A 27-year-old man, Chigozie Egegonye, has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly planning the kidnap of his sister, identified only as Franca.

Franca and her four children had been declared missing since April 2016, when they suddenly disappeared from their home on Mayowa Street, Ago-Palace Way, Okota, Lagos.

PUNCH Metro gathered that Egegonye told his childhood friend, Michael Oluchukwu, that despite the wealth of his sister, she was stingy.

Oluchukwu, a cobbler, sent a text message to the victim, giving her an ultimatum of 12 hours to pay N300,000 or risk being kidnapped and killed.

It was learnt that Franca called the suspect and pleaded for her life, saying she could only afford N50,000.

Oluchukwu reportedly agreed and sent her his account details.

However, it was learnt that the victim had yet to send the money when she and her four children went missing.

Punch gathered that the victim’s husband petitioned the State Department of Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba, after which detectives launched a manhunt for the suspects.

A police source said investigations revealed that Egegonye was behind the plot.

He said,

“Chigozie (Egegonye) and Michael (Oluchukwu) are childhood friends. After losing contact, they reunited in Jakande Estate, Isolo, where Michael had his workshop.

“On April 13, 2016, Chigozie went to Michael’s shop and told him he had a sister who was so stingy that each time he demanded money from her, she wouldn’t give him. He asked him to send a threat message to her on the phone.

“They told the woman how she normally took her children to school every day. They said she should pay N300,000 within 12 hours or risk being eliminated together with her four children.”

The source told PUNCH Metro that Franca, who immediately became jittery, called back the phone number and said she couldn’t raise the sum within the time frame, but could afford N50,000.

The suspect was said to have sent a First Bank account number 3034268561 with the name Chigozie Egegonye.

Another source said Franca and the children went missing on that same day when the money had yet to be paid.

He explained that Franca’s husband got home only to discover that their apartment had been emptied.

He said,

“The man got home on that day and discovered that his wife and the children were missing, including his two cars. He found the house scattered and all the luggage of the wife and children taken away.

“The man said he received a text message from his wife detailing the death threat she received. He said he called his in-laws to tell them he had not seen his wife and the children and they told him to go and find her. All of them thought he masterminded the kidnap of his wife and children.”

PUNCH Metro gathered that Franca’s husband wrote a petition to the police afterwards, which led to the arrest of Egegonye and Oluchukwu.

A source said the police used the account number and phone number of Oluchukwu to track him down.

He later led operatives to Oluchukwu’s house where he was also arrested.

However, Oluchukwu denied kidnapping his sister, saying she fled the house due to the disagreement she had been with her husband.

He said,

“My sister and her husband are rich, but they always quarrel in the house. She had wanted to quit the marriage, but I begged her. My sister fears a lot. I and my friend sent a threat message to her line and she used that opportunity to run away from the house. I blame myself for everything that happened. I am now repentant. I wasn’t praying at home before I came here. Now, I lead the devotion in the cell.”

Egegonye, on his part, said greed and ignorance pushed him into the act, saying he had learnt his lesson.

Punch adds that the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, said she would call back their correspondent, but she had yet to do so as of press time.

In a recent statement, former president Jonathan said he handed over the best Nigerian government, and the largest economy in Africa to president Buhari.

“I took over a Nigeria that was the second largest economy in Africa with a GDP of $270.5 billion in 2009, I handed over a Nigeria that had grown to become the largest economy in Africa and the 24th largest economy in the World, with a GDP of $574 billion.

I inherited a Nigeria in which the trains were not working, and handed over a Nigeria in which citizens can safely travel by trains again.

I inherited a Nigeria that was a net importer of cement, and handed over a Nigeria that is a net exporter of cement.

In 2009, the richest Nigerian was the 5th richest man in Africa, but I handed over a Nigeria that produced the richest man in Africa.

The former President stated that democracy will continue to grow in the African continent if leaders value the process of elections more than the product of the process.

Even in the 2015 general elections in my country, Nigeria, there was potential for major crisis if I was not a President duly elected by the will of the people.

The campaigns leading to the elections almost polarized the country into Christian vs Muslims and North vs South divide. Most World leaders were worried that our elections will result into major crisis.

Some pundits even from here in the United States said that those elections would spell the end of Nigeria and that we would cease to exist as a nation because of the polls.

That is where the leadership question comes into play. As a leader that was duly elected by the people, I considered the people’s interest first.

How do I manage my people to avoid killings and destruction of properties?

With the interest of the people propelling all the decisions I took, we were able to sail through.

Indeed, we sail through because I refused to interfere with the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, having appointed a man I had never met in my life to run it.

My philosophy was simple. For elections to be credible, I as a leader, must value the process more than the product of the process. And the citizens must have confidence in the electoral body”.

If you don’t want a child…Why Not Use Condom or abstain?

45 year old Sukurat Idowu has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for brutalizing his 5 year old daughter at their home in Ikotun, Lagos State.

The man, who works as a road side mechanic assaulted the little girl named Monsurat by beating her with hot iron and causing serious body injury.

The suspect is currently being held by the command for the offence of child abuse. He was arrested after a concerned neighbour who witnessed the battery reported the case at Ikotun division.

The neighbour narrated to the police how the suspect sent the victim to go and dispose of the content of a potty in the latrine and the child fell into the gutter, an occurrence which infuriated the father and made him to beat her mercilessly with a hot iron.

The suspect was subsequently arrested and the victim rescued. She is currently undergoing treatment in the hospital while the suspect is undergoing interrogation with the gender unit of the command.

Effort is on to trace the mother of the victim who has been separated from the father since she was two years.

A 28-year-old woman identified as Mary Mathew has been arrested by the men of the Ondo State Police Command for child abuse.

The suspect allegedly caged her four-year-old foster daughter inside the bush for over five months at Imafon Village in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State.

Mary said she ‘quarantined’ the young girl identified as Precious Michael when she suspected that the girl was possessed with witchcraft and also suspected that the four-year-old girl must have been inflicted by Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which reportedly killed her deceased mother last year .

The suspect was said to be a relative of the girl’s late mother and brought the little girl to Imafon in December 2015 after the death of her mother.

Parading the suspect at the headquarters of the command in Akure on Thursday the state Commissioner of Police, Mrs. Hilda Harrison, said the suspect was arrested following a tip off.

While Mary was paraded her husband was not but the police boss said both of them were in their custody.

The commissioner said, “Mary Mathew and her husband who alleged that the girl was possessed and thus decided to lock her outside the house. On receipt of the information, personnel attached to Juvenile Welfare Center of the police command visited the scene and met the girl in the cage as reported. “She (the girl) was immediately rescued and taken to police clinic for medical attention while the suspects are under interrogation and will soon be charged to court “

Harrison further explained the victim would be taken to the state welfare home of the Ondo State Ministry of Woman Affairs and Social Welfare .

Also speaking, the police officer at the JWC of the command, Mrs. Olayemi Ojumu (ASP), who led the team that rescued the girl, told punch that Precious had tested negative for HIV.

Mary, a farmer and indigene of Enugu State said she only confined the victim to a corner in her shop.

She said she confined the four-year-old there in the morning and released in the evening whenever she came back from the farm.

Not sure what led to her death. But beautiu Stacy Nwokocha has been receiving condolence messages from Friends and Loved one son her Facebook Profile. She was buried in her NYSC Uniform.

Late Stacy is a serving youth corp member. She celebrated her birthday just two months ago.

May she rest in peace.

The man who named his dog ‘Buhari’ Mr. Joachim Iroko, also known as Joe, has perfected his bail and he has been released.

This is after he had spent three days in Ibara Prisons, Abeokuta. He was granted bail on Monday at Ota Magistrate Court 2, at about 10am.

The accused was said to have been released around 10am, when a reproduction warrant was brought to the prison officials at Ibara Prisons.

This was disclosed by the Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Prisons Service, Ogun State Command, Victor Oyeleke.
He said, “The man (Joachim Iroko) has been released this morning from Ibara Prisons.

“The accused was released around 10am when the Reproduction Warrant was brought from the Court, indicating that his bail conditions have been perfected.”

Prominent Prophet Ochi-eze Princewill Iheme has stated that the only solution to all Nigerian problems is to elect Igbo president.

The man of God made this known in an exclusive statement for NAIJ.com. This came as Biafra movement and Niger Delta militants are demanding to organize referendum for Nigeria’s restructuring.

Prophet Iheme said:

“Restructuring is not the solution to end Nigeria problems. The problems in Nigeria are ethnic hatred, hatred between Christians and Muslims, wicked leaders.

“Restructuring is political ideology to win 2019 election. Just like 2015 APC change ideology. “Ethnic hatred caused Biafra agitators, Niger Delta Avengers, Fulani herdsmen attack. Religion hatred caused Boko Haram insurgency; killing of Christians in the North.

“Wicked leaders caused the bad economy in Nigeria. Peace is the only thing that will solve Nigeria problems.

“Only an Igbo president will bring peace, unity, good economy in Nigeria. Nigerians should hand over power to Igbo tribe.”

 

Since the arrest of the pro-Biafra leader Nnamdi Kanu a protest movement has sprung up in Nigeria, with thousands of people identifying as Biafrans calling for the separation of some south states from Nigeria.

The rise in tensions between pro-Biafra agitators and the Nigerian authorities comes at a time when Nigeria is grappling with serious challenges.

Niger Delta militants recently declare their support for Mr Kanu and also call for the referendum to decide the fate of Nigeria.

The deadly Boko Haram sect killed and kidnapped people on the north of the country.

84 undergraduates of the Lagos state University LASU have been sanctioned for improper dressing.

A letter from the school’s dean of Student Affairs DSA, shows that eight of those that have been sanctioned are final year students, 43 are in 100level, 20 in 200level and three in 300level.

24 of the sanctioned students are in faculty of Management Science, 18 from faculty of sciences, faculty of Education and Social Sciences were recorded as 11 students each and the faculty of communication has four students.