Escape from a lynch mob: Story of 64-year-old suspected rapist

By PETER OKUTU, Abakaliki

BUT for the timely intervention of men of the Ebonyi State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, a suspected serial rapist, Mr. Peter Edigbo, 64, would have been lynched by members of Agbaenyim community in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State last weekend. The suspect was later arrested by the Command’s division in Izzi Local Government Area for allegedly raping a six-year-old girl, Miss Nkwegu Chinwe, at midnight when the victim was asleep in her house.

Vanguard Metro, VM, gathered that the suspect sneaked into the little girl’s room and allegedly forcefully had carnal knowledge of his victim. According to a resident, the screaming of the girl had attracted members of the community who rushed to the house without knowing what was initially happening but discovered that the victim’s  screaming was as a result of the immoral behaviour of the suspect.

[caption id="attachment_412263" align="alignnone" width="412"] *Suspect[/caption]

Incidences of criminality

In a chat with VM, the State Commandant of the Corps in Abakaliki, Mrs. Ego Echendu, who described the incident as abominable charged parents to always keep their eyes on their children at every point in time. She expressed the readiness of the Command to clamp down on incidences of crime and criminality throughout the state as NSCDC was fully positioned in the 13 local government areas to nip any act of criminality in the bud.

Parading the 64-year-old suspect before newsmen at the Command Headquarters in Abakaliki, the Corps Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Corps, ASC, Emmanuel Nwali, stated that the incident which angered members of the community was also confirmed by women on examining the little girl after the incident. According to him, this confirmation enraged the villagers who wanted to lynched the suspect because that was not the first time he had committed such act. VM learnt that the suspect’s wife had left him as similar past action on his part had brought shame and embarrassments to their marriage.

Nwali noted that  the suspect had been notorious for such act  as confirmed by the village Head and other members of the community.

According to the Command’s spokesman:  “Yesterday at about 6pm we received a signal from one of our divisions in Izzi that an old man defiled a girl of six years old. When we got the report we told them to transfer the matter to our command headquarters in Abakaliki so that we will handle it appropriately. So far we are still investigating the case and after that we are going to hand over the case to the appropriate quarters because that is not one of our core mandates as NSCDC.

“The suspect, Mr. Peter Edigbo,  hails from Agbaenyim in Izzi LGA of the state. The village head and villagers, among others, confirmed the incident, adding that the man has been in such act for quite some time despite warnings from community members. And if not for the timely intervention of our men the man would have been lynched. The only thing, according to the victim, she noticed when she was sleeping at midnight period was a hard thing inside her body. This is the second time such thing is happening in the village by the same man”.

Reacting to the incident, the grandmother of the victim, Mrs. Mary Nwofoke, who spoke in her local dialect added that: “I told Chinwe and the other children that when they were ready to go to sleep, they should alert me so that I will come and lock the door but they forgot and slept off. And so because the door was not locked that gave the rapist the opportunity to sneak into the room and forced himself on the girl.

“The child woke up and was screaming and calling me. So when I ran into the room, the man ran out immediately. I asked the little what happened and in her own naivety, she said ‘the man urinated on me’; so when I heard this I raised alarm and the  matter was brought before the village Council. If not for the intervention of the Civil Defence Corps, the man would have been burnt to death. Another lady who came when the alarm was raised also said the man had raped her before,” she stressed.

Season of Rape: Why we defile small girls – Pastor, others

By Simon Ebegbulem

Child defilement is becoming a source of concern in Benin-City, Edo State capital. It is even more worrisome when the act is carried out by supposedly men of God.

In the last few weeks, no fewer than five children have, allegedly, been defiled in Benin-City by men old enough to be their fathers. On Thursday,  Edo State Police Command paraded 32 suspected criminals, amongst them, three accused of defiling children. The suspects include  a pastor with the Deeper Life Bible Church, Abudu, Edo State, Eze Fidelis, who was said to have had carnal knowledge of two girls: Joy, 9, and Anthonia,11.

There is also the case of one Grace, 12, who was sent on an errand by her mother to get her a rechargeable lantern from a hall within their compound.  When the said girl failed to return after 30 minutes, the mother went in search of her, only to discover that one Segun Oteru,  42, was allegedly having carnal knowledge of her in the hall.

The woman raised the alarm which attracted members of the public while the suspect was arrested.

The incident happened on July 6. The following day,  one Saturday Cole, 35, and a co-tenant of the complainant (names withheld), allegedly lured the complainant’s daughter, identified as Mariam, 11, into his room and had a carnal knowledge of her. While the victim was coming out from the suspect’s room, her elder brother saw her and, on inquiry, discovered that the victim was not putting on her pants. The victim narrated her ordeal in the hands of the suspect. According to the victim, “uncle has always bought me things but I didn’t know he wanted to have anything with me. He forced me and removed my dress, I was shouting but he closed my mouth and forced his penis inside me”.

[caption id="attachment_404710" align="alignnone" width="412"] Suspected rapists, Segun Otaru and Pastor Fidelis Eze[/caption]

On July 12, one Eugene Odozor, 46, allegedly took a 13-year-old girl, identified as Oluwabunmi,into his room and forced her to lie on his bed where she was said to have been defiled by the suspect. For Eze, the suspect in the September 11, 2013 alleged rape, luck ran out on him after one Joseph observed that his daughter Joy, 9, was not walking properly. While suspecting that the daughter may have been defiled, he invited her inside the room and threatened to deal with her if she refused to say the truth. The little girl allegedly that her pain started after she had sexual intercourse with the pastor. She further confessed that the pastor had intercourse with her friend, Anthonia, 11, too. Joy revealed that the unwholesome practice had been going on for about a year.

Edo State Police Commissioner, Mr. Adebanjo, who expressed worry over what he described as the increasing number of underage sex in the state, said the action of the suspects was wicked and they will face the wrath of the law.

Confessions
Pastor Eze confessed that he defiled both girls, Joy and Anthonia, saying he was possessed by evil spirit to commit the act. “I am really ashamed of myself particularly as a pastor. I have been a pastor at Deeper Life for over six years but I was tempted to defile the girls. They were always visiting me; so, on this particularly day, I defiled both of them. It was temptation.  I have a child. Joy brought Anthonia to my house. They were my church members. Their parents have left my church but we still leave close. I know their parents very well. They  come to collect wheel barrow from us.  Sometimes Joy will ask me for money to go to school. That particular day, I did not have money to give to her, so I asked her to go to school and come during break. It was during the break that she came in company of the other girl. I was tempted to defile both of them. They undressed and we all went to bed”.

Oteru, the 42-year-old who had sex with girl, 12, also narrated his story: “It happened that the woman employed me as her security guard. So there was this little girl working with the madam, but, whenever madam was not around, she would come to play with me. The girl is about 12 years old.

I was tempted to have sex with her on several occasions. I have a wife but I don’t have girl friend. The day we had sex, she told her madam that she wanted to go to the toilet, but she had informed me that she would come and use my phone because she was always playing games with my phone. I always assisted her in operating my handset.

Each time she came, she would sit on my lap.  That particular day, I was tempted to defile her. Unfortunately, the madam started looking for her and she entered my room and caught both of us making love”.

Kaduna building collapse: Pathetic tale of woman who lost three children

By Luka Binniyat

A gigantic billboard bearing a smiling woman smartly dressed in a gown, cuddling her son who was also  grinning from ear-to-ear stood  firmly on top of the ruins of the three high rise apartment and store  which  had just collapsed and trapped unknown number of people that Thursday  afternoon.

The advertisement was an annoying contradiction to the desperate reality  beneath it -  a grim day light tragic drama that  had attracted thousands of persons, including the Governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Mukhtar Ramalan Yero to No. 012 Hadieja Street, by the Kaduna Central Market last week.

The building, which lower front row served as shops for tyre vendors, is believed to be over 50 years old, and was overburdened by an extra-floor which burden it was not designed to carry. Even the estimated one-tonne  billboard with the happy mother and son was fingered as also contributing to the weight.
According to accounts, the building started creaking around 1:30 pm. Some of the residents, who heard the noise ran out and escaped unhurt.  But, at that time, there were not many people at home. Some had left for their places of work and the kids were just about returning from school.

“It came down with a loud sound like thunder,” said Aliyu Magaji, who escaped by the whiskers from one of the tyre shops beneath.

Soon, a mammoth crowd gathered and rescue effort started. But the Army and Police later came and chased them away, saying some of them were there to loot, and not render assistance.

Giant crane

Sadly, it took another three hours before rescue came. With the aid of volunteers, a  giant crane  removed boulders and shop items to clear way for trapped  persons. The last person  was taken out by 12am.

[caption id="attachment_403371" align="alignnone" width="412"]
The collapsed building along Hadeija Road, Kaduna. Photo: Olu Ajayi[/caption]

To the joy of everyone, a  40-day-old baby was brought out unscathed and was said to be in deep sleep at the time it was found. According to Kaduna State Police Spokesman, 10 persons, some with various forms of injuries, were rescued.

But the story was that of absolute tragedy for  Mrs Medinat Abdullraman, 45, a trader and mother of six children whose husband has been away for four years in some foreign land and has remained incommunicado. The structure killed three of Medinat’s children:  Sulieman, 14, Mariam 11 and Abukadir 9, all crushed to death on the second floor.

Her twins, Taye and Kehinde 6, were also injured, with Kehinde having multiple fracture on both legs  and a deep gash on the head. Taye had an injured arm, but seem to be doing well when Vanguard Metro, VM, visited them at the 44 Army Referral Hospital, Kaduna. Idowu, 3, was also wounded, but was treated and discharged Tuesday.

“This is the worst imaginable calamity to befall anyone,” Mrs Anifat Adegbu, a sibling of Medinat told VM in an interview at the hospital where she was taking turn to look after the three children. “My sister had gone out to look for food to prepare for the Ramadan fast that afternoon. Her mother in-law who stays with them was at her stall in the market. The children had just returned from school, and were about to undress when the house suddenly came down. The three children were killed in their school uniforms,” she mourned.

“My sister came back to be confronted by the horror. And you can imagine it. And from 2pm till 12 midnight, we had to stand to a frightening   uncertainty. And when finally these children were brought out, with the three children dead, my sister could not bear it. No one could ever prepare for such. She had to be taken to the psychiatrist hospital in Barnawa,” she said.

“But she is out now. You can see her taking care of the children,” she said.
When VM wanted to speak to Medinat, she declined any comment, and refused to be photographed. She was still too distraught to care for such attentions.
“Apart from losing her children and with these ones in the Hospital, she has no any possession in her life now. All she has is her pair of clothes and the shoe she wore that day. No money, no husband, no help from government. We can only tax ourselves to meet some of the bills and they are mounting everyday,” said Anifat who  teaches in a private school.

“I hear that when such things happen, government usually helps the victims. Our Governor and many government people were there, but no one has come to even see how we are doing here. Please tell me, how can someone not become abnormal?” she queried rather rhetorically.

Human feelings

“It is only one good man called Babangida who has been coming to our help. He is not someone we know before this incident. He told me that he was travelling to somewhere, so he left N15,000 for us, and that money has finished. We are calling on government and all those who have human feelings to come to our aide,” she pleaded.

When VM spoke to the PRO of  Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Abubakar Zakari, he had this to say: “We have not forgotten them at all. I am in touch with development there and I can tell you that one of the children has been discharged today. We are making our own effort at helping them and we shall soon do more.”

The high-rise building, owned by the late Pa Shitu Titilola, has been completely brought down and cleared. The Kaduna State government last Monday, set up a task force to look into the integrity of such structures in Kaduna and empowered it to bring them down.

Lagos begins construction of seaport, airport at Lekki

BY DOTUN IBIWOYE

THE Lagos State Government in collaboration with the Federal Government through the Nigerian Ports Authority and a private investor - Lekki Port Lekki Free Trade Zone Enterprise, LPLE, has commenced the development of the Lekki Deep Seaport in Akodo, Ibeju-Lekki Local Council of the state

Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Olusola Oworu when contacted over the level of work said that  currently the shareholders’ agreement has been executed while preliminary works have started at the site.

According to her,  the development of Lekki Deep Seaport (Phase I) would gulp $1.5 billion. When completed, the port would relieve the pressure on the Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports and would also support business activities at the Lekki Free Trade Zone.

The construction of the port is expected to last for about four years and more than 10,000 jobs are projected to be created directly and indirectly during the construction period while more than 169,000 jobs would be generated directly and indirectly when it becomes fully operational, according to government sources.

According to Oworu, the need for another seaport in the state was due to the inadequacy of facilities at the Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports.

Lagos Airport construction also starts: On the proposed Lekki-Epe International Airport, the commissioner said since the Lekki Free Trade Zone would soon become a haven for investment, the government thought it fit to have an international airport in the area.

[caption id="attachment_401573" align="alignnone" width="412"] * Lekki model sea port[/caption]

“The state government has commenced works on the development of the Lekki-Epe International Airport to complement activities at the zone and also provide alternative air transport services in the state. The State Government has successfully obtained the site approval for the airport from the Federal Ministry of Aviation and has also completed the master plan of the 3,500 hectares of land earmarked for the project.

“The Lekki-Epe International Airport is designed to handle about five million passengers annually with provision for a modular terminal for future expansion. Preliminary works on the airport project have commenced with the clearing of 150 hectares (runway), 4.5km of the access road and 9km of perimeter road.

“The Lands Bureau has successfully completed the crop enumeration exercise on the designated site for the airport to facilitate the payment of compensation to affected land owners and farmers. In line with the policy of the present administration on public-private partnership, the proposed airport will be built and managed by private investors,” Oworu said.

She added that toward this end, the process for the selection of private investors to develop and manage the airport has commenced, saying that to handle this process, a team of local and internationally acclaimed consultants namely: Stanbic IBTC (Financial Advisers), Arup PTY (Technical Consultants), Norton Rose (Off-shore Legal Consultants) and Banwo and Ighodalo (Local Legal Consultants) have been engaged.

Ikorodu road expansion: Residents demand citizens’ input

BY MONSURU OLOWOOPEJO

Residents of Ikorodu Local Government have demanded that the state government allow them make input into the ongoing Ikorodu road expansion, since they would be the ones to use the road eventually.

They are therefore asking the government to make public the ‘Master Plan’ for the 13.5 kilometre road expansion project, even as the construction work is rated at 20 percent completion.

The residents also urged the state government to construct a flyover  at the Ikorodu  roundabout as well as pay compensation as soon as possible to owners of property demolished for the  project.

It will be recalled that the road expansion work awarded to China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC, was estimated at N30 billion, and is expected to be handed over in December 2014.

The 59-year-old road originally constructed by the Federal Government is being expanded into a six-lane expressway with Bus Rapid Transit, BRT routes in the middle.

The residents spoke at a stakeholder’s forum organized by the Lagos Area Metropolitan Transport Authority, LAMATA held at Agric. Bus Stop, to  enlighten the residents on the benefits and the level of work.

They argued that the government had not made the master plan for the expansion work public for them to assess toward providing meaningful inputs.

Enlightenment of residents

Mr. Lambed Gbadamosi, representing Ikorodu Oga Association, lamented that commuter spends over three hours on the road daily since the commencement of the construction work.

Gbadamosi complained that the state government didn’t make public the design for the six-lane road, saying this will further enlighten the residents on the benefits of the road.

According to him, “But today, we are yet to see the design of the road. We don’t know how the road will be after re-construction, what will be included and where certain facilities would be sited on the road.”

He said; “We know that  five pedestrian bridges would be constructed in certain bus stops along the road but this cannot be adequate.”

Gbadamosi noted that the aim of the government to reduce travel time on the road may not be achieved if there isn’t a flyover  on the road especially at the Ikorodu roundabout.

Also speaking, the President-General of the Ikorodu Association of Nigerian Market Men and Women, Mrs. Afusat Allison warned against the possible consequence of demolishing the markets sited along the ever busy road without proper relocation of the traders.

Although Allison acknowledged government’s  plans to build an ultramodern market for Ikorodu, but demanded that the new market should be completed before demolishing the existing ones.

On the impact of demolition, the market leader said; “It is not about what we are selling and where we are selling it per se. But it is about feeding our children. Not just about feeding them alone, it is also about raising funds to send our child to schools. It is about providing basic needs for them. Without a place to trade, how can we meet their needs?

Mr. Ayodele Elesho, another stakeholder, said that the relocation of the market was an important issue that required proper planning, saying; “If the traders are not properly relocated, it will not just affect their business, but also make life difficult for their children.”

He added that many of the market women are breadwinners while some are widows.  Others have no social support at all. Elesho, a former commissioner in the state pointed out that there are still some issues about building demolition, which he said, was yet to be settled.

Responding to the issues raised the Managing Director of LAMATA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola assured the market men and women that the government will not demolish their market without providing another suitable place for trading.

Mobereola added that they would  be relocated once the new market which is under construction is ready.

Director of Public Transport, Mr. Olugbenga Dairo gave updates about the project execution, which he said, was already 20 percent completed, adding; “It shows that the project would be completed at record time.”

4,000 abandoned vehicles on Lagos roads await evacuation

*As Epe car crushing plant facility rots away

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

To prevent miscreants from planting bombs and grenades in abandoned and disused vehicles, the Lagos State Government has come up with various security measures including  evacuation of such vehicles from the roads .
Subsequently, a committee on abandoned/disused vehicles was established. It is  charged with the responsibility of removing the vehicles.

Several abandoned vehicles in areas such as; Surulere, Mainland, Mushin, Agege, Ketu among other council areas that make up the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas, were later removed.

Apart from serving as hideout  for criminals, such vehicles impede free flow of traffic, resulting in gridlocks where lives and property of citizens are threatened. The irony, however, is - no sooner than the government evacuated abandoned vehicles do others replace them.

Also worrisome is the abandoned refurbished car crushing plant at Shalla in Epe, where decrepit vehicles were supposed to be crushed and recycled. The plant, built with several millions of  public fund has been under lock and key.

The wide expanse of land at Epe, dedicated to the crushing purpose is presently over-grown with weeds, with no sign of activity.

However, while inspecting the  plant sometime this year, governor Babatunde Fashola noted that the place was under- utilised, stressing; “There is need to increase the capacity of the industry in order to boost the revenue generation and employment need of the state.”



All efforts to find out the immediate and remote causes of inactivity at the crushing plant from the transportation commissioner Mr Kayode Opeifa, whose ministry oversees its running  was unsuccessful at press time.  However, recently while  giving the scorecard of the ministry, Opeifa said; “While we are proud to have removed over 4,500 abandoned and disused vehicles from Lagos state roads, it is sad that recent surveys by Community Development Associations, CDAs, and Community Development Councils, CDCs, under the supervision of the Ministry of Rural Development have,  from the beginning of the year, identified another 4,632 vehicles abandoned on over 9,100 roads in Lagos State.

“It is equally sad that as soon as we completed the removal exercise in Surulere Local Government, working in conjunction with the CDCs and the local government chairman, some vehicles were back on the roads especially on Cole Street, Shifawu Street and Ayilara/ Clegg area.

“These vehicles are veritable tools for hoodlums, miscreants, armed robbers and other forms of social vices. Also they pose as health risk to  residents.”

Obstruction to traffic

Investigation by Vanguard revealed that abandoned vehicles still litter the state, causing obstruction to traffic as well as posing  security threat to residents.

The committee seemed to have relaxed in the responsibility of enforcing the removal order as owners of abandoned vehicles have left them unattended to in their usual manner.

Some of the streets  where vehicles are abandoned recklessly include: Olorunde, Amoo Streets, Orile Agege, Kasumu Street, Agege, Oniwaya Street also in Agege area. They are also found at Ipodo Street, Ikeja, near Ikeja flyover bridge, off Awolowo Way, Oduyemi Street, Ikeja; Ikorodu environs; Ojo, Orile-Igamu, Apapa council area and Yaba, among others.