Crime

Cover up! Nasarawa cops freed after murder of seven Lagos traders

Published

3 weeks ago

October 4, 2025

Police authorities have released the three policemen accused of killing seven traders at the Owode-Onirin Motor Spare Parts Market in Lagos State.

Our correspondent also gathered that the suspected land grabber involved in the incident had been released on bail.

Families of the deceased said they were being asked to pay huge sums for postmortems before the bodies of their loved ones could be released.

On August 30, 2025, Saturday PUNCH had reported how a suspected land grabber allegedly led policemen from the Nasarawa State Police Command to unleash violence in the market.

About 50 vehicles were reportedly destroyed.

Sources revealed that the three policemen involved in the incident were taken to Abuja instead of facing trial in Lagos where the incident occurred.

A source said, “The policemen were from Nasarawa command. They were brought from their state to Lagos by the suspected land grabber. After the killings, they were taken to Abuja for an orderly room trial. But the Provost freed them on claims of self-defence.”

It was alleged that the provost and the Nasarawa Commissioner of Police were friends, which influenced the decision to free the cops. The claim could not be confirmed by our correspondent.

It was gathered that the alleged mastermind, identified as Abiodun Ariori, had also been released.

While in detention at the State Criminal Investigation Department, he reportedly filed a bail application at the High Court, which the police failed to challenge.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, condemned the development, saying his chamber was ready to prosecute the suspects.

“If the police are not willing to prosecute, we will. The offence was committed in Lagos, so there was no basis for the case to be transferred to Abuja. If they are claiming self-defence, they should come and say it in court,” Falana said.

Families of the deceased also accused the authorities of neglect, injustice, and extortion.

They lamented that while the suspected land grabber had regained his freedom, their loved ones’ bodies still remained in the morgue.

Moruf Olayemi, uncle to one of the deceased, Akinboye Oluwaseyi, said the demand for payment before postmortems was an exploitation of victims.

He said, “We were told there were about 600 bodies in the morgue and that if our association pays, the process will be done quickly. But it means families will indirectly bear the cost. Meanwhile, the land grabber who was handed over to the police has been freed. It shows there is no justice in Nigeria. When you have money, you can behave anyhow. The poor are always on the receiving end. Oluwaseyi left behind three children, aged seven, five and two.”

Owolabi Ganiu, the employer of another victim, Wale Adebayo, accused the police of monetising postmortems.

Ganiu expressed anger at the silence of both state and local governments.

“Not even a condolence visit has come. This is about human lives. We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene. Adebayo left behind a three-year-old child, and his mother-in-law even suffered a stroke after his death.”

Another bereaved father, Abiodun Temilola, who lost his son Abraham, described the process as unfair.

“They should release his body to us if they are not ready to conduct the postmortem. Abraham was a gentleman with no issues with the police. We cannot afford the amount they are asking for,” he said.

Similarly, Biliaminu Adeoye, father of Akeem Adeoye, said the widows and orphans left behind were struggling.

“Asking us for huge sums in this condition is wickedness,” he lamented.

The Chairman of the Owode-Onirin Motor Spare Parts Market, Abiodun Ahmed, urged families to be patient, saying the government would be responsible for postmortems.

“We were informed that some funds might help speed up the process, but it’s not as though the police are demanding money from us,” Ahmed clarified.

He also confirmed that the suspected land grabber had been released after instituting suits against the police, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, and the market.

He said, “We heard he was granted bail on medical grounds. But the police have since stationed officers at the market to protect traders and prevent further violence.”

The Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said this was the first time she was hearing about the case and would get back to our correspondent.

She had yet to do so as of press time.

The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, could not be reached for comment.

But Saturday PUNCH gathered that the Inspector General of Police had ordered a review of the case.

The Lagos CP, Moshood Jimoh, is also said to be determined to prosecute the suspects.

punch.ng

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Crime

LASTMA Apprehends Six Members Of ‘One-Chance’ Syndicate

Published

11 hours ago

October 24, 2025

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has arrested six suspected members of a notorious “one-chance” syndicate operating beneath the Ijora Bridge corridor in Lagos.

The suspects were apprehended on Thursday, during a joint inter-agency enforcement operation aimed at dismantling illegal garages, shanties, and criminal hideouts around Apapa Road, Costain, and Ijora under bridge.

The operation, led by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, involved officers from the Nigeria Police Force, Mobile Police (MOPOL), Lagos State Task Force, Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC), and the Nigerian Army.

A statement signed by the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Adebayo Taofiq, said items recovered from the suspects included 77 stolen mobile phones, two POS machines, multiple wristwatches, and other personal belongings believed to have been taken from unsuspecting commuters.

Those arrested have been identified as Adetunji Bashiru (28), Sulaiman Kada (35), Abubakar Bala (42), Abubakar Ahmed (28), Rasaq Gbadamosi (21), and Ibrahim Yakub (23).

Preliminary investigations revealed that the Ijora under-bridge area had long served as a criminal enclave, harbouring miscreants, illegal traders, and “one-chance” syndicates who specialize in attacking and robbing commuters. The area also served as a storage point for stolen items and contraband goods.

“Preliminary investigations have revealed that the Ijora under-bridge axis had long served as a criminal enclave, accommodating miscreants, illegal traders, and “one-chance” syndicates who specialize in orchestrated theft, violent assaults, and dispossession of innocent citizens. The area had also evolved into a clandestine storage hub for stolen valuables and contraband goods,” Adebayo stated.

During the exercise, enforcement officers also confiscated several kegs of adulterated diesel and over 150 packs of expired snacks found under unsanitary conditions.

More than 120 illegal shanties, including those erected along the fence of St. Peter’s Catholic Nursery and Primary School, Apapa Road, were demolished.

Giwa reiterated the Lagos State Government’s commitment to maintaining a safe and habitable environment while warning criminal elements and illegal occupants to vacate public spaces immediately.

He said the operation was part of the Sanwo-Olu administration’s ongoing efforts to ensure a safer, cleaner, and more habitable metropolis.

LASTMA’s General Manager, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, commended the synergy among participating agencies, describing the exercise as a model of inter-agency cooperation.

He emphasised that LASTMA’s role goes beyond traffic management to include ensuring public safety, protecting transport infrastructure, and preventing criminal activities within transport corridors.

The arrested suspects, according to the agency, will be handed over to appropriate law enforcement authorities for further investigation and prosecution.

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Crime

Interpol arrests 11 high-level members of terrorist groups in Nigeria

Published

17 hours ago

October 24, 2025

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

The International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) has arrested 11 suspected high-ranking members of terrorist groups in Nigeria as part of a continent-wide crackdown on terrorism financing and related crimes.

The arrests were made as part of Operation Catalyst, a two-month joint operation conducted by Interpol and the African Union Mechanism for Police Cooperation (AFRIPOL) across six countries: Angola, Cameroon, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, and South Sudan.

In a statement, Interpol said the operation targeted terrorism financing and the illegal activities supporting it, examining more than 15,000 individuals and entities of interest. The operation uncovered $260 million in both fiat and virtual currencies potentially linked to terrorism-related activities, with over $600,000 seized.

“Of the 83 arrests, 21 were for terrorism-related crimes, 28 were for financial fraud and money laundering, 16 were linked to cyber-enabled scams, and a further 18 were related to the illicit use of virtual assets,” the statement said.

In Angola, 25 people of multiple nationalities were detained in connection with informal value transfer systems tied to terrorist financing and money laundering. Authorities seized around $588,000, along with 100 mobile phones, 40 computers, and froze 60 bank accounts.

In Kenya, investigators uncovered a suspected money-laundering network using a virtual asset service provider with potential links to terrorism financing. The operation, valued at about $430,000, led to the arrest of two individuals. In another case, two suspects were detained for allegedly recruiting young people from East and North Africa into terrorist groups through online platforms. Funds for the recruitment were traced through cryptocurrency channels back to individuals in Tanzania.

Interpol said Nigeria’s contribution to the operation resulted in the arrest of 11 suspected terrorists, “including high-level members of several terrorist groups.”

The international police agency also uncovered a major cryptocurrency-based Ponzi scheme operating across 17 countries, including Nigeria, Cameroon, and Kenya. The fraudulent platform posed as a legitimate trading service and defrauded more than 100,000 victims worldwide, resulting in losses estimated at $562 million.

According to Interpol, several large cryptocurrency wallets linked to the scheme are now being investigated for possible connections to terrorism financing. The global investigation remains ongoing.

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Crime

PHOTOS: Murd£r suspect arrested over 40 times before allegedly k!lling hotel guest

Published

17 hours ago

October 24, 2025

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

A man arrested in the US after allegedly murd£ring a 51-year-old man had been arrested over 40 times before, records show.

Ronnie Fewell, 32, sh0t and k!lled Ronald Neville on Oct. 10 at a Motel 6 in Charlotte, North Carolina, according to an arrest affidavit.

Neville was found with several gunsh0t wounds and was pronounced de@d at the scene.

Video obtained by police showed that Fewell was one of three men who forced their way into the motel room, where they were only inside for several seconds, police said.

Detectives said one of the men “quickly” fled the hotel room with a backpack that he didn’t have before.’

Fewell was charged with felony murd£r, robbery with a dangerous weapon and felony conspiracy in relation to the sho0ting.

Officials said he was one of four people allegedly responsible for Neville’s de@th.

The backpack had items valued at $100, according to an arrest warrant.

Fewell was given no bond and was ordered to be detained at the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.

Court and arrest records reviewed by Fox News Digital show that Fewell has been arrested at least 40 times dating back to 2012.

Fewell had previously been arrested for charges of resisting a public officer, breaking and entering, possession of stolen goods, assault on a female, possession of cocaine, selling cocaine, possession of a firearm by felon, possession of a stolen firearm, robbery, assault on a female, assault with a deadly weapon, and more.

Many of the charges were dismissed by the local state’s attorney and resulted in no jail time, according to court records, but he has served time in prison for several convictions.

Rep. Mark Harris, R-North Carolina, wrote on X he was “disgusted” at the amount of times Fewell has been arrested.

“Another serial criminal who was walking free in Charlotte, NC, has just been arrested for the MURDER of a 51-year-old man,” Harris wrote.