Crime

Canadian court deports Ondo pastor for bribing Nigerian police, fabricating asylum claim

Published

10 months ago

October 25, 2025

A Canadian federal court has ordered the deportation of Lucky Bidemi Olorunfemi, a pastor who was based in Ondo state, after discovering that he bribed members of the Nigerian police Force to declare him wanted as part of a fabricated persecution story to back his asylum claim.

Justice McHaffie of the federal court in Toronto delivered the ruling on October 16, upholding a decision by the refugee protection division that found Olorunfemi’s materials lacked credibility and bore signs of being doctored.

Olorunfemi filed for refugee status in 2023 after relocating to Canada.

He claimed that his pro-LGBTQ teachings and tolerance of gay congregants angered muslim jihadis who sought to take his life.

In one instance, he claimed irate Muslims torched his church and chased him to a police station in March 2022.

According to Olorunfemi, the incident led him to go into hiding for a year. It was from there that he processed his visa to flee to Canada.

To substantiate his claims, Olorunfemi submitted four documents, but McHaffie of the Canadian federal court questioned their authenticity, asserting they were riddled with errors and bore signs of fraud.

The Nigerian national was represented by Abdul-Rahman Kadiri in the matter heard in the Toronto court.

The documents include a newspaper excerpt reporting the attempt on Olorunfemi’s life, an invitation from the Nigerian police to question him about the incident dated April 2022, his wife’s medical report following an attack in June 2024, and a wanted poster “Issued by the authority of the Odoua [sic] peoples congress”.

But the refugee protection division picked holes in the documents, particularly that the newspaper report was so poorly written and contained blunders that it resembled brown paper journalism.

The judge noted that there was no direct link to the story, save for a generic website link.

Another red flag, the division noted, was that the wording of the newspaper report was almost verbatim as Olorunfemi’s allegations.

“The RPD next set out why it considered it more likely than not that the newspaper report, which was ‘riddled with spelling and grammatical errors and recounts the claimant’s allegations using language obviously similar to that of his narrative,’ was an example of ‘brown envelope journalism,’ fabricated at Olorunfemi’s direction.

“It made similar conclusions regarding the letter from the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the medical report, and the wanted poster, each of which had glaring authenticity concerns,” the judge wrote in his ruling.

McHaffie said the Nigerian pastor did not provide any credible reason to counter the RPD.

Also at issue was the wanted poster reportedly issued by the Odoua [sic] Peoples Congress.

Several misspellings, including Oodua as Odoua and Yoruba as “youruba,” and other inconsistencies led the refugee division to further doubt the documents’ authenticity.

“This led the RPD to conclude that the poster was fraudulent even without having to note that the poster, which bears Olorunfemi’s picture, identifies him as someone with a different name entirely,” McHaffie said.

McHaffie stressed that Olorunfemi’s wanted poster lacked any contact information, unlike similar letter specimens from the Nigerian police archived by the Canadian government.

The judge countered Olorunfemi’s assertions that the RPD denied his request on the basis of minor infractions, stressing that the Nigerian national had built his case on the documents and could not now turn around to label the discrepancies as minor.

He rebuked Olorunfemi for faulting the RPD for not making further enquiries to verify the documents, when it was Olorunfemi who submitted papers that lacked any contact details.

The medical report, according to McHaffie, only had a postal address and a Gmail address but no telephone number.

The court also noted contradictions in Olorunfemi’s testimony, including his claim of limited English language proficiency, which was undermined when the division saw he responded to his own counsel in flawless spoken English.

After hearing Olorunfemi’s arguments, McHaffie sided with the RPD that while Olorunfemi’s arguments were not credible, the only fact that could be established in his case was that he was truly a Nigerian based on his passport and testimony.

The judge dismissed Olorunfemi’s request for a review of his asylum denial due to his failure to remain consistent in his testimony and to buttress his application with credible documents.

“The application for judicial review is dismissed,” the judge ruled.

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Crime

Police arrest 10 suspected human parts sellers in Oyo

Published

2 days ago

August 15, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

The Oyo State Police Command has arrested 10 suspected human parts sellers.

The suspects were arrested in the Iseyin and Saki areas of the state.

Public Relations Officer of the command, Olayinka Ayanlade, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.

Exhibits recovered from the suspects include one suspected human heart, human flesh, pieces of human skull and assorted charms.

The statement said the exhibits have been secured for forensic examination and further investigation.

The suspects were identified as Adam Ibrahim, Nasiru Kabiru, Tijani Wasiu, Abiola Nasiru, Amusa Gbadamosi, Raheem Taofeek, Jimoh Muritala, Suleiman Busari, Ganiyu Nurudeen and Usman Abdullahi.

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Crime

PHOTOS: Kebbi man arrested over alleged ritual desecration of Qur’an after burying it in pit with s€men to make woman more submissive to her husband

Published

2 days ago

August 15, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

The Kebbi State Police Command has arrested a 29-year-old man, Abubakar Musa, over alleged ritual desecration of the Holy Qur’an in Zuru Local Government Area of the state.

The spokesperson for the command, SP Bashir Usman, who disclosed this in a statement on 14th August 2026, said the suspect was arrested in connection with alleged criminal conspiracy, abuse of religious books, use of spells and hypnosis, and inciting disturbance.

According to the PPRO, on August 9, 2026, Musa and two other suspects, Rabi’u Tela and Hamza Zango, allegedly dug a pit and buried a copy of the Holy Qur’an, together with semen, white and red kolanuts, underwear, d3ad animals, and other fetish items.

The police spokesperson said the act was allegedly intended to make Rabi’u Tela’s wife Zarau Hassan more submissive to him.

“The Kebbi State Police Command has arrested Abubakar Musa, male, 29, of Rafin Mose Village, Zuru LGA, in connection with a case of criminal conspiracy, abuse of religious books, use of spells and hypnosis, and inciting disturbance,” the statement read.

“The incident occurred on 9th August 2026, at about 1900hrs, at Zango Area, Zuru. Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect allegedly conspired with two others; Rabi’u Tela, husband of Zarau Hassan, and Hamza Zango, both now at large, to dig a pit inside Zarau Hassan’s room and bury therein a copy of the Holy Qur’an, together with semen, white and red kolanuts, underwear, dead animals, and other fetish items.

“The act was allegedly intended to make Zarau Hassan more submissive to her husband, Rabi’u Tela, and was carried out in circumstances capable of provoking a breach of the peace among the Muslim faithful in the community.

“Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the two fleeing suspects, while Abubakar Musa remains in police custody and will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigation.

“The Commissioner of Police, CP Umar M. Hadejia, psc, MNIM, strongly condemns the alleged act and warns that the Command will deal decisively, within the law, with individuals whose actions threaten religious harmony, public order, and peaceful coexistence.

“Members of the public are urged to promptly report suspicious activities to the Police through 09039911876 or 07081074395. All information will be treated with utmost confidentiality.”

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Crime

PHOTOS: Gunmen abduct 14 passengers in Benue

Published

2 days ago

August 15, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

Gunmen have abducted 14 passengers travelling along the Otukpo–Adoka road in Benue State.

The incident occurred on Thursday night, August 13, 2026 when an 18-seater commercial bus travelling from Enugu State to Abuja was reportedly ambushed along the Ankpechi–Omutele axis of Ohimini Local Government Area.

A resident, Ochai, who spoke with punch on Friday, said the gunmen forced all the passengers into the surrounding forest.

“Some gunmen ambushed an 18-seater bus heading to Abuja between Omutele and Ankpechi along Otukpo -Adola road yesterday (Thursday) night. All the passengers in the vehicle were whisked away by the gunmen,” he said.

The spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, DSP Peter Aondongu, who confirmed the incident in a statement said five of the victims have so far been rescued.

According to the PPRO, the police launched a coordinated rescue operation early Friday.

Aondongu said the operation involved an exchange of gunfire between the security operatives and the kidnappers.

“The Benue State Police Command has confirmed a kidnapping incident involving a commercial passenger bus travelling from Enugu State to Abuja along the Ankpechi–Omutele axis of Ohimini Local Government Area on the night of 13 August 2026,” the statement read

“Following the incident, operatives of the command commenced a coordinated rescue operation early this (Friday) morning. The operation, which involved an exchange of gunfire, has so far resulted in the successful rescue of five victims, including a four-year-old boy, while nine others remain in the custody of the suspected kidnappers.”

The police spokesperson disclosed that one of the rescued victims sustained a gunshot injury during the operation and was taken to a medical facility in Otukpo for treatment.

He said the police, working with other security agencies, had intensified efforts to secure the release of the remaining nine victims.

According to Aondongu, the operation was being conducted cautiously, with the safety of the abducted passengers prioritised.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Cletus Nwadiogbu, also assured the victims’ families and members of the public that efforts would continue until the remaining passengers were rescued.

He urged residents of the affected communities to remain vigilant and provide security agencies with credible information that could aid the rescue operation.