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Abuja court grants Kanu’s request to apply for access to doctor, medical records 

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Sodiq Adelakun

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, granted the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu, the permission to apply for an order of mandamus to compel the Department of State Service, DSS, to allow him to have unhindered access to his medical doctor.

Kanu alleged that upon his “abduction” in Kenya, he was subjected to various forms of brutal torture and inhuman treatment and degradation, all of which worsened his health condition, pursuant to which he suffered a mild cardiac arrest before he was “smuggled back into Nigeria”.

“The Applicant’s health condition has continued to take a downward spiral since then.

“That various medical personnel that attended to the Applicant whilst in custody, had repeatedly informed him that they could not ascertain the reason for the depletion of potassium in the Applicant’s blood.

“That on various occasions, the medical personnel brought by the Respondents took the Applicant’s blood sample and allegedly transported same to South Africa for screening and up till the present, there is no end in sight for their trial-and-error medicare.

“That all medical experts that have so far attended to this complex health situation of the Applicant failed to medically fathom the explanation for the continued failure of various treatments so far given to the Applicant, hence their inquiries as to whether the Applicant may have been injected with a dangerous substance by those that abducted him in Kenya before being forcibly smuggled into Nigeria.

“That the medical personnel attending to the Applicant in the custody of the Respondents are oblivious of the cause of the Applicant’s health condition and are basically using the Applicant as a guinea pig while carrying out a trial-and-error exercise, as they keep changing his drugs and increasing the dosage without any improvement whatsoever in his health condition. Attached and marked as Exhibit MNK 6 is a copy of the Applicant’s medical report issued by the Respondents.

“That the full medical history of the Applicant as contained in his Medical file with the detaining authority were deliberately suppressed, as the facts of the speedy depletion in his potassium content was clearly deleted from the medical report which the Respondents issued to the Applicant.

“That the Applicant’s doctor- Dr. CFine Okorochukwu, who had gone to visit him on the 29th August, 2022, and 1st and 15th September, 2022, respectively, was denied access to him, by the Respondents, in flagrant disregard to the Order of the trial court, made on the 21st day of October, 2021, which order directed that the Applica nt should be allowed access to three persons of his choice, which persons includes his doctors. Attached and marked as Exhibit MNK8 are copies of the letters forwarding the name of the Doctor to the Respondents.

“That following the continued refusal of the Respondents to allow the Applicant access to his medical doctor, on the 12th of December, 2022, the Applicant through his lead Counsel- Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN – wrote to the Respondents and demanded that the Applicant be given unhindered access to his own medical doctors; and further, for the Applicant’s comprehensive medical records. A copy of the said letter is hereby attached and marked as Exhibit MNK9.

“That the Respondents roundly ignored the Applicant’s request to be availed of his medical records, and access to his doctors.”

Kanu told the court that though the DSS refused to avail him with his medications despite his deteriorating health condition, on account of paucity of funds, it rejected N1million that was raised by his family.

It will be recalled that the Court of Appeal in Abuja had on October 13, 2022, quashed a 15-count terrorism charge the Federal Government entered against Kanu, even as it discharged him.

Following an appeal FG lodged before the Supreme Court, the appellate court, on October 28, 2022, granted a stay of execution of its judgement to await the decision of the apex court.

Crime

Police arrest 8 suspected armed robbers over officer’s murder in Delta

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The Delta State Police Command’s Joint Security Outfit, Operation Delta Hawk, has arrested eight suspected armed robbers in connection with the alleged murder of a policeman, DSP Sunday Okoebor.

The deceased, until his death, was attached to the Command’s X-Squad.

He was shot dead in his apartment by suspected armed robbers on Tuesday at about 0330 hours.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Edafe, confirmed this in a statement.

“For the avoidance of doubt and to put the record straight, the Command wishes to state that, on 28/11/2023 at about 0330 hours, one DSP Sunday Okoebor attached to the Command X-Squad was shot dead at his apartment,” he said.

“The late officer was shot dead by suspected armed robbers who broke into his apartment in the guise of being EFCC operatives and on noticing he was a police officer, he was shot in the head.”

Edafe noted that the suspects have confessed to the murder.

He said the Commissioner of Police, CP Wale Abass, has commiserated with the family of the late officer and assured them of justice.

He also debunked rumours of a misleading viral WhatsApp post making the rounds that he (PPRO) was shot dead in his apartment.

“The command wishes to debunk this false news in totality and advises members of the public to completely disregard it.

“Members of the public are advised to desist from spreading false news and urged to reach out to the command for clarification before going to the media,” he added.

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FCT police parades 43 suspected criminals in Abuja

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Forty-three criminal suspects, ranging from culpable homicide, kidnapping, armed robbery, stealing, ‘one chance,’ illegal possession of firearms, and cultism, to carjacking, have been arrested by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command.

They were on Tuesday paraded by the police, 11 of whom were arrested over alleged involvement in ‘one chance’.

Haruna Garba, the Commissioner of Police, FCT, while speaking to newsmen explained that, “a total of 30 rounds of ammunition, five firearms, and three stolen vehicles, were recovered by the police.”

Garba stated that on October 29, police operatives from Kabusa Division, acting on actionable intelligence, arrested one Obichukwu Elijah and Johnson Samuel who stole and conspired to sell a Toyota Sienna with Registration No. EPE 397 DP, property of one Friday Ogelenya.

He added that the suspects were apprehended while trying to sell off the said vehicle at the Gudu mechanic area of Apo.

Suspects confessed to their involvement in the crime and will be charged in court at the conclusion of the investigation.

According to him, on October 24, a report was made by one Faith James at the Trademore Division, that she boarded a green Peugeot vehicle with Reg. No. CK 202 GWA from ACO Estate junction heading to Trademore, but was robbed of her belongings, which included a cash sum of N110,000 by a purported commercial vehicle driver and her colleagues who pretended to be genuine passengers.

He stressed that the police operatives from the division swung into action, trailed and arrested one Osai Donatus with the same vehicle in the process of committing the same act on another innocent passenger, saying that the suspect confessed to his involvement in the crime and is assisting the police to apprehend his other gang members at large.

The CP further revealed that operatives from the Asokoro Division on 30th October, while on routine patrol along the DSS Quarters, Asokoro observed a Vento Volkswagen car with Reg. No. APP 307 GS, blue in colour moving in a suspicious manner.

He explained that the police operatives intercepted the vehicle opposite Niger Barracks and arrested a five-man gang, AKA “Open and Close” namely; Lekan Adebayo (gang leader), Abraham Umukoro, Joseph Asobei, Blessing Gabriel (female) and Joy Livinus (female).

Garba added that during interrogation, suspects confessed to being a one-chance syndicate who specialised in carefully identifying, and picking up their victims, taking them to an isolated area, to rob them of their valuables, and drop them off at isolated locations, pointing out that while searching the vehicle, police operatives discovered four bundles of wrapped paper cut to money size, four car keys and other valuables.

He added that there was a report from one Bright Ezekiel on 27th November, that she and her friend one Rose Augustine boarded a vehicle from Mogadishu Cantonment to Kubwa and were taken to an unknown destination where the sum of N482,000.00 and N387,500.00 respectively were transferred from their account by suspected one chance robbers.

On receipt of the report, he said police operatives from Asokoro Division swung into action and with the help of the Nigeria Army Intelligence Unit, five suspects namely: Ogbonna Nwovu, Ndugo Ikechukwu, Amaechi Emezi, Felicia Udoh and Adekunle Tayo were arrested, stressing that their operational vehicle, V/wagen Wagon taxi, with Reg. No. AA 958 RYM blue in colour was recovered.

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Crime

FCT: Police arrest suspect in brutal murder of employer

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The Federal Capital Territory FCT Police Command says its operatives have arrested one Abraham Aliyu for allegedly killing his employer, Mrs. Dzuma Jidayi.

The Commissioner of Police, CP. HARUNA G. GARBA, while parading about 43 suspects at the command headquarters on Tuesday, noted that the suspect, who had been on the run, committed the heinous crime on October 10 in the Garki area of the territory.

According to the CP, a preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect was working in a water factory belonging to the deceased.

The CP explained that the suspect, “in the course of his duties caused damage to the water pipe. Hence the deceased seized his salary to effect repairs of the damaged pipe.

“This development angered the suspect, and he hit the deceased woman on the head with an iron rod, which resulted in her death.

“The suspect, sensing that her madam had died, stole her handset, a bag containing her ATM cards and some cash and ran away from the scene.

“The long arm of the law caught up with him and he was arrested a few weeks after committing the act. He has since confessed to the crime and will be arraigned in court.

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