Court remands four policemen for torturing citizen Chima to death

A Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has remanded four policemen in the Correctional Center for allegedly torturing Chima Ikwunado to death.

The policemen, who were members of the Eagle Crack, a special squad under the state police command, reportedly killed Chima and inflicted various degrees of injuries on three others while in detention in police a cell.

The command earlier dismissed the operatives identified as Ayogu Fidelis, Rose Georgewill, Eke Chibuzor and Egbunefu Felix, for unprofessionalism.

The suspect were arraigned before the Magistrate Court on Tuesday on seven-count of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and unlawful assault.

They, however, pleaded not guilty when they charges were read to them.

The Chief Magistrate, Promise Iruanya, who declined to grant the suspects bail remanded them in the Correctional Centre and ordered that the case file should be transferred ti the Directorate of Public Prosecution for legal advice.

Iroanya added that the court lacked the jurisdiction to hear the matter and adjourned the case to September 19th for legal advice.

The Magistrate explained that while the court lacked Jurisdiction to entertain count one to three of the charges, count four to seven could be handled by the court.

Man arrested with dead baby in Abia

Police in Abia State have saved a man from a lynch mob in Aba after he was reportedly seen with a dead baby.

The suspect was said to be unable to explain how he ended up with the baby, neither could he provide any information on the mother’s whereabouts.

It was gathered that the police team on patrol was  alerted by the large number of people gathered and surging towards the market.

On getting close to the scene, they noticed that some members of the crowd were bearing several dangerous weapons which were already.

The police team was said to have quickly intervened and moved the suspect away.

The man in his early thirties and a regular face in the area, it was gathered, was thought to be mentally unstable but after seeing him with the dead baby, people started seeing him in a new light.

“The incident this morning has made us doubt the true state of his mental derangement,” one source said. “The question that we want the police to help us ask him is, where he got the baby and where he is taking the baby to?”

185 suspected cultists arrested in Lagos

Police in Lagos on Sunday said they arrested 185 suspected cultists terrorising Ikorodu and environs.

Spokesman Bala Elkana said eight locally-made pistols were recovered from the suspects within the last two weeks during raids of Ikorodu, Ipakodo, Igbogbo, Ibeshe, Shagamu Road, Agbowa and others.

Elkana said the raids followed a directive from the Commissioner of Police Hakeem Odumosu to the Special Strike Force on social miscreants to tackle the menace of cultism in Ikorodu district.

Elkana said the operatives launched an intelligence-driven operation that targeted top cult leaders and members especially those who engaged in supremacy tussles that took lives.

“Operatives of the Special Strike Force were given clear instructions to reclaim and dominate the public spaces and ensure that no cult groups or gangs operate in any part of Lagos State.

“The Strike Force has so far arrested 185 notorious cultists and recovered eight locally made pistols and other dangerous weapons from them.

“Suspects arrested confessed to belong to Eiye, Aiye, KK, Buccaneers, Vikings confraternities, among others. One Gbadamosi Mohammed, 30, suspected to be among the cultists, who reportedly killed one Madariola Sunday at Ibeshe on May 21, was among the suspects arrested.

“Also arrested are Onibudo Afeex, Habeeb Isa, Felix Igwoke, Taiwo Iyanu at Femi Taiwo Street, Ikorodu. They were arrested in an uncompleted building holding cult meeting. One Adeoye Daya, 25, a hit man of Aiye confraternity, was arrested at Ikorodu garage with one locally made short gun.”

Orji Kalu Finally back home

Senator Orji Uzor Kalu on Wednesday night returned home from custody.

The Senate chief whip was freed from the Kuje Correctional Centre at about 7:30pm.

His release was ordered on Tuesday by Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.

The judge also set aside the fraud trial and the 12-year conviction of the former Abia State governor (1999 -2007).

The judgment in the N7.65b fraud case involving Abia State fund was delivered on December 5, last year.

Convicted along with Kalu were former Abia State Government House Director of Finance Ude Udeogu and Kalu’s firm Slok.

But on May 8, the Supreme Court in an appeal by Udeogu, quashed the judgment and ordered a trial of the case afresh because Justice Muhammed Idris, who delivered the verdict no longer had jurisdiction having been elected to the Court of Appeal.

On the strength of that judgment, Kalu asked the court to free him. This was granted.

New video shows Florida cop kneeling on black man’s neck in recent arrest

Police in Florida have released a helicopter video showing a now-suspended officer kneeling on a suspect’s neck and head, the same unauthorized restraining method used in the fatal arrest of George Floyd.

The video, released Tuesday by the Sarasota Police Department, appears to show 27-year-old Patrick Carroll resisting arrest during a domestic battery investigation on May 18 — a week before Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis.

One of two cops who were trying to detain Carroll placed his knee on the suspect’s neck and head as the other held the man by his legs.

Authorities said Carroll did not need medical treatment or complain about any injuries, but Police Chief Bernadette DiPino said she was “disturbed" by the footage.

“While it appears the Officer eventually moves his leg to the individual’s back, this tactic is not taught, used or advocated by our agency,” police said in a statement Monday.  The officer has been placed on administrative leave while the department conducts an internal affairs investigation. His name has not been released.  Sarasota police published the footage after cellphone video from a bystander surfaced on social media earlier this week, drawing outrage and comparisons to the Floyd case. In both arrests, a white officer was seen kneeling on a black man’s neck as the handcuffed suspect lay on the pavement.  But unlike Floyd, who was being investigated for the nonviolent crime of passing a counterfeit bill and did not appear to resist arrest, Carroll tried to pull away from officers and initially refused to get into the patrol car, the footage shows.  The Florida suspect was charged with domestic battery, resisting a law enforcement officer without violence and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.

Nigerian man narrates how he was allegedly extorted by SARS officers who arrested him after getting a haircut in Lagos

A Nigerian man has narrated how he and others were allegedly extorted by SARS officers who arrested him after getting a haircut. 

 

He said the SARS officers were from the Anti Cultism Unit in Gbagada Charlie Boy, Lagos and they picked him up before 8pm on Wednesday June 3. @Dav_Okwulili also alleged that the security operatives arrested people sitting in front of their houses and assaulted those who resisted. 

The Twitter user who claims he and others were bailed out with N10,000, said there was a lady who has been in the police cell for two days because he refused to sleep with one of the police officers. 

He tweeted; 

MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE @PoliceNG SARZ (Anti Cultism Unit)

@segalink @YemieFASH

Why i am writing this is basically not because of me, but because we have a messed up & unprofessional set of people being employed without proper process and orientation.

I left my house around past 6pm yesterday to get plastic buckets with a friend because he just moved into a new apartment around Gbagada. On returning, i branched into a saloon to have my hair cut which was around past 7pm. I was done with my hair by quarter to 8pm then paid ...and left, i got across the road to take Napep from the salon to where i stay.

The next thing, i saw four men in black, boldly written on their shirt "Anti Cultism Unit" with guns. Then one of them grabbed me from the waist, while he said i should get into the bus, i asked why?...he said, they are police that i should get inside. I obeyed and entered (before i start receiving slaps).

Then i was searched, which i was having just 4k and my atm card, my phone and its charger. They said i should give them my phone, i refused and said that it was private....that they ain't permitted to search it. They asked what do i do, i said i am a Software Developer and i mentioned the company i work with, they requested for my ID Card, i said i just came to cut my hair and i did not come with an ID (which in my head i said f**k up).

They said i should not call anybody nor use my phone. Few minutes later, a call from the office came in, cause we have been working remotely, i picked and the phone was dragged from my hand, which i didn't bother dragging cause i can't afford to start fixing Samsung screen.

(fast forward)... They drove us down to Gbagada Ifako, Yetunde Brown street, to Deeper Life HQ, and to New Garage. Tho while they where driving, they picked more people, even those that where sitting in front of their houses, if you resist, they will use slaps and punches...which i was clearly avoiding, they even used tear gas on one.

We got to the station (Anti Ciltism Unit, Gbagada Charlie Boy) around quarter to 10pm. We came down from the bus with our hands up, which i so felt humiliated and portrayed as a criminal. They removed our slippers... & shoes, took us inside, while they wrote down our names, and went out for second parade. I saw alot of people, both female & male, inwhich more were still being brought in by different units. I over heard some saying they picked them from Ikorodu, OniPanu, Mushin, Oshodi...Bariga & Ketu etc.

One of the girls said she has been there for 2days now, cause she didn't agree to sleep with one of the policemen. We were treated as criminals, they took us to the passage of the cell, told us to sit on the floor, while more people were brought in.

The odour from the toilet covered the cell, inwhich i had to hold my urine till i couldn't take it anymore. Not to talk of the cell itself, the mosquito were vampires, they ate the living hell out of me, cause there was no light. For a while I couldn't sleep.

I woke up more than 20times to find out it was still 3AM. Also everyone was sharing how they got picked. By day break, we were called out by the unit that brought us in. We were taken to the back of the cell to write statement sitting on the floor

They gave us our phones to call someone, one by one, it was in the process i took those pictures, inwhich one of them noticed and requested for my phone, but was smart enough to do the needful, so i was unable to capture their faces. To cut this story shot...

I was finally bailed by both of my friends that have been trying to reach me all through yesterday till today. Note: We were so much that i couldn't count. But an estimate of the money they made: You will bail one person with "at least N10,000", nd if you multiply...

N10,000x200 people, we have 2million. Also before you go into the station to see anyone, you will deposit N1,000 at the gate. I can not express this more as everything that happened is still funny to me, cause this is my first time ever, sleeping over in a police...station, combined with how messy this one is. This is just to create awareness of the mess the society is in, cause i believe there are still some people that will spend the next 5 to 7 days in that station.