Crime
Bizarre: Gunmen Overwhelm Army Patrol Van, Slaughter Soldier, Hijack Cash
It was a strange turn of events in Benin City, Edo State as the hunter became the hunted, when gunmen, perceived to be dare-devil-robbers overwhelmed an army patrol van, slaughtering one of three soldiers therein, and made a way with a loaded sack (Ghana-Most-Go bag) probably loaded with cash.
Eyewitness accounts have it that the bizarre incident played out on Wednesday at about 2.10pm, around the traffic lights along Akpakpava Road by First Junction.
It added that the patrol team might have been headed towards the Ikpoba-hill axis of the Benin metropolis.
It was gathered that the hoodlums drove an unmarked ash-colour Toyota Camry car against the traffic (one way) towards the army vehicle, while two of the four occupants swiftly jumped out the vehicle and opened fire on the unsuspecting soldiers.
In panic, the three soldiers scampered to safety in different directions, abandoning the patrol van and the cash-laden Ghana-must-go bag.
Awestruck members of the public were mouths agape, when the gangsters grabbed the cash-laden bag from the army patrol van and jumped into their own Toyota Camry and sped off, eyewitnesses added.
Eyewitnesses described it as the first of its kind in recent years in Benin City, maintaining that it sent shudders down the spines of residents and business owners around the Dawson the metropolis.
The ugly incident led to businesses closing shops in fear, and when media men visited to ascertain the veracity of the story, the blood of the victim was visible on a walkway in front of a petrol station.
Some hawkers who witnessed and narrated the ugly attack said many people around them would have died if the soldiers had had the opportunity to respond to the gunfire of their attackers.
One of the shop owners at that junction, lamented, “One of the three soldiers fell down there while running away; he tried to get up, but he couldn’t; he was just bleeding. Later, his two other colleagues came out to meet him, but they were helpless.
“Imagine a popular and busy Junction like this; the government cannot install security cameras to record whatever is going on here; it’s unfortunate.”
Police Public Relations Officer, Edo State Police Command, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, has confirmed the incident.
According to him, a soldier was killed when hoodlums attacked a military patrol vehicle at the first Junction, Akpakpava Road, Benin City, some minutes past 2 p.m. today.
SP Nwabuzor said, the “Edo State Police Command can confirm that a military personnel was killed today (Wednesday) in Benin City.
“A good Nigerian reported the incident at the police station covering that neighbourhood.
“The hoodlums carted away a Ghana-Must-Go bag believed to have been loaded with cash kept inside the army van.
“Since they were in their patrol vehicle, they should be armed. The assailants acted on the information. The investigation will unravel all that”.
Former Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, along with his daughter and two others, have been slated for arraignment today (thursday) by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
They face charges related to an alleged N2.7 billion fraud linked to the failed Nigerian Air project.
The proceedings are set to unfold before Justice Sylvanus Oriji at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja.
The charges, based on court documents, accuse Sirika of granting undue advantage to certain entities in Abuja between April 2022 and March 2023.
The anti-graft agency has accused Sirika of misusing his authority by awarding a N1.3 billion consultancy contract for the Nigerian Air Start-up to Tianero Nigeria Limited.
This alleged action is said to contravene Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.
In a separate charge, the EFCC alleges that on or around August 18, 2022, in Abuja, Sirika utilized on or about August 18, 2022 ia, Sirika “did use your position to confer unfair advantage upon Al Buraq Global Investment Limited, whose alter ego, Fatima Hadi Sirika and Jalal Sule Hamma are your daughter and son-in-law respectively, by using your position to influence the award to them, the contract for the Apron Extension at Katsina Airport for the sum of N1.498,300,750.00.”
The anti-graft agency asserted that Sirika’s actions amounted to a violation of Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, rendering him liable to punishment under the same section.
In count three, the EFCC accused Sirika of criminal breach of trust “while serving as the Minister of Aviation and in his capacity as a public officer” on or around August 18, 2022, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of the court.
In late April, the former aviation minister was taken into custody by the anti-graft agency and interrogated for several days.
Zamfara State is in the grip of fear and mourning following a series of vicious attacks by bandits, resulting in the deaths of eight individuals and the abduction of a branch manager of Taj Bank in Mandir Laura.
In a daring raid, approximately fifteen armed bandits stormed the manager’s residence in Rijiyar Gabas, seizing him and vanishing into the night.
Meanwhile, Faru Town in Maradun local government area witnessed a bloodbath as bandits struck, leaving eight residents dead.
Eyewitnesses recount the terror as the attackers besieged the town, instilling fear and chaos before retreating with captives into the surrounding forests.
The incidents have prompted widespread outrage and renewed calls for urgent action to stem the tide of violence plaguing Zamfara State.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reached an out-of-court settlement with renowned barman, Pascal Okechukwu, famously known as Cubana Chief Priest, regarding charges of naira abuse.
This development surfaced during the latest court proceedings presided over by Justice Kehinde Ogundare.
Cubana Chief Priest has been facing a three-count-charge related to the misuse of the national currency at a social gathering, a violation of the Central Bank Act of 2007.
Details later.. . ..
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