REAR ADMIRAL IKOLI WAS ASSASSINATED BY AN INSIDER~~IJAW GROUP

The Fleet Commander, Western Naval Command, Apapa, Rear Admiral Teikumo Daniel Ikoli was found shot to death in his apartment at Tamandu Barracks, leading to shock and confusion, a group, the Ijaw Peoples Development Initiative, IPDI,  said that the deceased was assassinated by an insider.

The group, led by its national president, Mr Austin Ozobo, in a press release, urged the presidency, police and Department of State Security (DSS), to ensure a thorough investigation of the incident and solve the puzzle.

The death of Ikoli has been described as mysterious. While some people in the area said he was assassinated, others insisted that he commit suicide. The Admiral was found with a pistol lying on top of his chest. He was alleged to have been shot inside the mouth.

Another naval officer, who worked with him said: “His wife is in Abuja and his children school abroad. His orderly and Naval Assistant (NA) usually leave after dropping him. The bullet hit him on the chest. Three bullets were seen in his room. No one can really tell what happened but the position he was seen suggests he might have been scared of something or someone.”
Lieutenant Commander Chinwe Umar, described the matter as domestic accident, stressing that police had been invited and investigation was ongoing.
It was further heard that Ikoli was appointed into the presidential committee on the probe of arms deal.

According to Ozobo, Ikoli, as Ijaw man, was assassinated. He said: “ Ikoli was assassinated by enemies of Ijaw nation, who did all their best to stop him from rising to the rank of Chief of Naval Staff. We strongly debunk the unfounded media report which claimed that he shot himself in his bedroom. Ikoli did not shoot himself. He was grudgingly assassinated by an insider. It’s our candid demand that Federal Government of Nigeria through the office of Chief of Naval and Defence Staff should thoroughly investigate the circumstances leading to the death of Rear Admiral Ikoli.”

The group further stated: "It’s not possible that he shot himself ; as a highly- placed officer, he didn’t  carry gun, except his orderly.  He was suspected to have been murdered by perceived enemies who have envisaged that he may likely take over from the current serving naval chief by May or end of June, 2017. It’s a well-planned underground conspiracy. How could he have shot himself three times as accounted by reporters, who got to the scene of the incident?

"This is another attempt to eliminate senior Ijaw serving military chiefs. This is the same conspiracy that led to the death of former National Security Adviser, NSA, late General Owoye Azazi, who hailed from Bayelsa State and now, it’s the turn of Rear Admiral Ikoli.”

The Lagos State Police Command, yesterday, assured Nigerians and naval personnel that it would do everything within its power to unravel the puzzles of Ikoli’s death.
According to the police, it would carry out a forensic analysis of the recovered pistol and bullets found in the apartment.

A police source said that forensic analysis would be done on pistol and bullets. The source said that the police needed to make sure that the bullets were from the pistol.
“The man who found the Admiral and raised the alarm had been invited and quizzed,” said the police source.

DRIVER STEALS 600BAGS OF FLOUR ON THE DAY HE WAS EMPLOYED !

A truck driver, Garuba Lawal, 36, has been arrested for stealing 600 bags of flour on the day he was recruited by a haulage firm.

According to him, he was baited with N2million and compelled to swallow a cowrie in order to carry out the job.  He identified one of those that recruited him to steal as Ismaila.

The suspect was arrested along with Jimoh Adeleye, Wasiu Azeez and Adeniran Jacob.
Lawal said: “Ismaila came to me just as I was about to drive out of the loading bay. He asked me how much I have made since I’ve been driving. I told that I just joined the haulage company. He asked me, if you see N2 million, what would you do with it? I said I would quit truck driving. He told me that he would introduce me to a deal.”

Lawal continued: “While Ismaila’s two other colleagues were waiting in the Toyota Corrolla, Ismaila took me to a corner and brought out a cowrie. He told me that I would have to swallow the cowrie as a sign of bond between us. He said that if we divulged the secret between us, we would die instantly. I took the cowrie and swallowed it. Immediately I did that, I observed that whatever instruction he gave me, I obeyed it without a second thought.”

Operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Ikeja, Lagos State Police Command, arrested Lawal, not only for conniving with three others to steal 600 bags of flour from his company, but also for cannibalising the company’s truck for sale.

Police said that Lawal, after moving the bags of flour, gave them to a buyer. He took the truck to Ilorin, Kwara State, where it was dismembered and sold in pieces.
Lawal, who was recruited by the company the same day to move the 600 bags of flour to a bakery in Ibadan, Oyo State, was baited with N2 million by his accomplices to do their bidding, diverted the 600 bags of flour to Sagamu instead of its scheduled destination.

He said: “We entered Sagamu. It was very early in the morning and I couldn’t identify anywhere. All along, they acted as escort for the truck to Sagamu. One of them was in the truck with me because the motor boy didn’t follow us. We put a new truck head, and they gave me N50, 000. We agreed that I should drive the truck head to Kwara State in company of two other members of the team to sell it off. We got to Ilorin around 7:15 a.m. on Monday. I took the two guys to where I live with my wife. They promised to return with my share of N2 million as soon as bank opens. They collected N15, 000 for hotel accommodation from the N50, 000:00 they gave me.
“When I didn’t see them that day and the following day, I agreed with a buyer to knock down the truck into pieces for N450, 000.  It was after we dismembered the truck, that RRS operatives arrested me.

The management of the haulage firm, where Lawal works, said it was yet to see his motor boy. It is feared that Lawal and his accomplices has killed him.
Lawal insisted that the motor boy didn’t follow them on the trip. The motor boy’s phone has remained switched off since the incident.

ARMY CAPTAIN AND FOUR POLICEMEN KILLED BY MILITANTS AT IKORODU YESTERDAY !

The Lagos State Government on Sunday commiserated with families of the four policemen and Army Captain who were killed yesterday, after militants and a Joint Task Force on anti-militancy clashed at Yewa- Olaloko, Ishawo  area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.

One of the survivors of the gory attack, a Divisional Police Officer (DPO), is battling to live in the hospital. The slain Captain has been simply identified as Muhammad.

The Joint Task Force on anti-militancy in Lagos and Ogun states called Operation Awatse were said to have been ambushed on their way to  Olaloko area in the early hours of Sunday, while on a mission to rescue eight kidnapped victims in the area.

They ran into an ambush. They were alleged to have been attacked, killed and set on fire. The security agents’ operational Hilux vehicle was also set on fire by the militants.
A source said: “The soldiers, policemen and operatives of Rapid Response Squad (RRS) went to the area in an attempt to rescue some abducted victims. The militants opened fire on them. The DPO is critical now. It’s doubtful whether he’ll survive.”
A resident in the area, who identified simply as Gbemisola, said that eight residents were abducted, after which the community alerted police.
 The community alerted the police. Police were said to have moved immediately, with soldiers, but met their death.

The resident recounted: “The exchange of gun battle woke us up around 12midnight which lasted till 3am. The Joint Task Force, deployed on the creeks of Lagos and Ogun states were on their way to rescue the victims when they were ambushed by the kidnappers, who opened fire on them, killing four policemen and two soldiers instantly. In the exchange of gun battle which ensured, the commander of the militants was killed, while two of his men were also killed by the police. The death of their commander angered the militants further, leading to them killing three of their captives. They fled with five other victims.”

He said that militants, who were dispersed after the Airforce bombardment of the creeks, were gradually regrouping and becoming formidable.
His words: “The militants have come back and are kidnapping every day. Government should be more proactive on this development. We don’t wish for death of policemen and soldiers in this manner. What we are asking is that police should set up a command at that creek. They should treat it like what they have done on Sambisa forest in the North East. A serious military intervention is needed here.”
Reacting to the incident, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, said that around 1: am, on Sunday, the police received distress call that a group of militants/kidnappers entered Owutu-Isawo in Ikorodu through the thick swampy forest surrounding the area.

Owoseni said: “The militant kidnappers kidnapped some residents. In response, the Police and the Army immediately mobilised personnel to the area, where the victims were rescued. Sadly however, five out of the gallant, brave and patriotic officers lost their lives during the rescue operation. One of them is a Nigerian Army Captain while the remaining four are policemen. One of the residents in the area also died. We pray that the God Almighty reward their loyalty to the Nation with Paradise and peaceful rest. We also pray that God gives their respective families the courage to bear the loss.”

The militants had struck at Woodland Estate close to Ishawo Creeks and engaged the security personnel, soldiers and the police in a gun battle.
The State's Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, described the incident as unfortunate but insisted that it would only strengthen its resolve to remove crime and criminalities from the state.
  Ayorinde said: “The Governor, however, assures the Police and general public of his support and commitment to rid the state of every form of militancy, kidnappings, and illegal waterfront shanties that harbour criminals."
The State Government stressed that the unfortunate incident in Ishawo had further reinforced its resolve to go after criminal elements and their collaborators who are using coastal areas and illegal waterfront settlements as havens or escape routes to perpetrate evil and criminal activities.
The government stated that every perpetrator directly or remotely linked to the Ishawo dastardly act would be brought to justice in the shortest possible time.
The government further noted: "We wish to solicit the understanding and support of the public on the need to rid our waterways of illegal shanties that are not only an eyesore to our collective decency but have become a fertile ground for breeding illicit and illegal activities that constitute danger to the security and wellbeing of the larger public.”

CROSS RIVER COMMISSIONER FOR WATER RESOURCES KIDNAPPED IN CALABAR !

The Cross River State Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr Gabriel Odu-Orji, was on  Sunday abducted by unidentified gunmen around 12pm at Effionawan Street, in the Mayne Avenue area of Calabar-South

An eye witness, Bassey Asuquo, said that the gunmen, who were five in number, came in a blue Audi car and cornered their victim as he stepped down to eat in a restaurant.
He said, “At around 12pm today, I was in front of one restaurant waiting for a friend when the Commissioner for Water Resources stepped down and was approaching the restaurant.
“Before he could get into the restaurant, some armed men numbering about five came in a blue Audi, parked their car by the roadside and ordered the commissioner into his car and drove away.
“Those guys were kidnappers because they wore mask to hide their faces.”
When contacted, the the state Police Public  Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, said,
“We have received a complaint about the abduction of the Commissioner for Water Resources.”

OTODO GBAME DEMOLITION WAS CARRIED OUT FOR SECURITY REASONS

The Lagos State Government has denied killing some residents of Otodo Gbame during a recent demolition exercise carried out in the area. 

Sources close to the state government informed us during an investigation into the matter that the demolition was carried out because the government had strong intelligence reports that militants had moved into the area in preparation to launch attacks in Lekki and the Victoria Island axis.

An official of the state government, who requested anonymity, categorically denied that the state’s officials killed any resident of the riverine settlement and said this security measure was taken in the overall interest of all Lagosians stating that “these stories are malicious and mischevious”.


The source stressed that the state government places a high premium on security and that it will not abdicate in its duty to protect the lives and property of all residents. He added "The killing of security agents in the Ishawo area of Lagos further strengthens the resolve of the government to clear the illegal settlement at Otodo Gbame.

"The State government will stop at nothing to secure the State and is willing to take unpopular decisions to in the best interest of the State. The Otodo Gbame situation is one of such. We are sure that posterity will justify this action”.


It was restated that the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led government of the state is committed to the safety of lives and properties of the residents of the state, which the government has demonstrated with the massive amount of resources spent to equip and motivate the state's police command. He explained the Governor would always respect the rule of law and would never approve any operation that could lead to the death of law abiding and innocent residents of the state.


"Our Governor can never compromise the security of lives and properties of the residents of the state. So, he could not have allowed the security agents in the state carry out an operation that could lead to the death of Innocent members of the public.


The demolition exercise was carried out based on recommendations from the state's security monitoring team, which officials he said painstakingly monitored the activities of hoodlums in the area. The government was still waiting for the settlers to relocate but the action was brought forward because of the security reports received. The reports revealed that the place required urgent action to prevent a security breakdown and escalation that could pose more threats to the security of the metropolitan state.


In addition, it was learnt that the settlement in Otodo Gbame is illegal without any title or appropriate approval for the current inhabitants. The state government in its desire for urban renewal and regeneration had previously given the residents of this shanty notice to evacuate the area. 

The state government, we are told, was not ready to condone the existence of another shanty in the state with “people living on sticks on water".

Our source informed us that the state government “will not succumb to emotional blackmail and will stand by this decision because it is in the best interest of all residents of Lagos State.

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