Metro 11
NEW TELEGRAPH WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2014
Nine held in Rivers for cultism
P
olice in Rivers State have arrested nine people suspected to be members of rival cult groups. The suspects, according to the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Ahmad Kidaya Muhammad, were arrested on Monday following two separate distress calls. Muhammad said a distress call about 2pm indicated planned battle of supremacy between De-Well and Degbam cult groups at Okwuzi community in Onelga. He said: “The clash was averted by the swift action of the police where seven suspects were arrested. They are Chinazo Amaechi, Nna Chisom, Solomon Ossai, Regimus Igwelatu, Monday Jackson, Chinonso Fordima and Tony Amanya while others fled.” The PPRO said items
recovered from the suspects included one pump action gun, four live cartridges, one double barrelled gun, Honda ‘jeep’ with registration number Imo WER 685 FX, Toyota Camry car with registration number Rivers BER 407 AP, two laptop computers and assorted charms. He added: “The suspects on interrogation confessed to belonging to either of the groups.” According to him, about 1:30pm the same day, the police received information that some suspected cult members were sighted with arms around back gate of Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt (RSUST) initiating new members. Muhammad said a team of policemen stormed the area and arrested Joel Ozekume, a final year student of RSUST and Princewill
Chieftaincy tussle claims 10 in Adamawa Ibrahim Abdul Yola
A
The suspected cult members
Brown, a graduate of Cross River State University while others escaped. According to him, one Beretta pistol and three rounds of .9mm ammunition were recovered from them. The PPRO warned
criminals to denounce crime or be ready to face the full wrath of the police. Muhammad also assured the people of the readiness of the police to respond to distress calls within shortest
possible time. He added: “Members of the public are urged to be security conscious and report any character or move capable of undermining the existing public peace and security.”
t least 10 people were feared killed over chieftaincy tussle in Kwah community of Adamawa State, while many villagers have fled to neighbouring communities in Taraba and Gombe states. Several houses belonging to the Dwenti clan were torched. Yesterday military personnel were heading towards the community. Some villagers said that violence first broke out after the son of Tamuna Nickson, the yet-to-be installed chief appointed by the Hamma Bachama, HRH Honest Stephen Irmiya, was accosted by a youth from the rival ruling clan which had gone to court to challenge the alleged unlawful deposition of the traditional ruler of the community, Hama Zakka Mah.
Police quarters may Ugandan child’s abuse draws global condemnation collapse soon, says Fashola Muritala Ayinla
Kamanzi (left), his wife and Arnella during a visit to the Ugandan IG
Abiodun Bello
T
he alleged abuse of a toddler in Uganda has continued to generate global opprobrium. A video showing a 22-year-old maid, Jolly Tumuhirwe, physically abusing the 18-monthold girl, Arnella Kamanzi, according to BBC Trending, has been watched more than 21 million times in just four days on Facebook. The footage, taken from a camera hidden in the corner of the living room, shows Tumuhirwe hitting Arnella when she resists feeding and then throwing her on the floor after the baby throws up. It also shows the maid beating the baby with a torch and stomping on her spine. The child’s father,
PHOTO: Facebook
Eric Kamanzi, told BBC Trending that he installed the camera after he noticed bruises on his daughter and that she was limping. After capturing the violence on film, the police say he reported the incident to the police on November 13. It was initially rumoured that the baby had died but Kamanzi said his daughter was alive and doing well. The baby was also pictured playing on her mother’s laps when the parents visited the Uganda Inspector of Police. Tumuhirwe was charged with torture at the Nakawa Magistrates’ Court but police later amended the charge to attempted murder. The maid was remanded at the Luzira Prison. She is expected
back in the same court on December 8, on amended charge of attempted murder. The clip has generated heated debate on parenting, hiring of nannies, etc from Uganda to Nigeria, United States, United Kingdom and Europe. Some Nigerians also condemned the act on Facebook. “If you keep house helps, please monitor them closely, and never leave them alone with kids who can’t talk. There’s far too much wickedness in the world today than it was when we were raised. May God help us,” says John Awe. “Hope she doesn’t develop any internal complications as time goes on. I hope the parents would take her for medical check-ups periodically. She is God’s child, mark my word,” writes Ade Somefun. “You can see that the baby is happy and feels safe where she belongs - in the arms of her mum and under the loving care of her parents. Moral? You can never achieve anything better than proper care of your child!” says Bisi Abidoye. “Thanks to God, I am happy she survived the ordeal!” writes Bisi Fadoju.
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overnor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State yesterday raised the alarm over a possible imminent collapse of a police quarters in Surulere area of the metropolis. Fashola, who said urgent action must be taken to avert loss of lives of the residents in the quarters, said he had drawn Federal Government’s attention to the deplorable state of the quarters. The governor urged the Federal Government to immediately renovate the defective structures. Speaking shortly before handing over the newly rehabilitated Area ‘C’ Command building set ablaze by angry soldiers about eight years ago, Fashola bemoaned
neglect of the police barracks and equipment by the Federal Government. The governor said the nation was yet to move a step further from where the colonial masters left the state over 50 years ago. He said: “Just close to this, are the quarters of the police officers and some of them are in state of structural dysfunction. I have written to bring the attention of the Federal Government to the state of these dysfunction quarters. I hope that someone will rise to discharge these responsibilities so that those buildings will not collapse.” To avert recurrence of tragedy which occurred at the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), on September 12, Fashola
The rebuilt Area ‘C’ Police Command. INSET: Fashola (right) cutting the ribbon to inaugurate the building
said there was need to evacuate occupants of the buildings to enable experts carry out structural integrity test on them with a view to ascertaining the strength of the buildings. He added: “We need to have the occupants of the buildings evacuated. Their structural integrity is no longer reliable and I hope that someone will act so that we do not lose lives. “And that is the responsibility that I expect the central government to take on and come and complement what the state had done with the old Area C command. This they could do by building the quarters for the officials so that they can live in better quarters.”