A High Court in Benin on Monday convicted and sentenced a Police Officer, Cpl Amadin Idahosa to life in imprisonment for the unlawful and extra-judicial killing of a Uniben Student, Ibrahim Momodu
Ibrahim Momodu was murdered in 2013 on his way from school by Amadin and his team, a case that led to outrage my Benin youths who requested for the prosecution of the culprits.
The case was controversial as the police displayed a bike and a cut to size gun allegedly found in his possession. The late student was shot along Siluko Road, Benin City.
It could be recall that NAIJA CENTER NEWS published photos of the autopsy which indicated that, contrary to police report, Ibrahim was shot three times from behind, and was killed at the station.
It was gathered that Ibrahim was a victim of extra judicial killings by the police who did everything to sweep the case under the carpet with the help of the then DPO at Ogida Police station, Carol Afegbai.
ONITSHA—The Divisional Police Officer, DPO, in-charge of C Division, Asaba, Delta state, Mr Emmanuel Ogbuanya, has vowed that officers and men of the division would not rest on their oars until some undesirable elements who have been terrorizing inhabitants of Jaret and Cable Point areas of Asaba are completely wiped out from the area, based on his new detective strategies.
Police Inspector General, Solomon Arase
Ogbuanya who sounded this note of warning weekend while inaugurating a vigilante outfit that would take care of Obumseli, Nwuga,Ogbolu, Abagana and Ijeh streets in Asaba, disclosed that based on the strategies, has been able to arrest four out of 30 masked cultists who have been terrorizing the residents of the area.
He therefore, warned parents to monitor the companies their children keep as they would not be spared when caught over their involvement in cultism or other criminal acts.
The DPO who said he had just been transfered to C Division, warned cultists, kidnappers and assassins to vacate the area to avoid meeting their waterloo.
According to him, “before I came in here, the residents did not have rest as a result of the negative of cultists who had have taken over the area but now I want some level of quietude henceforth”.
He charged the vigilance group to work in collaboration with the police and avoid detaining suspects becuase they don’t have the right to do so but to always hand such suspects over to the police with immediate effect, warning, do not bring dead or half dead person to me to carry. You will be held responsible for your illegal actions”.
Expressing satisfaction with the concerted efforts of both the police and vigilance group in fighting crime in the area, DPO urged the vigilance outfit to avoid acts capable of dragging the image of the outfit to ridicule.
Earlier in his address, the chairman of the security outfit, Mr Ejike Onwa had declared:”once it is 6.30pm you see people running to get inside their houses because of fear of these cultists numbering about 30 that attack the people, adding, it is because of these cultists that the five streets of Obumseli, Nwuga, Ogbolu, Abagana and Ijeh came together and formed security outfit to fight them and it has been yielding dividends as eight of them were arrested and handed over to the police so far before the take over by the new DPO”.
Flanked by his secretary, Mr. Okafor Henry, the chairman added that the cultists who attack the residents with guns, machetes, knives, charms, clubs and axe, confessed they were members of red carpet, black axe and trigger boys.
Contributing, an activist attached to Campaign for Democracy, CD, comrade Igweze Benjamin urged parents in the area to monitor their children and know the type of company they keep, adding that now that security
outfit has been inaugurated by the DPO, no cultist would be spared.
Also speaking, the councilor representing the ward, Hon. Chike Arinze disclosed that he was attacked by the cultists adding, “but some of those that attacked me were arrested”.He warned that he would not listen to any parent that comes to him for the release of his child if caught in cultism.
Lagos—A former Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Segun Fabunmi, attached to Pen Cinema Division of Lagos State Police Command, Wednesday, told a Lagos High Court that he could not explain how the ammunition allocated to him left his rifle.
Fabunmi, who had been dismissed, is standing trial for allegedly killing one Ademola Daramola and injuring others during the mass protest on fuel subsidy, organized by Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, of Nigeria, in January 9, 2012.
The alleged offence was committed at Yaya-Abatan, Agege, during the protest.
At the resumed hearing of the trial, Fabunmi said the AK-47 rifle was opened, while on his way to the scene of protest, adding that after Daramola died, he could no longer remember how many rounds of ammunition were left in the rifle until he was about being detained.
Fabunmi, who was being cross-examined by Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution, DPP, Mrs. Olabisi Ogungbesan, told Justice Olabisi Akinlade that he neither chased anybody, shot nor injured people.
He said: “I did not run after the late Ademola Daramola, may his soul rest in peace. I do not know him. Why would I chase him? It is ridiculous.
“I never ran to anywhere neither did I fire any shot at anybody.”
The defendant also told Justice Olabisi Akinlade that on January 9, 2012, he received a distress call that hoodlums at Yaya Abatan Junction, Ogba Agege area, were breaking people’s windscreens and holding innocent people hostage.
He said when he got there, there was break down of law and order and that immediately the hoodlums saw him and the other seven police officers, they started throwing bottles, sticks, cutlasses, stones and Molotov Curtails.
When asked if he knew that some ammunition got out of his gun, Fabunmi said: ”Yes. I knew that some ammunition got out of my gun when the hoodlums were trying to dispossess me of my rifle, after I sustained injury.
“It took the grace of God for them not to have collected the rifle from me. The other police officers all ran away.”
He said he had only been DPO of Pen Cinema Police Division for two months and that he went to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital for treatment, but that he could not remember the name of the doctor that treated him.
However, Justice Akinlade adjourned the matter to February 18, 2015, for the adoption of written addresses.
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a Divisional Police Officer, Mr. Oladipo Afolayan, for allegedly raping a woman in his office.
The development comes a few months after another Lagos DPO, Mr. Adekunle Awe, was arrested for allegedly raping a woman, Idowu Akinwunmi, in his office at the Onikan Police Division.
Abba Suleiman, New Inspector General of Police
PUNCH Metro learnt that Afolayan, who is a Superintendent of Police, had only been recently posted to the Magodo Police Post when the incident allegedly occurred.
It was learnt that the woman he allegedly raped was a suspect in an ongoing investigation.
It was gathered that following a report by the victim, Afolayan was arrested and brought before the Commissioner of Police, Cornelius Aderanti.
Aderanti was said to have also reported the matter to the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 2 Command, Mr. Umar Manko.
Our correspondent learnt that the matter was transferred to the X Squad, a department at the state command which is in charge of investigating police crimes and misdemeanours.
When our correspondent visited the Magodo Police Post on Thursday, policemen on duty refused to comment on the matter.
It was, however, learnt that after taking his statement, the X Squad transferred the DPO and the case file to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
When contacted on the telephone, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed that the police were investigating the matter, adding that the senior police officer would be made to face the law if found culpable.
He said, “Yes, we are investigating an allegation like that. As a result of the sensitivity of the matter, it would be too soon to come to a conclusion. The stance of the Commissioner of Police is not to condone any act of indiscipline whether from the public or from our men.
“Therefore, when investigations are concluded, and the officer is found culpable, he will be made to dance to the tune of the law, and if it is found otherwise, he will be cleared. The press will be invited and briefed once investigations are concluded.”
