Nelson Ugwuagbo

Over 70 students of Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife Osun State were reportedly arrested by officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in a midnight raid on hostels outside the campus.

Multiple sources in Ile-Ife confirmed to our correspondent on Wednesday morning that the officials, around 2 a.m., stormed the Fine Touch and Superb hostels in Oduduwa Estate, Ile-Ife, broke into rooms, and arrested the students.

Reasons for the arrest have not been confirmed as of press time, but the Students’ Union President, Abass Ojo, said the union had details of “72 students picked up from the hostel with phones and cars taken away.”

A former union official, Joy Abiola, told our correspondent that the students were beaten.

“The EFCC officials came between 1:40 a.m and 4:00 a.m. Only students stay in those hostels,” Joy said, adding, “How can you arrest people for owning iPhones, laptops, and cars?”

Another student, identified simply as Ewatee, said, “Female students were among those picked up. Even some fresh students who just went to greet their senior colleagues were arrested. The approach is wrong.”

In a video shared with our correspondent, taken by one of the students, several young persons said to be students of the hostel were seen being marched into a white Hummer Bus with some security officials hitting them and ordering them to move and enter quickly.

In another video, about six vehicles were seen alongside the white Hummer Bus on the move. Students said the officials were leaving the Ile-Ife area and heading to Ibadan.

Contacted, the head of Public Affairs Department of the EFCC, Ibadan Zonal Command, Olumide Egbodofo, said an update would be given on the incident.

“A press statement will be released regarding that soon,” the spokesperson added.

Also, the phone line of the university’s spokesperson, Abiodun Olarewaju, was unreachable as of press time.

Two of the rescued women are underage girls, according to a government official.

The Anambra State Government has rescued 20 women, including two underage girls, who were tricked into prostitution in the state.

Chidinma Ikeanyionwu, a media aide to the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in the state, Ify Obinabo, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

Ms Ikeanyionwu said the victims, aged between 15 and 25 years old, were rescued from a hotel also used as a brothel in Oba, a community in Idemili South Local Government Area of the state.

The media aide said the rescue took place when police operatives in the state in collaboration with officials of the ministry raided the brothel in response to a tip-off by a resident of the community.

“Two amongst the rescued girls are underage and the commissioner has already taken them to hospital for medical examination and possible treatment,” Ms Ikeanyionwu said.

“Before embarking on the raid, investigation was carried out by the ministry and it was discovered that the management of the hotel by name, Top Ten Hotels, Oba, trafficked girls from all parts of the country for prostitution purposes,” she added.

Some of the rescued girls, according to the statement, said they were separately taken to the hotel either by a friend or relative on the pretext of securing a hotel job for them, but would later realise they were trafficked for prostitution.

The victims said the persons who took them to the brothel seized their phones and other belongings before handing them over to another woman who informed them they would only be released if they brought a certain amount of money to her or worked as prostitutes for her for a period of one year.

The rescued girls also said they usually made between N4,000 and N10,000 from prostitution during weekdays and between N15, 000 and N30,000 during weekends, but their “direct bosses” often took away the money from them.

Also, the owner of the hotel, identified as Amaechi Etiokwu, usually came to collect his own pay too, they said.

The victims said they usually had sexual intercourse with about 10 men daily in order to meet up with their financial obligations to their bosses or risk being beaten by them, adding that they only got N500 once in a day for feeding and that security men at the facility often helped to buy food for them.

They said they also paid a daily rent fee of N3,500 from the proceeds of the prostitution.

Speaking shortly after the raid, the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in Anambra State, Mrs Obinabo, commended the police in the state for helping to rescue the girls, Ms Ikeanyionwu said.

The commissioner lamented that some people were still engaging in trafficking despite the state government’s efforts to stop the act, but assured that the suspects involved in the alleged trafficking would be prosecuted.

She restated the government’s commitment to end all forms of child kidnapping, trafficking and sex slavery in the state, and urged residents of the state to report any suspicious activity within their neighbourhood for immediate action.

The suspects had been arrested by the police and would be arraigned before the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Magistrate Court in Awka, according to the statement.

The statement, however, did not identify the arrested suspects.

Nigeria, in 2015, enacted the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act which outlawed all acts of human trafficking in the country.

The Act prescribes a minimum penalty of five years imprisonment and a fine of N1 million for trafficking relating to sex and labour exploitation.

Several persons have been convicted for trafficking across the country.

A Federal High Court in Benin, Edo State, in 2018, sentenced 49-year-old Ehie Ehirobo to three years imprisonment for human trafficking. Mrs Ehirobo was convicted for procuring persons for prostitution, among others.

A Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, in 2019, sentenced three persons to seven- and five-years’ imprisonment for human trafficking.

The police said Ihunwo led the youths “with intent to commit a felony” at the Speaker’s residence.

The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of the state chapter Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Chijioke Ihunwo over attack on the residence of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, on Tuesday.

Confirming the arrest in a press statement, on Wednesday, police spokesperson, Grace Iringe-Koko, said the chairman was arrested alongside 122 other youths who have been moved to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Port Harcourt, the state capital, for further investigation.

The police said Ihunwo led the youths “with intent to commit a felony” and storm the Speaker’s residence “located at Forces Avenue, Old GRA, Port Harcourt, where they forcefully gained entrance into the Speaker’s Residence and maliciously damaged the gate of the house”.

“While they were carrying out their nefarious activities at the scene, a distress call was received by the control room of the command, tactical teams were immediately deployed to the scene, where one hundred and twenty-two (122) suspects, including the said Amb. Chijioke Ihunwo were arrested and taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Port Harcourt, for a discrete investigation.

“Meanwhile, the command has emplaced adequate security at the State House of Assembly Complex, including the Speaker’s House and other strategic locations/infrastructure in the state to forestall any ugly incident.”

A 75-year-old Man, Daniel Jaja, is currently on hospital admission in Adamawa State, struggling to recover from injuries sustained while attempting to rape a 25-years-old woman who visited him in Mukuvinyi Village, Hong local government Area.

This was contained in a press statement on Tuesday by the Police Public Relations Officer of the Adamawa State Police Command, SP Suleiman Yahaya Nguroje, with Ref No. CZ :5300/ADS/PPRO/VOL.4/52.

Nguroje said the suspect who was arrested on 30th October 2023, is currently on hospital admission in one of the hospitals in the state.

He said: “On 18th October, 2023 the suspect, while in Mukuvinyi village in Hong local government area, allegedly invited his victim to his house and suddenly advanced forcefully to have unlawful carnal knowledge of her until she resisted.

“Investigation, so far reveals that the victim while trying to prevent the act, used Razor blade and cut the erected Penis from penetrating her, leaving him with serious injury now on Admission in Hospital receiving treatment.”

The Commissioner of Police (CP) Afolabi Babatola frowned at the ugly incident and directed the officer in charge of the Family support unit of the command to take over the investigation and ensure diligent prosecution.

The Police boss equally calls on members of the public, particularly those in villages to give timely information to police, especially against criminally minded elements who are in the habit of committing crimes against their opposite genders.

In continuation of the state government’s crackdown on environmental offenders in the state, the Lagos State Magistrate’s Court in Oshodi has fined 10 persons for indiscriminate waste disposal.

The Lagos Waste Management Authority, in a statement on Monday, said the crackdown on environmental offenders was part of a concerted effort by the agency to enforce environmental laws and promote a culture of responsible waste management in the state.

The agency, which gave the names of offenders that were fined by the court, noted that 19 persons were arraigned before the court.

LAWMA added that 24 individuals were also brought before the court in a separate case for indiscriminate waste disposal

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“After careful consideration, 19 of them were ordered to carry out community service, involving thorough cleaning, grass cutting, and sweeping of the Oshodi Isolo Local Government community. Additionally, five minors were warned to desist from improper waste disposal or face possible action in Juvenile Court,” the agency stated.

Leading Reporters gathered that an Ikoyi Magistrates’ Court, last week, sentenced 26 persons to community service with an option of N30,000 fine each.

LAWMA said the court imposed a fine of N30,000 each on a total of 51 persons within the week, with an option of community service, for reckless waste disposal, at different locations in the state.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer LAWMA, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, commended the court’s resolute stance in combating environmental offences, reiterating the state government’s zero-tolerance policy for indiscriminate waste disposal.