Metro

JUST IN: Bandits Strike Abuja Town, Kill One, Kidnap Four

Published

1 year ago

June 30, 2024

A band of terrorists on Sunday morning invaded the Guto area of Bwari Area Council in the nation’s capital, Abuja, reportedly killing one person and abducting four others.

Sources told Vanguard that the attack which began around 12:30am around the fringes of Guto and Piyawe communities, soon got into Tudun-Fulani and Sabon Gari areas, both in the Council.

The armed men, numbering over 30 were said to have divided themselves into two groups and attacked the communities from various angles, having entered Piwaye through the swamps.

They were consequently said to have killed a woman, Madam Alice, who was in her mid 40s and then kidnapped a man.

Alice was said to have gone to the area to visit her sick mother who was being taken care of by her brother when she was killed.

Two victims were allegedly abducted from their homes in Guto, while another person was kidnapped from Tudun-Fulani, which is less than a kilometre from the council Secretariat.

A resident who preferred anonymity, said the attackers operated from 12:30am to 2:30am with no challenge from security agencies.

He said; “What happened last night was very unfortunate. We couldn’t sleep from 12:30am when they stated till almost three o’clock. Initially we thought it was the vigilance teams who were shooting, but when it became persistent, we knew these people were back again.

“We have had peace for sometime now but unfortunately they have resumed and this time with full force because it was two groups that entered Bwari that night. One was in Guto while the other group was in Piyawe. It was obvious those ones came prepared, because the sounds we heard through the night, suggested they came with sophisticated weapons.”

Another resident of Tudun-Fulani who would not like to be mentioned, alleged that the police failed to show even when frantic calls where made to the divisional headquarters in Bwari.

“We felt so helpless because the kidnappers operated for over an hour, but there was no police or army to challenge them. I called my neighbour when the shooting started and he said he had already called the police. We waited for them to show up for 20 minutes and when we didn’t hear sounds of sirens, we called again but they kept telling us they were on their way. We never saw them until the kidnappers left on their own.”

Metro

Police Arrest Islamic Cleric With Human Flesh In Oyo

Published

7 minutes ago

September 18, 2025

Editor

The Police Command in Oyo State has arrested an Islamic cleric, simply identified as Alfa Bashiru, in possession of suspected human flesh.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Adewale Osifeso, confirmed this on Thursday in a post on the verified X handle of the Command.

He said that the Federal Highway Patrol team intercepted a white bus with registration number XA 551 IRG, which the suspect allegedly boarded, at the Toll Gate axis of the Ibadan Expressway at 11:30 a.m., on Wednesday.

Oyefeso said that the suspect, when quizzed, claimed to have bought the suspected human flesh in Lagos.

The suspect, he said, had been transferred to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Iyaganku, for further investigation.

“The suspected item is undergoing forensic analysis to determine its authenticity and source,” Osifeso said.

In a separate development, operatives of the command during a Search and Stop Operation recovered an abandoned Toyota Camry car with Registration number LSD 957 JX.

Osifeso said that police operatives flagged down the Toyota Camry car during a routine search, and the driver of the car jumped down and took to his heels, abandoning the vehicle.

“The car has been taken into custody by the Command while members of the public with legitimate claims to the vehicle are urged to come forward with verifiable documents or contact the Police Command,” he said.

The police spokesman said that Stop and Search operations were not exaggerated security theatrics, but real and deliberate measures to maintain law and order and as well as ensuring the safety of residents and travellers within Oyo State.

Osifeso said that the command under the leadership of the Commissioner of Police, Femi Haruna, appreciated the public for their continued cooperation and understanding.

He assured them of sustained police efforts to combat crime and foster a more secure environment.

NAN

Metro

Fake Madman Arrested For Cultivating Cannabis Farm In Anambra

Published

59 minutes ago

September 18, 2025

Editor

The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 43-year-old man, Patrick Ojele, for allegedly disguising himself as a mentally unstable person while secretly cultivating a cannabis farm in Awka, the state capital.

The Spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, Tochukwu Ikenga, stated in a press release on Thursday that operatives attached to the operations department arrested the suspect during a patrol along the Awka–Enugu Expressway, near Ngozika Estate, on Wednesday.

The statement read in part, “The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a 43-year-old man, Patrick Ojele, who pretended to be mentally unstable while secretly cultivating a marijuana farm in Awka, the state capital.

“The police operatives attached to the Operations Department, Awka, nabbed the suspect on September 17, 2025, during a routine patrol along the Awka–Enugu Expressway near Ngozika Estate.

“He later led the team to the hidden farm, where large quantities of weeds suspected to be cannabis sativa were recovered.

“The Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, noted that the arrest reflects the Command’s renewed strategy of cutting off criminal supplies by targeting drug dealers who embolden cultists and violent offenders.”

According to him, the CP further directed that the suspect should be handed over to the Special Anti-Cultism Squad, Enugwu-Ukwu, for discreet investigation to trace his buyers and dismantle the wider distribution network.

The PUNCH had reported that the police command has arrested no fewer than 54 suspects, comprising 39 males and 15 females, for various offences ranging from kidnapping, cultism, hard drugs and banned substances.

Ikenga said the arrests were followed by coordinated raids by police operatives in Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area, and Ifitedunu, Dunukofia LGA, in separate raid operations.

According to him, the coordinated operations were in line with renewed strategies aimed at restoring sanity in the state and curbing the growing menace of crime among young people between 18 and 26 years.

Metro

JUST IN: 6 More Deaths Confirmed In Afriland Towers Fire

Published

6 hours ago

September 18, 2025

Editor

The death toll from the tragic fire at Afriland Towers Fire on Broad Street, Lagos Island, has climbed to 10, following confirmation that six employees of United Capital Plc died in the inferno.

LEADERSHIP reports that the six-storey commercial building was engulfed in flames on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, after a fire reportedly broke out in the inverter room located in the basement around 1:30 p.m. Thick smoke filled the building, sending panic among occupants, with some seen attempting desperate escapes through windows using a ladder as emergency responders battled the blaze.

United Capital, a financial and investment services firm that occupied the 3rd and 4th floors of the building, announced the deaths of six of its staff members in a statement released Thursday morning.

“It is with profound grief that the Management and Staff of United Capital Plc announce the passing of six of our dear colleagues, following the tragic fire at Afriland Towers on Tuesday, September 16, 2025.

“Our departed colleagues were an integral part of our company and family. Their painful loss leaves an immeasurable void. We extend our deepest and heartfelt condolences to their families, friends, and loved ones, and we continue to hold them in our thoughts and prayers, as well as provide all the support we can to them during this most difficult time.

“We are making preparations for an appropriate memorial service to honour their lives and mark their passing with dignity and solemnity. We thank the emergency services and all those who responded for their valiant assistance at the time of the incident.

“In this moment of untold grief, we stand together in solidarity, drawing strength from one another as we navigate this period. May the souls of the departed rest in peace.”

This latest confirmation came just hours after the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) disclosed that four of its senior staff also died in the incident, bringing the total number of confirmed fatalities to 10.

Emergency responders, including officials of the Federal Fire Service and the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, rescued at least nine people during the operation. Five were successfully revived, while four remained unconscious.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service said in a statement on Tuesday, “A total of nine victims have been rescued. Five individuals have been resuscitated. Several others escaped unhurt, while efforts are ongoing to revive the remaining four.”

Although emergency agencies were yet to release an official casualty figure, eyewitnesses and company insiders had earlier claimed that “not everyone made it out alive.”

Attempts to reach the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the National Emergency Management Agency, and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency for an update were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.