The Edo State Police Command on Wednesday
arraigned one Valentine Ofuamaka, 39, over the
alleged killing of one Osagie Aisagbonbuomwan, a
truck driver, in Benin.
Ofumaka, a corporal attached to the police Special
Protection Unit, allegedly shot Aisagbonbuomwan
last Saturday, around Ramat Park, in the Ikpoba
Hill area of the state capital, for a yet-to-be
ascertained reasons.
The accused was remanded in prison by an
Ogbeson Chief Magistrate ‘s Court sitting at Ikpoba
Hill, Benin, as the presiding Chief Magistrate,
Jonathan Ogbeide, declined jurisdiction to hear the
matter due to what he described as the nature of
the offence.
According to the prosecution, the killer cop and
another, now at large, allegedly committed the
offence which is punishable under sections 324
and 316 of the Criminal Code.
The court ordered that the accused’s case file be
duplicated and forwarded to the Edo State Director
of Public Prosecution for legal advice.
The defendant’s plea was not taken by the court.
The magistrate adjourned the case till March 7,
2014 pending the Edo DPP advice.
Thursday, 6 February 2014
Edo police arraign killer cop
Asaba power substation April target feasible - contractor
The Project Manager, AK-AY Elektrik Nigeria
Ltd., Mr Odinaka Amobi, the firm handling
the Asaba Power Sub-Station in Delta, says the
April target date for the completion of the project is
feasible.
Amobi told the News Agency of Nigeria in an
interview on Thursday that about 90 per cent of
materials, plants and components needed for the
work were on ground.
He said that the company had taken delivery of a
150 MVA auto transformer for the project.
“With the 150 MVA auto transformers, the work on
the project is now at 90 per cent completed.
“There is no doubt that the effect of the substation
on power improvement will be huge when
completed,” he said.
According to him the substation has the capacity to
expand to meet the power needs of the future.
“This is a new Asaba 330/132/33 substation; we
are actually almost completing work which started
about 16 months ago.
“We are now almost at 90 per cent completion of
the civil works and as you can see all my high
voltage equipment are in place and we are
expected to commission this substation on or
before April this year.
“So, the good news about this is that we received
the 150 MVA auto transformer on Wednesday, this
will enable the stepping down of power from
national grid 330 to 132 lines,” he said.
Amobi said that the company was liaising with the
Transmission Company of Nigeria and other
stakeholders to ensure the completion of the 330
lines of the national grid from which the power
would be stepped down.
He thanked Gov. Emmanuel Uduaghan and the
Commissioner for Energy, Mr Charles Emetulu, for
their support, encouragement and intervention to
ensure that the project would be completed on
time.
Amobi also commended the Ibusa, Ogwashi-Uku
and Asaba communities for their concern and
support and assured them of the contractor’s
commitment to deliver the project on target date.
He said that the sub-station would serve Asaba
and environs.
Fire guts Zenith bank in Ibadan
Fire gutted the Dugbe branch of Zenith Bank,
Ibadan, on Thursday morning.
Details of the cause of the fire could not be
ascertained as at the time of filling this report. Fire
fighters are battling to put out the fire before it
extends to nearby buildings.
5 policemen detained for renting rifle to kidnappers
OWERRI — Five policemen, serving in Imo State
police command, including the armourer of New
Owerri police division, are now in detention over
how one of the AK-47 rifles officially issued for
guard duties, ended up in the hands of dare devil
kidnappers operating in the state.
Confirming the develpoment to Vanguard in a
telephone interview yesterday, the state
Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Musa Katsina,
said while four of the five policemen were explaining
their involvement in the sordid act, the armourer is
being tried for negligent conduct.
Katsina said: “It is true that I ordered the arrest,
detention and interrogation of four serving
policemen of this command for allegedly renting one
of the rifles assigned to them to dare devil
kidnappers.”
According to the CP, all the police officers, including
the armourer, arrested in connection with the sordid
finding are now facing orderly room trial.
He said: “I have constituted a panel to try them.
They have been given the opportunity to explain
and anybody found to be involved in the crime
would be made to face the full weight of the law.”
Giving a graphic account of how the police
recovered the weapon from fleeing kidnappers,
Katsina said the command’s Ambush Squad gave a
hot chase to a gang of kidnappers and in the
process, they abandoned the gun in their
operational vehicle and ran away.
“When the vehicle was thoroughly searched, the
AK-47 rifle belonging to the command was
recovered. We traced the point of issue to New
Owerri police division and that is how the armourer
came into the picture,” the CP said.
Katsina said policemen are given weapons to
protect the citizens and not to use it to terrorize the
people they are supposed to protect.
“The four were officially assigned the weapons for
guard duties. The other three policemen never
reported to anybody that their colleague whose
weapon was later recovered from kidnappers, was
not reporting for duty” the CP said.
Vanguard investigations revealed that the four
policemen were posted to the residence of a retired
CP (names withheld), while Katsina has since
reported the incident to the Inspector General of
Police.
Gov. Orji dissociates self from campaign posters
Gov. Theodore Orji of Abia on Monday said he had
no hand in the posters which signify his interest in
the Senate in 2015.
Speaking with newsmen at the Government
House, Umuahia on Wednesday, Orji said his aides
called his attention to the posters, which adorned
strategic locations in Umuahia and its environs,
after his return from the council of states’ meeting
in Abuja.
He attributed the posters to the handiwork of those
urging him to run for the Senate in 2015, especially
people from the Abia Central senatorial Zone.
The governor said that different groups, individuals
and communities in the zone had at various times
come to persuade him to run for the Senate in the
2015 elections.
“But I continuously tell them that I have not made
up my mind and anytime I do, I will make
categorical statement regarding their request.
“I have not printed posters, neither have I mandated
anybody to print posters for me. Let me put it on
record that those posters are not from me.
“I want to suspect those who are urging me to go to
the Senate to be the brain behind the printing of the
posters,’’ he said.
Orji appealed to those behind the campaign posters
to exercise restraint and wait until the ban on
electioneering was lifted.
The governor also spoke on the recently released
INEC timetable for the 2015 general elections,
saying it would enable political parties and
politicians to make their observations.
He noted that INEC would also have ample time to
consider all the complaints and observations and
make amends where necessary.
‘’INEC has released the timetable for the elections
early enough to allow politicians to prepare
adequately for the exercise.
‘’It will also help the commission to make
adjustments where necessary,’’ he said. (NAN)
N82.8m theft: Court adjourns arraignment of Cross Country chief
An Ikeja High Court on Thursday adjourned the
arraignment of a popular transporter, Bube
Okorodudu, over an N82.8 million theft, till Feb.12.
The arraignment, which was earlier fixed for Feb. 6,
was adjourned because it was not listed for hearing
by the court in its cause list.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that
Okorodudu and his transport firm, Cross Country
Ltd., will be arraigned alongside another company,
Car Link Ltd.
The defendants would be arraigned before Justice
Lateef Lawal-Akapo, by the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC).
They are facing a nine-count charge of conspiracy,
stealing, forgery and uttering.
The EFCC counsel, Mr Francis Usani, alleged that
the defendants conspired among themselves to
commit the offences between February and August,
2009.
Usani said they stole the money through the
fraudulent sale of 17 units of Volkswagen
transporter buses belonging to AG Moeller Ltd.
According to him, the buses are fraudulently sold to
GMT Nigeria Ltd; Multichoice Nigeria Ltd; and Law
Union and Rock/TFS Finance Ltd.
He also accused the defendants of forging a
document entitled: “Nigeria Customs Service Motor
Vehicle Duty Certificate,” to facilitate the alleged
stealing.
The prosecutor said the offences contravened
Sections 390, 467 and 468 of the Criminal Code,
Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.
NAN recalls that the offence of stealing attracts
between seven and 20 years imprisonment, if an
accused is found guilty. (NAN)
NYSC to partner with banks, AGN to help talented corps members
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), on
Wednesday, said it would partner with banks and
the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN) to help talented
NYSC members to achieve their dreams.
The NYSC Director-General, Brig.-Gen. Johnson
Olawunmi, made the disclosure at the grand finale
of the Annual NYSC Cultural Festival in Abuja.
He said the scheme decided to approach banks and
the AGN to help develop members’ talent with
outstanding performance during the just-concluded
cultural festival.
He added that “I have directed top management of
the scheme to approach banks and other financial
institutions, including the AGN to help those who
have distinguished themselves during the cultural
festival.’’
Olawumi said the festival was not only meant to
entertain, “but to equally draw attention to moral
values and a united and more viral nation.’’
Chief Edem Duke, the Minister of Culture, Tourism
and National Orientation, lauded the NYSC for
organising the festival, saying it paraded the best
assets of the country.
He said the festival provided the platform that could
give the NYSC members the creativity needed to
launch themselves into limelight.
Duke said corps members who exhibited laudable
talents would never go hungry, noting that those
identified as talented would be taken to China for the
next cultural festival.
He added that the ministry of culture would
henceforth include the talented members into the
annual Abuja Carnival.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the
NYSC Annual Cultural Festival showcases dance,
comedy and drama competitions among NYSC
members from across the country.
NYSC members from Kogi emerged the best in the
cultural dance, while Cross River emerged best in
cultural parade, as Taraba won first place in the
stand-up comedy category. (NAN)