04042019 - Nigeria 7 other nstions home to world's hungriest - UN

6—Vanguard, THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2019
I jumped from
two-storey
building to
escape
ritualists
— Lady
By Ola Ajayi
IBADAN—A lady has
narrated how she
jumped from a two-storey
building to escape from
ritualists, who allegedly
wanted to use her for
money making.
The young lady, who
preferred anonymity, said
after she escaped from
the Yahoo Plus boys, she
reported the case to a
security outfit, Operation
Burst, set up by Governor
Abiola Ajimobi to combat
crime in the state.
According to the lady,
“we met at the club last
night and we all went
back to their apartment to
sleep over. At some point
I noticed some funny
movements and saw them
with a calabash.
“That was when I knew
they were ritualists with
the intention to use me,
so I jumped off the twostorey
building, and off
the fence. I then reported
the case to Operation
Burst.“
The suspects, Sanusi
Azeez Toba and Osho
Olalekun Michael, were
arrested, yesterday, at
Kolapo Ishola, Akobo area
of Ibadan after one of
their victims escaped by
jumping down the twostorey
building where she
and others were taken
hostage.
After their arrest, the
Oyo State special security
outfit handed over two of
the suspected internet
fraudsters to the Ibadan
zonal office of Economic
and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC.
Preliminary
investigations also
revealed that the suspects
have various
incriminating documents
stored in laptops and
phones recovered from
them at the point of arrest.
All the suspects, the
commission said, would
be charged to court as
soon as investigations
were concluded.
In related development,
the commission also
arrested other internet
fraudsters, popularly
known asYahoo Yahoo
Boys.
According to a
statement from the
commission, six of the
suspects were arrested at
2nd Pipeline,
Ologunerun, Ibadan,
while the other five were
picked up at a location in
Ijebu-Remo, Ogun State.
5 killed, scores injured, houses razed as
suspected herdsmen invade Benue community
By Peter Duru
M AKURDI—AGAIN,
suspected armed herdsmen,
late Tuesday night, invaded Mondo
village in Ukemberagya, Logo Local
Government Area of Benue State
killing five persons and sacking the
entire village.
Vanguard gathered that the
invaders, who stormed the village
from neighbouring Nasarawa State,
also left scores injured.
A chief in the area, Joseph Anawa,
who confirmed the development, said
the invaders stormed the village at
about 11 pm when the people had
gone to bed.
“They were shooting
sporadically and burning down
houses and anyone they caught
up with was killed but the lucky
ones escaped with injuries.
“Those we can confirm dead
as a result of the attack include
Celina Tavershima, Sonter
Tavershima, Torkaa Gbim,
Ayilaga Tavershima and Terkaa
Tavershima.
“As we speak, the entire village
has been deserted as residents
fled to seek refuge elsewhere
while some are heading to Anyii,
headquarters of Logo Local
Government Area with their
families and whatever
property they could take.”
Meanwhile, another source
in the area, Shima Aounduver,
told Vanguard that apart from
the five that were confirmed
dead, several persons were
still missing and unaccounted
for while about 25 persons
sustained injuries in the attack.
“The casualty figure may
increase in the coming days
because we cannot at the
moment account for several
persons but we hope and pray
that they are still alive,”
OPERATION HEALTHY AFRICA: A nun, Dr. Assumpta Mary Ikenna (left)
attending to a woman, Mrs Owoyemi Mariam, at the free medical and eye treatment
tagged, Operation Healthy Africa, facilitated by Dr Ogundare for residents of
Ilora and Akinmorin in Oyo, Oyo State, at St Lucy Imole Catholic Mission, Ilora.
Photo: Dare Fasube
Demolition: My children and I have been
sleeping in the cold, widow laments
By Evelyn Usman
AWIDOW, Mrs Bukola Shitu,
whose building was demolished
alongside others at Magboro
community in Ogun State, has cried
out to the state government to come
to her aid, saying she and her
children have been sleeping in the
cold.
The widow’s building, which served
as a worship centre operated by her
late husband, Mudashiru Shitu, was
demolished by the state government
on the ground that it was built on
government land.
But the distraught widow described
the claim as untrue, stating that her
late husband had the necessary
documents and also got approval from
the necessary government agency
before construction commenced 10
years ago.
Lamenting how her family has been
rendered homeless by the demolition,
she said: “ On March 22 , 2019, while
service was ongoing, officials of Ogun
State Government came. The leader
threatened to demolish the building
on us, if we didn’t go out on time. We
Remnant of the demolished building
hurriedly rounded up the
prayer session.
“Before the demolition was
carried out, some officials of the
Urban and Regional Planning
from Warewa area had come to
serve us notice. We were not
afraid because we had all
necessary documents
concerning the land.
“Before they commenced the
demolition exercise, I
approached one of the officials
to know why they wanted to
destroy our church and house.
He said we built on government
acquired land. I showed them
our documents. We also charted
the land from the Ministry of
Land, where it was certified
that it was not government
acquired land.
“Since the demolition, my
children and I have been
sleeping in the cold. I don’t
know where to start from.
Everything my late husband
laboured for has gone down the
drain because of the unjust
treatment.”
The widow is not alone in this
predicament as other affected
landlords also claimed they
had approval from government
agency to build in the
community.
Aounduver said.
According to him, after the
attack that lasted about one hour,
“the invaders crossed the River
Benue and retreated to Nasarawa
State.”
Contacted, Chairman of Logo
Local Government Area, Richard
Nyajo, said he reported the matter
to the Commander of the joint
military operation in the state,
code named Operation Whirl
Stroke, OPWS, Maj. Gen.
Adeyemi Yekini.
Confirming the attack, Maj.-
Gen. Yekini said his troops had
already moved to the scene of the
attack to assess the situation.
3 die in
Calabar cult
crash
By Ike Uchechukwu
CALABAR— CLASHES
between Black Axe and
Klans cult groups in Calabar,
Cross River State, Tuesday night,
and early hours of yesterday,
reportedly claimed three lives
with many sustaining severe
injuries.
An eye witness, who pleaded
anonymity, told Vanguard that the
killing of one of the victims at
about 11pm on Tuesday on Ambo
Street set the stage for the clashes.
The source said: “We had just
finished a church programme at
about 11 pm and going home
when some young men accosted
a youth and began hitting him
with a plank and later used
machete to cut the victim who was
screaming for help.
“The victim was said to have
come to visit someone in the
neighbourhood when he was
waylaid. Everybody had to run
from the scene as it appeared rival
cultists were attacking each other.
“After about an hour, the police
from Mbukpa Police Station
arrived the scene but the culprits
had escaped immediately they
finished killing their victim."
Vanguard learned that a
reprisal attack, yesterday, on a
street near Ambo Street also
resulted in the death of another
victim.
Our correspondent also
gathered that earlier yesterday,
another victim was said to have
been killed around Chamley
Street by Ekondo also in Calabar
South
Contacted, Police Public
Relations Officer, DSP Irene
Ugbo, confirmed the incidents.
She said: “Three persons were
killed when two cult groups,
Black Axe and Klan, clashed. Four
suspects have been arrested in
connection with the incidents and
they are being interrogated.
“Our men have been deployed
everywhere. There is no cause for
alarm as the situation has been
brought under control."