Crime

By Uzair Adam

Tension gripped the popular Kano phone market, Farm Centre, after a large group of hoodlums stormed the area, attacking traders and carting away valuables.

The attackers, reportedly numbering about 200 and armed with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons, were alleged to be accompanying a Kano Central senatorial aspirant, Abdussalam Abubakar, popularly known as AA Zaura, to an event held near the market.

The Chairman of the market, Alhaji Jamilu Bala Gama, confirmed the incident, explaining that it occurred around 1:25 p.m. when the group invaded the area.

He added that the violence was not limited to Farm Centre, as nearby markets, including City Centre and New Dubai, were also affected.

The Daily Reality gathered that the movement of politicians with armed thugs has become a growing concern in Kano, often resulting in violence and disruption of business activities.

“They were many, about 200 or even more. They attacked innocent people and traders, injuring them and stealing their property,” Gama said.

He noted that as of the time of filing this report, the hoodlums remained within the vicinity of the ongoing event, forcing traders to flee and shut down their shops.

According to him, such incidents have become frequent, with hoodlums often accompanying political gatherings and targeting traders.

“We plan to take legal action against politicians generating tension in our markets by moving around with hoodlums,” he added.

Gama also disclosed that police officers from a nearby station responded but came under attack, with some sustaining injuries.

A trader, Abdullahi Dabinai, corroborated the account, describing the incident as part of a recurring pattern that has long affected the market community.

He said police eventually dispersed the hoodlums using teargas, adding that such violence tends to occur whenever political events are held nearby.

He further explained that although the latest attack was concentrated around roadside shops, many traders fear it could spread deeper into the market in future incidents.

He recalled previous occasions when political gatherings created panic, forcing traders to lock themselves inside their shops.

As of the time of this report, there was no official statement from the police. Efforts to reach the Kano State Police Command spokesperson, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, were unsuccessful, as calls to his line were not answered.

Attempts to obtain a reaction from AA Zaura also failed, as the event allegedly linked to the incident was still ongoing.

By Khadija Muhammad

So many atrocities and crimes against humanity continue to grow everyday in the so called  developed nations, however, their justice system is powerfully functional, as it never allows a criminal to go unpunished no matter who he is, how smart he seems to be or how highly placed someone is. This is a report of Nicholas who evaded justice but a functional judicial systems trails him to his hiding place.

According to Aljazeerah, “Nicholas Alahverdian, 34, who fled the US to evade prosecution, has been arrested in Glasgow after being hospitalised with COVID.

The fugitive, who lived under an assumed name of Nicholas Alahverdian, was arrested by police in Glasgow.

Nicholas is a Rhode Island man who is believed to have faked his death and fled the US to evade prosecution in Utah and other states. He has been apprehended in Scotland after being hospitalised with COVID-19, authorities have said.

TDR’s source disclosed that “Nicholas Alahverdian was discovered after developing a serious case of the coronavirus and being placed on a ventilator at a hospital in Glasgow, Rhode Island State Police Major Robert Creamer told The Providence Journal on Wednesday.

Alahverdian 34, who was wanted by Interpol, now faces extradition to the US to face a charge of first-degree rape in Utah in 2008.

Court documents unsealed on Thursday show Alahverdian met a 21-year-old woman on MySpace in 2008, when he was living in Orem, Utah, and going by the name Nicholas Rossi, WPRI-TV reported.

The woman said that she ended the relationship, but that Alahverdian owed her money, promised to pay her back and instead sexually assaulted her in his apartment.

Utah County Attorney David Leavitt’s office said on Wednesday that DNA evidence collected at the time was not tested until 2017 as part of a state effort to test backlogged rape kits. The Utah evidence ultimately came back as a match to a sexual assault case in Ohio.

“Investigators also learned that Nicholas Rossi had fled the country to avoid prosecution in Ohio and attempted to lead investigators and state legislators in other states to believe that he was deceased,” Leavitt’s office said in a statement. “Mr. Rossi was discovered to be living under an assumed name in Scotland.”

Rhode Island State Police have also said he is wanted in that state for failing to register as a sex offender, while the FBI has said he is also wanted in his home state of Ohio on charges he took out credit cards in his foster father’s name and amassed more than $200,000 in debts.