Metro

Serial Phone Thief Caught Fast Asleep In Church

Published

2 years ago

June 3, 2023

A driver based in Ibadan, Oyo State, Saheed Abioye, also known as Anini, has been arrested by the Anti-Cultism Squad of the Osun State Police Command.

The suspect was reported to be returning home after a failed attempt to steal mobile phones at a church in Osogbo when he was caught.

The father of one told City Round when he was paraded at the police headquarters that he had returned to Osogbo from Ibadan, to check on his child, who was living with a relation.

According to him, before he checked on the child, he decided to visit a church in the Alekuwodo area of Osun State, where a vigil was being held, with the intention of stealing the phones of unsuspecting worshippers.

He said, “I got to the church around 10.45pm and sat at the back, waiting for the opportunity to steal mobile phones of people who might want to charge at the back of the church.

“Unfortunately, I was unable to steal anything that fateful day because I slept off as soon as the vigil started and I did not wake up until around 3am.

“By the time I woke up, the vigil had ended and people were already going home, so I left the church premises. I was unable to steal anything.

“When I got to the Alekuwodo area, before Akindeko Market, I saw a police patrol vehicle and some anti-cultism operatives from Dugbe (divisional headquarters, Osogbo). They stopped me and asked what I had on me and I replied that I had my purse and ID card. They searched me and found no incriminating item.

“They later took me back to the church to confirm if truly I was coming from there. When they asked the pastor, he said he did not see me in church, so they took me back to Dugbe Police Station.

“Later, my video was recorded and sent to other stations and some operatives, who had arrested me in the past, identified me as an expert in the theft of phones. I don’t steal cars, motorcycles or any other thing except phones.”

Abioye claimed to have stolen and sold over 18 phones from different parts of the state.

The Osun Police Public Relations Officer, Yemisi Opalola, said the suspect would be arraigned after investigation had been concluded.

Metro

Police Detain 3 Nsukka Masqueraders For Allegedly Assaulting Residents

Published

5 hours ago

June 24, 2025

Editor

The police command in Enugu State has detained three masqueraders in the Nsukka area of the state for allegedly assaulting law-abiding citizens.

The command’s spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe, said in a statement in Enugu on Tuesday that police operatives, with the assistance of members of the community, led to the arrest of the suspects on June 23 at 3:30 p.m.

He said that the arrest of the suspects was in connection with the alleged physical assault of citizens by the ‘Oriokpa’ Masquerade group on June 22 as seen in a viral video.

“The suspects, along with others still at large, took advantage of the ‘Oriokpa’ Masquerade celebration to assault several innocent members of the public, inflicting bodily injuries on them.

“One of the victims was hospitalised for treatment due to injuries sustained during the attack.

“The masqueraders initially resisted police arrest and fled the scene.

“However, with the assistance of law-abiding community members, the three suspects were later identified and apprehended,” he said.

The spokesman said that the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr Mamman Giwa, had ordered a thorough investigation into the case to ensure that justice was served.

Ndukwe quoted the commissioner as saying that masquerade celebration was a sacred and symbolic aspect of the nation’s culture.

He said that the state police chief, however, decried the actions of those who exploited the occasion to commit criminal acts.

Ndukwe said that the commissioner warned against the use of cultural festivities as a cover for fomenting trouble and committing crimes against fellow citizens, as perpetrated by the ‘Oriokpa’ masqueraders.

“The command is assuring the public that all those involved in the assault of law-abiding citizens will be brought to justice,” he added.

(NAN)

Metro

Edo Police Arrest Four Suspected Cultists

Published

9 hours ago

June 24, 2025

Editor

Edo Police Command said it has arrested four suspected cultists allegedly responsible for cult violence in Auchi and its environs of the state.

In a statement, the command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Moses Yamu said, the suspects, who were arrested during a joint operation, belong to different cultist groups.

The statement reads partly, “On 22/06/2025, operatives of the Command’s Anti-Cultism Unit in a joint operation with Jattu and Auchi Divisions embarked on a house-to-house arrest of cultists.

“These four (4) suspects were arrested in various locations in Auchi; Musa Murphy 25yrs of No 35 Ogeneni area Jattu, Auchi a member of Arobaga Confraternity, Gabriel Moses 25yrs of ECocota-Community, Auchi a member of Aye Confraternity, Michael Ayo 23yrs of No1 Emeke Uzuire, Auchi member of Eiye Confraternity and Philip Sunday 24yrs of Ebira camp, Auchi a member of Vikings Confraternity.”

Yamu expressed the state Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika’s assurance to the “general public of the Command’s resolve to rid the State of cultism while the suspects would be charged to court as soon as the investigation is concluded.”

Metro

Chaos In Court As Ex-convict Attempts To Escape

Published

12 hours ago

June 24, 2025

Editor

A dramatic scene unfolded on Tuesday in an Ilorin Area Court as an ex-convict, Segun Samuel, attempted to escape from the court premises, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The Prosecution Counsel, ASP Samuel Mayowa, who witnessed the incident, told NAN that the ex-convict cunningly removed the chains from his leg with a broomstick, walked towards the restroom and scaled the court fence.

“He has four different criminal cases in this court. One of the cases was heard on Monday, and he was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment.

“In the second criminal case, he was sentenced to six months of community service, and the third case was supposed to be heard today, before he pulled that stunt,” he said.

Luckily, he said, the police officers in the court premises and the prison warder swung into action and pursued him.

He said that after a thorough search, and with the help of the community, the ex-convict was found in a dilapidated building at Oke-Suna Area, Ilorin.

The Correctional Service officer, he said, was called, and the ex-convict was captured and returned to custody