News
Married Woman Dies While Spending Night With Lover
The Plateau State Police Command has arrested a 42-year-old man, Gundumi Saya, over the death of his married lover, one Mrs. Hajara Markus, who died while spending the night with him.
According to the Police charge sheet currently before Justice Daniel Longji of the Plateau State High Court, Jos, Saya, who has three wives and 14 children, is a resident of Zango-Dinya in Bassa Local Government of Plateau.
The accused, who is being charged with culpable homicide, allegedly committed the offence on November 21, 2018.
The Police alleged that the suspect, on November 21, committed the act of adultery with the deceased when he lured her out of her matrimonial home to have sexual intercourse with her, an offence that contravened Section 368 of the Penal Code.
The charge sheet further said that the suspect intentionally dumped the body of the deceased by the road side, after he realised that she had died in his custody while he was having sexual relations with him.
It said that the accused refused to inform the Police of Hajara’s death, thereby contravening sections 189 and 102 of the Penal Code.
The suspect, in a confessional statement, however, denied killing his lover, stating that he woke up to make love to her in the middle of the night, only to find her dead.
“I have known Hajara before she got married; I have been in a relationship with her for a long time. In-between, she got married and got divorced twice, but we still kept on seeing each other until she got married again a few years ago.
“Whenever I wanted to have sexual relations with her, I invited her to the bush where we will catch our fun, and she will return home.
“On the said date, we arranged to meet at my friend’s place, one Ojukwu, who is also married, after she had told her husband that she was going for a wedding in Bauchi State.
“As agreed, we met at Ojukwu’s house and he (Ojukwu) gave us a room to pass the night.
“Ojukwu’s wife later sent a boy with garri (cassava flour) and kuli-kuli (groundnut cake) to Hajara, which she soaked and took after which she retired to sleep.
“I woke up at 2a.m. to make love to her, but discovered that she was motionless. I quickly ran to Ojukwu’s room to alert him, but his wife told me that he did not sleep at home.
“I called him on phone to tell him what happened; when he came, I suggested that we should report the matter to the Police, but he told me not to do that because I would land in serious trouble.’’
The statement quoted the accused as claiming that Ojukwu advised him to dump the body by the roadside, which they both did, and went their separate ways.
The statement said further: “Six days after we dumped Hajara’s body, I heard some commotion in front of my house and when I peeped, I saw policemen who came to arrest me.
“I ran to the bush and stayed there for three days after which my daughter called to tell me that my elder brother had been taken away by the Police.
“I felt bad when I heard that sad news and decided to surrender myself to the Police.’’
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Jos, Saya maintained that he had no hand in the death of the late woman.
“I did not kill her. But I may not know if my friend’s wife poisoned the garri she gave her because that was the last thing she took before going to bed.’’
Husband to the deceased, Mr. Markus Jagaba, 44, in his statement, said his late wife took permission from him to attend a wedding at Jakandangiwa village in Bauchi State.
Jagaba said he allowed her to go because it was a family occasion and he did not suspect that she was going to meet another man.
“My wife told me she was going to attend a family occasion at Jakandangiwa village in Bauchi State. I did not argue with her. I simply allowed going because I didn’t know she had other plans.
“I became worried when she did not return home after the wedding and did not respond to my phone calls. I called her family members and was shocked to learn that she was not at the wedding.
“When we did not see her after searching everywhere, my family and I reported the matter to the Police, after which I was called by the Police, some days later, to come over and identify the corpse which I confirmed to be my wife’s.’’
Elder brother to the suspect, Mr. Yakuba Saya, told NAN that no one in the family knew that he (suspect), was dating a married woman until the Police stormed their house to make the arrest.
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.