchcraft.

Kate Allen, Amnesty's UK director, said hundreds of Gambians have fled to neighbouring Senegal for safety after seeing their villages attacked.

"The Gambian government has to put a stop to this campaign, investigate these attacks immediately and bring those responsible to justice," she said.

'Diarrhoea and vomiting'

Amnesty spoke to villagers who said they had been held for up to five days and forced to drink unknown substances, which they said caused them to hallucinate and behave erratically. The paramilitary police armed with guns and shovels surrounded our village and threatened that anyone who tries to escape will be buried six feet under

Eyewitness

Many said they were then forced to confess to being witches. In some cases, they were also allegedly severely beaten, almost to the point of death.

Eyewitnesses and victims told Amnesty the "witch doctors" were from neighbouring Guinea.

As well as police, army and national intelligence agents, they were also reportedly joined by "green boys" - personal protection guards of Gambian President Yahya Jammeh.

Amnesty said the incidents took place in the Foni Kansala district, near to the president's hometown in Kanilai.

In the most recent incident, said to have taken place on 9 March, hundreds of people from Sintet village were allegedly rounded up.

One eyewitness told the rights group: "The paramilitary police armed with guns and shovels surrounded our village and threatened the villagers that anyone who tries to escape will be buried six feet under."

Three hundred men and women were allegedly randomly identified and forced at gunpoint into waiting buses, which ferried them to Kanilai.

Once there, they were stripped and forced to drink dirty herbal water and were bathed with herbs, the eyewitness said.

Many of those who drank the concoctions developed instant diarrhoea and vomiting, the eyewitness added.




http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7949173.stm