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Festac Robbery: How My Sister Died Trying To Save Her Daughter’s Life

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At 4th Avenue in Festac Town, Lagos, sorrow pervaded the air yesterday, a day after a woman and her child were killed in their home by stray bullets fired by robbers operating in the area.

Unaware of the gloom and sadness that pervaded the atmosphere, six-year-old- Chimezie ambled in playfully with his schoolbag and lunch pack from school. With the innocence of a child, he gaily greeted everyone in the living room and sat on the lap of a family member. This action by the young boy, who will no longer experience the warmth and cuddle of a mother, brought tears to the eyes of everyone in the room. For Henry Beluchuckwu, the younger brother to the unfortunate woman, Jane was a mentor, best among the best, a mother, a virtuous woman and counsellor.
Robbers had laid siege to two banks in the area early on Tuesday morning. They shot sporadically for about two hours while the robbery lasted.
Since the incident, Henry, younger brother to the deceased, is yet to come to terms with the death of his sister, who he believes might still walk out of the morgue alive. The young man, who spoke on behalf of the family, noted that the deceased’s family, friends, co-workers and neighbours have indeed lost a pearl and a lifesaver. From all indications, the family had indeed, been hit by a big tragedy and they have remained inconsolable. Everywhere you turned in the apartment, tears pouring down from grief-stricken faces of family, friends and neighbours greeted you. This was even as splattered blood on the white-washed wall, a tell-tale evidence of the loss, was still left intact. The blood soaked mattress where the little girl was laid after breathing her last, also told everyone of the pathetic killing of the innocent baby. Jane Ndirika, nee Beluchukwu, the 36-year-old mother of two from Umuoji in Anambra State, was, until her death, a nurse with the Igando General Hospital.
The fourth in a family of eight children was said to have also worked at various general hospitals in Lagos State. It was gathered that ironically, the facility where she had worked for years to save lives, could not safe her from the cold hands of death when she was rushed there, after being rejected by a private hospital in Festac Town. She presently lies stone dead in the hospital’s morgue. Henry, who disclosed that the husband of the deceased, Peter, was still in shock and was unable to attend to visitors yet, asserted that the hardest tragedy to hit any man is the loss of a wife and daughter at the same time. He disclosed that the deceased’s husband has really lost a mother and the backbone of the family. “They have been married for eight years now. Jane was a very good woman. She was a hustler and does so many things to make ends meet. She was really a definition of a virtuous woman. She was a very enterprising woman and ready to go the extra mile to ensure that the family is comfortable. Despite studying Business Administration, her love for helping people made her to return to school to study nursing. Most patients even come to her home to express gratitude because of her nice nature,” he said. Shedding light on how his sister met her gruesome, untimely death alongside her 14-month-old-baby, he disclosed that contrary to insinuations that the deceased was videoing the robbers, they were actually hit by a single bullet that ricocheted on the wall after piercing through the side of the door. The bullet, he revealed, pierced through the daughter to the mother while they were in the corridor, trying to take cover. According to him, her life was cut short because she acted as a mother by responding to the cry of her scared baby.
“Which mother would ignore the cry of her child even in the face of death,” he asked.
“I am responding to your question because I believe my sister is not deaf. She was already lying on the floor of the living room alongside her friend and other members of the family when she heard her daughter crying. After picking the child and made to come out of the room to lie on the floor again, they were both hit by a bullet.” Henry disclosed that 30 minutes after the incident, no one in the house could call for help as the robbers laid siege to the whole area. He disclosed that the child died immediately. By the time the robbers finally left and his sister was rushed to a nearby private hospital, she had lost so much blood. He was, however, very angry that the hospital refused to attend to the deceased and had asked them to get a police report to back their claims about being hit by a bullet from the robbers. He said that was contrary to the directive by the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, that persons with gunshot injuries should be quickly attended to. “It is really sad. As at the time we got to that hospital, she still had pulse. We had to immediately rush her to the Igando General Hospital after the hospital refused to attend to her. One of the neighbours, Mr. Irabor, helped so much as he kept applying pressure to the place to control the bleeding. He was also calling her name to ensure she remained conscious.” Henry further disclosed that at Igando General Hospital, activities literally came to a standstill when news of her predicament went round. He noted that the hospital management tried their best to save her life, regretting that she still died despite their efforts. “Everybody that was somebody was in the theatre that day. The place was filled with student nurses, nurses and other personnel. They tried to resuscitate her, opened her up to suture the point of bleeding. In fact, they did everything humanly and medically possible. The news of her death temporarily suspended work at the hospital. The hospital is in a state of mourning now. That goes to show you the type of person she was. Everybody loved her.” According to a commercial motorbike operator who carried the reporter to the house of the deceased, the type of gun used by the robbers was so sophisticated and was not likely to be in the armoury of the police. This, he felt explained why the policemen who later responded arrived the scene about 30 minutes later. The man who said he had never seen or heard about such type of robbery, noted that the operation shook the whole of Festac Town “I don’t blame them for not responding on time. They came when the robbers had gone. The robbers took their time and they were many. It was a well-planned operation that can only be done by professionals,” he said.

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TikTok returns to Google, Apple U.S. app stores amid legal scrutiny

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Apple and Google are restoring TikTok to their app stores nearly a month after a federal ban temporarily removed the popular social media app, preventing new downloads in the U.S.

The reinstatement comes amid ongoing uncertainty over TikTok’s future in the United States, as lawmakers and the Trump administration continue to debate national security concerns tied to its Chinese ownership.

Apple’s decision to reinstate TikTok came after receiving a letter from the Justice Department, according to a report by Bloomberg.

It remains unclear exactly what the letter said, but Apple was reportedly assured by the Trump administration that there would be no immediate enforcement of the ban.

As of Thursday evening, however, the app was still not visible on the App Store for some users.

The app, owned by the Beijing-based company ByteDance, also reappeared on the Google Play Store, allowing new users to download it for the first time since the ban went into effect.

While existing users were able to continue using the platform, its removal from app stores last month signaled a major escalation in the government’s efforts to push ByteDance to sell TikTok to a U.S. company.

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‘It’s Christ over earthly possession’ — Judikay ends rift with EeZee Conceptz

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Judikay, the Nigerian gospel singer, has announced her decision to step away from the controversy surrounding her former record label, EeZee Conceptz.

In June 2024, Judikay petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu, the founder of EeZee Conceptz.

She accused Ezekiel and his label of falsifying accounts and committing theft against her to the tune of £800,000.

The label founder was recently charged by the EFCC for the alleged exploitation of the gospel singer.

However in an Instagram post on Saturday, the ‘Capable God’ hitmaker said she has decided to “walk away” from the drama and prioritize the greater good and unity of the body of Christ.

She expressed her gratitude to her colleagues, family, and fellow believers for their support “during this period”.

“After prayerful consideration, I have made the deliberate decision to walk away from this entire drama and I choose to prioritise the greater good and unity of the body of Christ,” she wrote.

“My role as a member of the body of Christ takes precedence and I willingly make this sacrifice, drawing strength from the knowledge that Christ is of far greater worth than any earthly possession or vindication.

“With this conviction, I choose to step away. I sincerely express my heartfelt gratitude to the leaders in the body of Christ, my fellow believers, the gospel music community, and my precious family for their continued encouragement and prayers during this period.

“My focus and commitment remains on Jesus Christ and this ministry HE entrusted in my hands.”

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‘Mention people who used, dumped you’ — Nons Miraj dares viral fish pie seller

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Nons Miraj, the content creator, has responded to a recent claim made by Alax Evalsam, the pastry seller known for his signature ‘Fish Pie’ tune.

In August 2024, Alax’s life changed when he posted a video of himself singing while hawking his fish pies on TikTok.

Following his social media popularity, rumours circulated that Alax had received large sums of money from celebrities.

Miraj was one of the celebrities who helped him. She visited him, moved him into a rented apartment, and gifted him N200,000 and a car.

But on Wednesday, Alax claimed he was “used and dumped” by the people who supported him during his viral moment.

Reacting to Alax’s claims, Miraj challenged him to publicly reveal the names of those who allegedly took advantage of him.

The content creator insisted that her brand should not be associated with Alax’s claims, emphasizing that she had done her part to help him.

“You said some people used you; please do me a favor like I have done you a favor. Come out and clear the air on who used you,” she said in an Instagram video.

“I am not a user, God uses me to bless and help people. Don’t ruin my brand because you don’t want to call names. I’m daring you now to call the names of people that used you.

“The car, clothes, and house I gifted you are still with you. Don’t ruin my brand with this claim; call the names of the users, but don’t associate my brand with this.

“Out of all the people I have helped, I spent more money on you. My friends were against buying you a car but I bought it because I feel it is good for you to be mobile after being public.

“I also got you a deal with 1XBet. What else do you want from me? I have given you the necessary things so help yourself to the next level.”

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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