Defiant Maduekwe Crashes on Bicycle
From Peter Umar-Omale and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

The Minister of Transport, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, escaped death by the whiskers yesterday on his way to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on bicycle.

Maduekwe, who was riding alone after he had ordered his security details to steer clear of his route, was knocked into a drainage 50 meters from his Mabushi official residence when two buses collided at an intersection popularly referred to as Banex Junction. He however escaped unhurt.

"I escaped by a hair's breadth without sustaining any injuries, not a single bruise; look at my hands, body and face, nothing, not a single injury and I thank God I'm alive,"Maduekwe told State House correspondents at the villa.

He narrated how the accident happened: "I left my residence this morning to attend the meeting of the Federal Executive Council on my bike and I was riding on the kerb of the Mabushi-Gwagwalada highway. All of a sudden, this 18 seater was coming from the opposite direction and was overtaking all the other cars and at the same time was swerving dangerously.

Before you could know what was happening the bus had a head on collision with a vehicle coming from my rear and as I saw death starring me in the face, I quickly swerved and escaped death by a hair's breadth.

"I fell on the ground and rolled over, but my trousers were torn and immediately I got up from the ground and helped in arranging for the evacuation of the victims of the accident to the hospital and the arrest of the driver who said he had a break failure. But why was he overtaking?" Maduekwe queried.

On whether the incident would make him do a rethink on his controversial bicycle proposal, he replied. "Not at all, I am not deterred or dissuaded by the accident because accident can happen anywhere on land, sea and air. I am even more convinced that bicycle is the right thing to do but it has opened my eyes to how dangerous our transport system is, a lot of the vehicles on the roads in the first place shouldn't be because they are not road worthy and we will have to take another look at the tokunbo vehicles."

After the evacuation of the accident victims to the hospital, Maduekwe said he took his bicycle home where he changed into new clothes before proceeding to the villa to attend the meeting of FEC just as he explained the absence of his security guards pilot van. "Maybe it was my mistake, I told my security guards and pilot van not to accompany me to the FEC. I wanted to ride like any other cyclist and that was when the accident occurred around 9.30 a.m."

An eye-witness, who was also one of the passengers in the bus corroborated the minister's account of how the accident happened: "The driver was overspeeding and everybody was shouting. When we got to the first junction (Nicon Junction), officials of the Road Safety stopped him and cautioned him but he continued. So before we got to the next junction, all the passengers were screaming again and the driver tried to apply the breaks but it failed so he ran into the other lane, which brushed the man into the pit there on his bicycle".

"We did not even know it was the Minister of Transport as they said, and many others were injured. You can see my wound, I was sitting on the front seat. I thought my vein had been cut. The minister has nothing to do with the accident and luck was on his side. If not, he would have died", the injured passenger narrated.

It would be recalled that the minister a few weeks ago started the campaign for the use of bicycle by Nigerians as a deliberate means of reducing fuel consumption.

Although the minister's action had come under wide criticism, he had insisted that the bicycle option was a wise alternative which also has an added advantage of being fitness friendly.

The minister during his first bicycle ride two weeks ago, was accompanied by his security details, who ensured that the road was clear unlike yesterday when he ordered them to stay clear from the ride to the FEC meeting.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Diplomat Loses N10m to Fraudsters

P.M. News (Lagos)

July 18, 2001
Posted to the web July 18, 2001

Gabriel Orok
Lagos

A French diplomat, Mr. Philippe Lanton, has lost N10 million to Nigerian fraudsters. Already, one Innocent Ugho, identified as the leader of the syndicate, has been arrested by the police at the Force Crime Intelligence Department (FCID), Alagbon Close, Lagos annex.

P.M.News learnt that the money was fraudulently obtained on various occasions and in different foreign denominations. The fraudsters reportedly obtained the money from the French diplomat through dubious contract claims and letters. The deal which started in January 2001 ended in June 2001 when the lid was blown off the fraud. On realising the futility of the fraudulent deal, the French diplomat reportedly contacted the police at the Force CID. Preliminary investigations revealed that the business deal was founded on fraud.

While the police succeeded in apprehending the kingpin of the syndicate, others escaped. Sources at Force CID, who confirmed the story said the suspect has been charged to Igbosere Chief Magistrate Court. Similarly, the Managing Director of Industrial Bank, Mr. Austine Obaifor, has lost N1.6 million to fake housing agents in Lagos. P.M.News gathered that four other innocent people also lost a substantial amount of money to the fraudsters.

The victims reportedly fell into a trap set by the fraudsters when a national daily of May 14,2001 advertised vacant accommodation at 12, Omole Road, Ojodu, Ogba, Lagos. The bank boss who was in a desperate search for accommodation, rushed to meet the advertisers at 11/13 Church Street, Abule Egba. After a marathon discussion with Messrs. Adesina Makinde and Victor Akpan, he later parted with a huge amount of money, including consultation fee of N5,000.

P.M.News learnt that the business deal which started on a clean slate ended on a sour note when the bank tried to take possession of the accommodation. To his chagrin, the bank boss' chagrin, he discovered that four other prospective tenants were also laying claim to the same apartment. It was later discovered that the agents collected over N2.6 million from four people for the same apartment. The police later arrested the culprits and charged them to court for obtaining money under false pretence.

allAfrica.com

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Robbers Raid - N1.6 Million Snatched, Policeman Shot Dead

P.M. News (Lagos)

July 18, 2001
Posted to the web July 18, 2001

Gabriel Orok
Lagos

Despite the renewed onslaught by the police against armed robbers in Lagos, the men of the underworld have not relented in their dastardly operations as they struck yesterday night in Jibowu and this morning at Oworonshoki Junction in Kosofe Local Government.

P.M. News gathered this morning that armed bandits gained entrance into a TOTAL petrol station at Jibowu at about 8 p.m. last night on the pretence of buying fuel. However, within two minutes, the robbers had rounded up everybody at the petrol station at gun-point. The robbers, who came to the station in a Peugeot 505 car ransacked the filling station's vault and successfully carted away the day's proceedings which was put at about N1.6 million. The robbers did not leave without shooting two people.

The wounded persons were immediately rushed to a near-by hospital where they are reportedly still receiving treatment. The robbers' dastardly act was re-enacted early this morning when a police Corporal named Kunle, attached to an oil company, was shot dead by robbers at Oworonshoki. The robbers had successfully snatched a peugeot car from its owner.

P. M.News gathered that the police man met his untimely death when he was sighted in a bus near the scene of the robbery incident by the robbers who immediately shot him to death as he tried to escape. The police say they have begun investigations into the two robbery incidents, while no arrest has been made yet. The two incidents are coming on the heels of the recent robbery attack at the popular Alaba Market in which goods worth millions of naira were carted away by the men of the underworld.

The spate of robbery attacks on Alaba Market has prompted traders at the popular market to demand for the dreaded Bakassi Boys from Aba to provide them security. They believe that the security outfit (Bakassi Boys) has the capability to keep robbers in check at Alaba as they have done in some Eastern states.

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

South-West

135 policemen dismissed in Lagos

(Thursday, 19th July, 2001)

By Emma Nnadozie

LAGOS—NO fewer than 135 policemen have been dismissed for various offences in the past two years by the Lagos State Police Command.

The state police boss, Mr. Mike Okiro said, yesterday, that most of the dismissed policemen were in the rank and file cadre.

He said: "What I am doing is in consonance with the directive of the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Musiliu Smith and it is geared towards eradicating corruption in the Force. We also take cognisance of the Force guidelines.

"Those affected were dismissed for various offences which include extortion, illegal duty, murder and other offences. We particularly took drastic action against those involved in corrupt practices.

"Apart from the X-squad which the IGP set up to monitor activities of policemen, I have equally gotten Area Commanders and Divisional Police Officers committed by passing papers for them to sign that if any of their men was arrested for extortion, they will equally be held responsible for vicarious liability.

"I did this because the fight against corruption should not be left to me alone. All hands in the Force should be seen to be on deck towards checking such excesses. As far as I am concerned, anybody, no matter how high or low, that gets involved will face the music.

"Members of the public should also be advised to desist from encouraging policemen to extort. They should feel free to shun such demands and also report the person involved to a higher officer.

"Presently, we have about ten pending cases and I assure you that any of them found guilty will go the way of his corrupt colleagues. We have also reduced some of them in ranks depending on the offence they committed," he further stated.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2001

	e-mail this story to a friend
	write a letter to the editor (oped@csps.com)

THE HOME FORUM

What ever happened to...the nation of Biafra?

· J. Schmit of Portland, Ore. wonders what has become of the nation of Biafra.

By Lane Hartill

With the declaration "Long live the Republic of Biafra!" Lt. Col. Chukuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, declared eastern Nigeria independent on May 30, 1967. The move had been prompted in part by a government-led massacre of Igbo settlers.


LEADER-TO-BE: Lt. Col. C.O. Ojukwu in 1966, the year before he declared that eastern Nigeria was the new nation of Biafra. AP/FILE

The Igbo ruler led his new (but little-recognized) nation in a civil war in July 1967 following an invasion by Nigerian troops.

In the fighting that ensued, more than 1 million people died. At first the Biafrans held their own, but soon the USSR, Egypt, and Britain began to ship weapons to Nigeria's government. Biafra surrendered after a costly three-year struggle.

Mr. Ojukwu, who still lives in Nigeria, told the Associated Press that he regularly speaks to Nigeria's President Obasanjo and sees himself as an elder statesman who has left the past behind. He was in Boston recently to appeal to Igbo expatriates to return.

In May, a Nigerian presidential commission began looking into government "human-rights abuses" (including, perhaps, the massacre of Igbos) that occurred around the time of Biafra's breakaway.

Meanwhile, The National Union of True Igbo Movement is pressing the government to pay entitlements to former Biafran soldiers and police.

• Do you suddenly wonder, hey -'Whatever happened to...?'

Wonder no more! Write and tell us who or what you'd like to catch up with.
Send ideas to: One Norway St., Boston, MA 02115 or e-mail: whatever@csmonitor.com

For further information:

Biafra Emeagwali.com
Republic of Biafra Infoplease
Biafra War FAS

Please Note: The Monitor does not endorse the sites behind these links. We offer them for your additional research.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

World

Africa
Americas
Asia-Pacific
Europe
Middle East
South Asia
-----------
From Our Own Correspondent
-----------
Letter From America

UK
UK Politics
Business
Sci/Tech
Health
Education
Entertainment
Talking Point
In Depth
AudioVideo

Friday, 13 July, 2001,

23:32 GMT 00:32 UK

Nigerian police target vigilantes

Nigerian police

Vigilantes fill in the gaps where the police fail

By David Bamford in Lagos

Police chiefs in Nigeria say they intend to stamp out the practice of executions that are being carried out by vigilante groups against suspected armed robbers.

They described the vigilantes' actions as illegal even though they often have the support of State governors in some parts of the country.

The rise of the vigilante groups is a result of a dramatic increase in violent crime in Nigeria.

About 500 people have been killed by armed robbers within the last year, many of them in the main city of Lagos.

Filling in for police

This week, on a street in Lagos, just 300m from the BBC office, cars were forced to drive around the sickening sight of a burned body.

We want a well-trained police force, well-equipped, and in fact we want the whole justice sector to be reformed properly

Abdul Oroh
Civil Rights Organisation

The remains of the suspected armed robber lay there for most of the day, a victim of the local vigilante group, the OPC, or Odua People's Congress, who say they are dealing with violent crime in a way that police are failing to do.

Many local residents agree with that view and support the extra-judicial killings.

"Resident Lagosians, they really welcome the idea of vigilante groups," said one local resident.

"In fact, I can tell you that during the first coming of the OPC members, when they were called upon to help the police in restoring law and order and some kind of safety in Lagos, people were very jubilant about this, and they feel very secure," the resident said.

Public execution

In eastern Nigeria a few days earlier, another vigilante group known as the Bakassi Boys captured a suspected gangster.

They ignored police demands to hand him over and, to cheering crowds in the main market in the town of Onitsha, they decapitated him with a machete and then set fire to his torso.

The police, who answer to the federal government, are at loggerheads with the state governments, who actively support the vigilantes because of the resulting drop in crime figures.

Unlikely allies

On this occasion, the police are at one with their frequent critics, the human-rights movement, who have strongly condemned the vigilante killings.

"The idea of arresting people and, through more violence, killing them on the spot and burning their bodies - that is not the kind of Nigeria we want," said Abdul Oroh, the head of the Civil Rights Organization.

"That's not the kind of law enforcement we,,, want in Nigeria. We want a well-trained police force, well-equipped, and in fact we want the whole justice sector to be reformed properly."

But the root of the problem, says Mr Oroh, is that the Nigerian police are among the most corrupt in the world.

People have little faith in them as they see armed robbers bribe their way out of trouble.

Until this is tackled, the vigilante killings seem likely to continue.

Dateline: 14/07/2001 01:05:16

Man Sentenced for Committing Adultery with Lunatic

Aman, Abubakar Aliyu, arrested for committing adultery with a female lunatic in Sokoto, has been sentenced to 100 strokes of the cane in addition to one year imprisonment.

The judge of the upper sharia court II, Alhaji Bawa Sahabi Tambuwal, who ordered the caning of the culprit publicly said the police had caught him in the act. According to the judge, the sentence was passed on him "based on the directive of Allah and his prophet as enshrined in the Holy Qur'an''.

In another case, one Bashiru Bello of Digar-Agire area of Sokoto metropolis was jailed for six months for reportedly using charms to steal property worth N13,180. Mrs. Fatima Dange, the chief magistrate at court II, who passed the judgement, said that she jailed him in order to serve as a deterrent to others.

Bello was sentenced to six months imprisonment without the option of a fine, while the judge warned him to stop using the words of Allah in committing crimes. However, the magistrate pointed out that the convict could file an appeal to the state high court, if he was not satisfied with the judgement.

Dateline: 14/07/2001 01:05:16

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Thursday, July 12, 2001

2 with vague identities in identity-fraud case

The couple are charged with using others' data. Police are unsure who they really are.

· Avoid Identity Theft

By Larry Lewis and Deborah Bolling
INQUIRER STAFF WRITERS

The tall man in a red prison uniform who appeared briefly in Darby District Court yesterday has been so desperate to keep his real identity from police that he recently tried to chew off the tips of his fingers.

He stood in court, facing charges that he stole the identities of hundreds of people and ran up huge credit card bills, as Olug Bemiga Olusato. But authorities do not believe that is his real name.

He had been known as Adegboyega Joshuaville for the six months he lived on Columbia Avenue and operated a cleaning business at Philadelphia International Airport. That name, officials say, is almost certainly false. And the name given to police by his wife, who also is charged, probably is made up as well.

Yesterday, the preliminary hearing for the couple was postponed after a short court appearance. They were sent back to the Delaware County prison, while authorities went back to trying to determine exactly who it is they have locked up.

"We have reason to believe he is from Nigeria," said James V. Washington, special agent in charge of the Philadelphia office of the Secret Service. "We believe his wife is from Nigeria. . . . In these cases, the suspects have so many identities, you often never know who they are."

Darby police, the FBI, and the Secret Service are trying to determine whether the two are linked to West African organized crime, which has been responsible for an escalating number of financial crimes in the United States, officials said.

Washington said that schemes such as the one seen in Darby have been going on for more than a decade, often involving Nigerians, and that the Secret Service has opened an office in Nigeria to work with agencies there to try to stop them.

Sometimes, the Secret Service said, stolen money is used to finance massive drug deals.

Investigators suspect Olusato used his cleaning service customers' Social Security numbers and other financial information to order credit cards and open other accounts.

Darby police, working with FBI and Secret Service agents, found $200,000 worth of furniture, tools, televisions and other appliances when they arrested Olusato and his wife at their home on June 29.

Police also found 20 cartons of financial documents, indicating the identity theft had reached into other states. Officials said it could take six months to sort it all out.

Olusato was ordering merchandise in victims' names and having it delivered to 37 vacant buildings in Darby and 10 in Southwest Philadelphia, police said.

Authorities said officers were led to Olusato when he called a store for help installing a large-screen TV that had been bought with a bogus credit card.

Olusato and his wife, identified as Bolanle Joshuaville, have been held since June 29 in Delaware County prison after they were charged with 17 counts of identity theft, 51 counts of theft, and a long list of computer, bad check and forgery counts.

Cash bail of $500,000 each was set during an arraignment.

They are represented by the Public Defender's Office, which yesterday asked District Justice Thomas Lacey to reduce the bail. He refused.

Authorities said Olusato, while in prison, tried to chew off the ends of his fingers to thwart identification through fingerprints. His hands were not bandaged in court yesterday.

Officials said identity theft is on the rise as technological advances give criminals even more tools.

"Identity theft is a massive crime," said Betsy Broder, assistant director of planning and information for the Federal Trade Commission, which was authorized by Congress in 1998 to create a toll-free number for victims and a Web site.

A year ago, 300 victims were calling each week. Ten times as many are contacting the agency now, Broder said.

Special Agent Joe Majarowitz of the FBI's Philadelphia office said it is possible that the severe federal penalties being imposed for violent crimes, which are handed down without hope of parole, are causing lawbreakers to move into white-collar crime.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Thursday July 12 2:26 PM ET

In Nigeria, Robbers Give Notice

By TODD PITMAN, Associated Press Writer

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) - Bolanle Ijikelly wasn't too surprised when armed robbers broke through the wall of her apartment with a sledgehammer one night last month and started carting away her valuables.

The week before, they'd sent her entire apartment block a note to let everyone know they'd be stopping by.

In Lagos, thieves are so sure of getting away with crimes they hand-deliver notices alerting intended targets they're coming - so even the poorest victims will have some cash on hand to steal.

The rationale is simple: Those with no money and nothing worth stealing are often beaten - or shot.

In a city where police were cleared last month to shoot suspected criminals on sight, everyone's got a crime story to tell.

The anonymous message penned on a sheet of paper and pasted to the wall of Ijikelly's rundown apartment block was blunt:

``We are coming to Block 31 to rob each flat and no flat will be exempted.''

Many tenants fled. Others stayed home during the day but slept elsewhere after dark.

Some, like Ijikelly, were so resigned to their fate they chose to stay and wait.

``I knew they were coming, so I prepared an envelope with 650 naira ($5) in it to give them,'' the 47-year-old teacher said.

Ijikelly and her five children woke to the sound of gunfire, got dressed and soon met eight armed men who crawled through the hole they knocked in her wall.

Two hours, 13 ransacked apartments - and no arrests - later, officers finally chased off the robbers.

That the police came at all was remarkable.

In Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital, only 12,000 officers are deployed to protect a population of 13 million.

Few residents expect much help. The poorly paid police force is best known not for foiling crimes, but for extorting bribes from drivers at checkpoints around town.

Left on their own, many residents barricade neighborhood streets with gates and lock themselves up inside houses with barred windows.

Few have telephones at home to call for help.

When the sun goes down, many parts of the city are plunged into darkness because electricity is so scarce.

Moving around at night can be eerie - and dangerous.

``I try to get home as early as possible. Nowhere is really safe,'' said Akin Ajose-Adeogun, a 42-year-old civil servant.

``We usually hear gunshots every night somewhere in the distance. It's like we're under siege.''

Robbers frequently operate in groups of 50 or more, hitting not just single houses but entire streets.

Sometimes they stuff nails into shoes or oranges and toss them onto bridges to blow out the tires of passing cars. Bands of thieves then converge on the car and rob the occupants.

Shootouts with police are common.

Gruesome crime stories make headlines in local newspapers every day and robbers have become infamous for acts of brutality.

Actress Patience Oseni, 37, said a gang of thieves who lost one of their men during a robbery last month in the Bariga neighborhood returned a few days later - and gunned down two dozen residents in revenge.

Lawyer Femi Odutola said one group even attacked a police station this month in another act of revenge, killing two officers.

But the violence goes both ways.

Oseni said she saw police kill five suspected robbers as she was going to church one Sunday in June.

``They didn't ask too many questions. They just took them out on the street in front of the station and blew their heads off,'' Oseni said.

``It's jungle justice.''

Some civilians, tired of all the crime, have shown little sympathy for thieves.

Odutola saw one man caught July 5 trying to steal a car from the parking lot of the Lagos High Court.

A mob threw an old tire around his neck, doused him with gasoline and set him on fire.

``These things happen often,'' Odutola said, holding a photo he took of the scene showing a charred corpse.

``But the fact that they burnt him to death right in front of the High Court shows how little faith people have in the criminal justice system.''

Since January, 183 robbers, 41 civilians and 14 police officers have been killed in Lagos, according to police statistics reported by the independent Guardian newspaper. Figures for the previous year put the death toll at more than 700.

Some residents would like to leave the city altogether. But not everybody's got a choice.

``If I could get out of here, I would,'' Ijikelly said. ``But I can't move. I can't afford it.''

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\==================\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Dateline: 18/07/2001 01:34:12

FG Sells Abacha's Shares in S/Leone Refinery

· Lists NSPMC, Abuja Stock Exchange, ICC, Stallion for privatisation
From Tayo Ajakaiye in Abuja

The Federal Government yesterday announced plans to sell its 40 per cent equity shares in the West African Refinery Company Limited.

The refinery was confiscated from the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha and his former National Security Adviser, Alhaji Ismaila Gwarzo. Abacha had 30 per cent shares in the company while Gwarzo had 10.

The move is seen as part of the Obasanjo administration's effort to recover public funds looted by past public officials especially those that served the Abacha regime. About $800 million have so far been recovered from the Abacha family and allies of the late Head of State.

In its weekly press briefing addressed by its Deputy Director, Corporate Affairs, Mr. Joe Anichebe yesterday, the Bureau of Public Enterprises, BPE gave the names of other companies listed for privatisation as including the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company Limited where government has a total of 75 per cent through the CBN, which owns 55 per cent and the Federal Ministry of Finance 25 per cent.

Abuja Stock Exchange Plc, which has an authorised share capital of N1 billion is also listed for sale as it has been divided into 1 million ordinary shares at N1.00 per share. Government said the need to privatise the exchange was in compliance with the provisions of the Investment and Securities Act No. 45 of 1999 and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Also included in the list of privatised companies are the International Conference Centre, which the Federal Government owned 100 per cent. BPE said government plans to grant the concession of a private core investor in the ICC to Abuja Sofitel Hotel.

Stallion Properties Limited jointly owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corpora-tion (NNPC) and Unipetrol will also suffer the same fate as the NNPC's 51 per cent equity shares in the company are to be sold through Initial Public Offer in the stock exchange since Unipetrol, which has the remaining 49 per cent has been privatised.

Apart from the newly listed companies to be privatised, two other health institutions have been approved for partial privatisation. These are the National Hospital, Abuja and the Federal Medical Centre, Gombe.

Giving reasons for the commercialisation of FMC, Gombe, BPE said that "with partial commercialisation, the existing facilities would be managed to international standards." It described the institution as a well built, equipped and staffed hospital, which can be a centre of medical excellence in the North-East Zone if well managed and maintained

Of the National Hospital seen by many as a national pride, BPE said it was established to cater for the health needs of women and children, and that "partial commercialisation will ensure that the enterprise is well maintained and managed."

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\==================\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Robbers Raid - N1.6 Million Snatched, Policeman Shot Dead

P.M. News (Lagos) - July 18, 2001
Posted to the web July 18, 2001

Gabriel Orok - Lagos

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\+++++++++++++++++\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

P.M. News (Lagos) -- July 16, 2001
Posted to the web July 16, 2001

Gabriel Orok -- Lagos

A combined team of security operatives will soon embark on a surprise search of military barracks with a view to recovering illegal arms.

P.M.News gathered that the action became necessary as a result of secret reports linking military personnel with various robberies in Lagos and environs. The report also fingered military barracks as the storehouse of illegal arms. The bulk of the arms used by armed robbers are believed to emanate from military barracks.

Majority of the bandits are also believed to be either retired or serving military and police personnel. Intelligence experts say only experts in arms and ammunition handling can successfully engage in the guerrilla tactics robbers adopt in recent time.

P.M.News learnt that after a critical appraisal of the situation, it was unanimously agreed that military barracks in the country be thoroughly searched by a joint team of security operatives. The operatives include the SSS, military intelligence, customs and crack detectives from the police force.

Investigations further revealed that the search will soon commence in order to stem the activities of criminals, especially in Lagos.

It would be recalled that since the police adopted a fresh strategy to tackle the crime problem in Lagos, several military personnel have been arrested and military weapons used for robbery, recovered.

One of them was quoted as saying that the gun he held illegally was brought into the country from Liberia and Sierra Leone where he participated in the ECOMOG peace keeping operations.

A military rifle, traced to Lagos Garrison command, was also recovered recently by the police after some soldiers were arrested. "The military high command is very worried about the development" a source told P.M. News.

======================+++++++++++++++++======================

ARMED ROBBERS NOW POSE AS PREACHERS

P.M. News (Lagos) -- July 16, 2001
Posted to the web July 16, 2001

Gabriel Orok - Lagos

In their attempt to beat security traps, armed bandits in Lagos have resorted to the use of Bible as a camouflage to deceive their victims.

P.M. News learnt that members of a four-man robbery gang who recently attacked passengers along Ikorodu road, posed as preachers in the bus. Each of them was said to be in possession of a Bible.

Immediately the bus, with registration number XA 944 NEN took off from Ojota towards Ikorodu, one of them started to preach.

Trouble started when the vehicle crossed Majidun river. The driver was reportedly stopped abruptly by one of the Bible-clutching hoodlums. All the passengers were then held at gun-point and ordered to disembark from the bus.

After their order was obeyed, the bandits escaped with the bus. Luck, however, ran against them when the police were alerted.

The interception led to an exchange of gun fire. One of the hoodlums was shot dead while three others escaped while abandoning the bus.

|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\END\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\Patty Nsionu (2001)|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\++++++++++++++++++\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\