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PHOTOS: Salesgirl allegedly steals phones, items worth N29m from employer’s shop, rents and furnishes apartment for her boyfriend in Minna

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The Niger State Police Command has arrested a 23-year-old salesgirl for allegedly stealing phones and other items worth over N29m from her employer’s shop in Minna.

The spokesperson of the command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, who disclosed this in a statement on Monday, August 18, 2025 said the suspect, Sarah Ogbonna, also rented and furnished an apartment for her boyfriend, Samuel Abiodun Bello, with money stolen from her employer.

According to the PPRO, the suspect made multiple transfers of money to her elder sister, Mercy Ogbonna who sorts family challenges on her behalf.

Further investigation led to the arrest of three other suspects, including a former salesgirl, Ruth Omor Emmanuel, who allegedly participated in some of the acts before she quit.

Abiodun revealed that one of the suspects, Nurudeen Musa, collected expensive phones from Sarah and sold them at giveaway prices.

The sum of 700,000, two power generators, one smart TV, one freezer, four wigs worth N500,000 each, clothes, house furniture and other items were recovered from Sarah.

“In continuation of the Police Command’s efforts in fighting crime and criminality, the following recent incidents occurred; on 8th August, 2025 at about 12pm, a report was received at ‘A’ Div Minna from a shop owner at Obasanjo Complex, Minna who deals in phone business,” the statement read.

“The report indicated that his salesgirl; one Sarah Ogbonna 23yrs of Okada road Minna, was suspected to have been stealing items/phones from his shop entrusted to her. He alleged that she had stolen items worth over twenty-nine million naira from the shop.

“Immediately the report was received, Police operatives of the Div arrested the said Sarah, and during interrogation, she confessed to the allegation, stating that she had been working in the shop since 2023 and she wouldn’t know if what she had taken so far could amount to twenty-nine million naira, but a sum of seven hundred thousand naira was immediately recovered from her.

“Her statement led to the arrest of three other accomplices on 9th August, 2025 who are; Ruth Omor Emmanuel 23yrs of Tunga, Minna, Mercy Ogbonna 30yrs of Okada road and Nurudeen Musa 32yrs of Obasanjo Complex, Minna.

“Further investigation revealed that Sarah made multiple transfers of money to her senior sister Mercy Ogbonna who sorts family challenges on her behalf such as payment of house rents, purchase of food items and other needs for the families.

“Ruth Emmanuel was also a salesgirl in the shop, and she allegedly participated in some of the acts before she left, while Nurudeen Musa usually collects expensive phones from Sarah and sells the phones at giveaway prices, rendering short payments for a long period of time.

“It was also revealed that Sarah rented and furnished an apartment at Sauka-Kauta area of Minna for her boyfriend; one Samuel Abiodun Bello currently at large, and she also transferred some money to him.

“She equally claimed that she engaged in a weekly financial contribution of one hundred and fifty thousand naira with a yet to be identified online group.

“However, all suspects are under investigation and the following items were recovered from Sarah, two power generators, one smart TV, one Freezer, four wigs of five hundred thousand naira each, one gas cylinder, shoes, canvas, bags, and clothes, house furniture etc.”

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Crime

Gunmen invade ex-Ogun LG chairman’s residence

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An armed gang on Thursday morning invaded the residence of former Ijebu-Ode Local Government Chairman, Alhaji Emilola Gazal, carting away valuables, cash, and his vehicle.

Gazal, who is also the publisher of The Roots Magazine, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with our correspondent.

“The three armed men broke into my residence at Ijebu-Ode GRA at about 2 a.m. They collected all the cash with me after which they forced me to open my bank apps on my phone and transfer everything there to an account they provided. They left only N5,000 in my account.

“They also made away with my wife’s trinkets and with my ash-colour car. They actually told me they would be going away with my car. I am just going to report the incident to the police at Igbeba and Obalende, Ijebu-Ode”, Gazal told our correspondent.

PUNCH Online reports that this incident comes amid a spate of violent robberies and home invasions reported across Ogun State, particularly in the Ijebu area.

For example, earlier this year, the Ogun State Police Command killed a suspected armed robber in a gun duel along the Sagamu–Ijebu Ode Expressway.

The command, on September 12, 2025, also recently arrested a man linked to a burglary and armed robbery in Ayetoro, amounting to about N1.5 million in stolen goods.

Meanwhile, the regional security network, Amotekun Corps, has in past operations engaged criminal gangs in shootouts, neutralising suspects in Ogun’s border zones.

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Crime

How my father got me trafficked with fake job at Baghdad supermarket — Victim

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Following a six-hour raid by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, which led to the rescue of 24 suspected victims of human trafficking, one of the victims has vowed to sue her father for deceiving her into being trafficked.

The victim claimed that she was told by her father that his friend had a job for her at a supermarket in Baghdad, and was totally convinced she was going to better her life until her rescue by NAPTIP.

“My father told me that his friend has a job for me at a supermarket in Baghdad. He did not tell me that it is in Iraq.

“I know that Iraq is not a good place to work for now due to the crisis there, but I did not know that Baghdad is in Iraq. I thank the DG and her officers for rescuing me,” the victim said.

Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Bello, who led a high-powered special operation team to the airport following a tip-off, revealed that among the suspected human traffickers arrested was a retired senior uniformed officer with one of the foremost law enforcement agencies in Nigeria, who is alleged to be a prominent member of the trafficking syndicate operating within the South West region of Nigeria.

In a statement by the National Press Officer of the agency on Wednesday, Bello said: “We observed that the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport is becoming a comfort zone for these traffickers, and that is why we have decided to shift attention to this airport.

“We will sustain this raid until they stop this unpatriotic and illicit trade in human beings.”

Expressing confidence in her team following the operation, she said: “We were able to arrest five suspected members of the trafficking gang who have been recruiting and trafficking our citizens to various tension-soaked countries, especially in the Middle East, for exploitation,” the DG said.

Bello explained that the victims, whose ages range between 15 and 26 years, were recruited from Kano, Katsina, Oyo, Ondo, and Rivers States, and were heading to Iraq, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Afghanistan.

The DG pointed out that a good number of the victims could not communicate in any other language apart from their local dialect, and most did not even know the location of their intended country of destination.

“They told my mother that they were taking me to Europe, where I would work and earn dollars. My parents were happy and they allowed me to follow them,” another victim narrated after the DG explained, with facts, what awaited them at their final destinations after being successfully trafficked.

Speaking further on the development, Bello expressed sadness over the activities of suspected human traffickers and unregistered labour recruiters, who have continued to deceive, recruit, and traffic Nigerians for various forms of exploitation.

“I was amazed that a father, who is a retired law enforcement officer of senior cadre, deceived his daughter and packaged her to be trafficked to Iraq for exploitation.

“This is incredibly unbelievable. All of them will be thoroughly investigated, and they will face the law.”

The NAPTIP boss commended the support of sister agencies at the airport, including the Director-General of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Manager, among others.

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Crime

Soldiers foil terrorists attack in Taraba, kill two suspects

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Troops of 6 Brigade Nigerian Army/ Sector 3, Operation Whirl Stroke, have successfully foiled a terrorist attack and neutralised two suspected terrorists in Taraba.

This is contained in a statement released on Wednesday by Lt. Umar Muhammad, Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 6 Brigade Nigerian Army, Jalingo.

“Acting on credible intelligence, troops on  October 1, 2025, advanced to Tor-Ikyeghgba village where bandits were reported to be converging.

“On arrival at the general area, the troops made contact with the terrorists along the powerline axis and immediately engaged them with superior firepower, resulting in the neutralisation of two.

“During the operation, the following items were recovered; one locally fabricated pistol, two dane guns, three rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition, one Baofeng radio, one motorcycle and other items,” it stated.

He quoted Brig. Gen. Kingsley Uwa, Commander of the brigade, commended the troops for their swift response, resilience, and professionalism.

Muhammad also quoted the Commander, as urging the troops to maintain the momentum,  assuring residents of the state that the brigade remained fully committed to ensuring their safety.

He therefore, called on members of the public to continue to support the ongoing operation ‘Lafiya na kowa’  by providing timely and credible information that would aid in the fight against criminality.

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