NIGERIA'S NEWS/INFO HUB *Authentic *Reliable *Unbiased

THE University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) community was thrown into grief and mourning on Wednesday night, November 11, as seven newly graduated Pharmacy students died during a celebration to mark the completion of their academic programmes.

The incident occurred at Hilltop, an off-campus residential area in Nsukka, Enugu State, where the promising graduates had gathered for a sign-out house party.

Before then, they had reportedly taken to social media to share videos and photographs of themselves celebrating the completion of their programmes.

Things, however, became sour when celebration turned to grief and mourning, as seven of the graduates died in the moment of joy.

The circumstances surrounding and cause of their death, as well as their identities were yet to be ascertained at press time.

Meanwhile, the university’s Acting Public Relations Officer, Inya Agha Egwu, has assured that the management would issue an official statement on the incident.

In a message to journalists on Thursday morning, November 12, Egwu said: “Good morning, colleagues. Those calling in connection with the incident that happened last night should please hold on.

“We will issue an official statement on the matter soon. Thank you.”

BY CHUKS COLLINS, AWKA

THE Anambra State Traffic Management Agency (ATMA) has suspended for two months without pay, some of its officers who went viral recently after singing a campaign song in support of the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and former governor of the state, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

The management reportedly handed down the suspension on Tuesday, Nov 10, following the controversy generated by a video showing the officers singing NDC campaign song to motorists while on duty at Nwagu Junction area of Agulu, Obi’s homet in Anaocha Council.

Following the incident, the  officers were summarily rounded up and taken to the agency’s Awka headquarters, where they were made to explain their action and circumstances surrounding the incident.

It was gathered that their behaviour was on the spur of the moment as they reportedly got carried away and joined the chorus when they  saw a passing vehicle bearing NDC logo and blaring loudspeakers.

Their suspension was assumed to be part of the agency’s disciplinary process as a result of the viral video.

The suspended officers were visibly downcast and looking very worried, with some of them in tears as they sought the assistance of influential Indigenes to  intervene on their behalf.

Meanwhile, their relatives have appealled to public-spirited individuals to come to their aid by assisting them secure alternative employment opportunities during the suspension period, considering the current economic situation in the country, particularly ahead  of the Yuletide season.

When contacted, ATMA’s commander declined any comment on the matter.

THE Delta State Police Command has arrested a 54-year-old woman for allegedly staging her own kidnap and demanding a ransom of ₦15million from her brother while attempting to extort her family.

The woman, identified simply as Umadi, claimed she was abducted by unknown gunmen while on her way to purchase medicine and subsequently contacted her younger brother to report that her purported kidnappers were demanding N15million ransom for her release.

The Command’s spokesman, Bright Edafe (SP), explained that the incident was reported on October 23, at the Ogwuashi-Uku Police Division as a suspected case of kidnapping.

Edafe stated that following the report, the Commissioner of Police (CP) directed operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit in Ubuluku to investigate the case and ensure the woman’s rescue. 

However, he said an intelligence-led investigation by the operatives led to the discovery that the alleged abduction was a plot by the woman herself to extort money from her younger brother and her family.

Edafe, in a video, expressed shock that a woman in her 50s would engage in self-kidnapping, as previous such cases largely involved teenagers and young people.

He said: “In the past, we had cases of self-kidnap or fake kidnap done by underage or, let me say, teenagers of 15, 16, 17 to 20 years, but we have never had a case that involved a 54-year-old elderly woman.

“It is quite unfortunate that she faked her own kidnap because she wanted to extort her younger brother of N15million.”

During her interrogation, the suspect admitted plotting the fake abduction and contacting her younger brother to say she had been kidnapped.

When Edafe asked her how much ransom she demanded, the woman responded that she requested N15million.

She also admitted telling her brother that the supposed kidnappers would kill her if the money was not paid.

Asked why she decided to put her brother through such an ordeal, despite his having not treated her badly, Umadi struggled to provide a good explanation.

Edafe disclosed that the suspect claimed she had been held captive for 12 days after staging the abduction on October 20, but investigations revealled that the incident was a calculated attempt to extort her younger brother, who had initially believed she was indeed in captivity.

The Command’s spokesman commended the suspect’s brother for reporting the incident to the Police and stressed the need for prompt alert of security agencies whenever relatives receive threats of kidnapping or ransom demands.

Edafe said the suspect could not have acted alone, as investigators had identified some individuals allegedly involved in the conspiracy and were already on their trail  for possible arrest.

According to him: “Some of the people she conspired with were seen on their trail, because obviously she didn’t do it alone, and we are definitely going to arrest them,”

The Command vowed to continue its investigation into the incident and pursue the fleeing accomplices until arrested.