Metro

Anambra Shoe Dealers’ Market Boils As Thugs Brutalize Traders

Published

4 months ago

December 23, 2025

Editor

Thugs stormed the Onitsha Shoe Dealers’ Market on Monday, causing chaos in the area.

According to DAILY POST, several traders were severely brutalized during the attack.

Concerned traders, under the Emordi Shoe Dealers Association, have condemned the invasion, describing it as barbaric.

A video currently in circulation could show some of the traders battered by the thugs allegedly acting under the instruction of a former chairman of the Association, one Nwabueze Umeh.

One of the traders, who spoke under anonymity, alleged that Umeh had been instigating troubles in the market ever since his tenure ended many years ago.

According to him, he fought his immediate successor to a standstill and had continued to unleash the same treatment on the current chairman, Okwudili Anigbogu, whose election was said to have been supervised by the authorities of the Onitsha South LGA

The source said trouble started after Ume claimed that the election had been annulled by Governor Charles Soludo, through the governor’s PA on Markets.

“Meanwhile, there was no formal communication from the government to prove that such an order was given by the governor.

“The next thing we saw was that they stormed the market with thugs and some members of the state security operatives, known as SASA, and started brutalizing our members.

“The thugs, under the supervision of those that brought them, also left with the wares of some of the victims.

“The group has been notorious for arresting and detaining people for days without handing over to the police.

“In this instance, when they came to the market, Nwabueze Umeh prevented people from recording the assault, and confiscated phones belonging to some of the traders. The phones were destroyed there and then.”

When asked what could have led to the developments, the trader said the former chairman was doing everything to block a probe into his land deals when he was in office.

“What happened was that the government gave the traders land for an expansion of the market.

“However, Umeh hijacked the land and started selling the portions off as personal property.

“His successor took the matter to court in order to recover the land; that’s why he has been fighting since then, as the incumbent chairman also vowed to pursue the matter in court,” he further alleged.

The traders appealed to Governor Soludo to intervene in the matter in order to avoid a total breakdown of law and order as well as shedding of blood.

It was also gathered that the incumbent chairman and some others who were brutalized during the invasion are currently receiving treatment in different hospitals in the state.

Efforts to obtain reaction from Umeh were not successful as of the time of filing this report as he neither answered calls nor responded to text message sent to him.

Metro

Gunmen Kidnap Businessman In Ibadan

Published

1 day ago

May 4, 2026

Editor

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted a 60-year-old man in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The victim was kidnapped on Saturday while on his way to his residence.

The incident occurred at Jinarere, Alakia in Ibadan.

Public Relations Officer of the State Police command, Olayinka Ayanlade, when contacted, confirmed the incident.

Ayanlade in a statement made available to DAILY POST on Sunday, explained that efforts are ongoing to rescue the victim.

Ayanlade said, “Preliminary information reveals that the victim, a 60-year-old male and building materials trader, was accosted while returning home along the Jinarere axis of Alakia Road by four masked armed men, who forcefully whisked him away in an unregistered ash-coloured Toyota Corolla vehicle”.

Metro

Tragedy As Suspected Kidnappers Kill Young Entrepreneur In Edo

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2026

Editor

A 30-year-old entrepreneur and CEO of Principle Takeout, Justice Abu Oshioke, has been killed by suspected kidnappers in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

He was reportedly attacked by the suspected kidnappers on Saturday while on his way to pick up an order made for his child’s dedication on Sunday morning.

Eyewitnesses said the attackers attempted to force him into a nearby bush in a kidnapping attempt. However, he reportedly resisted and tried to escape.

In the course of the struggle, the assailants opened fire, shooting him multiple times.

Concerned residents quickly rushed him to a nearby medical facility, but he was confirmed dead on arrival.

The deceased was said to have recently gotten married and welcomed a baby boy.

The tragic event has turned a joyous occasion into a moment of grief for the family.

The shocking development has left the Ekpoma community in deep sorrow, with many residents expressing outrage over the growing insecurity in the area.

Edo State Police Command’s spokesperson, Eno Ikoedem confirmed the incident and said the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika has ordered a “full-scale investigation and intensified manhunt for those responsible.”

According to her, the Police, in collaboration with the military, local vigilantes, and hunters, are actively pursuing the perpetrators through coordinated operations.

Metro

Grandfathers Arrested For Drug Trafficking

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2026

Editor

Two grandfathers, aged 83 and 78, are among several suspects apprehended by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in a fresh nationwide crackdown on illicit drug trafficking.

Pa John Ofiel, 83, was arrested on Tuesday, 28 April during a raid in the Aba region of Abia State.

The NDLEA said that operatives acting on credible intelligence recovered 700 grams of skunk, a potent strain of cannabis already packaged into retail sachets.

The octogenarian, who claimed to be a professional shoemaker allegedly confessed to delving into the illicit trade.

In Ekiti State on Thursday 30 April 78 year old Ogunjobi Samuel was detained at his residence in Ilupeju-Ekiti where officers seized 350 grams of cannabis from him, identifying him as a local peddler.

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, (CCEO), Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), commended the various state commands for their drug supply reduction efforts.

He urged officers to maintain the current momentum, balancing enforcement with the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities.
The enforcement drive also led to the arrest of a notorious drug dealer in Oyo State Taofik Adeyemi, 49.

He was apprehended on Saturday, 2 May, at his residence in Ibadan after months of evading the authorities.

He was caught alongside his salesman, Mustapha Oyerinde, with 3.085kg of cannabis and a getaway vehicle.

Across other states, the NDLEA recorded significant seizures including over 140,000 pills and capsules of Tramadol intercepted in separate operations targeting transit routes from Damaturu to Hadejia.

A raid on Awolowo Market in Mushin area of Lagos state resulted in the recovery of 740kg of cannabis while in Kaduna, two suspects were caught on the Abuja-Jos highway with 290kg of compressed cannabis concealed in a Honda Ridgeline.

A 65-year-old driver was intercepted at the Ile-Ife toll gate in Osun state conveying skunk and methamphetamine, leading to a follow up arrest of the consignment’s owner in Ilesha.

In line with it’s mandate, the NDLEA continued its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) advocacy, holding enlightenment lectures for students, Islamic schools, and commercial motorcyclists in Niger, Kano, Anambra, and Lagos states.

The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, noted that the agency remains committed to “cleansing the streets” of both notorious distributors and those who use age as a shield for criminal activity.