Crime
Anxiety as Mercy Aigbe’s sister burns down mother’s house, accuses her of witchcraft
By Funmilayo Olusanya
Mercy Aigbe’s older sister, Dr. Patience, has taken drastic measures to vent her resentment toward her mother by setting her home on fire.
Dr. Patience’s accusation that their mother is a witch and her use of her witchcraft activity against her in favor of her other well-liked daughter, Mercy, is the source of their argument.
She further claimed that the elderly woman refused to assist her in repaying a N800,000 loan that she had taken out and had to repay.
Read also>>>World Teachers Day: Teni gifts school teacher brand new car
The house on Adebayo Mokuolu Street, across from Anthony Village Recreation Center in Lagos, is said to have been set on fire by Dr. Pat. Nothing could be saved, and the house was completely destroyed.
People in the neighborhood claim that the house belonged to their mother’s deceased spouse, for whom the elderly woman had only one son.
She was residing in the mini-duplicate that his father had given to her son, who happened to be Dr. Pat’s half-brother.
The structure is separate from the main structure, which is in front and has additional apartments.
Fortunately, the fire did not spread to the other apartments that belonged to the deceased man’s other children from his previous marriage.
Dr. Pat reported herself to the police after destroying the structure.
Their mother was reportedly with Mercy when she started burning the house; Mercy subsequently arrived at the residence with her in a black SUV to assess the damage done to the house.
Before setting the house ablaze, Dr Pat was heard shouting that she is the one that will kill their mother, confirming people’s suspicion that she had planned to burn the old woman in the house if she was in the house that morning.
Those in the area said she had been manifesting mental instability for a while, insisting that her mother is the one deterring her progress.
The children of the late man, to whom the old woman was married, are now worried that Dr Pat might come back to do worse to their father’s property if they don’t take any action against her quickly.
As things stand, Mercy’s mother doesn’t have a house to go back to, as the house is totally destroyed.
Earlier on Friday, 30th September, residents had woken up to the noise and screams of Dr Pat, who went on a rampage, destroying her mum’s car.
Her mother, who suffers from arthritis, stayed inside while her enraged daughter tore up her car while cursing at her mother.
Later, after her daughter had departed, the elder woman emerged to inspect the harm done to her car’s windshield, wipers, and front and rear lights.
Many others watched in disbelief as the visibly enraged woman wrecked the car while berating her mother and yelling “destiny stealer” at her.
This may help to explain why she wasn’t home when Dr. Pat arrived and started the fire, as she had turned the house over to Mercy’s because she thought her life was in danger.
Those in the know claimed that Mercy and Dr. Pat are actually half-sisters who have separate fathers but the same mother.
The quest for peace in the southeast of Nigeria has seen troops of the Joint Task Force South-East, “Operation UDO KA,” take out 13 armed members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and arrest three kidnappers.
The task force Spokesman, Lt. Col. Jonah Unuakhalu, revealed this in a statement in Enugu, on Monday.
According to him, the feat was in furtherance of the troops’ clearance operations to make the southeast safe and peaceful throughout the festive season.
ALSO READ: States Tighten Measures To Prevent Stampedes At Events
Lt. Col. Unuakhalu said that the Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Hassan Dada, had called on all well-meaning citizens to continue to support the joint task force.
He opined that citizens of the southeast can do this by providing timely, reliable, and credible information.
In his words, “Remember, security is everybody’s business. It is not in the hands of security agencies alone.
“When you see something, say something by calling the JTF Operation UDO KA’s toll-free line -193 and press Option 2 — to speak directly to Headquarters Operation UDO KA.”
Offering more details, Lt. Col. Unuakhalu said that troops of Sector 1 of the task force on December 21, conducted an ambush operation along Amouka-Umouka Road in 9th Mile, Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, to deny kidnappers freedom of action.
In the course of the operation, he asserted, troops came into contact with the kidnappers, and in a firefight ensued, and the troops neutralised one while others escaped with gunshot wounds.
“Items recovered at the scene were: one AK-47 rifle, two magazines, and 17 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition; two cell phones; one power bank; three ATM cards; one wristwatch; a bunch of keys; and the sum of N8,900,” he said.
He added that on December 16, troops of Sector 5 conducted a clearance operation within Mbosi and Isseke general areas in the Ihiala Local Government Area of Anambra, where three IPOB members were neutralised.
“Items recovered included: one AK-47 rifle, two loaded AK-47 magazines, and three Dane guns, while a house belonging to one of the irredentist commanders and a shrine used for their fortification were destroyed.
“The gallant troops had earlier recovered five water gel Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and two batteries used for detonating the IEDs while on routine patrol along roads within Ihiala-Orlu, Lilu, Agba Lilu, and Orsumoghu general areas in Anambra State,” he added.
In a related development, he explained that on December 14, troops acting on credible and reliable information from members of the public arrested three suspected kidnappers at Itungwa in the Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia.
He said that on receiving the information about the movement of the suspected kidnappers, troops quickly mounted a snap checkpoint to apprehend the suspects.
“The suspects operating in a stolen tricycle on sighting the troops attempted to make a U-turn but were apprehended.
“Items recovered included: one AK-47 rifle, one G3 rifle, one locally-made single-barrel pistol, 10 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, 34 rounds of 5.5mm ammunition, two AK-47 rifle magazines, two G3 rifle magazines, and one live cartridge.
“Other items recovered were: one mobile phone, the sum of N6,600, and two Knapsack bags used for concealing the weapons,” he said.
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has urged the public to disregard the Amnesty International’s (AI) report on the #EndBadGovernance protests, which it described as false, misleading and calculated to tarnish its image.
The NPF has demanded an apology from the AI for its report dated November 28, 2024.
Biztellers reports that in the report, the AI accused the NPF of extrajudicial killings during the #EndBadGovernance protests, and that at least 24 lives were lost in six northern states.
The report, now being refuted by the NPF was titled “Bloody August: Nigeria Government’s Violent Crackdown on #EndBadGovernance Protests”.
ALSO READ: NCDMB Rewards Winners Of 2024 Edition National Undergraduate Essay Competition
The NPF maintained that its findings were at variance with the AI’s allegations.
The NPF’s position was made public on Sunday by its Spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi during a media briefing in Abuja.
Adejobi asserted that a special investigative panel had been constituted to verify the claims.
He highlighted that the Police’s panel, in collaboration with commissioners of police from the affected states, conducted extensive investigations and compiled a comprehensive report which pointed out inaccuracies in the AI’s allegations.
In his words, “Amnesty International is advised to reflect on its frequent false reporting on Nigeria’s law enforcement activities and ensure its reports are accurate and contain a true and fair representation of events affecting national security and public safety.
“Accurate reporting of facts is essential to the integrity of any international organisation, and Amnesty International should not be an exception.”
Adejobi added that the Police would write to demand a retraction of the report as well as a public apology for the alleged inaccuracies.
“The Nigeria Police Force will, in due course, write to Amnesty International to demand the retraction of this report from the public domain along with a public apology. The Nigeria Police Force remains resolute in protecting the rights of all citizens while ensuring the security and stability of the nation.
“We, therefore, urge the public to be wary of sensational reports designed to incite mistrust and weaken confidence in law enforcement institutions,” Adejobi said.
On the Police’s findings in Borno, Adejobi maintained that the Police didn’t use grenades as claimed by the organisation.
He said, “In Borno State, it was established that the protesters were violent, engaging in widespread looting, pillaging, and wanton destruction of public and private property.
“For example, the Skill Acquisition Centre of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees was looted and vandalised.
“The warehouse of the World Food Programme, located on Baga/Maimalari Barracks Road, Maiduguri, was also looted, with several items belonging to the international organisation destroyed and stolen by some of the protesters.
“Therefore, the claims by Amnesty International that the police threw a hand grenade from a convoy of vehicles into a filling station killing three persons is a blatant falsehood and leaves right-thinking members of society dismayed at this reported falsehood by an international agency that ought to act in accordance with international norms and standards of fair and honest reporting of human rights violations in the country.”
On Niger State, Adejobi said the claim that three individuals were shot dead in Suleja was debunked in the police findings.
Adejobi said the alleged killing of a 21-year-old in Katsina was also found to be unsubstantiated, adding that local sources confirmed that no such incident occurred.
In the same vein, on Kaduna State, Adejobi asserted that contrary to the AI’s report, no protests occurred in Kaduna on October 1, 2024, and no police killings were recorded.
He said instead, an incident involving the Nigerian Army (NA) was identified and openly investigated.
According to Adejobi, the AI reported the deaths of two women and a man during protests in Jigawa, but the Police’s investigations revealed no such killings, and evidence suggested that the lone fatality was caused by protester violence, not Police action.
On Kano State, Adejobi said the report alleged 12 deaths in Kano due to police actions, stating that investigations indicated that these deaths resulted from violent confrontations involving looters and criminals, not the Police’s activity.
Authorities in Mexico arrested a 31-year-old man on Sunday after he attempted to redirect a domestic flight to the United States, forcing an emergency landing in Guadalajara.
The Volaris Airbus A320 had departed from León, Guanajuato, at 7:17 a.m. local time and was bound for Tijuana.
However, about 45 minutes into the journey, the flight was diverted after the man tried to gain access to the cockpit.
READ MORE: How Celebrities Dazzled At ‘Everybody Loves Jenifa’ Premiere
According to the Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection, the man “assaulted a flight attendant and attempted to enter the cockpit to divert the flight to the United States.”
The crew, who managed to subdue the suspect, issued an alert to make an emergency landing at Guadalajara International Airport.
The man, reportedly traveling with family, was taken into custody upon landing.
In a statement, Volaris said the suspect claimed to have been acting under duress.
“The aggressor told them a close relative had been kidnapped and, upon taking off from León, was threatened to be killed if he went to Tijuana,” the airline said.
Authorities have not disclosed how many passengers were on board.
The flight resumed its journey to Tijuana after the incident, arriving without further complications.
Christmas: Shettima Assures Of FG’s Commitment To Citizens’ Welfare
Obi’s Inspiring Christmas Message Of Hope For Women’s Football
Yuletide: Adeleke Rejoices With Christians
Archbishop Martins Champions Clamour For Better Life For Nigerians
Tinubu Sends Hearty Christmas Greetings To Christians Worldwide
Olamide, Tiwa Savage, Phyno, Others Dazzle Fans At Flytime Music Festival 2024
OSSG Raises Alarm Over Murder Plot By APC Chieftain
NCC, SMEDAN, NAICOM, SEC, Others Set for SUPERNEWS SMEs Conf June 13
Sahara’s Tonye Cole resigns from GPHCDA
Niger Delta Avengers: President Buhari Reads riot Act …considers the carrot and stick option
Oando opens ultra-modern petrol station in Lagos
