Metro

Police Rescue Kidnap Victim, Bust Criminal Gang In Anambra

Published

2 years ago

September 1, 2023

Police operatives attached to the Area Command Headquarters, Onitsha have rescued a kidnap victim in the commercial city.

Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr Tochukwu Ikenga said the operatives were on township patrol when they received a distress call at about 9.30 P.M. of a kidnap incident around Borromeo Roundabout.

According to him, the operatives responded to the distress call and caught up with a shuttle bus in which the kidnapped victim was held.

“The operatives professionally engaged the kidnappers in a shootout without harming the hostage who was rescued unhurt.

“Two suspects were arrested at the scene, while others managed to escape with gunshot wounds.

“The Police team recovered one Barreta pistol, nine rounds of 9MM live ammunition, and a shuttle bus without number plates which the criminals used for the kidnap operation”, Ikenga said.

Ikenga said further that the Commissioner of Police, Aderemi Adeoye, while commending the operatives for the remarkable feat, charged them to intensify efforts aimed at apprehending the fleeing gang members.

He also call on hospitals in the area to report anyone presenting gunshot injuries, while treatment is ongoing to save lives.

Elsewhere in Ogidi, Idemili North local government area, the police operatives also busted a four-man burglary gang that usually targets commercial shops across the state.

The PPRO said that acting on a tip-off the police stormed the hideout of the gang and cordoned it off to prevent escape of any of the gang members.

He said that four suspects, who are all from Ebonyi State, were arrested.

Recovered from them were two ladies’ motorcycles, two big generators, one wheelbarrow, one deep freezer,
three bags of rice and two large Iron cutters.

Ikenga said that on Interrogation, the suspects confessed breaking into a store at Nanka, in Orumba North local government to steal the recovered items.

CP Aderemi Adeoye has already directed that investigation be extended to Nanka to locate the owner of the store, as well as the Motor Licensing Office for records of owners of the motorcycles with a view to returning the recovered items to the rightful owners, while suspects would be arraigned in court as soon as investigations were concluded.

Metro

Gunmen Abduct Chief Imam In Edo, Demand N30m Ransom

Published

1 day ago

July 13, 2025

Editor

The Chief Imam of Uromi, Sheikh Murtadho Muhammad, has reportedly been abducted by unknown gunmen.

Muhammad, who is also the
President of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Edo-Delta Chapter, was said to have been kidnapped at the Angle 90 Area of Uromi, in Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State, around 2 p.m. on Thursday

Eyewitness accounts revealed that Muhammad had stepped out to buy food for his family near his residence shortly after observing one of the daily prayers when he was forcefully taken away.

Alhaji Abdulazeez Igbinidu, Chairman of the Edo State chapter of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), while confirming the incident on Sunday to newsmen, condemned the act and called for the immediate release of the Islamic leader.

“I am hearing that they are asking for a very large amount of money, and we don’t have such.

“Even if you have it, if you pay, you are encouraging them,” he said.

The chairman urged the Edo State government to intensify efforts to protect ordinary citizens.

“They are the ones with the apparatus for security. So they should do everything possible to ensure the Imam is released unconditionally and unharmed.

“Government should also make every effort to ensure that citizens can sleep with their two eyes closed and move freely without fear of kidnapping or assassination,” he added.

A family source disclosed that the suspected kidnappers have contacted the family and are demanding a ransom of N30 million.

The incident has sparked widespread concern among the Muslim community in the state, considering the victim’s dual role as a revered religious leader and youth development advocate.

Contacted, the Edo State Police Command confirmed the report, saying: “It was reported to us on 10/7/2025. Efforts are ongoing to rescue the victim and track down the culprits.”

Metro

NDLEA Intercepts Drugs In Factory-fitted Lipsticks At Lagos Airport

Published

2 days ago

July 13, 2025

Editor

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a shipment of illicit substances concealed in factory-fitted female lipsticks at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.

The discovery, which marks the second of such in less than a week, was announced by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, via a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Sunday.

“Ladies beware! It does appear like female lipstick is becoming attractive as an instrument for concealment and trafficking now,” Babafemi warned.

“With yet another consignment of factory-fitted female lipsticks stuffed with illicit substances intercepted at MMIA barely a week after NDLEA officers uncovered a similar cargo at a courier company in Lagos.”

He urged Nigerians, particularly women, to be cautious when purchasing or accepting cosmetic products, especially from unfamiliar or suspicious online sources.

The NDLEA has yet to reveal the identity of the suspect(s) behind the latest smuggling attempt, but investigations are said to be ongoing.

Metro

50-year-old Bandit, Two Informants Arrested

Published

2 days ago

July 13, 2025

Editor

The Zamfara State Police Command has announced the arrest of eight suspected criminals, including a 50-year-old bandit and two informants, as part of ongoing operations to dislodge criminal elements across the state.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Yazid Abubakar, the command’s Public Relations Officer, disclosed these successes during a press briefing at the command’s headquarters in Gusau.

Abubakar stated that the arrested individuals include Ibrahim Mohammed, a 50-year-old suspected bandit from Maru Local Government Area of the state, two bandit informants, a gun runner, and five other suspects.

He credited the arrests to credible intelligence received from members of the public.

Items recovered during the operations include assorted rifles, a stolen ATM card, leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, and a Toyota Corolla vehicle, among other items.

The arrests are part of the Zamfara State Police Command’s sustained efforts to combat banditry and other criminal activities plaguing the state.