Metro
For Cancelling Wedding, Dismissed Policeman Kills Fiancée’s Mother
An ex-policeman, Ogwu Christian, has been arrested for allegedly killing his fiancée’s mother, Veronica Obiejieogo, over the cancellation of their wedding date.
Christian reportedly shot the 45-year-old woman dead at short range while she was walking along a street in her village in Delta State. He thereafter fled the scene on a motorcycle.
City Round learnt that his wedding to Obiejieogo’s daughter, Blessing, had been fixed for December 27, 2018.
He had reportedly given Blessing money to buy clothes and some other items they would use on that day.
Few days to the ceremony, it was learnt that 39-year-old Christian noticed that Blessing was evasive as he no longer got updates on the wedding plans from her.
City Round gathered that when it became clear that the wedding would not hold as scheduled, Christian went to Blessing’s village in Otolokpo and killed her mother, whom he accused of cancelling the event.
He relocated to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, afterwards.
Our correspondent learnt that operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team went after Christian following a petition to the IGP, Mohammed Adamu, on the incident.
After months of tracking him, the suspect was arrested recently in Port Harcourt, while he allegedly was about to carry out a fraudulent deal.
The police said Christian, who was dismissed from the Force in 2005, had been parading himself as a senior officer to defraud members of the public and policemen seeking promotion.
In an interview with City Round during the week, the native of Afor in the Ndukwa East Local Government area of Delta State, confessed to the murder of his fiancée’s mother, adding that he believed the victim discouraged her daughter from marrying him.
He stated that he was frustrated and felt betrayed after he had planned big for the wedding.
He recalled, “I met Blessing at Ogwuachukwu Polytechnic, Delta State, where she was a student. She told me she was single and we started a relationship. In the process, she became pregnant but she aborted it. She said she could not have a child for me because I wasn’t known to her family.
“In April 2018, I went for a formal introduction and her family asked me to come back for a more elaborate ‘introduction ceremony.’ On September 7, 2018, I went back with my family for the ceremony and they gave us the list of things required for the marriage. In October, Blessing informed me that she was pregnant. We then fixed the wedding for December 27, 2018 and I gave her money to buy clothes that we would use for the marriage.
“On December 5, 2018, she called me and said she was on her way to Asaba, where I resided and after waiting for her for a long time, I called her, but she didn’t pick up her calls. One of her brothers known as Friday informed me that she had a miscarriage and was at the hospital in Asaba with her mother. I went to the hospital but I was not allowed to see Blessing and her mother.
“Some days later, I called her to know what was going on. She told me she was in her friend’s place in Asaba. I went there but I didn’t see her after waiting all day.
“On December 21, 2018, she told me on the phone that she had travelled to Lagos. I became very angry and met with one of my friends known as Steven.”
The ex-policeman explained that he rented a gun with two live cartridges from Steven for N10,000 and headed for his fiancée’s village on December 26, 2018 – the eve of the thwarted wedding.
He said shortly before he killed Obiejieogo, he took some alcohol and drugs to toughen up.
He added, “I went to a shop close to my fiancée’s house and bought a bottle of dry gin and Tramadol. I took them at once to get inspiration so that I would not change my mind. While I was at the shop, I sighted her mother and her younger brother walking towards my direction. I went to them, brought out my gun and shot the woman. I then zoomed off on a motorcycle and relocated to Rivers State.”
But a police source disclosed to our correspondent that the deceased discouraged her daughter from marrying Christian after she discovered he was a fraudster.
“The incident that got the deceased angry was when Christian defrauded two residents of her community, whom he had offered to help secure jobs at the Federal Road Safety Commission. He collected N25,000 each from the victims, but he didn’t get them the jobs as promised,” the source added.
Narrating his escapades as a fraudster, Christian said he joined a gang after he was dismissed from the Nigeria Police Force over a gun allegedly snatched away from him by some armed robbers at a checkpoint.
He said, “I attended training at the Police College, Ikeja, Lagos. I was posted to the Edo State Police Command, where I served for five years before I was dismissed. I joined a fraud syndicate operating in Asaba. The man who initiated me into the syndicate taught me all the tricks.
“I started using my police experience to defraud people. I adopted the rank of an Assistant Superintendent of Police and people started coming to me for assistance.
“Some policemen, who wanted promotion, paid me to help them because I told them I was working in the IGP’s office in Abuja. People who wanted to get recruited into the police also came to me and I usually collected N150,000 per person.
“Those applying for Cadet ASP, paid me N400,000 each. In some cases, I succeeded in helping them, using my connections.”
The Punch
Leading payment services bank, MoneyMaster Payment Service Bank (MMPSB) continues to delight its existing customers with various freebies for every transaction.
The bank recently announced the launch of a new 100MB data offer for new customers. The initiative aims to encourage people with little or no access to banking services to set up their own mobile wallets using the bank’s USSD banking platform. The promotion is available to Glo customers using the bank’s USSD bank code, *995#.
A few weeks ago, MoneyMaster introduced a 10 percent data bonus on top-ups of 1,000 naira and above for existing and new customers on the Glo network. The offer was rated as one of the best offers in the country in terms of the amount of data offered. Data purchases are valid for 30 days, and any unused data can be rolled over to your next plan.
Commenting on the data offer, Julius Arhebun, head of agency banking at MoneyMaster, said: “as a payment service bank, one of our core mandates is to promote financial inclusion. This offer builds on the various financial education we have been providing online and across our various customer touchpoints.
“With this new 100MB offer, we want to encourage Nigerians in the unbanked and underbanked pools to be financially included by having at least a mobile wallet. The account number of this mobile wallet is derived from their mobile number, and can be easily recalled,” he noted.
MoneyMaster PSB is a leading provider of innovative digital financial products and services that transform lives and contribute to sustainable living. With a mission to deepen financial inclusion, MoneyMaster has been instrumental in providing financial technology services to bridge the gap between the banked, unbanked and underbanked.
Leading real estate and property firm, Adron Homes and Properties, has announced the postponement of the earlier advertised seventh edition of the Adron Homes Games, with the theme Fit to be the Biggest.
The postponement, according to a statement signed by the Group’s Managing Director, Adenike Ajobo, and made available to Pointblank.ng, is as a result security concerns as the company prioritizes the security of its staff, attendees and participants.
Recall that the sports fiesta, originally billed to take place on November 29 and 30, 2024, was scheduled to hold at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan.
Read the statement in full:
POSTPONEMENT OF ADRON GAMES 2024
Adron Homes wishes to announce the cancellation of the much-anticipated Adron Games 2024.
This decision, was made in the best interest of all participants, stakeholders, and the broader community. The postponement is necessitated by heightened security concerns in certain regions that could potentially jeopardize the safety of staff, attendees and participants.
As an organization that is committed to the well-being of its staffs, partners and everyone involved, priority is designated to safety and security above all else. Also, the organization is taking this opportunity to rethink and restructure its sporting initiatives to ensure public inclusivity
and as part of efforts to enhance and expand the impact of its wellness programs, the Adron Games will evolve into a broader, more inclusive sporting initiative.
This transformation will foster collaboration, unity, and healthy competition among a wider array of participants, and will embody the same spirit of excellence, teamwork, and wellness that the Adron Games has championed over the years.
We deeply regret any inconvenience this decision may cause and hereby extend our heartfelt gratitude to our valued staff, participants, partners, ambassadors and supporters for their understanding and continued trust in Adron Homes.
Adron Homes remains committed to inspiring excellence and fostering community engagement through corporate wellness initiatives such as Adron Games at all times.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Police Affairs, Mr. James Sule, has retired from service after 35 years of meritorious service to the nation, according to a statement signed by the Deputy Director, Information and Public Relations Unit, Mr. Bolaji Kazeem, and made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP).
The Permanent Secretary however, charged the directorate cadre to mentor officers in the service for effective service delivery to the citizens, as a parting advice.
He made the charge during the send-forth ceremony organized on his behalf by the Ministry staff at the Headquarters of the Ministry in Abuja.
The retired Permanent Secretary said that everything starts and ends with leadership and the need to uphold the organization’s rules and regulations without considering people’s feelings.
“We are all leaders just like I said, don’t just think the president, vice president, and governors are only leaders. What can you do in your community to impact positively on others? What are you doing to mentor the younger ones so that whatever corner you find yourself in, whether you are a union leader, whether you are an assistant director or you are a principal officer, you do your best to be fair, accountable, and transparent in your activities?
He used the opportunity to thank the management and staff of the Ministry for their support and for working with him as a team to ensure the success of the ministry.
According to James, “Indeed, it was a privilege to work alongside a talented and committed team. Together we have achieved a lot, and I am proud of knowing you and we have accomplished it while we were here although it was short, I also want to thank you for your kind words. I thank my personal staff that’s brought so much to the nation-building,” he said.
In his response, the Director charged with the Permanent Secretary Office, Mr. Yusuf Abubakar Argungu, stated that the staff has learned so much from the retired Permanent Secretary noting that the friendship and mentorship have just begun and not the end of it, just the beginning of it.
“It is the perfect time to reflect on the invaluable lessons, experiences, and memories you have shared with us and to experience our heartfelt appreciation. Retirement isn’t the end of an era but the beginning of a new chapter in life. We are wishing you a retirement filled with exciting journeys. Congratulations,” he said.
