Imo State

By Uzair Adam Imam

Police in Imo State have arrested a 35-year-old man identified as Onyekachi and his wife, Oluchi, for allegedly kidnapping, murdering and burning the corpse of a 71-year-old man, Chief Precious Okorie.

Onyekachi was reported to have killed the man for allegedly sleeping with his wife, Oluchi.

The Imo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Hussain Rabiu, made the disclosure while parading the suspect, adding that the deceased was kidnapped on November 12, 2021.

According to the police commissioner, he ordered the commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, Oladimeji Oyeyiyewa, and his operatives to swing into action after a report from the family about the case.

However, he added that this has led to the gang leader’s arrest, Agubata Maxwell Chimezie, known as “The Boss”, on December 10th, 2021, while Oluchi was arrested on December 20, and her husband was picked up on January 10th, 2022 in Owerri.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brigadier General Mohammad Buba Marwa’s (retd) wife has passed on.

A statement at the instance of the family confirmed Hajia Zainab Marwa died at the early hours of Saturday after a brief brief illness at the age of 66.

The deceased, a native of Imo State, was known for championing the cause of women and the girl-child during her life time.

She left behind adult children : Abubakar, Mohammad Jr , Mariam, Zainab and 10 grandchildren, as well as her siblings and aged mother.

By Uzair Adam Imam

A 14-year-old housemaid identified as Favour Iwuozor has allegedly abducted her mistress’s two-year-old son, planning to take him to Amraku Umorsu in Isiala/Mberna Local Government Area, Imo State.

Daily Post reported that the maid took the boy from a Sunday school class in church, pretending the mother sent her, but she made away with him and started begging for alms to raise money for transportation.

The maid had identified the 2-year old abducted boy as her younger brother left behind by their parents, who she lied died in an accident in December.

Reports have disclosed that while begging for alms at Yaba, Lagos, one Victoria Nwafor, who observed that the boy was very ill, took both of them to her house in the Sagamu area of Ogun State on December 22, 2021.

Mr Abimbola Oyeyemi, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, has confirmed the incident on Tuesday, 4th January 2022.

He said: “immediately the boy fully recovered, the suspect wanted to single-handedly take him to Imo State,” saying this aroused the woman’s suspicion; hence she reported at Sagamu police division on Monday.

“Upon the report, the DPO of Sagamu division, CSP Okiki Agunbiade, detailed his detectives to go and bring the girl and the little boy.

“On interrogation, the girl confessed that she was a maid to the mother of the little boy and that she left with the boy since the 19th of December, 2021, with the intention of taking the boy to Amraku Umorsu in Isiala/Mberna Local Government Area of Imo State,” Oyeyemi explained.

Oyeyemi added that the maid had confessed that “she took the baby from the church during Sunday school period, and since the Sunday school teacher knows her with the baby’s mother, she had no problem releasing the boy to her.”

By Muhammad Sabiu

Suspected gunmen in Imo State have on Monday launched an attack on some soldiers in Awo Mmamma town in the Oru East Local Government Area.

The attack, according to reports, has led to the killing of one soldier, which prompted the soldiers to raid the town.

In the raid, the soldiers have allegedly torched houses, cars, shops and a hotel, forcing many residents to flee their community.

A source, whose identify wasn’t made public, said “some hoodlums attacked some soldiers at Ishieke junction in Awo Mmamma and killed one of them. They zoomed off towards Ihiala in Anambra State. Later soldiers invaded the area and caused havoc in the area by setting a hotel, cars, houses and stalls on fire.”

However, police in the state haven’t commented on the incident as of the time fo filing this report.

Southeastern Nigeria has in recent months been hit hard by attacks suspected to have been carried out by Biafran combatants.

By Muhammad Sabiu

By Muhammad Sabiu

On Monday, suspected gunmen killed seven people, including a police inspector, in an ambush when some workers were being conveyed to a Shell Petroleum Development Company facility in Imo State, southeastern Nigeria.

Imo State police spokesperson, Mike Abattam, confirmed the incident to the press on Wednesday.

“They were ambushed, they came out from the bush and started firing at them. They (the victims) were all in the vehicle.

“The seven people include a police inspector who was providing security for them,” Mr Abattam said

As of the time of filing this report, no one or group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to Bamidele Odugbesan, a Shell spokesperson, the oil giant has shut down the site and its other facilities around the area as a “precautionary measure.”

South-east has been hit by attacks by suspected members of the proscribed separatist group, IPOB, which agitates for the breakaway of Biafra in recent months.

IPOB’s leader, Nnamdi Kanu, is standing trial in Abuja on treason charges and illegal possession of firearms.