Crime
PHOTOS: Security joint forces arrest 12 kidnappers, one informant, rescue victims in Kogi and Kwara
Twelve suspected kidnappers and one informant have been arrested in a coordinated security operation carried out across parts of Kogi and Kwara States.
This was disclosed on Tuesday, July 22, 2025 by the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo through a press statement made available to newsmen.
He said the suspects were apprehended during a series of raids jointly executed by the Hybrid Force from the Office of the National Security Adviser and Officers and Men of the Forward Operating Base (FOB), Egbe.
The operations covered Isanlu-Esa and Okoloke in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, and Patigi, Lafiagi and Gbugbu in Kwara State.
The statement identified the suspected kidnappers as Mainasara Abubakar, Sadik Abubakar, Jude Sani, Sanda Abubakar, Lawali Usman, Tukur Shehu, Hassan Abubakar, Kabiru Surajo, Makiri Dodo, Bala Hassan, Umaru Sanda, and Ruwa Abubakar. Also arrested was Rabiu Makeri, who is believed to be an informant for the gang.
According to the statement, the security forces engaged the suspects in a fierce gun battle, during which some of the kidnappers fled, abandoning their motorcycles and kidnap victims. Several kidnapped women were successfully rescued during the confrontation.
“We want to thank the gallant officers from the Office of the National Security Adviser and our men at the FOB, Egbe for their courage and professionalism. We also commend the Kwara State Government for their cooperation, which has yielded this outstanding result,” the statement read.
“Peace has returned to Kogi West as the criminal route from Kwara into our communities has now been disrupted. There will be no hiding place for the criminals. One of the security agents who confronted the kidnappers was shot and he is currently receiving medical treatment at an undisclosed hospital in Yagba West Local Government Area of the State. The Governor of Kogi State, His Excellency Alh. Ahmed Usman Ododo has offered to cover all the costs of treatment,” he said.
The Commissioner further assured the public that the arrested suspects will face full prosecution after investigations, reaffirming the state’s zero-tolerance stance on criminality.
In a separate remark, the Executive Chairman of Yagba West LGA and ALGON Chairman for Kogi State, Hon. Tosin Olokun, expressed gratitude to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for providing the logistics and support that enabled the success of the operation.
“Governor Ododo promised to restore peace to Yagba West and Yagba as a whole. Today, he has backed those words with decisive action. We can now heave a sigh of relief. The people of Yagba are grateful for his leadership and the results it is delivering,” Olokun said.
The Kogi State Government emphasized its ongoing commitment to working with federal and regional partners to ensure the safety and security of all communities within the state.
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Crime
PHOTOS: Court sentences Akwa Ibom pastor to 49 years imprisonment for r@ping and impregnating his teenage daughter
An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced a pastor, Apostle Williams Okon Bassey, to 49 years imprisonment for r@ping and impregnating his teenage daughter.
Hon. Justice Bassey delivered the judgment on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
Bassey, of Mount Zion Lighthouse Full Gospel Church, Uyo, was arrested at his residence on Ibanga Street on November 7, 2019.
Police paraded him alongside four other men, Nsikan Udo, Iniobong Moses, Saviour Ukpong and Festus Etuk, who were also arrested for r@pe and incest. (See photos of the men and victims attached)
The victim revealed that her father started having s3xual intercourse with her at age 13.
The continuous s3xual assault led her to become pregnant on three different occasions and the pregnancies were aborted by her mother.
She added that her father always demanded s3x from her before paying her school fees or meeting her needs.
Bassey confessed to the crime but claimed the assault started when his daughter was 16.
“I called my daughter to come and scratch my back, as she was scratching my back, I became tipsy, my daughter climbed on top of me and I f3cked her. That was my first time of sleeping with my daughter and she was about 16 years old then,” the pastor confessed.
“I took her to her mother’s place in Eket, after telling her that our daughter was pregnant, I handed her over to the mother who promised to get rid of the pregnancy.
“After the pregnancy was terminated, I continued having s3x with her each time I have misunderstanding with my wife.
“She became pregnant the second time. I still returned her to the mother who still took her to abort the pregnancy.
“When she returned the second time, I continued the act of s3xing her which resulted in the third pregnancy and the mother still took her for abortion.”
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A cleric of Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah wa Ikamatis-Sunnah (JIBWIS), Alhaji Muhammad Maibarga, has d!ed in bandits’ den.
The Islamic cleric was kidnapped alongside his friend, a former chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Koko/ Besse local government area of the state.
A video allegedly released by their abductors showed the late cleric in deteriorating health condition before he was later confirmed d3ad.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Kebbi Police Command, SP Bashir Usman, confirmed his d3ath to journalists on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
“We are aware of reports concerning the victim’s deteriorating condition and d3ath in captivity,” he said.
A family friend to the late cleric, Usman Aliyu, said efforts were on to secure his release from his abductors, when he d!ed due to his deteriorating health conditions.
The family were making efforts to meet the demands of his abductors.
“They are still looking for money demanded by the bandits so that he could be released to them, but we are devastated by the news of his d3ath in the hands of those that kidnapped him,” Aliyu said.
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PHOTOS: Court sentences Akwa Ibom pastor to 49 years imprisonment for r@ping and impregnating his teenage daughter
