Metro

Edo: Mysterious Fire Guts Building, Leaves Owner’s Grave Building Untouched

Published

2 years ago

December 22, 2023

Rubles of the building

A mysterious early morning fire destroyed a building in Benin City leaving a grave house attached to the structure intact.

Goods worth several millions of naira kept inside shops in the building could not be savaged by youths and fire fighters who tried to put out the blazing fire.

Smoke was seen bellowing from king size refrigerators, sewing machines, generators, wraps of clothes and other merchandise as well as household property inside the affected building.

The roof and wall of the entire building apart from that of the grave house were reduced to rumbles.

Voters and NIN cards as well as other documents were said to have also been lost to the flame.

Residents of Ekiuwa Street, New Market and its environs in Second East Circular road are still struggling to unravel the mysteries of the early morning fire outbreak that destroyed the building leaving a portion that house the owner’s grave, untouched.

A visit to the area, clusters of bewildered locals were seen taking photos of the razed building with their phones as they discussed the fire in discordant opinions.

Traders at a nearby New Market expressed joy that the flame did not spread to the market as their wares in the shops would have been reduced to aches.

It was gathered that the mysterious inferno started about 1:27a.m on Sunday, December 17, 2023.

A resident said the harmattan blaze suddenly dwindled when it approached the grave house attached to the building immediately after the sitting room.

The grave house shares the same roof, ceiling and wall with that of the affected building.

Checks revealed fresh flowers and portrait of a man neatly placed on a grave inside the white painted attached house with slide glass doors.

It was also learnt that there was no electricity supply to the area at the time of the fire outbreak to suggest possible electric spark as remote cause of the fire.

Records at our disposal indicate that this is the first time an attached grave house is surviving fire outbreak in Benin City in passed decades.

Contacted, one Larry Uyi Osadiaye said his late father Mr. Moses Noguese Osadiaye, 83, owner of the building was buried in the said grave after his death on February 6, 2016.

He further stated that his eldest brother Mr. Henry Osadiaye who inherited the building was inside alone when the fire started.

Mr. Larry also stated that the cause of the fire was still unknown as the family has formally reported the Incident at Esigie police station covering the area.

Confirming the fire outbreak, the Public Relations Officer, Edo State Police Command, SP Chidi Nwabuzor said one Henry Osadiaye reported the incident.

SP Nwabuzor added that police commenced investigation into the inferno as their findings would be presented to the Commissioner of police CP Mohammed Dankwara for further action.

Metro

Police Bust Kidnap Ring, Rescue 23 Foreigners, Arrest 14 Suspects Near Abuja

Published

9 hours ago

November 1, 2025

Editor

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has dismantled a transnational kidnapping syndicate that demanded N230 million ransom from foreign nationals lured into Nigeria under the guise of lucrative job offers.

Operatives of the command’s Scorpion Squad launched the sting operation around 8 p.m. on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba, Nasarawa State, a border community near Abuja.

Fourteen suspected kidnappers were arrested and 23 foreign nationals rescued in the process.

According to police findings, the victims, all West African nationals, were deceived into travelling to Nigeria by a criminal network posing as employment recruiters.

Upon arrival, the victims were held captive, and the kidnappers demanded ransom from their families via WhatsApp and other online platforms.

FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, said on Friday that investigations identified the ringleader as Abubakar Jigiba, a suspected notorious cross-border criminal with known residences in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali and Nigeria.

The syndicate, she explained, demanded four million CFA francs (about N10 million) per person, a total ransom demand of N230 million.

Adeh confirmed that efforts are ongoing to track down the principal suspect, Abubakar Jigiba, and his brother, Sougule Zoubere, both of whom remain at large.

She said: “In a major breakthrough against kidnapping and human trafficking, operatives of the FCT Police Command’s Scorpion Squad have successfully arrested fourteen (14) suspected kidnappers and rescued twenty-three (23) victims, all foreign nationals, from captivity.

“The intelligence-led operation took place at about 8 p.m. on Tuesday, 21st October 2025, at Angwan Adamu Ruga Fulani Zone B, Riverside, Ado Mararaba, Nasarawa State.

“The operation followed a report indicating that several foreign nationals had been lured into Nigeria under the pretext of lucrative job offers. Upon arrival, they were held hostage by their abductors, who demanded ransom payments from their families via WhatsApp and other online platforms.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the syndicate is coordinated by one Abubakar Jigiba, a transnational criminal kingpin with known residences in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali and Nigeria. His younger brother, Sougule Zoubere, handles the recruitment, kidnapping and smuggling of victims from Mali into Nigeria, where they are detained pending ransom payments. The group demanded four million CFA (N10,000,000) for each victim.

“Further investigations revealed that the victims were trafficked into the country through illegal border routes in a journey lasting about three days. They were subsequently confined in two fortified two-bedroom apartments under inhumane conditions.

“Acting on actionable digital and reconstructive intelligence, the Scorpion Squad traced the hideout to the above address, where a total of twenty-three (23) victims — fourteen (14) males, eight (8) females and one (1) child — were rescued unhurt, except one who sustained a minor ear injury and has been taken to the National Hospital, Abuja, for treatment.”

Metro

Woman Begs Court Not To Grant Husband’s Prayer For Divorce

Published

9 hours ago

November 1, 2025

Editor

A housewife, Fauziya Ibrahim, has begged an Area Court in Ilorin, Kwara State, not to grant her husband, Hamza Musbau’s prayer of divorce.

She told the court that she does not want her marriage dissolved.

“I have been married to my husband for 16 years and I want to remain in this marriage,” she told the court.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN),Earlier, Hamza prayed for divorce on grounds of lack of love and affection.

The judge, Mr Toyin Aluko, said that on the strength of the provisions of the Holy Quran, Almighty Allah allows a wife to seek for settlement, just as divorce is allowed.

He, therefore, advised Fauziya to try her best to make peace and settle any misunderstanding between them.

Aluko adjourned the case.

Metro

Woman Seeks Divorce Over Alleged Abandonment, Abuse

Published

9 hours ago

November 1, 2025

Editor

A married woman, Love Thomas, has dragged her husband, Joshua, before an upper Customary Court sitting in Kaduna, Kaduna State, over alleged abandonment and violence.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the complainant’s lawyer, Victoria Omajawu prayed the court to dissolve their marriage on the grounds of abandonment.

She also prayed the court to restrain the defendant from threatening and disturbing her client’s peace or tranquility.

The defendant was however not in court.

The judge, Mrs Patience Musa, adjourned the case.