Crime
28 Years Old Man Arrested For Hate Speech Against Igbo
The Osun State Police Command has taken into custody Kehinde Adekusibe, a 28-year-old individual who used his Twitter page to incite hate against the Igbo ethnic group.
Muyiwa Adejobi, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), confirmed the arrest on Friday morning.
The arrest of Adekusibe, who was located in Ilesa, Osun State, comes as a result of his violation of the social media policy regarding hate speech.
Adekusibe had tweeted “Let’s kill all the Igbos. Let’s flush them out of Yoruba lands. I hate these people with passion. They are violent people. They are the worst. They hate us. Let’s hate them without holding back.”
The police emphasized that this tweet violated the social media policy on hate speech, and it was published on the suspect’s Twitter handle on May 18.
Upon receiving information about the offensive tweet, the police promptly deployed detectives from the Cyber Crime Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State.
Their diligent efforts resulted in the arrest of the suspect at Ilesa, where he had sought refuge and concealed himself.
The police said “The suspect has confessed to the crime, and he will be charged to court after completion of the investigation,”
Mr Adejobi, a chief superintendent of police, wrote “Thanks to Osun State Police Command for its painstaking efforts on this singular case. Kudos. Ire o.”
During the 2023 general elections, tensions escalated between Yoruba and Igbo communities in several South-western states, notably Lagos.
The clashes between these two ethnic groups stemmed from the perceived backing of the Igbo population for Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), over his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Bola Tinubu, who is currently serving as Nigeria’s president.
While Mr Obi, the LP candidate, hails from Anambra State, an Igbo-speaking part of the South-east, Mr Tinubu is of Yoruba extraction.
Some thugs attacked some Igbos in Lagos, which has a predominantly Yoruba population and destroyed their properties for allegedly voting for Mr Obi during the election.
Despite Mr. Obi not emerging as the winner of the presidential election, he was declared the victor in Lagos State, where Mr. Tinubu, the former APC candidate, had previously served as governor from 1999 to 2007.
Following the election, Mr. Obi, along with others, lodged a petition with the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja, challenging Mr. Tinubu’s victory.
As Mr. Tinubu’s inauguration as president drew nearer in May, speculations arose concerning unnamed political elites allegedly plotting to impede the inauguration and establish an “interim government” once then-President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure ended on May 29.
Those behind the alleged scheme purportedly argued that Mr. Tinubu should not be sworn in as president until the court case challenging his election victory was resolved.
These speculations exacerbated the tensions between the Igbo and Yoruba communities, with accusations levied against certain Igbo individuals who were believed to have supported Mr. Obi’s unsuccessful presidential bid and were supposedly involved in the plot.
Justices Kayanson Samuel Lawanson, Hammed Isha, Benjamin Manji Lawal and Mohammed Ibrahim Tola of the Adamawa State High Court, Adamawa State have convicted and sentenced twelve internet fraudsters to various jail terms.
The convicts include, Oladele Pius, Emmanuel Bulus, Elijah Elisha, Alamin Mohammed Bappa, Jamilu Usman and Enoch Solomon.
The rest are Emmanuel Anthony, Enebeli Samuel Israel, Dimas Hyellabulatin, Emmanuel Dike , Joshua Umoru and Dan Eden Sunday.
They were separately arraigned between November 6 and 7, 2024 on a one count charge of cheating and impersonation by the Gombe Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
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The charge against Alamin Muhammad Bappa reads: “Alamin Muhammad Bappa sometimes in September, 2024 at Sangere area of Modibo Yola, Adamawa State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud one Amity Shane and other unsuspecting foreign nationals, created some fake Gmail’ and Facebook accounts using the name Jacob sermon to pose as a cybersecurity professional that helps people to recover their compromised or blocked Facebook accounts for a service fee of $20 each and thereby committed an offense of cheating by impersonation contrary to Section 314 of Penal Code Law of Adamawa State, 2018 and punishable under Section 315 of the same law”.
The charge against Oladele Pius reads: “ that you Oladele Pius sometimes in September, 2024 in Yola, Adamawa State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, being a student of Modibo Adamawa University of Technology Yola, with intent to defraud, did cheat by Impersonation, Having created and operating one Mr. Legit Hassan Abbadin a foreign national with Whatsapp account No. +1 (842) 921332016, through your Your iphone 11 Model No. MWNC2CH/A for ” a virtual funds transactions” with a motive of gaining a financial advantage from other unsuspecting internet users and thereby committed an offense of cheating by impersonation contrary to Section 314 of Penal Code Law of Adamawa State, 2018 and punishable under Section 315 of the same law.
Upon arraignment, the defendants pleaded guilty to their respective charges, prompting prosecution counsel Saad .H Sa’ad and M.D Aliyu to pray the court to convict and sentence the defendants accordingly; however, counsels to the defendants pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy.
Justice Lawanson thereafter convicted and sentenced Bulus , Elisha, Usman and Israel to ten years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) each. However, Hyellabulati bagged five years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000.
Justice Tola convicted and sentenced Dike, Umoru, Sunday and Pius to five years imprisonment with an option of fine of N2,000,000 (Two Million Naira) each.
Justice Lawal convicted and sentenced Bappa and Solomon to five years imprisonment or a fine of N200,000 each.
Justice Isha convicted and sentenced Anthony to ten years imprisonment or a fine of N300,000.00 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira).
The Judges ruled that the mobile phones recovered during investigation be forfeited to the Federal Government of Nigeria .
In addition, Justice Lawal ordered that the sum of $20 recovered during investigation from Bappa and being proceeds of crime, be returned to the victim.
The convicts were arrested on September 24, 2024 around Modibo Adamawa University of Technology area of Yola, Adamawa State by operatives of the Commission following actionable intelligence linking them with cybercrimes activities. They were charged to court and convicted.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced the arrest of a businessman caught attempting to traffic a significant quantity of cocaine.
The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, revealed the arrest on Sunday through his official X account.
According to Babafemi, the suspect had ingested the drugs in a bid to evade detection but was apprehended and forced to excrete the contraband while in custody.
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Sharing a video of the seized drugs, Babafemi issued a stern warning to drug traffickers, especially during the upcoming holiday season.
He wrote, “Detty December: Before you swallow those drugs, please remember that the new @ndlea_nigeria has the capacity and capability to catch you.
“The businessman who excreted this amount of cocaine will not only spend Christmas behind bars but also risks a life sentence at the end of his trial. Beware!”
The agency has ramped up its operations to combat drug trafficking as the year-end festivities approach, a period known for increased criminal activity.
Officials warned that traffickers face severe consequences, including life imprisonment if convicted.
The NDLEA urged Nigerians to avoid involvement in illicit drug activities, emphasizing its readiness to ensure a drug-free festive season.
On Friday, a violent incident erupted in Onitsha, Anambra State, when an irate mob set two revenue touts ablaze after they were allegedly responsible for causing the death of an innocent bystander.
The incident took place along Old Market Road, near Venn Road by Egerton, when a tipper driver, who was reportedly being chased by the revenue agents, lost control of his vehicle.
As the touts grabbed the steering wheel, the driver veered off the road, running over and killing a pedestrian instantly.
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A disturbing video of the event, circulating on social media, shows the mob attacking the two revenue agents with various objects before setting them on fire.
Four other touts managed to escape the scene unscathed.
A witness to the chaos, who recorded the incident, described what transpired: “There was chaos in Onitsha this morning as angry mob set ablaze two revenue touts, while four others were lucky to escape.
“The touts were chasing the driver over a fee, and in the process, the tipper lost control, killing a pedestrian.”
Local residents and traders expressed outrage over the incident, blaming the revenue collectors for the tragedy.
One trader said, “Onitsha was hot this morning at Egerton by Old Market Road. The revenue men were dragging the steering with a tipper driver because he refused to give them a bribe.
“In the process, the vehicle ran over an innocent man, and seeing the result of their actions, they tried to flee. But the angry people chased and caught two of them.”
The victim, who was struck and killed by the vehicle, has yet to be officially identified, but reports indicate that he was a well-known figure in the community.
The tragic event has reignited long-standing frustrations with the activities of revenue collectors in the state, with many calling for immediate reforms.
One local resident lamented, “These revenue touts have killed more people than non-state actors in the last two years.”
In response to the incident, Anambra State Police Command spokesman, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the situation and assured that authorities were working swiftly to restore order.
“We are already working with the relevant authorities to ascertain what happened and find an amicable solution to prevent such occurrences in the future,” Ikenga stated.
The police investigation into the incident is ongoing, as officials seek to determine the full details surrounding the fatal accident and the mob violence that followed.
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