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Man injured by suspected robbers

By Foluke Ojumu

Two suspected robbers, identified to be Togolese nationals who robbed and injured a man at Yaskawa Estate Jabi, have been arrested by the Life Camp police division.

A police source who pleaded anonymity told our reporter that two suspected robbers were arrested during the usual patrol carried out by police officers.

“They were trying to escape from the victim’s house when they heard the siren of the police vehicle but unfortunately, they were caught by the police and were taken to the Life Camp division. The alarm raised by the people living close to the victim was of great help to the police as they were able to quickly trace where the incident happened,” the source said.

He said the victim was found lying helplessly on the ground and was at the point of dying.

“The victim was actually tied to a chair with a rope and was tortured by the suspects. They asked him to give them the hard currency which he had at home and when the victim could not provide the suspects with what they wanted, they beat him mercilessly and left him in an unconscious state,” the source added.

The source police recovered a Samsung Galaxy Note, a knife, and the rope which they used in tying up the victim, adding that the suspects also confessed to have stolen some valuable items from the victim’s house.

He said the victim was taken to a private hospital and he is presently receiving treatment. “The suspects are been remanded in the police custody after which the case will be transferred to the state CID.”

Kuje market traders decry delay in compensation for demolished shops

By Abubakar Sadiq Isah

Traders of the Kuje main market in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have complained over the delay in paying them compensation for their demolished shops by the authorities of the council during the ongoing modernization of the market.

Some traders who spoke with our reporter have expressed dissatisfaction with the authorities of the council for delaying the compensation.

They said that no proper arrangement has been made by the council authorities to find out those traders whose shops have been demolished and work out a formula for compensation.

A trader, Malam Suleiman Mohammed said three of his shops were demolished without proper agreement on compensation, saying the authorities of the council have never invited any of the traders to deliberate on how those affected would be compensated.

“In fact, I have all my papers that were issued to me by the area council land department during the first allocation of shops at the main market. And I have two wives and 10 children but I am finding it difficult to cater for them as my only source of income no longer exists,” he said.

Another trader, Mrs. Juliana David, who also claimed to own two shops that were demolished, also said she was yet to be compensated, adding that the price to acquire a new allocation was outrageous.

“The new shops are too expensive for ordinary people as a lockup shop goes for about N2.5 million while the open shop goes for N1.5 million and the plaza goes for N3.5 million. If you are not rich or have a big business, it will be difficult to acquire these kinds of shops,” she said.

Reacting, the Chairman of Kuje Traders Association, Mr Yunusa Isa appealed to the affected traders to be patient with the management as compensation was done in batches. He disclosed that only traders with genuine allocation papers from the Kuje Area Council land department would be considered.

He claimed that consultations and meetings were held with the genuine traders of the market whose shops were demolished, even as he said the project was a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement between the Kuje Area Council and Green House Ventures Limited.

“I want to appeal to the affected traders to cooperate with the management in the completion of the market project,” he said.

Police arrest suspected bag snatchers

By Foluke Ojumu

Two suspected robbers were on Tuesday arrested by the Life Camp police division after allegedly snatching the hand bag of one Hajiya Amina Ahmed along airport road.

A police source told City News that at about 1:30am, the suspects, Ibrahim Mohammed and Aminu Suleiman were nabbed immediately after snatching the victim’s bag in a moving vehicle.

“The victim was on her way back from the airport when she was attacked by the suspects. The driver of the vehicle was approaching Life Camp junction when the suspects came out from nowhere, ran towards the car and forcefully collected the woman’s bag,” he said.

The source said that the vehicle driver was not on high speed because of the bumps on the road and the fact that the day was still dark.

He said the suspects were shot at by the surveillance team who were patrolling the area, adding that the suspects are part of a gang terrorizing the area, using the bumps on the road as an avenue to rob from drivers making use of the road at night.

“The suspects were taken to Gwarinpa hospital for medical treatment and they will be brought back to the station immediately after their treatment for further investigation,” the source said.