Startech Safety And Security News Blog

                                        A woman will spend time in prison for having sex multiple times with her adopted son in Okaloosa County in Florida. Lauren Myres, 26, was on Wednesday sentenced to six years in prison for one count of unlawful sexual activity with certain minors. She will then be placed on sex offender probation for four years and will have to complete sex offender counseling. She cannot have contact with the victim or any minors. Myres will also have to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life. Myres entered a plea of "No Contest" to the charge last week. In May 2018, law enforcement got a tip about an inappropriate relationship between Myres and the 17-year-old victim. Myres was a caseworker for Families First Network, who originally had been assigned the victim as a child she was to assist. She eventually decided to foster the child, then adopted him. After the adoption was finalized, it was discovered Myres and the victi

                                        Goods worth millions of Naira were destroyed in a fire outbreak that occured at the Keffi main market early this morning. This is the fifth time the incident is occurring in five years. Many of the traders who are still in shock at the incident, said the fire disaster happens almost every December.

                                                    A man who just completed the compulsory National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, has been killed while trying to prevent a robbery. Samuel Audu was hacked to death with a machete at Low-Cost, Akwanga Council Area of Nasarawa State while trying to stop a thief from stealing bags of cement from a house where he was employed to fix Plaster of Paris (POP) Ceiling. In the process, the machete-wielding attacker hacked him to death. Journalist Eche Amos shared the story and revealed that the incident happened between 8-9pm on Thursday, December 20th, 2018. The incident has been reported to the police in Akwanga and the corpse of the deceased has been deposited in a mortuary.

A man who mudered his friend and cut him into small bits for disposal has been sentenced to death by hanging. Stephen Anona was sentenced this morning by the Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo over the death of Daniel Bassey Solomon three years ago. Daniel, an Uyo-based barber, allegedly owed Stephen a debt of N750,000 which he was reluctant to pay. Stephen Anona then lured his victim into his rented one-room apartment on Itu Road, Uyo, on July 28, 2015, and gave him food to eat. Unknown to Daniel, a susbtance was put in the food and he fell into a deep sleep afterwards. Stephen then used a sharp machete and cut off Daniel's head, legs, hands and abdomen, and carefully packed them into different bags which he secretly dumped in gutters and other places. Stephen Anona was initially charged to the magistrate’s court from where he was remanded in Uyo Prison before the case was transferred to the High court.

                                                       Unknown gunmen have kidnapped Mr Umera Umera, the Personal Assistant to Senator Gershom Bassey, Senator representing Cross River State Southern Senatorial District. It was gathered that the incident occurred in Umera's home at Jebbs area of Calabar South,  on Thursday night. According to reports, the gunmen invaded the area, shooting sporadically before abducting the senator’s PA into a speed boat through Anantigha water side. The gunmen are demanding a ransom of N10 million before Umera can be released. Speaking to journalists,  Senator Bassey assured that Mr Umera would be rescued from the kidnappers.

                                      The Congolese aviation firm Gomair has confirmed that its cargo plane which went missing on Thursday after delivering materials for an upcoming presidential election had crashed. Gomair’s financial director, Jean de Dieu Gato Karekezi said he's yet to have any information about casualties. The firm lost contact with the plane on Thursday evening as it was flying back to Kinshasa after delivering materials to Tshikapa, a city near the border with Angola.  It was not immediately clear how many people were on board. Karekezi said the plane had been rented by the national electoral commission (CENI) to deliver election materials.  A CENI spokeswoman said the agent who had taken the flight to Tshikapa had stayed there, but she did not provide any further information.  The incident follows a tumultuous week in Democratic Republic of Congo, which has seen the long-anticipated election postponed for a week due to logistical iss

                                           The Kano State Police Command is investigating a member representing Wudil/Garko Federal Constituency, Muhammad Ali Wudil, over alleged killing of three people in Rano local government area of the state. Recall that about three persons were killed during the flag-off of the All Progressives Congress, APC campaign in Kano South senatorial zone. In a statement on Thursday, the state police spokesperson, Magaji Majiya, said the command had gathered enough evidence against the lawmaker and would soon invite the politician for investigation and subsequent trial. According to him, Mr Ali-Wudil was advised by the command not to attend the political rally due to security reports against him but he refused to accept the advice. He added that the command had evidence that the lawmaker went to the rally with political thugs who are now accused of killing three persons at the event.

                                               A 25-year-old native doctor, Abudulahi Mudi, arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police  (IGP) Intelligence Response Team (IRT) from his hideout in Lokoja, Kogi State, has confessed that he makes more money from snatching cars than what he makes from treating broken bones. Mudi who was paraded alongside his accomplice, Christopher Ilia, a security guard attached to one of the headquarters of a ministry in Abuja, said he learnt the art of treating broken bones and treating pregnant women from his late father, but switched to snatching exotic cars so he can make fast money. He said himself and his team of four have stolen cars mostly in the Ikeja, Lekki and Surulere axis of Lagos state. “I am a native doctor and I treat people of stroke, broken bones and other illnesses. My father who is now late thought me the art and I have been doing it for a long time in Lokoja, Kogi State. In 2012, one of my friends

                                                  Anifowose, the son of veteran Fuji musician, Kwam 1, has been arrested in the U.S along with 8 others as part of an international investigation into online “romance scams” and “mystery shopper” schemes that made victims lose at least $2 million over the past two years. Below is how the US Department of Justice reported the arrest on its official website: Seven Chicago-area residents are among nine individuals arrested in the United States and Nigeria as part of an international investigation into online “romance scams” and “mystery shopper” schemes. During the Chicago-based investigation, dubbed “Operation Gold Phish,” law enforcement identified a variety of cyber-enabled fraud schemes allegedly carried out by conspirators in the U.S. and Nigeria.  One of the alleged schemes involved “romance scams,” in which a conspirator builds trust with a victim through a purported online romance before convincing the victim to

Zamfara State on map Birnin Magaji local government area of Zamfara State is under siege by armed bandits with repeated attacks and killing and maiming of women at many local communities in the area. A victim from Dan-danbo community told PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday that the attackers came around 8 p.m. and started shooting sporadically in the air, scaring residents. A number of men reportedly ran away, leaving women and children in the community. There is the fear that some women may have been raped during the attack. Women and children are currently running for safety, with their belongings, and are taking refuge at Nasarawa Godal community. Some are reuniting with their husbands after they fled from the attack, Friday night. A source said the affected community in Friday’s attack is the Dan-danbo community, situated in the Birnin Magaji local government area of the state. The attack is coming after PREMIUM TIMES reported on Thursday, how the armed bandits ransa

Zamfara State on map The Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, says drug abuse, unemployment and governance are responsible for the “deplorable security situation in Zamfara Mr Dan-Ali, therefore, urged stakeholders to unite and take necessary steps to address the issues. He urged them to provide adequate support to security agencies in tackling the security challenges in the state. In a statement by his Public Relations Officer, Tukur Gusau, the minister said so far, the federal government had taken a number of measures to address the challenges. According to him, they include the creation of 8 Division of the Nigerian Army in Sokoto State in tackling the challenges in the North West, particularly in Zamfara and Kaduna. He said the establishment of a Brigade in Gusau and another one to be located in Birnin Kebbi would also assist. “Also, the Nigerian Air Force Quick Response Force was established in Gusau to give air support to the ground troops. “Additiona

                               The Kwara Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Friday said it had arrested 115 suspects for different offences since January. The State Commandant of the NSCDC, Adeyinka Fasiu, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in his office in Ilorin. Mr Fasiu said the command arrested 115 suspects for 10 different crimes committed, with most of them settled out of court while some were undergoing court processes. “We were able to settle some cases out of court; a total number of 78 arrests were settled through the Alternative Dispute Unit,’’ he said. The Commandant further said that the rate of crime in the state was worrisome, especially among the youth with most of those arrested below 30 years of age. “Most of these boys are products of broken homes in which the parents are divorced and there is no proper arrangements for the children’s upkeep, so they end up dropping out of sch

                                              The Chief of Defence Staff, Abayomi Olanisakin, on Saturday led other service chiefs on operational visit to the Theatre Command of the Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri, Borno State. He was received by the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, a lieutenant general, who had been on ground, visiting troops in the frontline to boost their morale. Shortly after arrival, the CDS held a three-hour closed-door meeting with the service chiefs, where he was briefed by the Theatre Commander, Benson Akinrodoye, a major general. The Chief of Air Force Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas and Chief of Defence Intelligence, Air Vice Marshal Mohammed Usman, were in attendance. Addressing journalists after the meeting, the army spokesman, Sani Usman, a brigadier general, said the service chiefs “discussed extensively, particularly on activities in the Theatre Command” (of the Operatio

                                          The popular Banex Plaza located in Wuse 2, Abuja, was on Friday sealed off on the alleged order of a magistrate court. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) had gone to court asking for the vacation of the premises by Banex Plaza tenants. Chibuike Nzedinma, Chairman, Banex Plaza Wuse 2 Tenants Association, told said the closure was uncalled for. Mr Nzedinma said the board failed to officially notify them about the said court order. “Some weeks back, the AEPB told us that they were going to use the plaza as a mobile court. “But we could not see any mobile court on the said date, I personally went round to check but could not see, surprisingly, today (Friday) they sealed off some of our shops,” he said. The chairman, who sued for calm, said they would seek redress in court for such an order to be vacated. Also, Nkoli Unachukwu, a tenant, said such closure was detrimental t

                                     No fewer than 25 people are believed to have died or are missing, including a pregnant woman, when a group of migrant boats got stranded at sea and was rescued off the Spanish coast on Thursday. Briefing reporters in Geneva on Friday, Spokesperson for the UN High Commission Refugees (UNHCR), Elizabeth Throssell, said that colleagues in the field had reported that bodies had been found on two of the boats. “You can imagine how traumatising that was for the people who were rescued,” Ms Throssell said. According to reports, the migrants had sailed from North Africa. On one of the six vessels found adrift in the Straits of Gibraltar, in the western Mediterranean Sea, 33 people had been rescued, but 12 had died and a further 12 were missing, UNHCR said. On another of the boats, the UN refugee agency said 57 people had been on board, including one that had already died by the time of the rescue. “There was a massive sea-swell that

             A Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) security personnel, Usman Mohammed, on Friday, slumped and died while on duty at the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos. Olayinka Abioye, immediate past general secretary, National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos. Mr Abioye said the deceased was a former executive member of NUATE, FAAN branch. “We learnt he was on duty yesterday when he suddenly collapsed and died before receiving medical attention.” He said the deceased, who is survived by a wife and five children, has been buried, according to Islamic rites. Mr Abioye described Mr Mohammed’s death as unfortunate, stressing that the FAAN management must give priority and urgent attention to the wellbeing of workers. According to him, some aviation security staff are being made to work more than the required eight hours per day,

Suspects arrested Soldiers attached to 144 Battalion, Ohafia, Abia State have arrested  Samson J. Enweriji for allegedly being in possession of a day-old baby. Enwereji, 50, is said to hail from Isialangwa South Local Government. The Nation learnt that the suspect was arrested following a tip-off, while attempting to escape with the baby. The soldiers, who were suspicious, flagged down Enwereji who was in a black Toyota Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) with two women. It was gathered that during a search, the two women escaped from the vehicle, but the day-old baby was found in their abandoned handbag with N84,000.00. Also found on the suspect was N13,000.00, and placenta of a baby in a polythene bag. A source said personnel of the 144 Battalion also arrested Miss Franca Bassey, 22, a student nurse from Akpabuyo Local Government Area of Cross River State with a baby.

                               The International Police have issued an arrest warrant for former Nigerian Petroleum Minister, Diezani Allison-Madueke following a request by the Federal Government to the agency. According to reports, the necessary charges had been filed and attached to the extradition request by the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and by this request, all Interpol member countries were obliged to arrest the former minister anywhere she is seen on their territories. Madueke has been in London, United Kingdom for over three years. Attached to the extradition request was the November 4, 2018 order for her arrest by Justice Valentine Ashi of the FCT High Court. The court had directed the Inspector-General of Police; the Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Director-General of the State Security Service and all heads of other agencies to apprehend the ex-petroleum minister. The judge further directed that th

                                    The Nigerian Airforce has issued an official statement to address some issues surruonding the death of former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh. According to the Airforce , the driver who was wounded in the attack is alive and recuperating as investigation into the incident is substantially progressing. The statement reads, 'the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has noted, with dismay, some erroneous reports and comments in the media regarding the unfortunate incident that led to the death of former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, on 18 December 2018. Some of these reports erroneously state that the driver of the late former CDS, who was also shot during the incident, is dead. Other reports allege that adequate security was not provided for the deceased Air Chief Marshal'. The NAF wishes to state categorically that nothing could be further from the truth. Firstly, all are

Chiedozie Azuike Chiedozie Azuike, a 17-year-old who recently gained admission into a private university in Enugu state, has been declared missing. Punch reports that Chiedozie went missing on the day he was to resume in the school. The distraught mum of the missing undergraduate, Maureen Azuike, says she believes that her son was hypnotised because strange things had been happening around him before his disapperance. She said Chiedozie left her house on Monday with the intention of going to school to resume. She however returned home and found his phone, the money she gave him and also his school documents at home. When she called the school to find out if he was there, she was informed he was not in school. “After paying the necessary fees, I begged his former lesson teacher to help me take him to the school since I was busy. The teacher had previously taken him to the school for registration on two occasions and December 4 was when he was supposed to resume

US Defense Secretary, James Mattis announced on Thursday that he would resign at the end of February, sending a letter to President Trump saying he deserved a secretary "whose views are better aligned with yours." The announcement came a day after the White House said the U.S. would be withdrawing its troops from Syria, as well as reports it was also considering a drawdown in Afghanistan. Both moves have been met with opposition by Pentagon officials and members of the foreign policy establishment. In a striking resignation letter to Trump, Mattis signaled his concern with the way Trump treated allies in NATO as well as rivals such as China and Russia. He wrote that his “core belief” is that U.S. strength is “inextricably linked with the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and inf

                                        US rapper, Young Jeezy ’s 22-year-old son Jadarius was reportedly slashed in the face during an altercation that allegedly left another man dead. According to TMZ, Jadarius was involved in an incident Sunday morning in Georgia that ended with gunfire. The Gossip site reported that Officers responded to shots fired call, and when they arrived they found a 37-year-old man had been shot. He later died at the hospital Police confirmed that Jeezy's son sustained a “possible knife wound to the face” and was treated at the scene, but it’s unclear what occurred prior to the altercation between the two. Drew Findling, the attorney for Jeezy’s son, told TMZ “We are grateful to law enforcement for releasing Jadarius after their preliminary investigation. He continues to receive medical treatment for the injury he endured during the incident.” Another source added that Jadarius was acting in self-defense during the altercation.

Suspect Samuel Hunsu, an 85-year-old herbalist has been arrested by the Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, Lagos State, in possession of fresh human heart. The suspect was said to have been arrested in Abeokuta, Ogun State and the police alleged that the old man specialized in using human parts for money making rituals. Hunsu, however, claimed that the hearts were given to him by one Abiodun, who had earlier consulted him for money ritual. His words: “Initially, I was consulted by Abiodun. He wanted me to prepare money charms making for him. When I told him what was required for the ritual, he promised to get them. I was surprised when I saw him with fresh human heart. When Abiodun eventually brought the heart, I asked him where he got it. He said that he removed it from a thief that was killed at Ijoko area of Ogun State. Immediately he dropped the heart, he left and promised to come back. That was how I took the heart and preserved it with dry gin and chemical

Abdulmalik Umar A man the police described as a notorious Boko Haram Commander  was yesterday arrested in Lagos. The suspect, Abdulmalik Umar, was said to have been responsible for the death of more than 200 people. Umar, 39, was arrested by operatives of the Inspector General of Police (IG) Intelligence Response Team (IRT) around Mowe at a nurse’s house where he was receiving treatment for the bullet wounds he sustained during a recent gun battle with the police in Abuja. It was gathered that the suspect, alleged to have masterminded the explosions at Nyanya and Kuje in Abuja in 2015, as well as several bank robberies in Ondo, Edo and other southern states, had fled Abuja three weeks ago when some of his gang members were apprehended. A police source, who confirmed the arrest, disclosed that the nurse, who is said to be Umar’s sister, and her husband were also arrested for aiding and abetting criminality. It was gathered that the head of the IRT, Abba Kyari,

Former Army chief General Ishaya Bamaiyi                                      Olalekan Ojo (SAN) the defence counsel for Fred Ajudua, a former Lagos socialite, challenged a former Chief of Army Staff, Ishaya Bamaiyi, to provide proof of the source of the 8.4 million dollars, his client allegedly defrauded him of in 2004. Mr Ojo, gave the challenge on Thursday at an Ikeja High Court at the resumed trial of Mr Ajudua for the alleged fraud. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Ajudua, allegedly defrauded Mr Bamaiyi of $8.4million while they were both in custody in Kirikiri Prisons in 2004, Mr Bamaiyi, a retired lieutenant general, was in custody for treason while Mr Ajudua was in custody for fraud related offences. Mr Ajudua, alongside some accomplices, had allegedly approached Mr Bamaiyi and convinced him that he could hire the legal services of Afe Babalola (SAN) to help secure his freedom with Mr Bamaiyi giving Mr Ajudua $8.4 million as legal fees.

President Muhammadu Buhari The Presidency has accused Amnesty International of drawing “wrong conclusions” in its latest report highlighting the failure of the Nigerian government to check rampant killings in the last three years. The Nigerian Army had earlier dismissed the report, demanding the withdrawal of the group from the country, while the Presidency in its initial response “expressed concerns” about the group’s report. But in a more measured tone Thursday, the Presidency, through spokesperson Garba Shehu, commended Amnesty International for some of its conclusions, but said its evidence gathering was flawed. Read the full statement below: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT, DRAWING THE WRONG CONCLUSIONS – PRESIDENCY The first thing to say about Amnesty International’s Report: Setting the Record Straight is to thank the organisation for confirming a fact stated time and again by President Muhammadu Buhari that the conflict between herders and farmers in Nigeri

Zamfara State on map                                          Suspected armed bandits on Wednesday stormed three communities in Birnin Magaji Local Government Area of Zamfara State, killing many residents. Some of those killed were working on their farms when they were attacked. Sources said the armed bandits came heavily armed and opened fire on the farmers who were harvesting sweet potatoes at Garin Haladu community. A resident told PREMIUM TIMES that, “the armed bandits came around 1 o’clock noon and opened fire on some youth harvesting sweet potatoes at Garin Haladu community and killed ten people.” He added that “they came back in the evening and ransacked some villages around.” The source said in Wednesday’s attack, 12 people were killed at Garin Haladu community. At Nasarawa Godal community, four persons were killed, while at Garin Kaka community, nine people were killed, he said. The three communities are in the same local government. “Many youth fr

                                      The Kaduna State Nutrition Officer, Hauwa Usman, said on Thursday that no fewer than 132 children have died of severe acute malnutrition out of the 12,858 hospitalised between January and October 2018 in the state. Mrs Usman, who made this known while giving an update on the nutrition situation in the state at a two-day meeting in Kaduna, also said that 10,604 out of the 12,858 have been cured. The meeting was organised by Save the Children International (SCI) to support Kaduna State Chapter of the Civil Society Scaling-Up Nutrition in Nigeria (CS-SUNN) to develop two-year Nutrition Advocacy Strategy. She added that 187 others who have not recovered were undergoing treatment. “Currently, 11.7 per cent of children under-five years are wasted – suffering from severe acute malnutrition, while 47 per cent are stunted (too short for their age),” she said. She attributed the high incidence of malnutrition in the state to poor mate