03082019 - Worsening Insecurity: Suspected herdsmen kill Catholic priest in Enugu

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26—SATURDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 3, 2019 Lagos destitute home turns den of thieves By Victor Arjiromanus From a distance, one perceives an acrid stench oozing from the building that serves as accomodation for a crowd of men and women. An inscription, ‘Welcome to Oko Baba Destitute Home’, quickly brings one in touch with the lowest ebb of humanity. The Destitute home, popularly known as Beggars colony, is situated in the Ebute Ero area of Lagos. It was established in 1988 during the administration of Buba Marwa, to accomodate the less privileged. It is a dynasty for the destitutes. The beggars were in regiments,with some looking hungry and pale, women moved up and down the lane, holding their malnourished and weak infants close to their chests. The men on the other hand, looked very lean with the youths, both boys and girls looking ravenous, each holding and puffing weeds to the air. Sadly, the complex which was established for the singular purpose of housing the poor, has been turned into a den of criminals of various categories , who unleash mayhem on innocent people, including their benefactors. Information revealed that perpetrators of the heinous crimes there , might not be those living inside the Oko Baba destitute home as some social miscreants and rogues have made the place an abode. Whenever they committed a crime, they would run to the destitute home, masquerading as beggars. This colony , also shares an entrance with another compound which according to residents, accommodates irredeemable miscreants who most times make life unbearable for residents, especially guests who visited beggars with gifts. Task Force blamed Residents also blamed activities of these hoodlums on the Lagos State Task Force. They accused the Task Force of using the destitute home as a dumpsite for criminals and beggars picked from the streets. On arrival at their new homes, these dumped individuals would become hardened and resort to dispossessing residents of their valuables, all in a bid to eke a living. Vanguard Reporter’s ordeal This reporter didn’t find it difficult to establish the rumored notoriety of the area, as he was a ready-made victim of their criminality. He had gone to cover the visit of Little Miss Nigeria Pet Project to feed the less privileged. Barely had he approached the colony and was taking shots of it, The beggers( eating during a visit by little Miss Nigeria, Masoma Ikuagwu) than he was surrounded by fierce looking miscreants who ordered him to give them money and other valuables he came with. An attempt to resist them almost resulted in him being gang beaten. At the end, he was forced to part with every kobo he had, including his mobile phone and wristwatch. One of the visitors who was going to get something from his car also got a fair share of the criminals traits. They hauled insults on him when he insisted he would not part with any of his valuables. The destitute home Residents lament Residents of the area lamented that they had been living in fear since these criminals started operating. Some of them have long stopped relatives and friends from visiting them, owing to the harassment and intimidation they went thorugh in the hands of the miscreants. One of the residents who simply gave his name as Josiah, said, “ Both boys and girls are rouges here. They indulge in occultism and make life unbearable for people. Several times they robbed people, including those who came to make donations to the beggars. Another resident (name withheld), said , “ sometimes, they broke into our shops and carted away our goods”. Election thugs The miscreants were also alleged to be used as thugs during elections. A resident said “perhaps, that is why despite their notoriety in the area, security agents have not done anything to check their excesses. They were always used by some politicians to carry out nefarious activities”. Some residents in the area have therefore called on the state government to carry out renovation work on the home , as well as provide basic amenities , including security that would ensure their safety. Save our teenagers from rapists- Ogun community cries out By Evelyn Usman Ibafo –Ishefun community in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, is gradually losing its vibrancy, owing to what residents described as rape of their girls, particularly teenagers by some hoodlums. At the moment, girls in the area are prevented from walking alone, particularly at night, as they might end up falling victims of rape. So far, more than 10 girls were said to have been gang raped by these hoodlums, in two weeks. A recent incident occurred on July 16, 2019, after a 17-year-old girl identified simply as Toyin, was gang raped. Toyin, was sent on an errand but on He did it and threathened to kill me- defiled 8yr old girl tells police By Evelyn Usman An eight-year-old girl has narrated how she was defiled by a 34-year-old man, Saheed Bolarinwa in Somolu area of Lagos State. The unsuspecting girl, was allegedly lured by the suspect to his apartment on the pretext to go and watch television, only to take advantage of her. However, her mother who returned from a journey, noticed that her daughter was walking with difficulty. On enquiry, she told her how she was defiled. Her confession led to the arrest of the suspect by policemen at Somolu division. At the station, the girl, said , “ uncle Saheed put it inside ( pointing to her private part) I shouted. He told me not to tell anybody. He said if I did he would kill me”. She repeated the her way back home by 9p.m, five rough looking muscular men accosted and dragged her into an uncompleted building, where they took turns to rape her. A week earlier, another teenager (names withheld) was reportedly raped. Residents said that she was sexually abused right in front of her defenseless parents at Shote Street in the community. This happened few days after two girls were reportedly raped in the community. A resident, Mrs Dupe Shotayo, alleged that the crime was committed by some hoodlums who called themselves Ishefun boys. Explaining how she witnessed the rape of a 16-year-old girl, she said, “On the fateful day,I was in my room with my statement about four times without mincing words. Coordinator of Advocate for Children and Vulnerable Persons Network of Nigeria, Somolu Local Government Area, Comrade Toyin Okanlawon, who reported the matter to the Police, said that the suspect fled at the initial stage. He said, “He was arrested when he came into the community on Monday to pick his motorbike. When the suspect was arrested by the policemen, the victim was called in to identify him and she was able to point at him as the person who abused her. The victim was later taken to Women at Risk International foundation (WARIF), where she was medically tested and confirmed to have been abused by the suspect. I want to appreciate the DPO of Alade police station for his fatherly role in the arrest of the suspect. The suspect has been transferred to Gender Section of the state Command headquarter for further investigation.” husband when we heard the girl shouting for help. But nobody could go out because the incident occurred in an isolated area. Surprisingly, those behind this atrocity are teenagers between ages of 16 and 18. Some of them were brought to the community from Lagos by their parents to hide, in order to evade arrest after committing crimes there”. Another resident who simply gave his name as Seun, said, “Everyone knows who these hoodlums are and who their leader is. They usually assembled between 10pm and 11 pm. During such gathering, they would be smoking Indian hemp and nobody would dare confront them. “One of the girls that turned down their advances, was gang raped right in the presence of her parents. Aside the •Saheed Bolarinwa rape, they also loot people’s shops. Anytime they commit crime, they would disappear and come back after the dust has settled. Three girls who were sexually abused have relocated from the community”, she said. Victim’s account A lady who claimed to be a victim of rape stated that she was accosted while returning from work by three hoodlums. She said, “When I got to Ishefun Junction, two of the hoodlums ordered me to stop but because I had no business with them, I kept on walking. But they dragged me into the bush. I couldn’t scream as I was gagged. When they were done, they abandoned me in the bush until a motorcyclist who was a member of the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC passed by and took me to my house from where I was rushed to the hospital”. As at Thursday, the hoodlums were said to have fled the community, after news of their recent act spread round. When asked if the case had been reported to the Police, one of the residents, Mr Ogunbodede Adebisi, said yes. He however, said, “ Whenever we report to the Police at Ibafo division, arrest would be effected. But these hoodlums would be seen on the street again, doing what they know how to do best. When the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, was contacted, he said, “I don’t believe that the case was reported to the Police because the Divisional Police Officer in Ibafo is a no nonsense policeman. He has arrested several hoodlums, majority of whom have been prosecuted He is one of the most upright DPO’s . Besides, rape offence is not a matter that is treated at the divisional level, such case is transferred to the state command”.
SATURDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 3, 2019—27 08116759759 Beauty blogger’s naked body ‘shoved in suitcase’ after er throat oat was as slashed when Ekaterina stopped answering their phone calls and asked her landlord to check up on her. It is then her naked body was found ‘packed in a suitcase’, in the flat she rented in Moscow’s Pyryeva Street. The popular Instagrammer, who has 80,000 followers, also suffered a number of stab wounds. Fans said she had a likeness to British actress and fashion icon Audrey Hepburn. While leading a glamorous Instagram lifestyle the beauty blogger also worked as a medic in a hospital in the city. She was trained as a dermatologist and sexual health practitioner and qualified from the prestigious Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, according to reports. Her Instagram showed her posing in in studios and on trips, as well as occasional pictures from her dayto-day life. One showed her graduation as a as a doctor specialising in dermatology and sexually transmitted diseases. Her final post was about a trip to Corfu on 22 July. Her body was found five days later. No arrests have been reported so far. The love life of a Russian model is being investi gated after her body was discovered shoved inside a suitcase. Beauty blogger Ekaterina K was found dead with her throat slit at her Moscow flat on July 27. Police are now looking into whether jealousy may be a motive for her death. She had romantic links to two older men and was intending to take a trip to the Netherlands with a lover, 52. Police are looking into her love life for clues about her killer, according to reports citing law enforcement sources. It is understood she had broken up with a man, 32, and started a relationship with an older man. Her parents became concerned Albinos 'hunted like animals' by y witchdoct hdoctor ors s who believe their body parts bring luck lbinos in Tanzania are be Aing "hunted" for their body parts as it is believed limbs will bring a person wealth and luck. The sick trade is allegedly fuelled by some of the country’s most powerful people as greed for money and influence drives families to turn on their own loved ones. People are willing to pay as much as $3,000 or $4,000 for a limb, or as much as $75,000 for a whole body. Albinism, a hereditary genetic condition causing a total absence of pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes, affects one in 1,400 in Tanzania. Experts say the condition is as a result of inbreeding in remote and rural countries in the West, and it affects one in 20,000. In Tanzania, people with the condition are regularly attacked by people who chop their limbs off, leaving them severely mutilated, or dead. Last year, a four-year-old with albinism was tragically abducted from her home. Despite swift action from local police, Pendo Emmanuelle Nundi has never been found, and those working with the family do not hold out much hope of her being returned safely. It is understood Pendo's father took half an hour to report her abduction and he, along with her uncle, were both arrested in connection with the disappearance. In 2013, a 38-year-old woman with the condition was held down and attacked with machetes by her husband and a group of four men. The pair's daughter watched her eight-year-old daughter leave the family bedroom carrying her mother's arm. Josephat Torner, a Tanzanian Albino campaigner: "Now we can see the parents who are involved in planning the attacks. What kind of war are we fighting if parents and family do this? Who can we trust? "You do not know who is your enemy. "People with albinism are being hutned and killed for our body parts. It is because people want to become right. "We are still living in danger. It is because people, they have different ideas. Some people, they are thinking they should geet our body parts and sell to different places. "The question is, why? Why now? And who is behind the killings?" Exactly who is behind the killings remains unknown but Josephat has an idea. He said: "The big fishes are behind the issue. It has been really a big discussion. If I say big fish, or big people, it is those who have enough resources, enough money. "People sell the body parts for high prices. So it is not really small fish behind it. "It could be politicians. It could be those people." Man accused of raping own mother after party to celebrate release from prison A man allegedly raped his own mother just hours after she threw him a party to welcome him home from prison. The 42-year-old suspect, named in his Ukrainian village as Vitaliy, is said to have broken into 62-year-old Nadiya's bedroom and viciously attacked her as she screamed for help. Vitaliy had just been released after serving five years for battering a man to death. His mother was so pleased to see him when he arrived home to the village of Abramivka in central Ukraine’s Poltava Oblast region that she arranged a party to celebrate. She told local media: "Some of his friends came to the party. We had some drink. Everything seemed to be okay. "But in the evening, after the guests left, he attacked me." After saying goodbye to her guests, Nadiya went to bed and fell asleep. A few hours later Vitaliy broke into her bedroom and abused her. Nadiya tried to resist but Vitaliy allegedly beat her. According to the victim, whose house is on the outskirts of the village, she called for help but nobody heard her screams. After the disgusting attack, Nadiya reported her son to the police. She said: ''I was afraid for my life and decided not to be silent. I do not want to be regularly raped at my own home. ''I cannot treat him as my son anymore.'' Vitaliy, who fled the scene, was found hiding in a field nearby and arrested. Police spokesman Yury Sulaev said: ''The suspect was charged with rape and taken into custody. He faces up to five years in prison if found guilty. The investigation is ongoing.'' Residents of the village, which is home to 240 people, were terrified after learning about the incident. Local Svitlana Grechka said: ''We cannot believe that such a wild incident occurred in our calm small village.''
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03082019 - Worsening Insecurity: Suspected herdsmen kill Catholic priest in Enugu

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