OWERRI—For allegedly raping a 10-year-old girl, three men were almost lynched, yesterday, at the Relief Market, Egbu Road, Owerri. Vanguard gathered that the accused, two Tiv-speaking persons from Benue State and an Igbo man, reportedly lured the young girl to a lonely part of the market where she was locked up in one of the shops directly behind the Dan Anyiam Stadium Complex, before they serially raped her until she became unconscious.

CALABAR— ABIGAIL Nweke, the ‘Chairlady’ of commercial sex workers in Calabar, has been charged to court for allegedly taking teenage girls from Benue State and turning them to commercial sex workers in Calabar.

“The herdsmen wrote two weeks to the attack, informing us that they would invade our community.. On coming back that April 21, my kinsmen told me of the impending danger. I asked them how would an attack be possible when the Fulani do not know the nooks and crannies of our village. They have been grazing in the other parts of Nimbo but I am sure they have not grazed in our villages. Where we ran to for safety, they have not grazed there since they came to Nimbo. It was one of our kinnsmen, Ben and the police Corporal that led them to our safe haven. That black Monday, we were alert till 5am until the policemen who were around said we should go and sleep. Then we went to bed. Barely 30mintues after, this incident happened. It was obvious that Ben and the Corporal led the onslaught.

I saw Shehu with AK 47 rifle in the bush when I went to deliver the food to him. I used my motorcycle to deliver the food to them inside the bush. Shehu promised to pay me N200,000 once the ransom has been paid, but I was given just N1000 when I delivered the food. I know I have committed a crime. One of us, Mohammedu Maman, a cousin to Kasimu Shehu is our gang member, his duty is to guard the hostages in the camp. He was the one who guarded one Nassarawa State indigene in the camp when he was kidnapped.

The raid by the Nigerian Navy Ship Beecroft, an operations base of the Western Naval Command, Apapa, Lagos, which covers the sea and coastal areas from the Nigeria/Benin border at Long 002o 49’ E to Long 006o E in Delta State from the Nigerian coastline to the limit of the nation’s Economic Exclusive Zone, was taken beyond the waters, penultimate Wednedssay. The operation which was witnessed by journalists was carried right in the den of vandals in communities such as Akalaba, Abagbo, Corner loss, Ati-Alashe Ilado-Odo , Faji Island, Atlas Cove, all in Lagos State.