News
Man Killed After Winning Lottery In Lagos
A 35-year-old man, Ejike Onyejekwe, has been killed in the FESTAC Town area of Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the victim, who lived on 21 Road, K Close, FESTAC, was stabbed to death after winning a lot of money from a lottery.
Our correspondent gathered that Onyejekwe, to celebrate the winning, bought drinks for his friends and threw a party last Thursday and Friday.
It was learnt that on Friday evening, he was heard arguing with an unidentified person on the phone.
He allegedly told his friend he was going to see the man, but never returned.
His corpse was allegedly discovered the next day on one of the estates.
A resident, who did not want to be identified, said the chairman of the estate called the attention of residents to the corpse on Saturday.
He said, “I was sipping tea around 7am when I heard the chairman blowing a whistle. I thought it was strange, but my wife called my attention to the surging crowd on the estate.
“I went downstairs and saw the corpse on the road. Like everybody, I was alarmed. We could not tell how the corpse got there or who he was. He had multiple stab injuries in the head. We all resolved that the case should be reported at the FESTAC Police Station.”
It was learnt that some of the victim’s friends later identified him.
The corpse was said to have been deposited in a morgue, while the police arrested and detained the chairman of the estate and his secretary; they were later released.
A source told PUNCH Metro that the victim won a lottery few days to his death.
He said, “The man won a lot of money in a lottery and from last Thursday to Friday, he was asking his friends to drink at his expense.
“He was called on the phone that Friday evening and he went to meet a man. I suspect that a gang stabbed him and used an object to hit him in the head. There were bruises on his knees and it appeared they dragged him on the floor as well.
“When the police were removing his corpse, blood was dripping from his mouth and nostrils. He was murdered in cold blood.”
A friend of the victim, who did not identify himself, said his relative had visited the community.
“I can’t say why he was killed. Nobody knows. He just returned from a visit to the village,” he added.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the incident, adding that the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba.
She added that the police had already arrested two suspects in connection with the death.
She said, “The chairman of one of the estates reported that at about 7am, he woke up and saw the victim lying lifeless with injuries on his head and body. The corpse was deposited at the Isolo General Hospital Mortuary for autopsy. Two suspects, Suleiman Ahmed and Ibrahim Yusuf, were arrested and the case transferred to the SCIID for further investigation.”
News
NASS amends NDLEA Act, okays life imprisonment for drug traffickers
The Senate has concurred with the recommendation of the House of Representatives to commute the death sentence penalty for persons found guilty of storing, moving or concealing hard drugs and other illicit substances to life imprisonment.
The alignment of the Senate with the House of Representatives yesterday was a sequel to the amendment effected on the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act.
The amendment was considered at the plenary, presided over by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, APC! Kano North, after majority of senators supported the harmonisation of the conference committee of the two chambers of the National Assembly on Section 11 of the NDLEA Act.
Recall that recently, the House of Representatives passed an amendment to the NDLEA law to prescribe life imprisonment for drug traffickers but the Senate version of the amendment prescribed death penalty for the offenders.
In order to address the differences, both the Senate and the House of Representatives needed to hold a conference committee on the amendment where they will conclude on a final amendment to the section.
The then Chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Tahir Monguno, had told his colleagues that the Senate would adopt the amendment of the House prescribing life imprisonment for drug traffickers.
Monguno, who is the chairman of the conference committee, explained that if the National Assembly adopted the death sentence, it meant over 900 accused persons behind bar on drug related cases would be executed.
He, therefore, urged his colleagues to support the resolution in order to reduce the effect of drug consumption and trading in the country.
After the presentation, the Deputy Senate President put the resolution to a vote and majority of the senators supported it.
Senator Barau, thereafter, approved the amendments to include life imprisonment for drug traffickers.
With the amendment, the section now reads: “Anybody who is unlawfully involved in the storage, custody, movement, carriage or concealment of dangerous drugs or controlled substances and who, while so involved is armed with any offensive weapon or is disguised in anyway, shall be guilty of an offence under this Act, and liable on conviction to be sentenced to life imprisonment.”
News
‘He was never our member’ — IPOB disowns Simon Ekpa
The proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) says Simon Ekpa, the controversial Biafra agitator, was never a member of the group.
IPOB said Ekpa was not a registered member of the group’s chapter in Finland and cannot be the leader of the group.
On Thursday, Ekpa, a Finland-based secessionist, was arrested by law enforcement agents in the northern European nation.
He was subsequently sent to prison by the district court of Päijät-Häme for “spreading terrorist propaganda on social media”.
Ekpa was said to have committed the crime in 2021 in Lahti municipality.
The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) also arrested four other men over alleged terrorist offences.
In a statement on Friday, Emma Powerful, IPOB’s spokesperson, said Ekpa was a “destructive agent” paid to “infiltrate and destroy” the “peaceful movement” of IPOB.
Powerful accused the Nigerian and Finnish governments of shielding Ekpa from arrest.
“Simon Ekpa was never and is not an IPOB member, let alone being a leader in IPOB. IPOB has some family units in Finland, and Simon Ekpa is not a registered member of any IPOB unit in Finland or any other IPOB unit globally,” the statement reads.
“Mazi Nnamdi Kanu established IPOB as a peaceful movement to seek Biafra Independence via a supervised UN referendum.
“IPOB is a peaceful global movement that has never taken to violence or arms struggle in two decades of our self-determination struggle.
“It was unfortunate that some innocent Biafrans, being passionate for the restoration of the stolen sovereignty of the Biafran Nation, thought that Simon Ekpa was genuinely sympathetic to the Biafra cause.
“Sadly, they had to learn the hard way that he was a destructive agent paid to infiltrate and destroy the IPOB peaceful movement for Biafra self-determination. He recruited violent criminals to destabilize the South East Region in 2021.
“The Simon Ekpa-led group has no alliance, affiliation or relationship with IPOB family worldwide. He recruited his criminal gangs who have been terrorising the Biafran territory since 2021.
“The Nigerian government and politicians that contracted Simon Ekpa have been making strenuous efforts to tag the violent crimes of their agent on IPOB just to blackmail and demonise the genuine and peaceful Biafra self-determination struggle of the Biafran people led by the IPOB.
“On the purported arrest of Simon Ekpa, all IPOB members, Biafrans and lovers of Biafra freedom should remain calm and focused on our core objective which is the restoration of the sovereign state of Biafra.”
News
Lagos state government seals Ile Iyan restaurant over waste disposal violations
The Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) has sealed off Ile Iyan, a restaurant in the Sabo Yaba area of the state, for “non-compliance with waste disposal regulations”.
Lagos Waste Reporters, a publication focused on waste management, reported that officials discovered invoices and food waste from Ile Iyan at an illegal dumpsite.
The dumpsite is located near Aje Comprehensive High School, Yaba.
“Despite the establishment’s claims of registration with LAWMA, no corroborative evidence was provided,” the report reads.
LAWMA has now mandated Ile Iyan to formally register and comply with established waste management regulations.
“It is essential to maintain cleanliness in Lagos. Businesses must register with LAWMA and adhere to proper waste management procedures to prevent closure,” the report added.
Tokunbo Wahab, commissioner for the environment and water resources in Lagos, has ramped up enforcement of environmental regulations in the city, with markets, clubs and eateries often sealed over purported violations.
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