Metro

Families Cry Out As Abuja DSS Arrests Lovers In Osun

Published

10 months ago

December 22, 2024

The families of Nurudeen Adesiyan and Kehinde Akintunde have cried for help after the lovers were taken away by men of the Department of State Services suspected to be from the Abuja headquarters.

Nurudeen and Kehinde were reportedly apprehended on November 29 at Arowosola Quarters, Ajape, Modakeke, Osun State.

According to family members, the lovers have been held incommunicado since their arrest, and their whereabouts are unknown.

Speaking with The PUNCH, Boyenle Adesiyan, the elder brother to Nurudeen, said efforts to locate the duo had been abortive.

He said the DSS officers, who invaded their house around 5 am with four vehicles, did not disclose the station they came from and where they were taking the lovers to.

Boyenle said, “My brother (Nurudeen) texted me around 5 am on the 29th of November, telling me that security men were at our house but they were yet to arrest anybody. I replied to the message immediately but Nurudeen didn’t respond.

“Around 6 am, my mother called to inform me that the personnel hijacked the door from her when she wanted to bathe. She said the officers took her phone and asked who ‘Kehinde 2’ on her call log was.

“She said the officers asked her to lead them to Kehinde’s house, unknown to them that the said Kehinde was with her and standing beside them. Kehinde is my brother’s fiancée and she stays in our house frequently. They arrested my brother and Kehinde, and my mother, and led them to Kehinde’s house.”

According to Boyenle, when the men got to Kehinde’s house, they allegedly ransacked the place and destroyed some things.

She added that the operatives also seized phones and beat up the victims.

“They arrested every member of Kehinde’s family and drove them away. But when they got to Community Grammar School, they freed Kehinde’s family members. But she and my brother, Nurudeen, were taken away.

“Since then, we have not heard anything from the DSS, Nurudeen and Kehinde. The DSS didn’t tell us where they came from or where they were taking our people to. We visited the DSS office in Ile-Ife, and we were told the officers who arrested Nurudeen and Kehinde were personnel of the service.

“However, they didn’t disclose where they came from. When we visited their office a second time, they didn’t give us any reasonable response again.

“We want the general public to help us; we want to know the whereabouts of our people and the offence they were arrested for. They are not criminals. They have rights,” she stated.

Giving an account of the arrest, Gbenga Akintunde, an elder brother to Kehinde, said the DSS officers threatened to shoot him when he demanded what his sister’s offence was and where they were taking him to.

He said, “My mum called me very early to inform me that some security operatives had invaded our house. When I got to our house, I met the DSS officers. I asked them what the issue was but instead of answering, they threatened to shoot me.

“They broke into our house, beat and arrested everybody, including my mother. They also seized their phones and drove them away without leaving any information. When they got to the community school, they freed the people and returned their phones, while they drove away Kehinde and her boyfriend.

“We went to the DSS office in Ile-Ife to report the case and we were told that the personnel were DSS officers, but we were not told where they came from.

“We have not been able to reach both Kehinde and Nurudeen since then. Sometimes, their phone would ring but nobody would answer the call.”

Gbenga said he was not allowed to enter the DSS office when he visited to ask if the lovers were being held there.

Efforts to get a reaction from the Osun command of the DSS proved abortive.

But a credible source at the headquarters told The PUNCH that the operation was carried out by personnel from the national headquarters.

“We are aware of the case but we didn’t carry out the operation. The operatives were from Abuja,” the source said.

The DSS head office in Abuja does not have a spokesman.
PUNCH

Metro

Retired Principal kidnapped In Edo, Abductors Demand N70m

Published

22 hours ago

October 14, 2025

Editor

Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen have reportedly kidnapped a retired headmaster identified as Mr. Eliaser Olorunloju near a Fulani settlement in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State.

The incident was said to have occurred between Sasaro and Ayetoro, along the dilapidated Igarra- Uneme-Nekhua – Ibillo Road in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area.

Olorunloiu was said to be going back to Ugboshi-ele from Igarra, the headquarters of the local government where he was said to have gone to make photocopies of documents ahead of his son’s resumption at a tertiary institution.

It was gathered on Monday that his abductors have reportedly contacted the family and were demanding N70 million.

Confirming the incident, the Director of Operations and Strategy, Concerned Minds Initiative of Akoko-Edo (CMIA), Comrade Victor Arogunyo said “The incident occurred around Aiyetoro–Somorika Junction, close to a Fulani settlement on the Ibillo–Uneme–Nekhua–Igarra Road. This is another sad reminder that Akoko-Edo is under siege.

“In the last few months, this is about the fight kidnapping that is taking place on the same spot, close to that camp which is less than five minutes trekking away from there. The government must do something about this. I called his traditional ruler and he said they called on Sunday evening demanding N70 million.”

He identified bad roads, criminal herders, poor funding of security, low morale among vigilantes and hunters, and weak prosecution of arrested suspects as key factors fueling insecurity across the entire Edo North axis.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Moses Yamu could not be reached as at the time of this report.

Metro

Police Bust Child Trafficking Syndicate In Rivers, Rescue Babies

Published

2 days ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

The Rivers State Police Command said its operatives have busted a child trafficking syndicate that manipulates young mothers and vulnerable pregnant women, steals their babies, and sells them to waiting buyers.

The police said the four-member syndicate is led by an ex-convict identified as Blessing Jack, who had previously been arrested, tried, and imprisoned in Calabar, Cross River State, for a similar offence.

The spokesperson for the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday and sent to newsmen.

Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, said Blessing, aged 54, was arrested by men of the Command’s C4i Intelligence Unit on October 9 in Igwuruta, near Port Harcourt, following a discreet probe into the activities of the syndicate.

She said Blessing’s arrest led to the location of her other three female partners, who were consequently taken into custody.

The statement read, “The Rivers State Police Command has made a significant breakthrough in its investigation into the activities of a child trafficking syndicate in the state, with the arrest of several suspects.

“The syndicate, allegedly led by one Blessing Jack, a 54-year-old female resident of Timber Road, Igwuruta, Port Harcourt, exploits vulnerable young mothers, stealing and selling their newborn babies for significant financial gains.

“On October 9, 2025, at about 1500hrs, operatives of the Command attached to the C4i Intelligence Unit, through technically aided policing, arrested Blessing Jack at Igwuruta in Port Harcourt.

“A conversation between Blessing Jack and one Marley Oburu ‘m’ revealed the syndicate’s modus operandi. She discussed a recent incident where her associate had taken a woman’s baby, claiming the baby had died, but had been paid the sum of ₦2,000,000 for the transaction.”

She continued, “The transaction suggested that Blessing and her associates use fake scans and manipulate vulnerable pregnant women to obtain their babies.

“Other suspects arrested include: Chinonso Raymond, a 30-year-old male of Igwuruta, Port Harcourt; Chinyere Okorie, a 32-year-old female of Pipeline, Rumuoholu, Port Harcourt; and Nkechi Nwankwo, a 50-year-old female of Pipeline, Rumuoholu, Port Harcourt.

“A preliminary investigation revealed that Blessing Jack had previously been imprisoned in Calabar for three years for child trafficking, highlighting her long-standing involvement in the illicit business.”

The state police image maker said all the suspects voluntarily confessed to the crime, detailing their individual roles.

“Suspects are currently in police custody, while an in-depth investigation has been launched to arrest other members of the syndicate and dismantle the network,” Iringe-Koko stated further.

The State Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, commended the operatives for their diligence in investigating and apprehending the suspects, saying the Command will continue to work tirelessly to protect vulnerable individuals and combat human trafficking in the state.

CP Adepoju appealed to members of the public to report any information that may aid in the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking cases, saying, “Together, we can build a safer and more secure society for all.”

Rivers State Police Command, in September, said its operatives have arrested three suspected kidnappers who allegedly killed two of their victims after collecting a total ransom of N10.4m.

Earlier in August, the Command said its men busted an armed robbery/kidnapping syndicate terrorising residents of Bori, headquarters of Khana Local Government Area of the state, and its environs.

Metro

BREAKING: Lagos Re-arraigns Kidnapper Evans Over Police Officers’ Killing

Published

2 days ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

Lagos State Government on Monday re-arraigned convicted billionaire kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as Evans.

The Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja is hearing the case of the murder of two police officers by the billionaire kidnapper.

He and his co-defendant, Joseph Emeka, were arraigned before Justice A. O. Ogala on a five-count charge bordering on murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.

They both pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Details later…