Crime
Abia Govt shut down hotel over death, disappearance of customers

Merry Home Hotels has been closed by authorities in Abia State following the inexplicable death and disappearance of several of its clientele.
While the body of an unidentified woman was retrieved from the facility, numerous more are said to have vanished with no information on their whereabouts.
The Commissioner of Information in Abia State, Dr Eze Chikamnayo, confirmed this to newsmen on Saturday in Umuahia, the state capital.
He said that the government’s intervention was necessitated by recurrent complaints of patrons dying or disappearing under suspicious circumstances on the premises of the hotel on the 7UP axis of Aba’s Ogbor Hill.
The most recent case, according to the commissioner, was the death of a woman who arrived with two young men and a baby in the afternoon of April 15, as evidenced by hotel CCTV footage.
He went on to say that the men left with the baby without the lady hours later, only for hotel management to break into the room at midnight and discover the lady dead and dismembered.
Chikamnayo claimed that the authorities have received reports of similar instances occurring within the hotel, particularly around the swimming pool.
He emphasized that no responsible government would stand by and watch criminal hotspots persist, and that the Okezie Ikpeazu-led administration would not enable such an atmosphere to flourish.
The police have arrested everyone suspected in the April 15 incident, according to the commissioner, and the hotel will remain closed in the meantime.
He claims that Abia is a no-go zone for ritualists and murderers, and that the government has zero tolerance for wrongdoing of any kind.
Chikamnayo warned that any hotel in the state that engages in such behavior would be shut down and the perpetrators brought to justice.
He also recommended parents to keep a close eye on their children’s movements in order to avoid falling prey to ritualists and other criminals.
The lady’s death was also confirmed by police in the state, who said they were working to apprehend and bring her killers to justice.
The body of the yet-to-be-identified lady has been deposited to a mortuary, according to Mr Geoffrey Ogbonna, the Police Public Relations Officer in Abia.
According to him, the matter is being handled by the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), and locals are encouraged to assist the authorities by providing helpful information about the occurrence.
Crime
Court remands 2 over alleged attempted murder

An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, on Wednesday, remanded two persons, Olaitan Fasasi and Kehinde Tobiloba in a correctional facility over alleged attempted murder.
Fasasi, 40, and Tobiloba, 26, whose addresses were not provided, are being charged with conspiracy, attempted murder and membership of a secret society.
The Magistrate, Mr L.A Owolabi, did not take the plea of the defendants for want of jurisdiction.
Owolabi directed the police to forward the case file to the Director of Public Prosecution for legal advice.
He thereafter adjourned the case until May 31 for mention.
The Prosecutor, Josephine Ikhayere, told the court that the defendants committed the offences at about 5.02p.m on Feb. 15, at Mushin, Lagos.
She said that Fasasi, Tobiloba and others now at large, attempted to commit murder by shooting at a resident, Alfred Ademola.
“They armed themselves with a locally made gun. They belong to Eiye Confraternity, a group proscribed by law,”, she said.
Ikhayere said that the offences contravened Sections 230(1) and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2012.
He said that the actions of the defendants also contravened Section 2(3)(a)(b)(c)(d) of the unlawful societies and Cultism Law of Lagos State Law.
Crime
Man jailed 3 months for stealing mobile phone

An Area Court in Jos, on Tuesday, sentenced one Jeptha John, to three months imprisonment for stealing a Redmi mobile phone valued at N165, 000.
The judge, Shawomi Bokkos, sentenced the John after he pleaded guilty to the offence.
The judge, however, gave the convict an option to pay N20, 000 fine and N50, 000 restitution to the complainant.
Bokkos said that if the convict defaulted in paying the restitution, three months should be added to his sentence to make it six months imprisonment.
Earlier, the police prosecutor, Insp Monday Dabit, told the court that the case was reported at the B Division Police Station, Jos, on Dec. 1, 2024, by Ms Nerat Danjuma.
He said that the complainant alleged that the defendant trespassed into her house and stole her mobile phone valued at N165, 000.
The prosecutor further told the court that the offence contravened the Plateau State Penal Code, Law of Northern Nigeria.
Crime
Army apprehends 15 over suspected oil theft in Niger Delta

Troops of the Nigerian army have apprehended no fewer than 15 persons over suspected oil theft and illegal oil bunkering activities in the Niger Delta.
Lt.-Col. Danjuma Danjuma, the Spokesman, Nigerian Army, 6 Division, Port Harcourt, said in a statement on Monday that the operations were carried out in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers recently.
Danjuma said that the army apprehended 15 persons, dismantled 32 artisanal refineries and seized 14 boats during operations.
He further said that during the operations, conducted between Jan. 6 and 12, the troops confiscated no fewer than 60,000 litres of various petroleum products
The spokesman said that the operations were part of a broader collaborative effort with other security agencies to combat oil theft in the Niger Delta region.
Danjuma said that the raid commenced in Bille, Degema Local Government Area, and Rivers, where soldiers dismantled seven illegal refining sites, confiscated 20,000 litres of crude oil, and destroyed two boats.
“We also deactivated ten illegal refineries, several crude oil cooking pots, and receivers, and recovered about 19,000 litres of stolen petroleum products along the Imo River.
“In Odagwa, Etche, our troops intercepted three boats carrying about 12,000 litres of stolen crude oil and arrested three suspects in the process.
“Similar operations were carried out in Abiama, Asa, Obuzor, Okoloma, Ozaa, Ukwa, and Oyigbo” he added.
He stated that the soldiers advanced to Nkisa in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers, where they confiscated 1,600 litres of crude oil and 1,200 litres adulterated diesel.
Danjuma said that along Ndoni Road, the troops intercepted a Toyota van transporting an estimated 1,200 litres of stolen condensate.
The spokesman said that in Buguma, Asari-Toru, Rivers, the troops dismantled two illegal refineries, seized 1,500 litres of stolen crude oil, and apprehended five suspects.
“In Baberegbene, Southern Ijaw, Bayelsa, our soldiers dismantled an illegal artisanal refinery and intercepted a wooden boat carrying no fewer than 1,500 litres of stolen
“Similarly, an illegal refining site containing an unquantified quantity of stolen petroleum products was deactivated in Emago-Kugbo and Oluasiri communities in Nembe, Bayelsa.
“The operations continued in Akwa Ibom and Delta, where troops maintained a strong presence and effectively denied economic saboteurs the liberty to operate,” he said.
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