SPLENSIZY'S BLOG

Friday 11 November 2016

Robbers kill bank manager, security man in Ekiti

Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris

Kamarudeen Ogundele, Ado Ekiti

Robbers invaded the rustic town of Otun-Ekiti in Moba Local Government Area of Ekiti State on Thursday and killed four persons in simultaneous attacks that included two banks.

It was learnt that policemen at the scene fled from the firepower of the armed robbers who laid siege to the entire town for about an hour.

The victims of the attacks were the manager and cashier of a commercial bank, a security man at another commercial bank and the night guard to the town’s monarch, Oba Adedapo Popoola.

Our correspondent gathered that the security man was to get married in two weeks’ time before he met his untimely death.

The Oore Otun, Oba Popoola, said the attack was akin to a war against the community, with gunshots and explosives deployed all over the town.

“It happened around 6pm on Thursday evening. I was relaxing with my chiefs in front of the palace when we heard what first sounded like some fireworks and we dismissed it as some of the children’s antics as a result of the festive period.

“But later, we heard heavier and more shocking sounds that resembled gunshots and explosives. That was when we realised that it was no child’s play.

“Gunshots and explosives were all over the place and heard from all corners. I couldn’t situate the incident, as we ruminated whether it was robbery, Boko Haram’s attack or some kind of war happening.

“We later learnt that the robbers mounted their men at the four entrances into the town: the roundabout at Orimope Road; outside Moba LGA secretariat; in front of my palace and in front of the Technical College outside the town on the way to Kwara.

“The sporadic gunshots and explosives lasted for about an hour before the dust settled. And by that time, four people had died.

“They manager and cashier of a bank, a security man at another bank and my night guard who had just resumed for night duty and wanted to close the gate.”

The king said he quickly contacted Governor Ayodele Fayose, who immediately mobilised security agencies to the town, but the robbers had left before their arrival.

When contacted, the Ekiti State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Alberto Adeyemi, confirmed the report.

He said the Police had deposited the remains of the victims at Usi-Ekiti General Hospital, while investigation had begun.

14 ways to use smartphone cameras in classrooms

Below are some useful ways to apply smartphone cameras to learning in class:

Instant notes: Use a smartphone camera to snap clear pictures of lecture notes for later reference.
Digital storytelling: Stories come alive using digital photography. Smartphone cameras can take excellent storybook shots you can add effects to later on.
Video docs: Shooting a documentary-style project with a smartphone is an edgy and artistic way to tell your story. You can also try shooting an ad or commercial for a media studies class using the same technique.
Video podcasts: Use your camera’s video to take footage while recording vlogs or video cast episodes.
Tutorial making: This is a great way to check for understanding of a certain topic. Have students create either a systematic visual guide or video tutorial, using their smartphone cameras.
Science in motion: Objects in motion make a great video project idea for science class. You can also use it for dissection projects, where the camera needs to get a nice quick zoom on key stages of the process.
Story chains: This is a visual take on the classic chain story exercise. One student begins with a photograph (either real or staged) and places a caption underneath it. The next student adds a new picture and caption to keep the impromptu story going, and so on.
Photo collages: Art classes can become platforms for digital image display.
Scanning documents: The camera of a smartphone can be used as a scanner. It’s not the same quality as a full-size scanner, but it does the job.
Visual diaries: Use images to create a visual record of a personal or academic journey of your choice. Check out the Chase Jarvis book, ‘The best camera is the one that’s with you’, for inspiration.
Portfolio additions: Using smartphone cameras is a great way to piece together special sections for a student’s portfolio. This is a great way for students to exercise their organisational skills.
Photo research: Using smartphone cameras to take archival photos and footage can greatly enhance research projects.
Photo editing: The photo enhancement capabilities on smartphone cameras are getting just as impressive as the cameras themselves. Photography classes can feature great lessons on in-camera photo editing projects.
Presentations: Use your smartphone camera for making great presentations. They can be staged, or completely off the cuff (e.g. on a field trip somewhere).

Source: Global Digital Citizen Foundation

Godwin Udoh, Asaba

A suspected kidnapper has said that he earned money running into several millions of naira while he engaged in the criminal act.

He confessed that he bought cars with his earnings and that he was proposing to establish a private business before he was caught.

The suspect, Joshua Okoh, disclosed this when he was paraded by Police in Asaba, Delta State.

He said, “Kidnapping is like a business to me. Lack of job and bad economy forced me into crime. I chose kidnapping because that is what I can do best. Now I am in trouble; but since I started this business, I’ve never killed anybody.

“What me and other gang members did was to just collect the ransom and let the person (victim) go. We did pity them, but we did not have any other option.”

“I have carried out about five successful kidnappings and my share ran into millions of naira. I bought cars with the money and proposed to establish a business before this arrest.

“It is not as if we liked the job, but we were forced into crime by rich leaders and brothers who do not help, but would rather exhibit wealth in your presence.”

“It will interest you to know that most people who are victims of kidnapping are set up by their own brothers and sisters who they refused to help, just like this one that led to our arrest. It was initiated by a brother of the woman she may have refused to assist.”

The suspect who hails from Udu Local Government Area of Delta State said he had two guns that the gang used.

He said that after each successful operation, the victim would be kept in their hideout located in a bush in Ekrehavwe town, Ughelli North Local Government Area.

Joshua, who was arrested with four other suspected members of his gang, namely, Anthony Oren, (alleged to be the vigilante boss of Orhakpo community in Ughelli North Local Government); ThankGod Okeperhie, Dennis (surname unknown and still at large) and Clement Efanyobera, said the devil manipulated him into crime.

Parading the suspects, the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Zanna Mohammed Ibrahim, said the suspects were arrested in connection with the abduction of a housewife, Mrs. Judith Osayande, in Warri.

Ibrahim said that on October 30, 2016, Mrs. Osayande was kidnapped along Edjeba Road, Warri. He said that on November 2, 2016, while acting on a tip off, operatives of SARS in Asaba invaded Ejewu community in Udu Local Government Area and effected Joshua Okoh’s (aka Onos) arrest.

He said the suspect had confessed to the crime and that during a search of his house, N1.8m, being part of the ransom of N3m collected before releasing their last victim, was recovered.

Also recovered from the suspects was the victim’s Toyota Camry with number plate BEN 825JA, two guns, 13 live cartridges, and one Honda Accord belonging to the suspect.

Not just a few knew that comedian, Seyi Law and his wife, Ebere, went through emotional trauma sometime ago when they lost their child. But now, as his wife was delivered of a baby recently, the comedian is in cloud nine.

In a chat with Saturday Beats, the singer explained that even before he had the child that died, some people already tagged him impotent.

“The fact that we lost a child was very tough. Sometimes when you post something on the social media, people wonder why you bring your family issue to the social media. What they do not know is that you just want some words of encouragement. Sometimes you really cannot control the way bad news spreads. I have heard people say things like I cannot get a woman pregnant. When the news came out that I lost my child, it was more like a confirmation that I am a man. But by the special grace of God, I have another child now. What made that very painful was the fact that when we lost the baby, I did not know what to tell my wife and how to console her and that was a very difficult time for me. I needed to rely on the words of encouragement from people to stay strong for both myself and my wife,” he said.

The comedian told Saturday Beats that although it was a tough period for his family, he and his wife had to be strong for each other during their trying times.

“One of the things I did was to take a lot of vacation and I spent more time with my wife. We went to different places. We travelled out of the country and visited several interesting places. I gave my wife constant reassurance that she is the mother of my children. There was a Mother’s Day celebration where we took a trip to a resort and I told her that I was celebrating Mother’s Day with the mother of my children. This was to encourage her and the fact that she is also a strong person helped. I think she is even stronger than I am in the sense that you cannot get into a woman’s heart but a woman that goes through such pain and still goes into the kitchen to prepare food for her husband says a lot. You see her smiling and the love and affection she showed me gave me no other choice but to be strong. I think I am the emotional one between us. I also tried to keep the memory of the lost child away from her. I made sure we did not have the picture of the baby and I tried to also watch her at night to ensure that she was not crying because I knew that was when something like that could happen,” said Seyi Law.

The humour merchant said that he is the happiest man on earth as he is a proud father. He said that his happiness cannot be quantified.

“I am very excited that I am a proud father. I remember that one day in my church, they were doing a programme tagged, ‘Parenting in the 21st century’. When I was telling someone about it, I said that the programme was for parents like us. The excitement is so much and I am very happy about it. I am grateful to God and I cannot quantify my joy,” he said