Metro

Bandits Abduct Newly-weds, Islamic Cleric, Others In Kaduna

Published

2 years ago

November 29, 2023

Some bandits have raided the Dan-Honu community in the Millennium City, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State and kidnapped a new-wedded couple, Muslim leader and scores of others on Tuesday.

It was gathered that the hoodlums decked in dark dresses and wielding AK47 rifles in large numbers stormed the area around 9pm.

A source who is also a resident of the area told our correspondent that the bandits took away no fewer than eight residents of the community including the couple, the Imam and others.

However, the source added that the Imam and one other escaped while they were being led out of the community into the bush.

He said, “The bandits suspected to be kidnappers came on Tuesday night, attacked Dan-Honu II community in New Millennium City, Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State and kidnappied eight persons.

“Among those abducted were a new couple who got married last Saturday, Imam of the community mosque, his wife and three children, including a 10-month-old baby.

“The bandits who stormed the community around 8:50pm numbering about 10, with AK47 rifles and other weapons, were in black, with one of them masked.

“We escaped being abducted. The bandits started by picking the Imam and his family who they met outside the community Juma’at Mosque before proceeding to other houses where they abducted the newly-wedded.

“I was inside my apartment when the bandits stormed our compound. At first, when they started banging the new couple’s door, because they went to their apartment straight, I thought they were security people who came to arrest my neighbour.”

He added, “They started banging his door and shouting ‘Dan Iska ba za ka fito ba?’, meaning ‘idiot, will you not come out? That was when I realiaed that they were kidnappers. So, when they could not force the door open, they broke his window and broke the burglary proof.

“On gaining entrance into the apartment, the bandits tried to open the door, they could not open it. So, they brought the couple out through the broken window. They injured the husband and blood was dripping from his body.

“They attempted to enter my apartment too. They broke the glass window, but as they were busy hitting the burglary proof to break into my apartment, one of the vigilantes in the community fired a shot into the air. On hearing the gunshot, the bandits became uncomfortable and left our compound.

“The new bride was also abandoned in the bush by the bandits when she could not cope with the pace of the movement. The Imam’s wife was freed when her baby’s cry almost exposed the bandits to vigilantes around Kakura area.

“The bandits were able to go with the new groom and two children of the Imam .They were yet to establish contact with the family.”

Meanwhile, the Imam, who escaped from the bandits, while narrating his ordeal, told newsmen that two out of the seven bandits that attacked the community were armed with AK47 rifles with chains of bullets.

“They beat the 10-month-old baby because he was crying. They even threatened to kill him because his cry was disturbing them. But I thank Almighty Allah my wife and the baby later escaped after I had escaped but the bandits went away with my two sons,” he said.

While confirming the incident, the Kaduna State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Mansir Hassan, told our correspondent on the telephone that operatives of the command repelled the bandits and rescued the victims.

“What we know was that as they entered, police repelled the attackers and rescued those that were kidnapped,” he said.

Metro

Police Launch Manhunt As Assailants Kill 4 In Soludo’s Aide’s Community

Published

18 hours ago

December 9, 2025

Editor

Four persons – all male – were gunned down by unknown assailants in the Nawfia community in Njikoka Local Government Council Area of Anambra State.

Nawfia is the hometown of Chief Nwoye, popularly called Glamour, who is the Deputy Chief of Staff/Chief Protocol to Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo.

The community has become notorious in the news for the wrong reason, either bordering on fishy killings, shady land deals, or torn apart by chieftaincy and town union leadership tussles over the years.

Exactly a year after a similar shooting spree and killing engulfed the community, in which four men were feared shot dead.

A source told newsmen that unknown gunmen who operated in a black Lexus Jeep with a yet-to-ascertained registration number stormed Afor Nawfia Market and opened fire, presumably gunning down the four persons in the early hours of the evening of Sunday.

The shooting created pandemonium as bystanders and those who were within gunshot-hearing distance fled for their dear lives just as the gunmen sped off untraced.

A viral video, which our Correspondent monitored, shows the post-killing scene where lifeless bodies of four men lay in the pool of their blood after the shooting.

It was gory sights to behold as men and women as well as youths in the area lamented the killings which they described as one killing, too many.

Voices from the trending video identified some of the victims as “Ajigwo” and “Kalisia.”

The President-General of Nawfia Progressive Union, Chief Daniel Okoye, was swift in his reaction, expressing deep shock over the tragic news of the attack at the Afor Market Junction in Nawfia Community.

In a statement he issued on the incident and made available to newsmen shortly after the killings, he stated: “The incident resulted in multiple casualties, caused by unknown assailants who carried out this senseless act of violence.

“I strongly condemn this heartbreaking incident and the attempt to disrupt the peace of our beloved community. I have already contacted the relevant security agencies, and investigations are underway to uncover those responsible.”

Okoye appealed to the indigenes of the community “to remain calm, stay vigilant, and continue to cooperate with security operatives as they work tirelessly to restore normalcy and ensure our safety.”

The PG consoled the families affected by the dastardly act, assuring that “we are fully committed to supporting efforts aimed at protecting lives and maintaining peace in Nawfia.”

Also reacting to the dastardly act, the State Police Command linked the killings to cult-related activities, avoiding confirming any death incident resulting from the attack.

In a press statement issued by the State Police Command and made available to newsmen yesterday, the police update traced the killing to “cult-related attack that occurred on the evening of 7th December 2025 at Afor Nawfia Market, along the Onitsha–Awka Old Road.

“It will be recalled that operatives of the Command attached to the Special Anti-Cult Squad, Enugwu-Ukwu, had, four days earlier, acting on credible intelligence about a planned rival cult confrontation, arrested two dangerous suspects and recovered a firearm from them. The arrested suspects have been assisting the Police with valuable information aimed at preventing further cult-related violence within Awka and its environs.

“Despite these proactive efforts by the Command operatives, some members of the same gang, on the evening of 7th December 2025, operating in a black Lexus Jeep with registration number yet unknown, stormed Afor Nawfia Market and opened fire indiscriminately. The violent attack resulted in the fatal injury of four persons, after which the assailants fled the scene.

“Although the hoodlums escaped before police arrival, preliminary information obtained at the scene has provided useful leads, and the Command is already acting on them to ensure the perpetrators are tracked down and arrested.

“The Anambra State Police Command remains resolute in its determination to rid the State of cultism, violent crime and all forms of criminality. Further developments will be communicated as investigations progress,” the statement added.

Metro

Gunmen Invade Church, Kill Priest’s Wife In Anambra

Published

19 hours ago

December 9, 2025

Editor

An attempt by Anglicans in Lulu community, Ihiala Local Government Area, Anambra State, to worship on Sunday turned tragic as gunmen invaded the service, killing the wife of the presiding priest and injuring others.

The development was said to have unsettled the state, as a day earlier, some gunmen had allegedly attacked the Afor Market junction in Nawfia in Njikoka Local Government, killing some people.

Meanwhile, the Anambra State Police Command on Monday morning confirmed the attack on the church and the killing of the priest’s wife.

Spokesperson for Anambra State Police Command, Tochukwu Ikenga, who confirmed the attack, said that many worshippers were injured.

He said that the Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, has condemned the attack.

He described those who carried out the attack as armed criminals, saying it resulted in one death and serious injuries inflicted on a few others.

Ikenga said: “The church building was partially burnt, and other properties were destroyed at a church premises in Lilu, Ihiala Local Government Area.

“The CP States that this heinous and abominable act, committed against innocent worshippers, is not only an assault on the community but a grave affront to our shared values of peace, sanctity of life, and freedom of worship.

“The command extends its deepest sympathies to the families of the victims and to the entire Lilu community and assures the public that the police shall relentlessly hunt down the perpetrators of this crime.

“The CP notes that no community should be subjected to such brutality as the command will not allow criminals to instil fear or destabilise the peace we are working tirelessly to maintain.”

Ikenga added that the command has intensified intelligence-driven operations, deployed the Joint Security Team, and strengthened surveillance across the area.

“The operatives are following every lead as no resource will be spared in ensuring that those responsible are apprehended and made to face the full weight of the law.

“The command urges residents to remain calm and cooperate with the Joint Security team by providing useful information that can assist ongoing investigations for justice to be served.

“The command remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting lives and property across Ihiala and the entire state”, he said.

In other news, the Delta State Command have arrested a principal suspect and his sidekick in the murder of retired Justice Ifeoma Okogwu in Anambra State.

The detectives also recovered her personal handset, vowing to arrest the named fleeing member of the killer squad.

She was murdered on November 23, 2025.

The Delta State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police (SP) Bright Edafe, said the arrest followed days of intelligence gathering.

Metro

Army Foils Robbery, Rescues Kidnap Victims, Recovers Weapons

Published

19 hours ago

December 9, 2025

Editor

Troops of the Nigerian Army’s 6 Brigade/Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke have foiled a robbery attack, rescued abducted travellers, and recovered weapons in a series of coordinated operations across Taraba State.

The operations were disclosed in a statement issued on Monday by the Brigade’s Acting Spokesperson, Lt. Umar Muhammad.

According to the statement, the first incident occurred on 6 December 2025 in Manya, Takum Local Government Area, where soldiers responded to a distress call after armed robbers barricaded the Manya–Takum Road and began dispossessing travellers.

“The troops launched a rapid clearance operation, forcing the criminals to flee and abandon their weapons. An AK-47 rifle, an AK-47 magazine, and three rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition were recovered. Their intervention restored safety and movement along the busy route,” the statement read.

In a separate mission in Kufai Amadu, also in Takum LGA, troops rescued two abducted travellers following reports that four men from Bauchi State were kidnapped in Amadu Town while seeking directions on their way to Baissa in Kurmi LGA.

“Preliminary findings revealed that two of the victims, identified as Mr. Musa Danji and Mr. Yusuf, were taken away by their abductors towards New City. Coordinated search operations led to the rescue of two others, Mr. Yusuf Musa and Mr. Muhammed Umar, who escaped from captivity. Search efforts for the remaining victims are ongoing,” the Army stated, adding that efforts to apprehend the perpetrators have been intensified.

In another operation on 6 December, troops deployed in Iware, Ardo-Kola LGA, recovered arms and arrested two suspects during an intelligence-driven raid in Garin Sambo, Tau Village. Items seized include two pump-action guns, 13 cartridges, two motorcycles, and four mobile phones. Two suspects, identified as Baba Wura Sambo and Mallam Adamu Darda, were arrested over alleged illegal possession of arms.

The Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Kingsley Chidiebere Uwa, commended the troops for their professionalism and swift response. He reiterated the Brigade’s commitment to sustained, aggressive operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks across the state.

Uwa also assured residents of heightened security throughout the Yuletide season and urged the public to remain vigilant while providing credible information to support ongoing efforts to maintain peace and security in Taraba.