Command arrests man for stealing, others for invading palace

Etim Ekpimah

Zone 2 Command, Onikan, Lagos has arrested one Sylvester Ehiarinmian, 43 for defrauding a United States’ based Nigerian lady, Miss Mary Okpe, 40.

The Assistant Inspector General of Police of the zone, Muhammed Adamu, said the lady who owns a farm in Abuja was introduced to Ehiarinmian, 43 to provide security for her to and from the farm.

He said, “She managed to own a farm in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. Precariously, she was introduced to this fraudulent man, Sylvester Ehiarinmian, 43, as capable of providing her with security to and from the farm.

“Lo and behold, Ehiarinmian made a love advance to her, despite being married with children, and promised marrying her. Naively, the lady swung into the fraudulent Ehiarinmian’s net and was defrauded neatly.

“When the lid was blown out her eyes, the lady forwarded a petition to my office and I instructed the Zonal Tactical/Monitoring Unit to go after the suspect, from whom four Sienna Space buses, a Toyota Highlander SUV Jeep and landed properties, comprising a storey building, an undeveloped plot of land, both in Apo area of Abuja and another two plots in Wasa area of Abuja, all belonging to the victim, were recovered from the suspect.”

He added that yet to be recovered from the suspect are a Mikano generator, two duplexes in South Africa, the sum of $15,000 he fraudulently obtained from the lady to procure visa for the victim’s sister, another $10,000 he proposed to purchase carpets for an office they both agreed to operate and N40m for the establishment of a medical laboratory.

Others include bunch of keys of a storey building consisting 2 bedroom flats and 2 self-contained, one bedroom flat with boy quarters in Apo Resettlement Abuja; documents of land ‘900sqm located in Wasa District Abuja along with C of O; documents of 900sqm land situated in Angwan Tiv Area of Apo Resettlement Area Abuja; and nine copies of Deeds of Assignments belonging to a property in Apo Abuja.

Meanwhile, the command also arrested two hoodlums for attempted murder, cultism, and palace invasion.

He added that the command had been receiving reports on the activities of cultists in Isiu near Ikorodu.

According to him, each time the hoodlums strike, they hold the entire community hostage, during which all socio-economic activities in the community are grounded, adding that shops, schools and all businesses in and around the town are forced to close down, with people, young and old running in all directions for safety.

He said, “Several persons have had to fall victims of circumstances, either killed or maimed, with several property destroyed each time they go on rampage.

“I detailed my men from the Monitoring Unit to the troubled community and, they have been on the trail of the hoodlums for an exceptionally long time.

“However, in their usual mode of operation, the hoodlums, numbering over 20 and wielding guns, invaded the palace in Isiu, shooting sporadically, even into the palace.”

He noted that while exhibiting their madness, youths in the community resorted to reprisal and successfully apprehended two of the marauders and inflicted serious injuries on them.

“The quick arrival of officers of the Zonal Monitoring Unit rescued them from the mob, who were determined to kill them. They were rescued and taken to the hospital for treatment,” he said.

He stated that one long Dane gun and two live cartridges had been recovered from the suspects.