Nigeria: Why I Prefer Stealing From Churches - Robbery Suspect

Lagos — Anti-robbery policemen attached to Oko-Oba division have arrested a 32-year-old man who allegedly specialised in bugling churches around Oko-Oba area of Lagos.
The suspect identified as Sannu Umaru was reportedly caught in the act inside one of the Pentecostal churches in Oko-Oba, weekend.
Umaru who claimed to be son of a retired army personnel, told policemen during interrogation that he preferred stealing from churches because of the security lapses.
Preliminary investigation, according to police sources, revealed that Umaru was allegedly involved in some robbery incidents in churches around the area. Before his arrest, he allegedly bugled a church where he made away with some musical instruments.
According to Police sources, "on that fateful night, he scaled the fence of the church and went to where the musical instruments were. As he was about carrying the piano valued close to half a million naira, one of the instruments fell down and attracted the night guards who went for him.
"He jumped through the fence with one of the instruments he stole. But he was apprehended by residents of the area who were alerted by the the guards and was brought to the station. He was found to have also burgled another church within the week."
In his confessional statement, Umaru blamed his indulgence on frustration, saying: "I was tempted to steal because of the death of my father. After his death, I went into scavenging but did not succeed. I chose to bugle churches because it is easier than any other place.
"Aside this, I do not need to be armed. I was scared of carrying arms and did not want to spill blood. That is why I considered stealing in churches as a gentleman's way.
"What I do is, anytime I go there, I would search the offering boxes. At times I would find money inside, while at other times I would not.
"At Saint Barnabas Church, I did not find any money inside the offering box. So, I decided to steal their music instrument."
Police sources said Umaru had been charged to court
                                    Culled from Vanguard 2nd July, 2013 [Written by Evelyn Usman]

Nigeria: Fuel Shortage Hits Abuja, Kano, Others

Stranded Nigerians waiting patiently. [Photo:Vanguard]

Abuja, Lagos, Bauchi, Minna, Kaduna, Kano, Aba — Long queues yesterday resurfaced at filling stations in Abuja, Kano, Bauchi, Aba and many other major cities as oil workers' union NUPENG began a three-day "warning" strike to press for fairer labour practices.
The National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) is demanding labour rights for workers in major oil companies, higher pay from their employers, as well as the repair of dilapidated roads that union members use in moving fuel products.
At the start of the industrial action yesterday, members of the unions shut down oil depots in Lagos, thereby stifling supply to all parts of the country.
Our correspondents witnessed chaotic scenes at petrol stations in Abuja, Kano, Bauchi and other places as people scrambled to fill their tanks. In Kaduna, most stations closed, effectively creating a run on the few that were open.
But the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation said there was no scarcity of petroleum products as it has a 32-day stock. The corporation said the fuel queues were as a result of panic buying.
Depots shut
Petroleum products depots at Apapa and Ibafon in Lagos were shut yesterday, as NUPENG officials were seen monitoring compliance with the industrial action.
Corporate Affairs Manager of Nigeria Independent Petroleum Company (NIPCO), Alhaji Taofeek Lawal, told our correspondent that the company's depot in Apapa was shut in deference to the union's directive.
"There was no loading this morning in compliance with the warning strike. In fact the whole depot was like a graveyard this morning as a result of the inability of tanker drivers to load products," he said.
There were no queues in most filling stations monitored by our correspondent in Lagos, apparently because the stations still had fuel in stock.
But in Abuja, there were long queues in the stations that were selling. The snaking queue at the NNPC Mega Station at the Central Area resulted in partial blockage of the adjoining road and a thick traffic snarl, with similar situations in other filling stations in the city.
A Daily Trust reporter also observed that some filling stations were locked up even though they might have fuel in stock, apparently hoping to cash in on the anticipated scarcity.
In Kano, our correspondent who went round the city reported that most of the filling stations were locked while the few that were open had long queues.
A manager in a filling station along Zango road said he closed his station by 12pm for security reasons. "I closed my station since 12 o'clock when I became aware of the strike to avoid unforeseen circumstances," he said. In the Sabon Gari area, most motorists said they were taken unawares by the strike.                          Culled from Daily Trust