Metro

Two security Guards Bag Life Sentences For Sexual Abuse Of Minor

Published

1 minute ago

May 15, 2026

Two security guards have been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court for the repeated rape of a young girl over a six year period.

The convicts, James Sule 30, and Adamu Yau 25, were convicted by Honourable Justice S.M. Mayana at High Court 46 Apo, following a prosecution by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

The sentencing, delivered without the option of a fine, was carried out under the provisions of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act.

A statement signed by the NAPTIP Press Officer, Vincent Adekoye, revealed that the case, which first came to light in 2022, detailed a harrowing ordeal that began in 2016 when the victim was just six years old.

The court heard that Sule, then the family’s security guard at an estate in Lugbe, first assaulted the child in a toilet after offering to protect her from being disciplined by her grandmother. He subsequently used a knife to threaten the child into silence.

Over the following years, Sule recruited two other guards, the second convict, Yau, and another individual named Muhammed, who remains at large to participate in the abuse.

The men reportedly threatened to wipe out the victim’s entire family if she disclosed the assaults.

The agency said that the abuse was eventually uncovered after the victim’s parents noticed a drastic change in her behaviour, including extreme agitation in Sule’s presence.

Following a disclosure to a local pastor, the matter was reported to the Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH) and subsequently transferred to NAPTIP.

The prosecution presented five witnesses, including the victim’s mother, and tendered seven exhibits, including medical evidence confirming the physical trauma suffered by the child.

Despite pleading not guilty during their arraignment in October 2023, both men were found guilty of the charges.

Reacting to the judgment, the Director General of NAPTIP, Binta Bello, hailed the verdict as a landmark victory for justice.

Bello expressed excitement “that indeed adequate justice which, is commensurate with the magnitude of the crime committed by the convicts, was duly served on them.

“This will go a long way to assuage the pain and traumatic experience of the victim and her family.”

The DG pointed that the conviction was a result of improved strategies to enforce the VAPP Act.

She issued a stern warning to service providers, saying “It will no longer be business as usual for them.”

Bello also urged the public to exercise greater caution when hiring domestic staff.

“I also want to use this medium to appeal again to all Nigerians, especially parents and school owners, to ensure they carry out due diligence and strict profiling on any service providers including drivers, security guards, and babysitters before employing them,” she said.

The victim’s mother expressed gratitude to NAPTIP and its legal team for ensuring that justice is served on the violators of her daughter.

The two convicts have been transferred to Kuje Correctional Centre, where they are set to serve their sentences.

Metro

Dozens Of Pupils Feared Abducted As Boko Haram Attacks School In Borno

Published

34 minutes ago

May 15, 2026

Editor

Suspected members of Boko Haram on Friday attacked a Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State and abducted many pupils and students.

The attack, which occurred around 9:00 a.m at the Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Mussa community, located on the eastern fringe of Sambisa Forest.

Confirming the incident to The Guardian in Maiduguri, the President of the Borno South Youth Alliance (BSYA),, Samaila Kaigama, said: “The insurgents stormed the school without resistance and took away an unspecified number of pupils and students.

“Yes, they came this morning, and forcefully packed some children, number unspecified yet. I was reliably informed that the abductors are the same faction that did the Ngoshe kidnapping of over 400 residents.”

Kaigama added that the victims were pupils of a day school and not boarders.

He further lamented: “They came this morning and picked some primary school pupils. It is a day school and not a boarding school. They attacked without any resistance.”..

The Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdullahi Askira, also confirmed the attack but said details surrounding possible abductions were still unclear.

“Details of the attack are sketchy, but the information at my disposal has it that many of the students fled into the bush, but I don’t have details of those abducted,” he said.

He described the incident as disheartening, noting that the insurgents reportedly struck shortly after troops on patrol left the community.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Daso, said the command had yet to receive full details of the incident.

“As of now, I have not gotten any information. We are still making verification,” he said.

Efforts to reach the chairman of Askira Uba Local Government Area, Madu Saidu, were unsuccessful as calls to his line were not answered.

Metro

Drama As Teenagers Stage Secret Wedding With N3,000 Bride Price

Published

23 hours ago

May 14, 2026

Editor

Young boys and girls in Bauchi metropolis have been apprehended for allegedly engaging in an illegal marriage arrangement among themselves despite being below the legally recognised adult age of 18 years, with a bride price reportedly fixed at N3,000.

The supposed bride, whose name was withheld and whom her father claimed is 18 years old, alongside the “illegal” groom, was on Thursday presented before the Action Committee on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence chaired by the wife of the Bauchi State Governor, Aisha Bala Mohammed.

They were arrested by operatives of the Bauchi State Vigilante and Youth Empowerment Agency led by Umar Aliyu Shayi in collaboration with the Bauchi State Police Command.

Also apprehended were wedding guests, the Imam who reportedly conducted the marriage, and an underage girl who allegedly acted as the bride’s mother during the ceremony.

Speaking on the incident, the Commander of Hisbah in the state, Mohammed Mohammed Bununu, declared the marriage invalid, noting that the bride’s father denied knowledge of the arrangement.

Bununu stated that Bauchi, which operates under Sharia law, would not tolerate such practices and urged families to uphold Islamic values and proper parental guidance.

Also speaking, the First Lady, Aisha Bala Mohammed, attributed the development to poverty, moral decadence, and parental negligence.

She urged parents to recommit themselves to proper upbringing and religious teachings, stressing that children should not be left without guidance and supervision.

According to her, poor parental care, uncontrolled family size, and the abandonment of children at an early stage have contributed significantly to such incidents.

Metro

Imo Court Sentences 34-year-old Man To Death By Hanging For Kidnapping, Armed Robbery

Published

4 days ago

May 11, 2026

Editor

A State High Court sitting in Owerri, the Imo State Capital, has sentenced a 34-year-old man, Johnbosco Chidera Ashiegbu to death by hanging after finding him guilty of serial armed robbery and kidnapping.

Johnbosco, a native of Amaiyi Akabo in Ikeduru LGA of the State, was said to have been arrested in 2024 along Okigwe road, Owerri, in a stolen vehicles and after interrogation, he confessed to have been in the business of armed robbery and hostage taking, operating within Imo and Abia States with his gang.

Ruling on the matter, the presiding Judge, Hon. Justice C.N Akowundu said the defendant was guilty of all the eight count charges against him as the prosecuting counsel proved beyond reasonable doubt all the charges leveled against the accused person.

He recalled that in 2024, Ashiegbu and his gang who are currently at large, trailed one Mr. Rex Edwin Achiefula to his house at Aba while driving along with his wife and whisked the couple away, robbing them of their car and the sum of US2800 dollars.

While the wife was freed along the road, the husband was blindfolded and taken to an unknown destination where he was held hostage for close to six days.

Meanwhile, the defendant and his gang members that same day, about same time, before the abduction of Mr Rex had already abducted one Emmanuel Okezie who was also driving along the same route with Mr. Rex.

Their victims were later released after the payment of a ransom of 3.7million naira and 15 million naira, respectively.

Justice Akobundu, in the judgement, further remarked that Ashiegbu drives in fleet of cars and routinely changes ownership of all vehicles he stole to his name, including the ones he gifted his elder brother and sister during her birthday celebration.

Meanwhile, the defense counsel pleaded for leniency that the accused had not been convicted of any offense in the past and is the breadwinner of his family married with children who depend on him.

Waving out the request from the defendant counsel, the Judge said that the defendant himself did not show any sign of remorse throughout the trial.

The Prosecuting Counsel, Ikenna Obi, a Senior State Counsel in Ministry of Justice, urged the court to give its pronouncement in line with the dictates of the law.

He noted that the defendant had not shown any atom of repentance even as he had been found guilty of all the charges before the Court.

The Judge, in his final judgement, said the accused was guilty of all charges levelled against him and therefore sentenced to death by hanging.