19082019 - Nigeria to spend N2.53bn on 43 ministers

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Vanguard, MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 2019—7
vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguardnews
Man docked for stealing DPO’s phone
By Onozure Dania
LAGOS—A 22-year-old man,
Taofeek Salau, who allegedly
s<strong>to</strong>le the phone of Mushin
Divisional Police Officer, Ayodele
Arogbo, valued at N140,000, has
been arraigned before a Lagos
Magistrate’s Court sitting in
Mushin.
The defendant is facing a threecount
charge of conspiracy,
breach of peace and theft.
Salau and others still at large,
committed the alleged offence on
January 31 at 1pm at Ojuwoye
Market Junction, Isolo Road,
Mushin, area of Lagos, while the
By Egufe Yafugborhi
PORT HARCOURT—NO
fewer than eight persons
were again feared killed and
houses, including home of
Khana Local Government
Chairman, Lahteh Loolo and a
wing of the palace of HRH T. W.
Baridam, Gben-Neme Bangha,
razed as bandits struck at Opouku
and Bangha communities in
Ogoniland, Rivers State,
yesterday.
The bandits, it was learned,
struck in the wee hours of
yesterday, in same fashion they
did barely a week ago when
homes of factional President of
Movement for Survival of Ogoni
People, MOSOP, Legborsi
Pyaghbara, that of the monarch
of Kaaba, Chief M. S. K. Nule,
among others, were burnt.
Commissioner of Police, Rivers
Command, Mustapha Dandaura,
who confirmed the incident, said
only three persons were confirmed
killed, while also confirming that
two suspects had been arrested
by his men.
According <strong>to</strong> him, “some
persons are spreading rumours
of 16 persons killed. It is not 16,
only three were killed. And we
have arrested two of them (the
killers) through the DPO Bori.
One was on camouflage. It’s
cultists’ activities, not community
disagreement.”
Community sources claimed six
persons were killed in Opouku,
where home of the Khana council
boss was burnt, while two persons
were reportedly felled by the
intermittent shooting bandits at
Bangha.
Several fear-stricken residents
were said <strong>to</strong> have deserted both
communities.
Recall that MOSOP had, last
Thursday, raised the alarm over
the spate of cult-related violence
and killings in some communities
in Ogoniland.
Mr. Sunny Zorvah, Publicity
Secretary of the organisation
raised the concern in a statement
in Port Harcourt.
Zorvah said the crises, which
started in Okwale community on
Tuesday, degenerated and spread
<strong>to</strong> two other communities, Taabaa
DPO was on crowd control duty
during a presidential election
campaign by All Progressive
Congress, APC, led by Vice
President Yemi Osinbajo, and
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, now
governor of Lagos State.
Sources said after Salau and his
gang members succeeded in
stealing the phone, he sold the
phone <strong>to</strong> a receiver of s<strong>to</strong>len
goods for N35,000.
Police prosecu<strong>to</strong>r, Inspec<strong>to</strong>r A.
Edet, <strong>to</strong>ld the court that the
defendant also conducted himself
in a manner likely <strong>to</strong> cause breach
of peace.
According <strong>to</strong> him, the offence
and Nyokuru, all in Nyokhana
district in Khana Local
Government Area of the state.
Zorvah called on the Police and
the special joint military task
forces <strong>to</strong> quickly wade in<strong>to</strong> the
situation, fish out the perpetra<strong>to</strong>rs
is punishable under Sections 411,
168 (d) and 287 of the criminal
law of Lagos State 2015.
However, the defendant
pleaded not guilty <strong>to</strong> counts one
and two and guilty <strong>to</strong> count three
of the charge.
Consequently, Magistrate W. A.
Salami granted the defendant bail
in the sum of N100,000, with two
sureties in like sum.
He said the sureties must show
evidence of tax payment <strong>to</strong> Lagos
State government and have their
addresses verified.
The case was adjourned till
Oc<strong>to</strong>ber 29 for mention.
8 killed, LG boss, monarch’s
houses burnt in Ogoni
By Daud Olatunji
ABEOKUTA—OGUN State
Police Command has
arrested a Bible study teacher,
Blessing Ozor, for being in
cus<strong>to</strong>dy of a boy, Joshua Joseph,
who went missing two years ago.
The seven-year-old boy went
missing in Ijebu-Ode area of the
state and was allegedly sold <strong>to</strong>
Ozor for N1 million in Anambra
State in 2018.
The boy, however, regained his
freedom in 2019 after he had been
renamed Chisom in Ozor’s
house.
It was gathered that Joseph’s
abduc<strong>to</strong>rs met their waterloo after
two of the three-member
syndicate, Rita and Angela, were
arrested and remanded in the
correctional home in Edo and
Ondo states for kidnappingrelated
offence.
They confessed, during the
investigation, of Joseph’s
whereabouts.
Ozor claimed innocence of the
crime, saying she adopted the
child for N1 million from one
Ifeoma Joy, a level 13 civil servant
in Anambra State.
During the handing over of the
boy <strong>to</strong> his parent, Police Public
Relations Officer in the state,
Abimbola Oyeyemi, said Joy sold
the child <strong>to</strong> Ozor based on forged
documents.
He said: “Joy works in the
Ministry of Women Affairs in
Anambra State, a leverage she
used in selling off children
kidnapped by her other members
of the syndicate, Rita and Angela.
“In the cause of looking for
her, she got transfered <strong>to</strong> four
local government areas within
one month <strong>to</strong> evade arrest.
”Our findings have shown that
eight children have been s<strong>to</strong>len
by this syndicate in Ogun State
and bring them <strong>to</strong> justice.
He also appealed <strong>to</strong> traditional
rulers, opinion leaders and other
stakeholders in the area <strong>to</strong> put
their differences aside and work
<strong>to</strong>wards enhancing peace and
security in the area.
Boy s<strong>to</strong>len 2 years ago found with
Bible study teacher, renamed
and four have been recovered.
One of the s<strong>to</strong>len children was
found when the people who
adopted him saw the boy’s
picture on the pages of
newspapers and returned him.”
However, Joy <strong>to</strong>ld journalists:
“I never did such a thing. I know
the woman that brought this boy
<strong>to</strong> be a worker at Peace
Sisters Home.
“So when my sister in
fellowship came up with an idea
of adopting a baby, I called her
<strong>to</strong> help us get a baby boy and I
gave Rita my sister’s particulars.
When she finished with the
particulars she came with this
boy. I never knew the boy
was s<strong>to</strong>len.”
Explaining her part, Ozor said:
“I am just a victim of
circumstances by my foolishness.
I went <strong>to</strong> a sister in our
fellowship that adopted a child
before, because I have two
daughters already. But I had a
feeling for a son; my last daughter
is 24 years old.
“I went through her because
they had adopted before. They led
me <strong>to</strong> this woman, Joy. I believed
that everything was okay because
she made me believe that she
runs a peace sisters home. I was
asked <strong>to</strong> bring a passport and
other documents for the adoption,
and I gave them <strong>to</strong> her .
“I gave her N150,000 for
processing of the papers. The day
she gave me the boy, there was a
denouncement paper. That was
the first paper she gave me and
then collected her remaining
money, N900, 000.
“Joy processed other papers,
which I believed until were
genuine, and gave them <strong>to</strong> me.
That was why I <strong>to</strong>ok the boy home
and started taking care of him
from March 3, 2018, and I
enrolled him in<strong>to</strong> a nice school.”
... with Emma'nKen (08163121378)
Just for the records, Nedu was
STANDING, while Yaw was SEATING
as they discussed the em... em..
that put Teckno in Police wahala
That's education
standard passing away
Aunty Rita, oga will get a cook
from THAT South-South <strong>to</strong>wn