Metro

‘My Wife Abandoned Me, Relocated To Canada Without My Knowledge,’ Man Tells Court

Published

8 months ago

March 8, 2025

Grade A Customary Court, Mapo, Ibadan, Oyo State, has adjourned for judgement a divorce suit brought before it by a man, Aderopo, against his wife, Joyce, which was hinged on what he said are irreconcilable differences.

Aderopo told the court that he and Joyce had been married for more than 40 years, but that they had always lived like strangers in their home.

The plaintiff stated that no communication took place between him and the defendant, while she took decisions on her own.

He added that she denied him s3x for seven years and also stopped cooking his meals about five years ago.

Aderopo added in his statement that every attempt to settle their differences had met with a brick wall.

According to Aderopo, Joyce was in the habit of attending functions that sometimes involved travelling without his consent, and claimed that Joyce did the worst when she abandoned him and relocated to Canada without his knowledge.

Court dissolves 15-year-old marriage for lack of love
He, therefore, pleaded with the court to put an end to their union.

Joyce did not make an appearance in court despite being served court summonses.

Aderopo in his testimony said, “My wife and I had a traditional wedding and I paid her bride price, but this was returned to me. Our marriage of almost 45 years is filled with crisis.

“My wife and I lived under the same roof like total strangers. We did not communicate nor interacted. The only times we communicated were the times we were planning for our children’s wedding.

“The last time we had sex was seven years ago. She once starved me of food for a whole month. That was five years ago. I decided to stop eating her food after that.

“I knew little or nothing about my wife’s activities because she never took me along in her plans and always took decisions on her own.

“She would go out without my consent and return home late. I had to stay awake on many occasions till she returned.

“There were times she attended her friends’ functions outside the state without my consent and returned days after. I was forced to change the keys to the main door of our apartment because of her movements were unpredictable.

“She went for an official programme outside the state which ought to be attended by both of us. I was surprised when my colleagues, who were also at the event, called to inform me that she came.

“Our relatives and friends have made several attempts at settling our differences, but she always denied the fact that our marriage is facing challenges.

“My wife did the unpardonable when she abandoned me and relocated to Canada without my knowledge.

“I came to court because I want to be liberated from our wedlock. I also want the world around us to know that there is nothing between us any longer.”

The court president, Mrs S.M. Akintayo, adjourned the case until March 17.

Metro

Troops Destroy Bandits’ Camp, Arrest Seven Suspected Cultists In Benue

Published

6 hours ago

November 1, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian Army has intensified coordinated offensives across the North-Central, destroying a major bandits’ hideout in Taraba State and arresting seven suspected cultists in Benue in separate operations under the ongoing security push.

The fresh operations, conducted by troops of 6 Brigade, Jalingo, and Joint Task Force Operation Whirl Stroke, form part of broader kinetic deployments targeting bandits, violent gangs and criminal networks across Taraba, Benue and adjoining corridors.

In Taraba, troops under Operation Lafiya Nakowa conducted an extensive clearance operation on Friday around remote border villages in Takum Local Government Area.

The patrol, which covered Tor-Tser, Kofar Ahmadu, Tornyi, Unom, Mbayongo and Yongogba, followed credible intelligence on the presence of armed groups believed to be plotting attacks and using scattered farmlands as staging points.

According to a Saturday statement issued by the Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Umar Muhammad, troops received updated intelligence mid-operation that bandits had been sighted around TY Farm in Tati, sparking rapid redeployment.

“Confronted with the troops’ superior firepower, the bandits fled deep into the forest,” the Army said.

The soldiers then discovered and destroyed a major hideout at the farm location, recovering one Dane gun and other items believed to have been used by the fleeing fighters.

The Commander, 6 Brigade and Sector 3 OPWS, Brigadier General Kingsley Chidiebere Uwa, praised the soldiers for their conduct, saying their responsiveness was evidence of improved tactical mobility and renewed operational discipline.

He also reaffirmed the brigade’s resolve to tighten dominance around rural axes vulnerable to ambushes, illegal taxation and night incursions by armed cells.

Uwa urged locals to remain active partners in early-warning, stressing that actionable tip-offs have been critical to recent breakthroughs.

He called for “timely and credible information to aid ongoing operations.”

In a related development, troops of Operation Whirl Stroke carried out a precision raid on a suspected cult base in the North Bank axis of Makurdi, Benue State, an area repeatedly flagged for youth gang violence and drug-use clusters.

The raid, conducted on Thursday, October 30, led to the arrest of seven suspects, believed to be linked to armed robbery, drug activities and cult-linked retaliatory attacks within the state capital.

“During the operation, troops apprehended seven (7) suspected cultists believed to be involved in various criminal activities, including armed robbery, drug abuse, and cult-related violence.

“Items recovered from the hideout include two (2) locally fabricated pistols, one (1) laptop, one (1) cartridge, one (1) round of 7.62mm ammunition, one (1) empty 7.62mm shell casing, one (1) dagger, and several bags containing charms and other incriminating materials,” the statement partly read.

All seven suspects are now in military custody awaiting profiling and handover to relevant investigative agencies.

Force Commander OPWS, Major General Moses Gara, commended troops for their “professionalism, vigilance and resilience,” and directed continuous pressure on splinter gang structures within North Bank and neighbouring university communities.

He also issued a caution to youths, particularly tertiary institution students, warning against the lure of cult group identity.

He urged them to “shun cultism, drug abuse and other forms of criminal behaviour,” stressing the importance of discipline and patriotism.

Gara added that recent security gains will be consolidated, pledging that the Joint Task Force will continue large-area sweeps as part of its mandate to stabilise Taraba–Benue theatre communities.

Both operations came amid renewed concerns about arms trafficking routes linking Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa and border forests stretching into Cameroon.

Metro

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

Published

19 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

19 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.