Nigerian Newspapers
Who shot Segun Alade?
Who shot at Segun Alade’s vehicle and made it to somersault into the bush on Ogbese –Akure Road (Ondo State) around 7pm on July 14, 2013. Alade, who is clinging to life at the Akure Specialist Hospital, alleges it was a team of policemen in a Hilux vehicle. The police insist Alade was involved in a lone accident. But who shot him?
If Segun Alade had any inkling of the danger lurking somewhere along the Owo-Akure road on July 14, 2013, he would have postponed his journey.
But sadly, he does not have the gift of clairvoyance. Alade, a forest guard with the Ondo State Ministry of Natural Resources, was travelling from Ogbese to Akure.
He had a smooth drive up to Bolorunduro. Suddenly, he saw an unmarked Hilux vehicle trailing his car, while it occupants were shouting at him to stop.
Thinking the occupants of the vehicle might be armed robbers, he increased the speed of his car to escape attack. But his pursuers fired gunshots at his car.
A bullet hit one of the tyres, causing the car to summersault and throw Alade into the bush. It was when the occupants of the Hilux vehicle approached the scene of the accident that the victim realised his pursuers were policemen.
Instead of rescuing him, the policemen thought he was dead and took to their heels, leaving their victim to lie in a pool of blood for about four hours. However, providence intervened in an ironical manner.
Another team of policemen on patrol discovered Alade inside the bush and took him to the Emergency Unit of Akure Specialist Hospital. Groaning intermittently, Alade recalled the incident: “I was travelling from Ogbese to Akure.
On getting to Bolorunduro, I suddenly saw an unmarked Hilux vehicle driving out from a bush path. I can’t say if it was blue or black. It was around 7pm.
The occupants of the van asked me to stop. I thought they were armed robbers and I ran for my life. They started to pursue me with the van’s full lights on.
At a point, they started shooting at my car. “While they were pursuing me, I discovered that the vehicle was one of those Ondo state government donated to the police. I was about to stop, but they were shooting seriously at my car. A bullet hit one of my tyres. The car somersaulted three times, throwing me into the bush.
I was on high speed and the only one in the car. It was when those who were pursuing me came to the scene of the accident that I knew that they were policemen.
“I pretended as if I was dead. When they approached the scene of the accident, instead of rescuing me, they ran away, thinking that I was dead. I was surprised that policemen could do this to me. Written on the panel of the vehicle was “Fast Strike Squad”.
One of them said “e be like say this one don die o. Let us waka o”. They did not make any effort to rescue me. That was how they left.”
He added: “I was there for about four hours and it was raining. I discovered that I could no longer raise my hands and legs. I was there struggling. Around 11pm, I saw another police patrol team that came in a white van.
They saw my vehicle and waited. Their boss said “e be like say dis one na fresh accident”. He asked them to comb the bush if there was somebody there. The officers did not check very well and reported to their boss that there was nobody in the bush.
He asked them if they were sure and they answered in the affirmative. “As they were leaving, the boss said they should go back and search the bush again.
He came down. I was tired. I could not shout. They put on their torch lights and they saw me where I was writhing in pain. They pitied me and carried me to their vehicle. I was covered with blood. They were the ones who took me to the Emergency Unit of the Akure Specialist Hospital.
“My phone had broken. But one of the policemen removed my SIM card and inserted it in his phone. He checked out for my contacts and asked me who he could contact.
I told them Tunde Alade. He called him, Wale, my friend and my wife. They came to the hospital. Before my people came, they asked me if I had money. I asked them to check my pocket and they saw N6, 000 plus. They started treatment with the money before my people came.”
Alade said further: “I am only interested in my recovery. I have been in pains since the accident occurred. I am not okay at all. If government should help, that would be okay. “I had been moving my legs and hands freely, but I can’t move them now. I can’t eat until they feed me. I am a civil servant.
I am not an armed robber. I don’t have any criminal record. You can check. I have been working for government for over 17 years now. I am serving in Akure presently with the Ministry of Natural Resources. I don’t know what I did to deserve this.”
Alade’s lawyer, Grace Obanigba, has petitioned the State Commissioner of Police, demanding “the immediate investigation, interrogation and prosecution of the perpetrators of this barbaric act who are officers of the police command operating illegally with unmarked black patrol van.”
The lawyer also demanded that the hospital bill of the victim should be refunded to him and the cost of repairs of his damaged car be calculated and refunded.
Obanigba added: “In the event of your failure and/or delay in so doing, our client will have no other option than to seek legal redress in a court of competent jurisdiction. Your command should publish a public apology in at least two national dailies in favour of our client.”
The legal practitioner frowned at the reported claim of the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Wole Ogodo, that Alade was involved in a lone accident.
“It is surprising and worrisome that the Ondo State police command, through the police public relations officer (PPRO), ASP. Wole Ogodo, misrepresented the true position of the matter wherein he stated categorically that the report from Oba-Ile Divisional police station showed that the victim (our client) was involved in a lone accident.
He further stated that he was rescued from the scene four hours after the accident. Are we then to say that those bullets removed from his body and those that hit his car were shot by spirit beings?
We therefore submit that both police team conspired together to input the story. How did the police team that rescued him have the information that it was an accident because the accident occurred in the dead of the night?
“It is our position that this is a calculated attempt by the police whose main duty is to protect the citizen, but fail to do so, to give an uncharitable excuse.
This is a clear case of dereliction of duty. Instead, they covered up the illegal, barbaric and inhuman acts unleashed on our client and to exonerate themselves thereby denying our client the justice of this case,” she wrote in the petition.
When Saturday Mirror contacted Ogodo on phone, he said he was aware of the petition written by the victim, saying the command would look into it.
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: National Mirror Newspaper
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Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Kamaru Usman has raked in a mammoth £1.1million, about N584.2 million after his impressive knockout victory over Jorge Masvidal on Saturday night, Sportivation.com.ng reports.
The Nigerian Nightmare has been handsomely rewarded for his stunning performance and he was the best-paid fighter on the card which was witnessed by 15, 000 fans in Florida.
According to Daily Mail, Usman earned £538,000 to show up, £459,000 pay-per-view bonus, a £43,000 sponsorship bonus and a well deserved £35,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
Jorge Masvidal also earned £358,000 to show, £186,000 in pay-per-view money and a £28,000 sponsorship bonus.
This is the biggest payday of Usman’s career so far and the Welterweight champion also benefited from the fact that Masvidal is also a top draw for the fans.
Kamaru Usman is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler.
Sourced From: Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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