Thugs kill okada rider, flee with his hand

Some cultists believed to be loyal to a political party invaded Adifase Street, Bariga, Lagos and hacked a motorcyclist, Segun Atupa, to death.

Not done, the hoodlums severed the 28-year-old victim’s hand and fled with it,the murder came less than two weeks after political thugs killed two youths and beheaded one of them in the Fadeyi area of the state.

Punch learnt that Atupa was attacked in the area around 8pm on October 24,He was said to have been ambushed and hacked with machetes repeatedly by the hoodlums while going about his evening business.Also heard that hoodlums dumped Atupa’s body beside a canal on the street as they left.

It was also learnt that the deceased, who lived on Olusoji Street, Bariga, was attacked because the hoodlums claimed that he was working as an informant for rival political gangs in the area.When PUNCH Metro visited Adifase Street on Tuesday, it was learnt that Atupa’s corpse had been removed from the canal by policemen attached to the Bariga Division, Somolu.

A resident who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal said the hoodlums pursued Atupa into the area and killed him,he said, “On Friday at about 8pm, we were all outside enjoying the evening until we began to hear noises. That is not strange in this area. But we also heard gunshots, and you could feel that some people were running towards our street.

“Everyone was afraid and quickly rushed inside, bolting their doors. From inside my house, I was hearing deep voices of ‘pursue him and kill him’, ‘pursue him and kill him’. But no one could come out to check who it was. When it was morning, we saw the corpse of a man already killed and dumped in the canal.”

It was learnt from a police source that the motorcyclist was not only killed, but one of his arms was also amputated, and taken away by the hoodlums, an act synonymous with a local gang known as the EFCCboys.

When PUNCH Metro got to Atupa’s rented apartment on Olusoji Street, it was learnt from a neighbour that the motorcyclist’s wife had died from an accident, only about two weeks ago, and he was still grieving her death.

It was further gathered that apart from the motorcyclist, another man was attacked and killed the following day by Bajulaiye canal, Bariga Road. The yet-to-be-identified victim was said to have been removed also by policemen from the Bariga Division.Another resident, Mr. Jamiu Oluyomi, said attacks on innocent lives in the area by thugs working for political parties had become commonplace, urging the police to intensify security in the Bariga and Somolu areas of the state.

He said, “These thugs are not ghosts. We know them, the police know them too. They use aliases such as Eyin Bouncing, Ologun, Sean Paul, and Tolu T-boy.”,other hoodlums in the area use the following aliases: Yusuf Omo West, Lateef Fibre, Ogun owo, Rasaki Osanle, and BJ Paul.

Defeating Boko Haram, Nigeria’s responsibility — Britain

The British government has said there is a limit to what assistance it can offer Nigeria as Boko Haram renews its attacks in the North-East.

While acknowledging the complex nature of the insurgency, the British government, through its Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Joyce Anelay, stated that her country was in constant discussion with the Federal Government.

The minister, who was fielding questions from the House of Lords on Thursday, however, said the British government was cautious of what it said about the ongoing insurgency in Nigeria.

She told the parliament, “Nigeria faces a serious threat from Boko Haram. We believe that more than 3,000 people have been killed by Boko Haram this year and more than 1.5 million people have been displaced. We are aware of reports that Nigerian authorities have agreed to a ceasefire with Boko Haram and are in ongoing negotiations. We are also aware of reports of Boko Haram attacks since the ceasefire announcement. We monitor events closely.

“Boko Haram deliberately targets the weak and vulnerable, causing suffering in communities of differing faiths and ethnicities. It has no regard for human life. We are in continual discussion with the Nigerian authorities to press exactly as the noble Baroness says, and we give as much support as we can in intelligence matters.”

During the question-and-answer session, a member of parliament, Caroline Cox, who had made visits to areas worst hit by current militants’ insurrection, urged the British government to put pressure on Nigeria to be more effective in tackling the insurgency.

“I thank the minister for that sympathetic reply. Is she aware that I have visited areas afflicted by Boko Haram and found that the scale of suffering to which she refers massively exceeds that reported by the media?

“Despite reports of a peace agreement with Boko Haram, to which the Minister refers, local people do not believe that the federal and state authorities are sufficiently willing or able to stop Boko Haram’s reign of terror. Therefore, will Her Majesty’s government make the strongest possible representation to the government of Nigeria to do much more to implement effective policies to protect all its citizens from this escalating terrorism?” Cox said.

Responding to her questions and those posed by other members of the parliament, Anelay pointed out that Britain would give Nigeria the strongest support it could, adding that a Sentinel and Tornado GR4 aircraft had already been deployed to assist in the fight against Boko Haram.

She noted, “We are therefore most cautious in what we say in these matters. What I will say is that it is for the Nigerian authorities to resolve the matter. We will give the strongest support we can.”