Ibrahim Olawale, elder brother of a missing lady, Noimot, shares with GRACE EDEMA how the family tracked her location and uncovered the phone number of a fleeing suspected ritual killer from the hotel manager’s call logs, where she was last seen
How are you related to the missing person?
I’m a brother to Olawale Noimot. She is my parents’ third born. She is 30 years old. I work as a technician at the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company.
Is she married?
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She is a single mother of one.
What happened on the day she went missing?
On Saturday, 19th of July, around past 2 pm, I received a call from one of her neighbours. They had been trying to reach her on the phone, but someone else picked up and said she had an accident and was taken to a hospital in Ikeja, LASUTH.
On their way to the place, they kept calling her number. It rang, but at the gate of the hospital, it went off. They still went in and spoke with hospital staff. They checked all the emergency centres, wards, and even the mortuary, but she wasn’t there.
What did you do next?
We were told to go back to the general hospital to check again. On the way back, my sister and I decided to go and meet some of her neighbours and friends at their place in Maya, Ikorodu, where she had been staying.
They narrated the story to us. They said on Friday, the 18th of July, she left home with her friend for work. When they got to work, around 8:30 am, my sister said she was stepping out and would be back shortly. She told her friend she was going to Ejigbo to see someone and would return.
Did she return?
No. After a while, her friend called to ask where she was, and my sister repeated that she would soon return, but she never did. Her friend ended up sleeping in the hotel where they worked.
What happened the next morning?
Her friend left the hotel around 7:30 am. Later in the day, around 12 or 1 pm, one of my sister’s neighbours came to their compound and asked about her. She found my sister’s son alone at home.
How old is the son?
He’s nine years old.
So, the boy slept alone without his mother?
Yes, alone. That was the neighbour who called my sister’s number, and someone picked up, saying she had an accident and had been taken to the hospital. That was how they alerted others, and a few neighbours went to check.
Did her friend at work explain further what happened?
Yes, she confirmed again that after arriving at work, my sister said she was stepping out briefly. I asked her where they worked and which department. She said my sister worked in the bar section of a hotel.
Yes, I asked for the number of their manager, Mr Wale Onibudo. She gave me the number. She also said the hotel had no name and was located at Ladega.
What happened when you visited the hotel?
My sister, her friend, her neighbour, and I went together. On the way there, her friend pulled me aside to say, ‘They were doing hookup in the hotel.’
When we got to the hotel, I asked to see the manager. The manager’s name is Mr Rafiu. I also met the owner, Mr Wale Onibudo. I asked the manager what he knew. He said on Friday, both my sister and her friend left the hotel that night and never returned.
But her friend earlier said she slept at the hotel. Don’t you think there is a contradiction there?
Yes, that was the contradiction. Her friend claimed she slept over at the hotel that night, but the manager said both of them left around 9 pm and didn’t return. The owner of the hotel also said he saw both of them before he left around 8 pm. So, I wasn’t satisfied because their explanations were conflicting and complicated.
What was your next action?
We left the hotel and went to where my sister had been living. I collected her house key from a neighbour, and we went inside with her son. The next day, Sunday, the 20th of July, we went to the Sagamu Police Division to file a complaint and gave my statement.
What happened thereafter?
Somebody assisted us to track the number of the person we were searching for, because the MTN line was going on and off. The Airtel line had been switched off completely. But the MTN line was still fluctuating—sometimes it was on, sometimes off.
Who helped you with the tracking?
Someone assisted us with that. The person eventually gave us information that the phone operator was going to call. That was the last trace—just before the phone was switched off.
Is the place close to where she lived, around the hotel?
Yes, it’s about 500 meters away—from the hotel to another hotel nearby.
You mentioned there was another issue?
Yes, there was something else we didn’t like. There was an alleged ritualist known to frequent the area; there was a viral video we saw about an Alfa who butchered someone in his house. It raised concerns that he could be involved, though we’re not yet certain.
What did you do about that?
So, my sister and I went to that area to investigate. We made some inquiries and spoke with some members of the community to gather more information. They confirmed that it was true an Alfa lives in that house but is now at large, and the matter has now been transferred to the police station.
Unfortunately, the number we received—the one belonging to Alfa—showed up on the manager’s phone.
How did that happen?
The case was already transferred to Panti. They had Alfa’s phone and the address. They claimed Alfa had forgotten his phone, and he’d been asking them to bring it to him. Well, Alfa isn’t at Panti. He’s at large.
But the two people arrested—one was his neighbour, the other was his in-law. The neighbour said he heard someone screaming around 2 am, shouting, ‘Don’t kill me, let me be!’ until the voice faded—possibly when the person died.
Why didn’t the neighbour intervene?
He said he and Alfa had issues and weren’t on good terms. Alfa usually had multiple women around—about four or five. So, the neighbour assumed he was just fighting with one of them and didn’t check. He also said that the last time he went outside during a fight some time ago, they had threatened to beat him up. He said he didn’t have airtime on his phone to call anyone that night.
The second person arrested lived with Alfa. But on the night in question, he left to go change his clothes, which raised questions; if you live with someone, why would you need to leave to get new clothes? Eventually, he changed his statement. He claimed Alfa gave him something on Friday evening and told him to return the next day with feedback. He gave multiple, inconsistent stories.
So, how did you get Alfa’s number?
When we tracked the last known location of the missing person, my sister, where the phone was switched off—it matched the area mentioned on social media in connection to the news that one ‘Alfa butchered someone.’
We’re still trying to confirm whether the victim is our missing person.
We went to that area on Saturday for our own investigation, just to see if we could gather any physical evidence or information to report to the police.
At the first station, they told us the case had been transferred to the State CID. We were introduced to an officer who took us there. We met the DCO at the CID. He told us to go to Section D4. That’s where we filed a report.
Did you find any relevant evidence there?
Yes, at the crime scene, they had discovered remains: just flesh, no head, no arms, and no legs. The body was dismembered and unidentifiable. We were advised to work with the CID and D4 so that their investigations could align. Maybe if we interrogate their suspects further, we could determine if the dismembered body was our missing person.
We were given a phone number of Alfa, that later appeared in the call logs of the hotel manager, Mr Rafiu. After the suspects were released from the Division, we found out that they still communicated; the latest call was on the 22nd of July.
We checked the manager’s phone (via IPO’s help) and saw direct communication between the suspects and Alfa. This confirmed that they knew each other well. When asked who ‘Khalifa’ was—the name associated with Alfa—the suspect (manager) initially denied knowing. But after pressure and a slap, he confessed that Khalifa was Alfa and his Area brother.
Eventually, one of the staff said that Alfa came to the hotel on Friday evening to drink and was introduced to the missing woman (Noimot) by her friend, Olaitan, and they left together that evening.
What is the police finding?
The police suspected there was more to this case—something hidden. Because of this, the case was transferred to the homicide division, which handles kidnapping and murder.
However, Wale (the hotel owner) is using money and influence to try to suppress the investigation. One of the female officers visited the hotel again last Tuesday with my sister’s colleague (Olaitan). The woman pointed out where the manager and Alfa sat and confirmed their presence that night.
Did the suspect (your sister’s colleague) give consistent statements?
No, the woman gave over five to six different statements. She even claimed one Ola was the missing person’s boyfriend, but when we asked the manager, he said Ola only comes to drink occasionally.
Why wasn’t the suspect detained?
The manager had told police that she was the one who introduced the missing person to the apartment. That’s why they didn’t detain her, despite suspicions.
What’s your take on the police’s attitude, and what’s your appeal?
The police are not taking us seriously at all. I want to appeal to Nigerians and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police to please intervene in this case. We carried out most of the tracking ourselves—privately.
When we asked the police to help, they brought nothing to the table.
We are pleading with the authorities to thoroughly investigate this matter. They must find and arrest the Alfa so we can confirm whether the dismembered body found in his house belongs to our sister.
We’ve spent over N1m trying to get justice—moving from place to place, paying for services, making calls—yet we feel abandoned.
The hotel where she was last seen is still operating.
A Magistrate Court sitting at Nomansland in Fagge Local Government Area of Kano State has ordered the remand of a driver and two others over the alleged theft of jewellery, cash, and a mobile phone belonging to the wife of the 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II.
The defendants, Sulaiman Yakubu Kulkude, Idris Musa, and Abdullahi Usaini, were arraigned on a three-count charge of conspiracy, theft and receiving stolen property.
Prosecuting counsel, Barrister Abubakar Ibrahim, told the court that Sulaiman Yakubu, who serves as the driver of the Emir’s wife, unlawfully entered her room and made away with jewellery reportedly valued at N60 million, alongside cash and a mobile phone.
When the charges were read, Sulaiman pleaded guilty to all counts, while the two other defendants pleaded not guilty.
Counsel to the defendants, Barrister A.A. Abdullahi, filed a bail application.
In his ruling, the presiding Magistrate, Halilu Abdurahman, granted bail to the defendants with conditions, including the provision of a surety who must be either a father or brother, a civil servant not below Grade Level 15, and a bail sum of N10 million each.
The case was adjourned to April 14 for further hearing, while the defendants were remanded pending the fulfilment of their bail conditions.
Two adult males have been killed in separate suspected cult-related attacks in Lagos and Ogun States.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the first incident occurred on Saturday around the Federal College of Education (Technical), Akoka, in Yaba, while the second took place in the Magboro area of Ogun State.
The victim in the Akoka incident was reportedly hacked to death after being attacked by about six suspected cultists.
A police source, speaking on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorization to speak for the command, described the attack on Tuesday as a suspected reprisal.
“The victim was accosted along the axis leading to the school gate, and what started as a confrontation led to a fight. He was stabbed in the head in the process. It was later discovered that the assailants were suspected cultists,” the source said.
In a video seen by PUNCH Metro on Tuesday, the deceased’s body was lying by the roadside.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed the incident, adding that one suspect had been arrested.
“One suspect has been arrested in connection with the incident. Investigation is ongoing,” she said.
In Magboro, PUNCH Metro gathered that the victim in the Gas Line area was a suspected Eiye cult member identified as Cegaga.
According to insiders, he was stabbed to death during a clash involving rival cult groups in the community.
The incident, our correspondents gathered, occurred on Saturday around 11pm, following a disagreement between the deceased and a suspected Buccaneer member identified as Corner over money issues.
A suspected Vikings member, identified as Troup, who was reportedly at the scene, allegedly took sides in the dispute and stabbed the victim.
Residents said the victim’s body was discovered the following morning.
A resident who requested anonymity for security reasons said, “I didn’t witness the clash. I only came back to see that someone had been killed.”
Also speaking, a trader who asked not to be named said, “We had closed for the day.” It happened at midnight, and we only saw the body when we resumed work the next morning.”
It was gathered that tension had heightened in the community due to recurring cult-related violence in recent weeks.
Another resident, who identified himself as Suleiman, told PUNCH Metro on Tuesday that such incidents had become frequent.
He said, “We have been experiencing a series of cult attacks in the area over the past few weeks. The one that happened on Saturday is just one of many incidents.
“We rarely experience situations like this, but it is now becoming regular. We need the intervention of the authorities before it escalates.”
The Ogun State Police Command spokesperson, Oluseyi Babaseyi, could not be reached for comment, as calls to his telephone lines went unanswered.
A text message sent to him had not been replied to at the time of filing this report.
PUNCH Metro had reported on March 3 that two suspected cultists, identified as Monday and Efe, were shot dead in a fresh wave of cult-related violence in the Ojo area of Lagos State.
The operation, disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, followed intelligence on trans-border criminal activities.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a large shipment of cocaine hidden inside the heads of imported dry stockfish and arrested a key member of the syndicate linked to trafficking the drugs abroad.
The operation, disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, followed intelligence on trans-border criminal activities.
Babafemi said the intelligence led to a sting operation by operatives of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Strategic Command of the Agency at the Ojo area of Lagos on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
“In the course of the operation, three jumbo size bags were found in possession of the kingpin 36-year-old Akputa Dickson Ejike.
“A search of the bags led to the recovery of Two Hundred and Thirty-Seven (237) wraps of cocaine buried in the heads of imported dry stock fish locally known as ‘Okporoko.’
“The cocaine pellets have a gross weight of 5.80 kilograms. The consignment was intended for export to Delhi, India,” the statement read.
In a separate operation on Wednesday, March 25, NDLEA operatives from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) intercepted two consignments bound for the United Kingdom at a courier company in Lagos.
“In one of the shipments that originated from Cotonou, Benin Republic, 1.9 kilograms of methamphetamine were found concealed in automobile filters while the second parcel contains 40 ampoules of Morphine Sulphate and nine ampoules of Fentanyl.”
Babafemi added that on March 26, a Special Operations Unit (SOU) raided the home of 46-year-old Omolade Abigail Jolayemi, known as “Iya Ghana,” at 13 Carter Street, Yaba, Lagos.
She and her associate, 31-year-old Sarah Zainab Agbabiaka, were arrested after operatives recovered 135 blocks of cannabis weighing 76.30 kilograms.
“Same day, the SOU operatives also arrested Anayo Lucky Ohabiro, 39, at Doyin bus stop, Surulere, Lagos following credible intelligence. A total of 78 blocks of Ghana Loud weighing 41kg were seized from him.”
In Ekiti State, the statement added that “an 80-year-old grandpa, Oke Samuel, was on Thursday 26th March arrested by NDLEA operatives during a special raid operation at Mosafuneto camp, Erinmo road, Efon-Alaaye Ekiti. A total of 2.2kg skunk and 1.8grams of methamphetamine were recovered from him.”
Another suspect, 37-year-old Enuwa Kehinde Kingsley, had 894.72 kilograms of skunk seized from an uncompleted building in Ogbese, Akure North, Ondo State.
Elsewhere, 35-year-old Saater Nyam was apprehended at Pevi village, Guma LGA, Benue State, with 116.7 kilograms of skunk on Tuesday, March 24.
In Edo State, a warehouse raid in Ekpoma town, Esan West LGA, on Monday, March 23, led to the arrest of 25-year-old Felix Donald and the seizure of 576.5 kilograms of skunk and 33 bottles of codeine-based syrup.
In Taraba State, Babafemi said NDLEA officers intercepted a truck carrying 100 blocks of compressed skunk weighing 135 kilograms concealed in animal feed bags from Garbachede to Gombe State on Tuesday, March 24.
Two suspects, 21-year-old Osama Mamuda and 22-year-old Auwal Umar, were arrested in connection with the seizure.
Babafemi noted that the agency has also continued its War Against Drug Abuse social advocacy, conducting sensitisation lectures in schools across Cross River, Adamawa, Oyo, Kano, and Lagos states.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Marwa (Rtd), commended operatives from MMIA, SOU, DOGI, Ekiti, Ondo, Benue, Edo, and Taraba Commands for their efforts and praised all commands nationwide for balancing drug supply reduction with drug demand reduction initiatives.
