Crime
PHOTOS: Court sentences three men to d3ath by hanging for ritual k!lling of Osun widow
An Osun State High Court sitting in Iwo on Thursday sentenced three men to d3ath by hanging over the m8rder a 53-year-old woman, Asiata Yekeen, for money ritual in Ile-Ogbo community.
The convicts—Muideen Tunji, Yusuf Muslim and Rabiu Fatai, were found guilty of conspiracy, m8rder and unlawful possession of human parts.
LIB reported that Yekeen was reported missing after efforts to reach her failed, prompting Suleiman Akorede and Yekini Suleiman to alert the police and the Osun Amotekun Corps in Ile-Ogbo.
The three men were subsequently arrested and arraigned on three counts bordering on conspiracy, m3rder and unlawful possession of human parts, offences contrary to Sections 324, 319(a) and 329A(1) of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume 2, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.
They were first arraigned before Justice Fatimah Sodamade on January 31, 2023, in Suit No. HIW/IC/2023, and pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Presenting the facts of the case, the prosecution counsel from the Ministry of Justice, Dele Akintayo, told the court that Tunji owed the deceased some money and lured her to his residence in Ile-Ogbo under the pretext of refunding the debt.
Akintayo said when Yekeen arrived at Tunji’s house, she met Muslim and Fatai, adding that the defendants forcefully had carnal knowledge of her.
He further told the court that the defendants later strangled Yekeen to d3ath, dismembered her body, removed some vital parts and buried her remains in a shallow grave near Tunji’s residence.
According to the prosecution, residents who saw the deceased entering Tunji’s house raised an alarm when news of her disappearance spread within the community.
Akintayo also told the court that Tunji fled when he suspected that security operatives were closing in on the suspects, adding that he hid at Muslim’s residence, while Fatai kept some parts of the deceased’s body.
The prosecution called six witnesses, tendered 13 exhibits and presented the defendants’ confessional statements, urging the court to apply the full weight of the law against them
However, counsel for the defendants —J.D. Olaniyan, Adesina Olaniyan and Bayo Alade argued in their respective submissions that the evidence against their clients was largely hearsay and insufficient to secure a conviction.
Delivering judgment, Justice Sodamade held that the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt and found the defendants guilty on all three counts.
She sentenced the convicts to four years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to commit m8rder, five years’ imprisonment for unlawful possession of human parts, and d3ath by hanging for m8rder.
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Crime
PHOTOS: Two criminal suspects arrested while butchering rustled cattle meat as troops neutralize armed bandit in Benue
Troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation WHIRL STROKE (OPWS), have neutralized an armed bandits and arrested two suspected cattle rustlers in Benue State.
Acting Media Information Officer, HQ JTF Operation WHIRL STROKE, Lieutenant Ahmad Zubairu Zubairu, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday, February 6, 2026 said the suspects were arrested while butchering rustled cattle meat inside a residential building in Agagbe community.
According to the statement, three other suspects were earlier arrested in connection with the cattle rustling incident in the community and subsequently handed over to the Nigeria Police Force in Naka for further investigation.
“Troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation WHIRL STROKE (OPWS), have continued to sustain an enhanced operational tempo through intelligence-led aggressive fighting patrols, recording significant successes against criminal elements across parts of Benue and Nasarawa States,” the statement read.
“On 3 February 2026, troops of Sector 1, OPWS, acting on credible intelligence regarding the activities of armed herders in Ayamba Village, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State, swiftly mobilised in conjunction with personnel of the Nigerian Police Force and operatives of the Benue State Civil Protection Guard to the location.
“Upon arrival at Ayamba Village, contact was made with the armed elements, leading to a brief engagement during which one armed bandit was neutralised. Troops also recovered one AK-47 rifle, three rounds of 7.62mm x 39 special ammunition, and two magazines from the scene.
“Similarly, on 4 February 2026, troops of Sector 2, OPWS, deployed at Patrol Base Agyaragu in Nasarawa State, received actionable intelligence from a local hunter about suspected armed robbers lurking along the Asupe–Ome Road in Obi Local Government Area. Acting promptly on the information, the troops moved to the general area in collaboration with the hunter.
“During the operation, one suspected armed robber, identified as Adam Paul, aged 34, was arrested, and one AK-47 rifle was recovered. Preliminary interrogation revealed that the suspect obtained the weapon from one Tela Obu, a resident of Duduguru Community in Obi LGA.
“Two other suspects, identified as John Amos and Elisha, also residents of Duduguru Community, fled the scene and are currently at large. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the suspects.
“In another development on the same day, troops of the COAS Intervention Battalion IX, deployed at Agbaragba in Benue State, responded swiftly to a distress call from local residents concerning the mobilisation of some youths from Agagbe community to rustle cattle.
“On arrival at the location, troops discovered several dead cattle at different points. However, three suspects were arrested in connection with the incident and subsequently handed over to the Nigeria Police Force in Naka for further investigation and prosecution.
In a similar vein, on 5 February 2026, troops deployed at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Agbagbe received credible intelligence indicating that some youths were actively butchering rustled cattle meat inside a residential building within Agagbe Community.
“Two suspects were apprehended at the scene while in possession of mutilated and butchered meat believed to have been obtained from rustled cattle.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects were allegedly involved in cattle rustling activities within the general area, a criminal act that has continued to threaten livelihoods and undermine peace in rural communities. The arrested suspects have since been taken into custody for investigation and possible prosecution in line with extant laws.
“The Force Commander, Joint Task Force Operation WHIRL STROKE, Major General Moses Gara, commended the troops for their resilience, vigilance and aggressive posture in denying criminals freedom of action.
“He stated that the recorded successes are in line with the directive of the military high command, for commanders to scale up and intensify aggressive fighting patrols while enhancing intelligence-driven operations.”
Major General Gara further charged the troops to sustain the momentum and maintain a strong fighting efficiency to deter and neutralise criminal activities within the Joint Operations Area.
He also expressed appreciation to local communities and members of other security agencies for their continued support and cooperation, which have contributed significantly to the successes recorded by Operation WHIRL STROKE.
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The Abia State Police Command has arrested one Uchechukwu Uchegbu, for k!lling his father, Emmanuel Uchegbu, over a long-standing property dispute.
The incident occurred in Elugwu Nkata community in Umuahia North Local Government Area of the state.
A family member, Chinedu Uche, who spoke to Punch on Thursday, February 5, 2026 said that the conflict began when the suspect allegedly tried to convert a family land for personal use, a move his father resisted.
The disagreement reportedly escalated into repeated assaults over the years.
“He started suddenly having money and began forcefully claiming lands that were meant to be shared among my father and his siblings. He even decided to build a house on one of the lands that had not yet been divided, which made my father furious,” he said.
“The land he claimed shares a boundary with my father’s property. He tried to encroach on my father’s land, but my father refused. That’s where the dispute started. On several occasions over the years, he allegedly beat up his father, destroyed his properties, and threatened to seize his father’s house, claiming that because he had money, he could take it over.”
According to the family member, the final alleged assault occurred on January 1, 2026, when the suspect reportedly attacked his father with a cutlass, leaving him critically injured.
The elderly man was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, where he remained hospitalised until his d3ath on January 31.
Uche said the suspect was briefly arrested after the January 1 incident but was released, only to be re-arrested following his father’s d3ath.
The spokesperson of the command, Maureen Chinaka, who confirmed the incident said the suspect is in custody and that an investigation is ongoing
“Yes, there is a case under investigation at the State Criminal Investigation Department. The suspect has been apprehended and remains in our custody while the investigation continues,” she said.
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