Crime

Police arrest seven over Niger varsity student’s death

Published

1 year ago

September 16, 2025

The Niger State Police Command has arrested seven suspects in connection with cult-related activities at Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, following the killing of a student earlier this year.

This was disclosed in a statement made available on Tuesday by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun.

The command recalled that on June 23, 2025, at about 3am, there was a report of an unfortunate attack on a student of the IBBUL identified as Abdulwahab Jafar, 23 years of Paiko at his lodge in the school, among other attacks leading to the loss of life of the said student.

According to the police, the June 23 incident sparked unrest in the Lapai community, prompting the deployment of tactical teams to restore normalcy. Subsequent investigations by the Command, jointly conducted by the Tactical Support Team and the Force Intelligence Department, led to the arrest of 19 persons across Lapai and other locations in the state.

Wasiu said the investigation was later narrowed down to seven suspects on charges including criminal conspiracy, robbery, unlawful society, internet fraud, possession of dangerous weapons, and suspected culpable homicide.

Abiodun said the suspects are ”Idris Hamza, 27, and Suleiman Damilare, 27, both of Maikunkele; Abdulsemiu Bashir, 23, of Lapai; Bawa Aliyu, 27, of Suleja; Yakubu Musa, 24, of Maikunkele; Samson Abbah, 28, of Rafin-Yanshi; and Solomon Musa, 28, of Maitumbi.”

Abiodun said Idris Hamza and Suleiman Damilare were arrested “on June 27 at Fadikpe with cannabis, charms, and local black soaps with a Toyota Corolla vehicle at one Abdullahi Ahmed a.k.a catch-up residence.

“The suspects confessed to members of Neo Black Movement of Africa (NBM) and further confessed to having carried out a series of cultist activities in IBBUL such as initiation of members e.g Jolijoli and other members,’’ Abiodun said.

The statement added that Abdulsemiu Bashir, suspected to be a rival member of the group known as VIKINGS, was arrested in Lapai on June 29.

Police found him in possession of “16 SIM cards, POS machine and sum of seventy-seven thousand naira. He claimed that he bought the SIM cards from one Audu, another member of VIKINGS presently at large.

“The SIM cards were confirmed to be from stolen/robbed phones of victims,” Abiodun said.

Bawa Aliyu, Yakubu Musa, Samson Abbah, and Solomon Musa were also linked to cult-related robberies and attacks on students, the statement said.

According to Abiodun, “Samson Abbah “was also mentioned as the group Admin officer of their WhatsApp platform for Minna zone.

“The platform was named as ‘Men that matters’ before he changed it to ‘Football News’, where they discussed their nefarious activities,” Abiodun said.

Abiodun said investigation is ongoing, “and effort to identify either VIKINGS or NBM members responsible for the attack of the deceased is intensified, as it was established that the attack was cultists related.

“Further development will be made public.”

In a separate operation, three suspects were arrested for conspiracy and theft of motorcycles. On September 9, Bashir Yahaya, 23, of Fadikpe, was intercepted with a sack containing motorcycle parts.

“He confessed to having stolen two motorcycles from Fadikpe area and that he usually sells the parts at Sabon-Gari and Kasuwan-Gwari areas of Minna.

“Case is under investigation,” Abiodun said.

Earlier, on September 4, Lawali Bello, 27, of Iri Village, Rijau, was arrested for stealing a Bajaj motorcycle on September 2.

“A report was made at Rijau Div stating that on 2nd September 2025 around 10.30am, unknown persons invaded a residence at Iri Village and stole a Bajaj motorcycle.

“Police surveillance team of Rijau Div arrested one Lawali Bello 27yrs of the same village with the said Bajaj motorcycle.

“He confessed to the crime and he was charged to court for prosecution,” Abiodun said.

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Crime

EFCC busts Chinese-linked illegal refinery in Ogun

Published

2 days ago

November 4, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has uncovered an illegal oil refinery allegedly operated by Chinese nationals in the Ogere area of Ogun State.

The commission said the facility was discovered on Saturday, October 31, 2026, by operatives of its Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 following intelligence and surveillance on the activities of illegal sludge oil refiners.

The EFCC disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale.

Oyewale said the facility was deserted when operatives stormed the premises, following an earlier crackdown on four illegal lithium processing plants in the area.

However, he said operatives discovered waste products from the refining process and underground tanks suspected to have been used for heating and processing sludge oil.

The statement read, “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission uncovered an illegal oil refinery operated by Chinese in the Ogere area of Ogun State.

“The operation, conducted on Saturday, October 31, 2026, by operatives of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC, followed credible intelligence and surveillance by the commission on the activities of the illegal sludge oil refiners.

“The refinery was found deserted when EFCC operatives stormed the premises, following the commission’s earlier clampdown on four illegal lithium processing plants in the area. However, waste products from the refining process were discovered at the location.”

Oyewale said during the raid, underground tanks believed to have been used for heating and processing the sludge oil were also discovered.

“Two of the underground tanks inspected contained substances suspected to be Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), otherwise known as diesel.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the operators sourced sludge oil, also known as black sludge, from Warri, Delta State, and Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and transported it to the illegal facility in Ogere for processing,” Oyewale added.

He said the operators subjected the sludge oil to intense heat, allowing lighter petroleum components to pass through chambers and filters in a process believed to produce diesel for sale in the Nigerian market.

“Personnel at the facility told EFCC operatives that the Chinese operators never disclosed their identities nor the name of the company behind the facility.

“Consequently, operatives of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC have since taken over the premises as investigations continue to establish the identities of the operators, the ownership of the facility and the full extent of the suspected illegal activities and economic sabotage,” he added.

Source: punchng.com

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Crime

Oyo boxer, KBlaq stabbed to death during street fight

Published

3 days ago

November 3, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

An amateur boxer identified simply as Kehinde and popularly known as KBlaq has been stabbed to death during a street fight at Olodo Garage in Ibadan, Oyo State.

PUNCH Metro learnt on Monday that the incident occurred on Sunday, sparking outrage among social media users, who called for justice for the deceased.

According to accounts circulating online, the deceased was not initially involved in the fight, while the suspect allegedly appeared after the confrontation had ended and stabbed him in the neck with a broken bottle.

Kehinde, who was described by acquaintances as a boxer, reportedly succumbed to his injuries.

Several social media users expressed shock over the killing, with some claiming that the suspect was not among those involved in the initial fight.

An X user, @MVKAY2, wrote, “The person who stabbed him was not even involved in the fight, and they had stopped fighting already. Just one of those vile men wey the matter no concern came from nowhere and stabbed him.

“Before una start dropping different narratives, I wish he was with Z second. I wish he was never there.”

Another user, @omononaolapo, wrote, “Funny enough, this guy that stabbed him was not even among those that they were fighting.”

Similarly, @Tunde, who described the deceased as his brother, wrote, “Na my brother o. Ajeh. Olodo bike men can be very mean sometimes, and they were all there watching them fight.”

Another user, @Fela, added, “This was why I made this tweet earlier today. This boxer is my younger brother’s friend. I got to church yesterday and my brother told me someone killed his friend. I was shocked when he told me.”

Also, @Pelumifundz, who described Kehinde as the younger brother of a friend, wrote, “This guy is a twin and my friend’s junior brother. He’s so gentle and doesn’t cause trouble. I would really love to know what happened that made the bikeman stab him in the neck. Anyways, rest in peace, Kenny. I know you won’t go without having justice. We will definitely get it for you.”

Confirming the incident on Monday, the spokesperson for the Oyo State Police Command, Olayinka Ayanlade, told our correspondent during a telephone interview that an investigation was ongoing.

Source: punchng.com

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Crime

Terrorists abduct 14 Islamic school students in Niger

Published

3 days ago

November 3, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

Suspected terrorists have abducted 14 students in a Niger State Islamic school.

The incident reportedly happened on Saturday in Pandogari in Rafi Local Government Area.

The PUNCH learnt that the students were abducted while harvesting maize in their teacher’s farm when the terrorists invaded the farm.

The teacher was also reportedly kidnapped during the incident.

The spokesman of the Niger State police command, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident on Monday, saying that the number of abducted students was 14 and not 50 as reported.

He also said a joint security mission was on a rescue mission, assuring that the abducted students would be rescued.

“On 31/10/2026 at about 12.30 pm, suspected bandits invaded Tungan-Bako village via Rafi LGA and abducted some persons working on the farm.

“The report further indicated that the abducted victims were about 14 students of an Islamiya helping their Mallam to harvest maize on the farm before the incident.

“However, joint security rescue efforts are ongoing; further developments will be communicated,” he said.

Meanwhile, the spokesman of the Social Democratic Party governorship candidate, Jonathan Vatsa, speaking on the incident, condemned Governor Mohammed Bago over his handling of the security situation in the state.

He lamented that the governor was busy with electioneering and had failed to protect lives and property.

“The security agencies in the state lack operational vehicles and other necessary equipment to confront the situation.

“The government is only there to issue statements either condemning every attack or condole with the people over the death of their loved ones without any cogent step to address the situation,” Vatsa said.

Source: punchng.com

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