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One month and three weeks after, 15 kidnapped Baptist students regain freedom

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BATIST STUDENTS

 

The atmosphere was indescribable. Fathers, mothers and children all crying at the same time. But it was all cries of joy, as parents of the 15 students of Bethel Baptist High School, Kaduna, on Sunday reunited with their children who were kidnapped from their boarding school in the early hours of July 5, 2021.

Recall that bandits broke into the school, located at Damishi along the Kaduna – Kachia highway, Chikun Local Government Area and whisked away 121 students.

The kidnappers had released 28 of the students on Sunday July 25 after receiving N50 million ransom.

They later released few others on health ground, while some escaped on their own.

However, before the release of the latest 15 students on Saturday night, 78 students were remaining with the bandits.

The bandits made fresh demand of N80 million ransom to release the remaining 78 students still in captivity.

It was also gathered that ransom was paid for release of the 15 students.

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Handling over the 15 freed and traumatised students to their parents at the Baptist Secretariat along Ahmadu Bello way on Sunday, President of Baptist Convention, Rev. Israel Akanji, said they expected the bandits to release all the remaining 78 students.

Akanji said: “We are grateful to God for the release of these 15 children. Although, the number is smaller than what we expected, because we had 78 out there; they have given us 15, that means 63 to come but in everything, God said, we should give thanks and we are grateful for what He has done.

“And we are trusting that, the same God will help us to receive the remaining 63. We have great hope in God and we will keep praying and keep asking God for help.

“We do not know why they did not release all the children; we were really expecting all the children, but these are the ones we have. So, we are giving thanks to God and we are trusting God that others too will come,” he said.

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Akanji added: “Today, we rejoice over the release of our children. Our prayer is that our joy will be full and that the other children will be released to us very soon.

“What we are here to do today is to hand over the children back to their parents so that they can reunite.

“The last time when we brought them (the first batch of 28 students) straight from where they were released, their sight were not too pleasant.

“So, this time around when they came, we try to make them changed their clothes so that they will appear a little bit different.

“They have had some changes of their clothes and took their bath because they have not been able to do this for all of the time they have been there(kidnappers’ den) since July 5, 2021.

“Today, we are glad that they have changed and they can be received by their parents. Please, keep praying for us so that the other ones will be released.”

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Though the Baptist Convention President declined comment on the issue of ransom, a competent source disclosed that ransom was paid.

The students were conveyed to the Baptist Secretariat in an 18-seater bus, few minutes after many of their patients were brought in in two similar vehicles.

The parents could not hide their joy as they sang praises and shed tears on sighting their children who spent 46 days in captivity of their kidnappers.

Though, they had been refreshed before being officially handed over to their parents, the students looked traumatised and sickly.

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Journalist hit by ‘stray bullet’ at Kano government house

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A journalist with Abubakar Rimi Television (ARTV), Naziru Idris Yau, has been hit by a stray bullet inside the government house in Kano state.

It was gathered that the incident occurred around 6:30pm on Friday.

The journalist was said to have been immediately rushed to the government house clinic for treatment.

 

The medical personnel at the clinic said the journalist was lucky because the bullet was not shot at close range.

 

The journalist was subsequently discharged after the site of injury was treated.

The origin of the stray bullet is yet to be ascertained but police officers attached to the government house have commenced an investigation into the matter.

The Kano state government is yet to release an official statement regarding the incident.

 

The incident, which happened on the 2024 World Press Freedom Day, brings to the fore the threats journalists face in Nigeria.

 

Daniel Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), is currently being detained by the police over an allegation bordering on “cybercrime”.

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Ojukwu has been in police custody since May 1.

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Ex-FCMB manager bags 121-year jail term for stealing customer’s N112m

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A former manager with a branch of First City Monument Bank, FCMB in Onitsha, Anambra State, Nwachukwu Placidus, has been sentenced to a cumulative 121 years imprisonment for stealing N112 million belonging to a customer.

 

Placidus was arrested following a petition by Idemili Microfinance Bank LTD to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

 

The management of the Microfinance back said the sum of N112 million was handed over to him as the branch manager of FCMB in Onitsha, for fixed deposit.

However, the petitioner said when the FCMB was approached to terminate and withdraw the deposit, the bank denied receiving the said funds.

 

“Upon receipt of the petition, the EFCC swung into action and investigations revealed that the convict diverted the money for his own use and issued a fake fixed Deposit Certificate to the petitioner,” Dele Oyewale, spokesperson for the EFCC said in a statement.

Consequently, Placidus was arraigned on Tuesday, March 27, 2018 on 16-count charges bordering on forgery, stealing, obtaining by false pretence and uttering, by the Enugu Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

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One of the counts reads: “Nwachukwu Placidus between February 2009 and November 2014 in Onitsha, Anambra State within the jurisdiction of the Anambra State High Court of Nigeria with intent to defraud obtained the sum of (N112,100,000) One Hundred and Twelve Million, One Hundred Thousand Naira only, from Idemili Microfinance Bank under the false pretence that you have placed the said money in a fixed deposit account with First City Monument Bank PLC for it, which pretence you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence”.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to him, thus setting the stage for his trial.

 

In the course of trial, the EFCC, through its counsel, Mainforce Adaka Ekwu presented four witnesses and tendered several relevant documents which were admitted in evidence.

 

While delivering his judgment, Justice S. N. Odili of the Anambra State High Court sitting in Onitsha, Anambra State, held that “the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt” and sentenced the convict to nine years imprisonment on count 3, 4 years on count 4 and 9 years on counts 5 to 16 respectively. He was discharged on counts 1 and 2. The sentences shall run concurrently.

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The court further ordered the convict to restitute the said sum to his victim, Idemili Microfinance Bank.

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Cruel fate: Young lady dies after friends pushed her into pot of boiling pepper in Delta

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A Nigerian man, identified as Israel Joe, has narrated how his friend, Roseline, died after she was pushed into a boiling pot of fresh pepper and tomatoes by her two female friends in Sapele, Delta State.

Joe stated that Roseline, a caterer, went on a trip with her friends to Sapele for a catering job where she tragically passed away on Saturday, April 13.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Joe said that before her untimely death, Roseline confided in him about two of her friends who were treating her coldly.

 

He urged the Nigeria Police to investigate and arrest the killers of Roseline, pointing out that no progress has been made in the case since her murder.

 

Joe’s post read, “She was pushed into a big boiling pot of fresh pepper and tomatoes by her friend on Saturday, 13th April. She battled for about two weeks with her roasted/boiled body and finally ḍíęɗ last week Friday 26th April.

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“Nobody in the neighborhood in Otokutu knew Roseline had been allegedly kíIIed by these same friends. She was buried with no one to bid her goodbye and with no single bųríaI poster to honour her. Just two days in the morgue, the mørtųarƴ attendants demanded she be carried away to be buried.

 

“She traveled with them for a catering job in Sapele where they were speaking their local language with this Yoruba girl, Rozzy, not understanding their conversation.

“All of a sudden, she landed in a very big pot of boiling fresh pepper and tomatoes where they even still delayed in rescuing her. She was later rushed to Sage Hospital by Estate in Warri, where they managed the situation, but my friend couldn’t make it.”

 

Joe said he was pained that those responsible for her death were still walking free.

He added, “What pains me is that these two girls are still walking and gallivanting everywhere like nothing happened. I hate intimidation and oppression, especially against non-indigenous persons. The police must smoke them out so they can face the law. Na God dey help who nor get helper.

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“We shall fight for Rozzy. You can not just be kíIIęɗ like a chicken and bųřried like an aŋímąl. Nobody deserves such a hørribIe dęąth. We never got to meet Rose, only chatting on Facebook due to endless busy schedules only to see you, at the most disgusting sight at Sage Hospital, hoping for your recovery, but dęąțĥ stole you Justice shall prevail, including if you would be exhumed.”

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