Metro
How I Fought Kidnappers With Bare Hands – Female Traveller

A female traveller in Plateau State, Lucy Jeremiah, who was abducted by a nine-member kidnap gang on Monday, narrated how she, alongside other victims fought the kidnappers with bare hands to escape from the bush, where they were held captives.
It was learnt that the kidnappers had abducted Jeremiah alongside four other victims while they were travelling in a vehicle to Jos, Plateau State, from Abuja on Thursday.
The female victim who was still in trauma told The PUNCH in Jos on Monday at the Plateau State Police Command Headquarters where she was recuperating that she handed her life to God before she summoned the courage to fight the kidnappers with all her strength as she was not willing to follow the assailants to their final destination.
READ ALSO: Police Kill 12 Suspected Kidnapers, Bandits In Bauchi State
Jeremiah said, “What happened was that, we were coming back from Abuja to Jos in a vehicle last Thursday. On getting to Government Science School, Kuru, in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, around 6pm, though I was sleeping in the vehicle, I woke up when the vehicle suddenly stopped. When I woke up, I saw a man wielding a gun. He opened the door and said we should give him our phones.
“He collected all our phones and money. He thereafter selected four of us in the vehicle and marched us into the bush. The kidnappers numbering nine asked us to call our parents on phone and demanded N5 million each. After we made the calls, they took us farther into the bush, and out of the four persons, I was the only female among them.”
The female victim further said, “As we were going deeper into the bush, I asked my fellow kidnap victims that we should organise our escape, but they were so afraid of the idea and they said they could not do anything because they were not with any weapon to fight the kidnappers, who were with a gun, knife and other weapons. By this time, some of the kidnappers who were initially nine had left leaving four of them with us. As we marched deeper into the bush, two of the four kidnappers left were trailing behind while the two others with the gun and knife were the ones leading us in the front.
“Again, at this time, I told my co-victims that we should do something and that I will not follow the kidnappers anymore farther into the bush to wherever they were taking us, and that God would be in control. I also told them what to do as I suggested to them that I would be the first person to grab the kidnapper carrying the gun while they should come to my assistance if anything happened and that was what I did. So, when I grabbed the kidnapper with the gun, the other kidnapper holding a knife rushed forward and wanted to stab me in the stomach. But as I turned, he missed his target…”
The female victim could not continue with the interview as she broke down crying.
However, the Spokesman for the state Police Command, Alabo Alfred, confirmed the incident saying that the other kidnap victims who were rescued by the police alongside the female victim had been taken to the hospital for treatment.
READ ALSO: Kidnappers Kill husband, Free Wife After Ransom Payment
The PPRO said, “We have four victims that were rescued and it happened somewhere in Barkin Ladi LGA of the state on December 15. A team of police detectives traced them to Kassa forest in the Barkin Ladi LGA where they came in contact with the kidnap victims including Lucy Jeremiah and three others. She (Lucy Jeremiah) was found unconscious with a deep cut in her leg and the other victims were taken to the hospital for treatment and we are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the perpetrators are apprehended.”
Metro
EFCC Probes Travellers Over Undeclared $6m, £53,000 At Lagos Airport
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has launched an investigation into two travellers found in possession of undeclared foreign currencies totalling over $6,000 and £53,000 at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Terminal 2 in Lagos.
This was made known through a statement posted on the agency’s verified X handle on Saturday.
Operatives of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC, based in Ikoyi, have identified the suspects as Mamud Nasidi and Yahaya Nasidi.
The anti-graft agency said the suspects were apprehended by personnel of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria during a routine check on Saturday.
READ ALSO:BREAKING: EFCC Chairman, Former Rivers Sole administrator Ibas In Aso Rock
Earlier, The PUNCH reported how the suspects who attempted to board an Aerocontractors aircraft with an undeclared sum of over $6.1m in cash were intercepted and arrested at the aircraft’s foot.
They claimed to be security officials travelling with a suspect and the money as exhibits.
However, the EFCC stated in its announcement that the duo, who had arrived in Nigeria from Dubai via Addis Ababa and were en route to Abuja, allegedly failed to declare the sums of $6,180 and £53,415 in their possession, as required by law.
Following their arrest, they were initially handed over to the Department of State Services before being transferred to the EFCC for further investigation and possible prosecution.
READ ALSO:Court Admits More Evidence In EFCC’s $4.5bn Case Against Emefiele
EFCC also confirmed the seizure of three mobile phones found on the suspects at the time of arrest.
The suspects and the confiscated items were formally received by CSE Margaret Lamai on behalf of the acting Zonal Director, Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, Ahmed Ghali.
The EFCC in its statement said, “Operatives of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Okotie Eboh, Ikoyi, Lagos, have commenced investigations of two travellers arrested by operatives of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, for allegedly failing to declare the sums of $6,180 and £53,415 cash in their possession.
“Also found on the suspects are three mobile phones. The suspects and the exhibits were received by CSE Margaret Lamai on behalf of the acting Zonal Director, Lagos Zonal Directorate 2, EFCC, Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE1 Ahmed Ghali.”
Metro
Osun Assembly, Senator Clash Over Arrest, Police Sealing Of Amotekun Base
The Osun State House of Assembly has demanded the immediate unsealing of the offices of the Amotekun Corps, allegedly locked up by police officers investigating the role of the Corps in the killing of residents of Akinlalu community in the state.
Operational bases of Osun Amotekun in Osogbo and Ife Central Local Government Area were reportedly shut down by operatives of the Intelligence Response Team from the office of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.
The team was deployed to the state following public outcry over the killing of Akinlalu residents by Amotekun operatives.
The PUNCH reports that about 20 Amotekun operatives in Osun State were on Wednesday arrested by the police in connection with the killings that occurred in Akinlalu last week Tuesday.
The police squad arrested the Amotekun operatives at the Oke Fia, Osogbo Operational Base of the Corps and at the Ife Central Division located in Ile-Ife.
A stepmother, Fausat Oyebamiji, last Sunday narrated how men of the Osun Amotekun Corps shot two siblings dead last Tuesday during a mayhem in Akinlalu community.
It was further gathered that after arresting the operatives found within the premises of the Ife Central Area Command and Oke Fia Osogbo Base, the police sealed off both facilities. However, the State Headquarters of the Corps located in the Powerline area of Osogbo was not sealed.
Confirming the arrests, the Osun Amotekun spokesperson, Yusuf Idowu, said some operatives were apprehended in connection with the incident that occurred in Akinlalu.
READ ALSO:Three Die As Amotekun, Hoodlums Clash In Osun
However, the Osun State Police Command, in response, said only five operatives of the Amotekun Corps were arrested.
In a statement by the Command’s spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, the police said the Inspector General of Police had taken over the investigation, adding that the Commander of the Amotekun Corps, Adekunle Omoyele, was invited to explain his role in the killings but refused to honour the invitation.
“Efforts made to reach him on phone proved abortive as his phone has been switched off, only for him to come on social media on 6th October 2025 and put up a claim of being attacked by unknown armed men wearing masks, which preliminary enquiry reveals to be a figment of his own imagination aimed at concealing the truth and derailing the course of justice for the victims.
“Investigation carried out by the Police revealed that the attackers are members of the Amotekun Corps and individuals were mentioned to have masterminded the attack, which victims and witnesses of the attack said they can identify if seen. Meanwhile, five suspects have been arrested in connection with the case; efforts are on top gear to arrest other suspects at large,” the statement read.
Addressing journalists in Osogbo on Friday, the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, speaking on behalf of other lawmakers, said Amotekun, being an organisation created by law, could not be stopped by the police from performing its statutory duties.
READ ALSO:
Egbedun also alleged that reports at his disposal linked the lawmaker representing Osun East in the Senate, Adenigba Fadahunsi, to the involvement of police operatives from the IGP’s office in the arrest of Amotekun personnel in the state.
He stated: “The House empathises with concerned families and individuals in Akinlalu who have been affected by the recent incidents involving security operations. While the House does not condone misconduct or impunity by any security organisation, allegations of wrongdoing must be investigated transparently and in accordance with the law and must not be used as a smokescreen to sabotage duly constituted institutions.
“The Amotekun Corps remains a lawfully established and functional agency of the Osun State Government, and no individual, political actor, or security institution possesses the constitutional authority to shut it down without a legislative revocation. The House condemns in the strongest terms the unlawful sealing of the Amotekun Corps operational offices and demands their immediate unsealing to allow the Corps to resume its statutory responsibilities without disruption.”
Contacted for his reaction, Fadahunsi confirmed that he invited the police, urging the House of Assembly to exercise caution in its claims that laws enacted by it could shield Amotekun, even when its operatives had allegedly violated the Constitution.
Fadahunsi, who said those killed were his constituents, warned that any further attempts to cause loss of lives in the Osun East Senatorial District would be resisted.
READ ALSO:Ondo Amotekun Arrests Kidnappers, Other Suspects
“The Osun Amotekun office has become the home of murderers, not protectors of the community. The Amotekun officers are disturbing the peace of the state. The Corps is supposed to protect the territorial integrity of the state, not to start terrorising people. Even in my own town, Ilase-Ijesa, Amotekun arrested someone over a land case. Can they do that in Ede?” Fadahunsi queried.
He continued: “I am the Senator of Ife/Ijesa Senatorial District, and this is not about the APC or PDP. From February to date, I have lost 12 people to Amotekun’s killings. I was the one who invited the police, as I can’t continue to let them kill my people.
“During the crisis that occurred at the local government election, I lost four people. Many are still roaming about with bullets in their bodies. Nobody has been arrested. There was another case of shooting in Esa-Oke.
“After causing trouble for Ijesa South and Ijesa North, they now went to Ife to kill people in Akinlalu. Do they expect me to keep quiet as the Senator representing the District? I will not keep quiet. They would not kill a single goat in my area again. If they send them to destabilise my Senatorial District, I will not allow it.”
READ ALSO:Amotekun Arrests 28 For Robbery, Kidnapping In Ondo
Meanwhile, the police team reportedly evacuated four people detained at the State Headquarters of the Osun Amotekun Corps in Osogbo and handed them over to the Divisional Police Officers in charge of the areas where the crimes were allegedly committed.
The IGP-IRT team, led by SP Rotimi Ogunmuyiwa, was accompanied by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department, Bayonle Sulaiman, during the Thursday evening visit.
During the visit, Ogunmuyiwa demanded to meet the heads of the Anti-Cultism, Narcotics, Kidnapping, Homicide, and other units created by the leadership of Osun Amotekun, but none were available. The team proceeded with the inspection and eventually evacuated the four suspects they found at the facility.
Two of the suspects, arrested for selling Indian hemp, said during interrogation that they had been detained for over five weeks. Another suspect said he had been detained for four days for stealing engine oil, while a Fulani herdsman stated he had been in detention for six days after being arrested for open grazing.
(PUNCH)
Metro
Police Impound Vehicle With 387 Blocks Of Cannabis In Bauchi
The Bauchi state Police Command says it has impounded a vehicle with nothing less than 387 blocks of suspected cannabis sativa after involving in an auto crash in the state.
Sani Omolori-Aliyu, the Commissioner of Police in the state, disclosed this on Friday while handing over the exhibits to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Bauchi state Command.
According to him, the car and one other had a head-on collision in Wom village of Toro Local Government Area of the state on October 4, 2025 at about 11:30am.
“Initial reports from eyewitnesses and preliminary investigations indicate that the first vehicle, a white Toyota Corolla with registration number ABC-459LF, was operated by one Ali Muhammad, a 45-year-old resident of Nabardo Village.
READ ALSO:Bauchi Begins Production Of Exercise Books, Chalks For Schools
“He was transporting the District Head of Nabardo, Suleiman Suleiman, aged 65, along with his family members as they travelled from Bauchi Metropolis to Nabardo Village.
“The second vehicle, another white Toyota Corolla with registration number GWA-155GW, was driven by an individual yet to be identified, who was travelling from Jos, Plateau State, towards Bauchi.
“It was reported that this driver attempted to overtake other vehicles without exercising adequate caution, resulting in a head-on collision with the first vehicle,” he said.
The Commissioner further explained that the occupants of both vehicles sustained varying degrees of injuries and were transported to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) for medical care.
He said that the District Head suffered a fracture in his left leg and is currently receiving treatment with other victims while some have been discharged.
READ ALSO:NYSC Deploys 1,900 Corps Members To Bauchi State
Omolori-Aliyu also revealed that in the aftermath of the incident, during the search at the scene, the detectives recovered several items in the damaged vehicle which included the 387 blocks of suspected cannabis.
The Commissioner, who explained that the command was in pursuit of the unidentified driver to ensure accountability and prompt legal action, encouraged anyone with information regarding the driver’s identity to come forward and assist in the investigation.
“The police are committed to diligently pursuing leads to identify the principal suspect.
“The Bauchi State Police Command is dedicated to maintaining peace and order in our community and urges the public to remain calm and cooperative throughout this process.
“We invite anyone with information that could aid in this investigation to contact us and we assure citizens that we are resolutely focused on ensuring justice is achieved,” he said.
While receiving the exhibits, Hussaini Umar, Deputy Commandant, NDLEA, appreciated the police for the cooperation and synergy and promised to work hand in hand to ensure that the driver and the owner were found.
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