Metro

Scores Of ISWAP Terrorists Blocking Maiduguri-Damaturu Road Reportedly Neutralised

Published

3 years ago

June 10, 2022

Scores of suspected members of the Islamic State of West Africa (ISWAP) terrorist group have been neutralised by the Nigerian military after they blocked the Maiduguri-Damaturu road wreaking havoc on commuters on Thursday.

It took massive air support from the Nigeria Airforce to neutralise the terrorists who fled the scene where they took siege of Lawan Mainari village about 30 km from Mainoc.

“Three guntrucks were recovered from a location at about twenty kilometres away from the scene of incident, after they tried to escape on sighting backup troops advance,” said a source within the Rapid Response Squad involved in patrolling the 130 km expressway.

Sources present at the scene told DAILY POST that, “about five abducted commuters were later released by the insurgents after a hot chase by the combined team of the Airforce and the troops on the ground.

“They were abducted because they could not escape like some national youth service corps members coming in from Damaturu who escaped into the Savannah on sighting the criminals only to resurface after the presence of military backups on the road.”

Reliable military sources told DAILY POST that “Two trailers and one truck were burnt by the insurgents but the military also destroyed three vehicles belonging to the terrorists killed.

“Many of them were eliminated, with troops still chasing those hours after they escaped from the roadblock yesterday. They actually gained entrance to the main road by filling the trenches around unknown to the residents. Actually, no civilian vehicle was burnt in the criminal act of the insurgents.

“The vehicles were stopped indeed and there was no movement from about midmorning due to fear. The road was blocked during the encounter and then later reopened by troops who were there in time with the theatre commander Major General Chris Musa. 3 Gun trucks were recovered with lots of weapons. One of the gun trucks was destroyed completely because they came with 4 gun trucks to try our will power.”

Damaturu-Maiduguri road has been relatively peaceful for some time now except for a few hit-and-run cases which the insurgents have been perpetuating occasionally to gain relevance.

Last month ISWAP targeted a truckload of mobile policemen deployed from Port Harcourt into the theatre but were disappointed in their ploy because the policemen fought and freed themselves from the ambush laid down for them.

Commissioner of Police, Abdu Umar while chatting with newsmen however regretted that while the group coming in from Biu landed safely with all their men, he lost three policemen in the team that took the Damaturu-Maiduguri road to base.

ISWAP had since claimed responsibility for the attack even as the three policemen that died in the ambush have since been buried.

Metro

EFCC Raids Obasanjo’s Hotel, Arrests Suspected Internet Fraudsters At Pool Party

Published

3 hours ago

August 10, 2025

Editor

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have reportedly stormed the Green Legacy Hotel, located within the premises of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun State, and arrested some youths suspected to be internet fraudsters.

The PUNCH gathered that EFCC operatives carried out the raid in the early hours of Sunday during a pool party at the premises of the library.

This came barely five days after operatives of the Ibadan Zonal Directorate of the commission arrested a suspected internet fraudster with two locally-made pistols in a raid at K-Hotel in Itori, Ewekoro area of the state.

The suspect, according to the anti-graft agency, was among the 55 others arrested during the raid carried out on Wednesday.

A viral video of the Sunday raid at the Obasanjo Library showed youths scampering for safety as the sound of gunshots filled the air.

The operatives reportedly arrested a number of youths and seized “more than 20 luxury cars and other valuable items.”

Sources said the operation was carried out by the EFCC operatives from the Lagos Directorate.

An X user, A.Ayomide, in a post said, “Literally left my house past midnight to go to OOPL, got there and the crowd was too much. I don’t like the settings, my guy doesn’t like the settings, so we were just at the car park.

“Left around 1:30, 20 minutes later I get home and I’m getting calls that EFCC is raiding OOPL.”

The Managing Director of OOPL Ventures, Vitalis Ortese, confirmed the incident, but he did not provide details.

“Yes, they did. There was an incident this morning. We will find out and we will let you know,” he told our correspondent.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Lagos zonal command of EFCC, Ayo Oyewole, said he was not aware of the operation but promised to get back to our correspondent.

Also contacted, the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, promised to confirm and get back to our correspondent.

Metro

Police Arrest Three Over Murder Of FCT Radio Station Worker

Published

3 hours ago

August 10, 2025

Editor

Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command have arrested three suspects in connection with the murder of a staff member of Liberty Radio identified as Azubuko Nwakama.

Nwakama was attacked and robbed at Panteka Market, Mpape, Abuja in June 2024 and subsequently died.

In a statement on Sunday, the command’s spokesman, Josephine Adeh disclosed that following the incident, detectives were deployed to investigate the matter.

She added that three suspects: Mutari Lawal, 32, from Kano State; Dan’Asabe Ibrahim, 22, from Zamfara State; and Danjuma Ibrahim, 18, of no fixed address in Mpape, were tracked down following over a year of investigation.

Adeh said efforts to trace the stolen phone initially failed as it remained switched off for more than a year.

She added that the breakthrough came on August 2, 2025, when a phone, a Redmi 13C, stolen from the deceased was powered on and tracked to Lawal, who was arrested.

Adeh said, “Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command, attached to Mpape Division, have arrested three suspects in connection with the murder of Mr. Azubuko Nwakama, a staff member of Liberty Radio, who was attacked and robbed on 14th June 2024 at Panteka Market, Mpape, Abuja.

“Following the incident in June 2024, detectives from the Mpape Division immediately launched a comprehensive investigation.

“The suspects had dispossessed the victim of his mobile phone and other valuables. Despite extensive tracking efforts, the device remained switched off, making it difficult to trace.

“The investigation team remained on the case for over a year, closely monitoring possible digital traces linked to the stolen phone.

“The breakthrough came on 2nd August 2025, when the victim’s phone, a Redmi 13C, was switched on. It was immediately tracked to one Mutari Lawal, 32 yrs, from Kano State, who was promptly arrested.”

Adeh said Lawal confessed to the crime, adding that he had taken the phone to Kano, kept it off for a year, and switched it on in August 2025 to erase data before returning to Abuja.

“During interrogation, Mutari confessed to attacking and stabbing the deceased before making away with his valuables.

“He named his accomplices as Dan’Asabe Ibrahim, 22yrs, from Zamfara State, and Danjuma Ibrahim 18yrs, both of no fixed address in Mpape, with whom he carried out the crime.

“He further disclosed that he took the stolen phone to Kano, kept it switched off for a year, and only powered it on in August 2025 to wipe data, insert his SIM card, and return to Abuja, ” Adeh said.

FCT Commissioner of Police, Ajao Adewale, commended the officers for their persistence and warned criminal elements to desist or face the law.
(PUNCH)

Metro

NDLEA Arrests Wanted Lagos Pastor For Cross-border Drug Trafficking

Published

3 hours ago

August 10, 2025

Editor

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has arrested the founder and General Overseer of The Turn of Mercy Church, Adefolusho Olasele, also known as Abbas Ajakaiye, over his alleged role in multiple shipments of illicit drugs from Ghana to Nigeria.

Olasele, who had been on the run for months, was apprehended on Sunday, August 3, 2025, at his church in Okun Ajah, Lekki, Lagos.

A statement on Sunday by the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said operatives waited until the end of the Sunday service before arresting him as he stepped out of the premises.

According to him, the pastor fled to Ghana in June to evade arrest after operatives linked him to two cannabis seizures — 200kg recovered at Okun Ajah Beach on June 4 and 700kg found in his delivery van on July 6.

“After months of fleeing abroad to evade arrest, the founder and General Overseer of The Turn of Mercy Church, Prophet Adefolusho Aanu Olasele (alias Abbas Ajakaiye) has been arrested for masterminding multiple shipments of illicit drugs into Nigeria.

“Prophet Adefolusho was arrested at his church located in Okun Ajah, Ogombo road, Lekki area of Lagos on Sunday, 3rd August 2025 by NDLEA officers who waited for him since morning to conclude the Sunday worship service in the evening before moving in on him the moment he stepped out of the church premises.

“The arrest came after he had evaded arrest twice and fled to Ghana to hide since June, when operatives started trailing him following the seizure of two shipments of Ghana Loud, a strain of cannabis linked to him. The first seizure of 200kg of the psychoactive substance was made at Okun Ajah beach on 4th June 2025, while another consignment of 700kg of the same substance was recovered from his delivery van on 6th July 2025,” the statement read.

In his statement, Babafemi claimed the pastor confessed to ferrying the consignments via waterways from Ghana.

He said, “In his statement, he admitted ferrying the illicit consignments through the waterways from Ghana into Nigeria, adding that he had fled to the West African country to hide after he escaped arrest twice in the recent past.”

In a separate operation in Lagos on Thursday, August 7, Babafemi said NDLEA operatives raided an apartment at Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, where they arrested Benjamin Ukoh and recovered 32 pouches of Canadian Loud, weighing 15.63kg.

“In Nasarawa State, NDLEA operatives on Saturday, August 9, recovered a large consignment of skunk, a strain of cannabis weighing 3,093 kilograms from the trio of Emmanuel Asoquo Johnny, 51; Okem Raphael, 33, and Chekwube Odo, 25, at New Karu area of the state.

“While 29-year-old Nura Yahaya was nabbed at Geza area of Kumbotso Kano State with 639 blocks of skunk weighing 359kg on Friday 8th August, another suspect Umar Adamu Umar, 27, was taken into custody on Wednesday 6th August by NDLEA officers after seizing 9kg of Colorado, a synthetic strain of cannabis from him along Zaria-Kano road, Kano, ” the statement added.

In Gombe State, Babafemi stated that a raid on an uncompleted building in Tudun Wadan Pantami on Friday, August 8, led to the recovery of 550,266 opioid pills and the arrest of Usama Isah.

“The following day, Saturday 9th August, another suspect, Ibrahim Adamu, 23, was arrested by NDLEA officers along Potiskum road, Bajoga with 50,000 capsules of tramadol”, he added.

In Edo State, a Toyota Hiace bus travelling from Onitsha to Isanlu, Kogi, was intercepted at Ewu junction on Wednesday, August 6, with 23,940 tramadol capsules, 1,100 tablets, and 400 pentazocine ampoules. The driver, Taiye Jethro, was arrested.

Commending the officers involved, NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd), urged personnel nationwide to maintain a balanced approach to drug control operations.