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Terrorists release new photos of kidnapped Kaduna-Abuja train passengers

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The gunmen behind the vicious attack on a Kaduna-bound train about one month ago have released two photos of their hostages.

Recall that nine of the passengers were killed during attack while many others were abducted.

The latest photos were posted on Facebook by Bilkisu Yero, a lecturer at the Kaduna State University.

The photos, which they released on Monday, was the third time the gunmen, locally referred to as bandits, would be releasing evidence showing that the abductees are alive.

Till now, Nigerian authorities have not been able to ascertain the exact number of those abducted.

The gunmen have previously released two video footage showing some of the passengers.

The abductees have remained with the gunmen for a month despite repeated calls by their relatives and other Nigerians for the government to secure their release from captivity.

In one of the photos, there were 23 abductees, mostly women and children. Among the children were two boys and three girls. The remaining 20 were all women.

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Unlike the last video clip they released, the gunmen didn’t reveal the background on the pictures possibly to prevent their location from being tracked.

The gunmen used what looked like bed sheets to hide the natural background of the photos. The abductees were seated on a tarpaulin spread on the ground.

In the other photo, there were 17 men in two rows.

The description on the photo showed it was taken with an Infinix mobile phone.

Meanwhile, following the release of the photos, some people have identified their relatives among the abductees.

Mohammad Gamawa said that he could identify his aunt among the captives.

Mr Gamawa said he thought his aunt was killed during the attack and her body had not been found.

“Oh my dear sister and mum, first and second on your right hand sat on the floor. Allah ya fida ku baki daya (May God save you all),” said Yusuf Atta, a federal government employee with the Ministry of Information and Culture, in the comment section of Mr Yero’s post on Facebook.

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“Oh My God, that is my mum and sis together. May God save them from these people,” wrote Habiba Abdulaziz, another Facebook user

Isma’el Yarima wrote “I can sight my sister. May Allah protect you all”

Sa’adatu Sani also identified her aunt among those in the photos.

Nasir Lawal said he identified his female lecturer at the Kaduna Polytechnic. “She is the one in black maybe”, he wrote.

Abdullahi Sani, also from Kaduna, said seeing his sister in the photo has helped to lessen the tension he had been in since the train attack.

READ ALSO: Train Attack: What Nigerian govt is doing to free kidnapped passengers – Minister
“We thank God that she is still alive,” he said. “The Train Tragedy: My sister is visibly looking disturbed but Alhamdulillah she is alive. This is traumatizing to us.”

A family member of one of the abductees told this newspaper that they don’t want to comment on the situation because they learnt “the bandits are monitoring the media. Look at how they decided to change the background of the picture this time around. We were advised by some well-wishers to even stop posting their pictures on the social media or talk to you people (journalists) because the bandits are monitoring the spaces.”

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He, however, expressed gratitude to God that his aunt is still alive.

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Police interrogates Mohbad’s PA, Darosha over singer’s death

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Boluwatife Adeyemo, also known as Darosha, who was the Personal Assistant to the late singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, aka Mohbad, has been interrogated by the Nigeria Police Force.

According to reports, Darosha visited the Zone 2 Command headquarters on Thursday following a police invitation.

Also present at the meeting were Mohbad’s mother, Abosede and his father, Joseph.

 

The lawyer of Aloba’s family, Monisola Odumosu, who disclosed this on Saturday, said Darosha was invited to name those who instructed him to embalm the late singer in his home when he died on September 12, 2023.

Odumosu said, “The police invited Darosha and interrogated him based on a petition written and signed by Emmanuel Oroko of the Hillceetee Partners on the instruction of Mohbad’s father.

 

“He had visited alone earlier in the week, but was asked to return on Thursday when Mohbad’s father and mother would be present, which he did.”

Odumosu disclosed further that a statement was taken from Darosha in which he mentioned those who were present when the deceased was embalmed.

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The lawyer added that the police had invited those mentioned in the statement.

“Those present at the residence of the late Ilerioluwa Aloba when the embalmment was done will appear before the investigation panel of the police.

“The local embalmment violates the Coroner’s System Law 2007: Section 48 of this law addresses the offences and penalties of tampering with a dead body contrary to Section 16.

“The police, upon interrogating Darosha, have asked all those mentioned in his statement to be brought in for further interrogation. When Mohbad died, there were allegations that he was given local embalming without authorisation from his father or a death certificate from any medical practitioner who could certify the cause of the death of the late singer,” he added.

 

Mohbad’s father had alleged that his son’s body was already embalmed and placed by the staircase when he arrived at the deceased’s home the day he died.

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He made this known while calling on the police to intensify the investigation to unravel the cause of his son’s death.

Mohbad died on September 12 at the age of 27, with the circumstances surrounding his death sparking controversies on social media.

Mohbad, a former record label signee of Marlian Music owned by Naira Marley, left the label in February 2022.

The Lagos State Police Command inaugurated on September 18, 2023, a 13-man special investigation team to probe the death.

His death also led to the arrest of Naira Marley and controversial Lagos socialite Balogun Eletu, aka Sam Larry, amongst others.

The body of Mohbad was exhumed on September 21, 2023, for an autopsy to unravel the cause of his death.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, tweeted in September 2023 that an autopsy had been concluded and the police were “awaiting results.”

The toxicology test carried out to determine the cause of death of the late music star had been concluded.

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The result had been sent to the pathologist who carried out the autopsy to analyse and interpret it.

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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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