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Justice in action as two ex-vigilante members bag death sentence over alleged kidnap, murder
An Abia State High Court sitting in Ukwa, Abia State, has sentenced two former members of the Abia Vigilante Group, popularly known as Bakassi Boys, to death for alleged involvement in kidnap and murder.
The duo, Ugochukwu Amaugo and Udo Ogah, are to die by hanging according to the pronouncement of the trial judge, Justice Chibuzo Ahuchaogu.
They were found guilty of conspiracy, kidnap and murder which occurred on the 30th of August, 2014.
The convicts had, on the said date, arrested two young men, Temple Nwakanma and Martins Azih, around the Osisioma area of Aba, and claimed to have found them in possession of firearms, cartridges and knives.
They claimed to have handed over the suspects to certain Army personnel who intercepted them at a military checkpoint on the Umuahia-Aba Expressway while taking them to Umuahia the state capital.
The convicts had also claimed not knowing the identities of the said military personnel nor getting any note from them before handing over the suspects to them.
Meanwhile, the whereabouts of the suspects had remained unknown as the Nigerian Army had since denied any knowledge of the incident.
This prompted family members of the suspects to approach the court for justice.
Delivering judgment on the matter, Justice Ahuchaogu, said the convicts should be hanged for failing to prove beyond every reasonable doubt that they had handed the boys to men of the Nigerian Army and as such knew nothing about their disappearance.
Three kidnappers suspected to have attempted to kidnap the wife of a member of the Delta State House of Assembly have been killed by the police in a fierce gun duel.
According to the information on PUNCH Metro, it was gathered that the hoodlums had failed in an attempt to kidnap the woman on September 2, 2024, at the Okoloba Junction, Jakpa Road, Uvwie, where the suspected kidnappers killed two policemen and the driver, Mr. David Imela, during the incident.
However, the police spokesperson, Bright Edafe, confirmed this to the PUNCH Metro on Sunday in Asaba, the Delta State capital.
He said, “Following the failed attempted kidnap of the wife of one of the members of Delta State House of Assembly where the suspected kidnappers murdered two Mobile Policemen and the driver, the Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Abaniwonda, immediately ordered a water-tight deployment around Warri and its environs as well as narrowing the roads and blockage of all exit points.
“Police operatives of the Ebrumede Division led by the DPO CSP Iwok Ndifereke strategically deployed and created an artificial hold-up at the DSC Roundabout and sighted the vehicle as described with a matching registration number.
“On noticing the traffic and sighting the policemen, the hoodlums opened fire on the team which the team equally responded professionally owing to the busy nature of the area.”
He said the hoodlums immediately abandoned the vehicle shattered with bullets and escaped with bullet injuries while three AK-47 rifles and their operational vehicle with registration no. WWR-436-GZ were recovered.
According to Edafe, the CP who was not satisfied with their escape, directed that the DPO Ebrumede should go all out and ensure the suspects were arrested and brought to book.
“Armed with available information and exhibits found in the abandoned vehicle, on October 3, 2024, the DPO Ebrumede Division, CSP Iwok Ndifereke, led operatives to their hideout in Agbarho where the police engaged the suspects in a fierce gun duel.
“The policemen who prepared for the battle ahead overpowered the hoodlums, three of the suspects sustained serious gunshot injuries while others escaped and another AK-47 rifle was also recovered.
“The suspects were taken to the hospital where they were confirmed dead. A manhunt for the other fleeing members of the gang is ongoing,” he said.
Edafe said Olufemi also commended the bravery the DPO and his men displayed during the operation and urged other officers and men of the command to emulate them.
The Ogun State police command on Monday said that its Igbeba Division, Ijebu-Ode, arrested one Shedrack Olawale Olayemi, who had been on the police wanted list for armed robbery and alleged rape of some female students of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, in July.
The spokesperson for the state police command, SP Omolola Odutola, disclosed this in a statement sent to journalists on Monday.
Odutola said that Olayemi was picked up after an intelligence report revealed that the 33-year-old alleged armed robber and rapist was sighted at the university area, Ijagun, where he has been trying to conceal his identity.
The statement said, “The divisional police officer of Igbeba Division has arrested a wanted notorious suspect for armed robbery.
“Following a tip-off, that one Olayemi Olawale Shedrack, aged 33 was sighted in Ijagun, trying to conceal himself among other citizens, but his identity was immediately confirmed by intelligence, and the police were contacted. In swift action, he was apprehended.
“Olayemi Olawale Shedrack has been on the police search for armed robbery and rape. He was fingered as the prime suspect for an alleged crime of armed robbery and rape in which he participated actively on the 21st of July, 2024, where he and his cohort broke into a female Royal Villa accommodation area in Tai University of Education Ijagun, where he robbed harmless female students of their luxury educational devices, including laptops, iPhones, sports wristwatches and cash, and further had unlawful carnal knowledge of the innocent female student and has since fled.”
The police said that a preliminary investigation has commenced, and the suspect has been immediately taken to the Igbeba police station for interrogation and will soon be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for discreet investigation and prosecution.
The U.S. President appeared with Vice President Kamala Harris together at a White House event focused on “curbing gun violence.”
Joe Biden signed a new executive order that will restrict the use of certain gun technologies. Specifically, authorities will crack down on the threat of 3D printed weapons and “ghost guns”.
A task force is being set up to assess the risks of devices that remake semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic weapons.
Schools will also revise their approach to shooting clubs, according to the executive order. The feds will develop specific guidelines to ensure that “active shooter” lessons aren’t psychologically damaging to kids.
Biden said that if we want to reduce crime in the U.S., we have to talk about guns. Harris said she favors a complete ban on assault weapons, as well as implementing background checks for purchasers and passing strict safe storage laws.
