The Kebbi State Police Command has reinforced security in the Bui District of Arewa Local Government Area following a deadly armed cattle rustling incident that left 33 people dead.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bashir Usman, said additional personnel and operational assets had been deployed to the affected communities in collaboration with the military and other security agencies.
He said sustained area domination patrols were ongoing to stabilise the district and prevent further violence.
“The Command deeply regrets the loss of thirty-three innocent lives and extends its heartfelt condolences to the families affected and the entire Arewa community,” the statement read.
According to the police, “preliminary investigations revealed that suspected Lakurawa militants entered Bui District on February 18 to rustle cattle.
“The attackers were believed to have crossed into the area from Gudu Local Government Area”
Residents from Mamunu, Awasaka, Tungan Tsoho, Makangara, Kanzo, Gorun Naidal and Dan Mai Ago reportedly mobilised in response, leading to a fatal confrontation.
The police emphasised that incidents involving heavily armed criminal elements require coordinated security intervention and warned residents against directly engaging such groups.
“Members of the public are urged to promptly report suspicious movements through established security channels rather than confront armed criminals, as such actions pose grave risks,” Usman stated.
Meanwhile, earlier reports indicated that at least 34 people were feared killed when gunmen swept through several communities in Arewa LGA in coordinated daylight attacks, triggering panic across the wider Kebbi North Senatorial District.
Security forces have since launched targeted operations to track and apprehend the perpetrators, block escape routes and strengthen early warning mechanisms.
The Command urged residents to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies as efforts intensify to restore lasting peace in the troubled communities.
BBNaija star, Tacha, has called for the maximum punishment for Mirabel, the lady who in a viral video claimed she was r@ped inside her home by an unknown man.
In a shocking revelation, Mirabel on Thursday, February 19, confessed to social critic, VeryDarkMan, that she lied about the r@pe claim. She claimed she was dealing with serious mental health issues which was why she came up with the false claim.
Many Nigerians have called for her to be prosecuted. In a post shared on X, Tacha also called for Mirabel’s prosecution. She opined that Mirable should be punished just the way a r@pist would be punished if found guilty.
‘’Now that its been established that Mirabel lied about the r*pe allegation, I expect the police and the agencies in charge of handling r*pe and assault cases to make sure they penalize Mirabel and that she receives the same punishment a r*pist would get… CAUSE we live in a very wicked and terrible society where r*pists and r*pe apologists are looking for excuses to continue to r*pe and abuse women..
We should NEVER allow stupid women to empower these evil and wicked men! She must be penalized”
In a follow-up video, Tacha stated that false rape claims only empower r@pe apologists to dismiss the claims of real r@pe victims whenever a fresh case of the crime surfaces.
‘’R@pe is a very serious issue. Women should never waponize r@pe for whatever reason. Never use r@pe to get back at an ex or a man. Never try to do so because at the end of the day, you are taking away from the real victims. You are Honestly!
You are empowering these r@pe apologists and r@pists because they feel like the next girl that comes out to talk about it how many people will believe her? because truthfully how many people will believe her?”
The Department of State Services has reopened investigations into the 2019 disappearance of Abubakar Idris, popularly known as Dadiyata, and is set to invite suspects in connection with the case.
Dadiyata, a lecturer at the Federal University Dutsinma, Katsina State, was declared missing on August 1, 2019, after gunmen reportedly took him from his residence in Kaduna.
His whereabouts remain unknown nearly seven years later.
The development comes as Kadijah, the wife of social media commentator and critic, expressed fresh worries over her husband’s disappearance.
She spoke in a video interview with Ambassador-designate Reno Omokri, which was released on his X handle on Thursday.
Omokri, who visited the mother of two at her residence, sought support for Kadijah and her children, pledging to get justice for her.
“We pray that one day, he will come back,” Kadijah said when asked what she had to say about her husband’s disappearance over the years, especially given recent comments made by former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
Appealing to Nigerians, she said, “They should please do whatever they can to help us know his whereabouts, if he’s alive or not.”
Omokri further asked Kadijah what she had to say about an old comment made about her husband that suggested “mockery.”
“It was somebody who showed me (the post) because I didn’t have a phone at that time,” she said of the 2019 comment reportedly made by the son of a former Kaduna State Governor.
The post had read, “Those same clowns who encouraged him when he was creating false stories and capitalising on lies that could endanger lives solely for political ends are the same individuals trending hashtags asking, ‘#WhereisDadiyata.’
“Dangerous lies in the public space have consequences. I felt bad about it (the comment). I can’t even explain,” Kadijah stated in the video.
She further narrated how her husband was abducted as he alighted from his car in their compound on August 2, 2019, saying she watched from the window as it happened.
Assuring Kadijah of Dadiyata’s safe return if he is alive, and justice in the unlikely event of his death, Omokri empathised with the woman and sought assistance for the family.
He appealed to the Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, for “whatever he can do for them… to help their living conditions, probably relocate them, help their education, or help the mother with a job. Nigeria owes a duty of care to this family for what has happened to them.”
Dadiyata, a lecturer and online commentator, was abducted on August 2, 2019, by unidentified gunmen as he drove into his home in Barnawa, Kaduna.
The incident has continued to attract public attention and demands for accountability.
Dadiyata’s matter resurfaced on February 14, 2026, when El-Rufai denied any involvement in the case and argued that the missing commentator was primarily critical of the Kano administration rather than the Kaduna State government.
“Dadiyata was not a fierce critic of the Kaduna State government. He was a fierce critic of the Kano State government.
“He is a Kwankwasiya guy; he lives in Kaduna and lectures at a university in Katsina State, but is a fierce critic not of Kaduna State. Go and review his timeline,” he said.
El-Rufai further stated that he was unaware of Dadiyata before the abduction was reported to the police.
“It was Ganduje that was his problem. I didn’t even know him. We only got the report of Dadiyata’s existence and the fact that he lives in Kaduna State after the family reported to the police that he was abducted as he was returning home in the evening.
“If anybody is to be asked about the disappearance of Dadiyata, it is the Kano State Government; it has nothing to do with the Kaduna State Government. We didn’t even know he existed,” he said.
Reacting, former Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, dismissed being linked to the case in a statement issued by his former Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Muhammad Garba.
He described the claims as “reckless, unfounded, and a clear attempt to shift responsibility for an incident that occurred entirely within Kaduna State.”
According to Ganduje, Dadiyata was widely known in Kaduna for his criticism of the state government.
“Everyone in Kaduna knew the nature of the criticism he made and who it was directed at,” he said.
A security source told The PUNCH that the DSS recently seized El-Rufai’s passport at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, to prevent him from travelling abroad while investigations are ongoing.
“The DSS has reopened the case of the 2019 disappearance in Kaduna of a renowned government critic, Abubakar Idris, better known as Dadiyata, and several other cases of missing persons.
“El’Rufai is fully aware that the DSS is investigating him and his two sons for Dadiyata’s kidnapping.
Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo, on Thursday, sentenced a 29-year-old Resident Pastor of Living Faith Church, also known as Winners Chapel, Ifa Ikot Ubo–Ifa Ikot Okpon Branch, Uyo, Prince Emmanuel Umoh to death by hanging for the murder of his landlord, Gabriel Bassey Edward.
The judge, Justice Gabriel Ette convicted the pastor for stabbing to death, Edward, a 500-level Civil engineering student whose academic result, released posthumously, showed he graduated with First Class honours.
From the facts of the case made available, the deceased, a student of University of Uyo had relocated to his late mother’s property at Ifa Ikot Ubo to secure the estate and live closer to school.
His mother, before her death in December 2019, had established a nursery school on the property.
Evidence before the court showed that Edward lived in a two-bedroom flat attached to a long hall within the compound alongside his younger brother, Emmanuel Edward Bassey.
The hall, originally constructed for school purposes, was later rented to Living Faith Church for worship activities at an annual rent of N150,000, with the consent of his father, Emana Bassey Edward, a retired school principal.
The church was allowed to commence use of the hall, even before full payment of rent.
Prince Emmanuel Umoh was subsequently posted to the branch as its pioneer resident pastor.
Evidence presented in court revealed that ”on 21st December, 2020, the defendant was seen entering the deceased’s compound.
Neighbours later reported hearing loud screams of “Jesus” from inside the premises.
Shortly afterward, the defendant emerged wearing a white garment stained with blood, claiming he had fallen while attempting to hang a banner.
‘The deceased was never seen alive again.
On 26th December, 2020, a day after Christmas, Edward’s decomposing body was discovered in his room, wrapped in a mat with multiple lacerations.
A butcher’s knife was found beside him.
”The defendant, being the last person seen with Edward and possessing unexplained bloodstains while having repeated access to the premises, was promptly arrested and charged with murder.
The defendant was arraigned on 6th December, 2021, on a one-count charge of murder.
He pleaded not guilty.
To establish its case, the prosecution called six witnesses, including the deceased’s father, Emana Bassey Edward, who testified as the first prosecution witness (PW1).
PW1 told the court that shortly after the church began operations, the defendant requested permission to store church chairs and other items inside the deceased’s flat for security reasons, as the hall lacked doors and windows.
The request was granted.
However, the arrangement soon became problematic.
Whenever the defendant needed access to church property kept in the flat, the deceased, often away, had to return home to grant access, incurring transport expenses that were not refunded.
Following complaints, PW1 directed his son to give the defendant a spare key to ease access.
The prosecution led evidence that after the key was handed over, items belonging to the deceased’s late mother, including clothes, plates and other valuables, began to go missing.
The defendant, being in possession of the spare key, became a suspect.
When confronted, the defendant claimed he had lost the key.
The matter was reported to the church’s senior pastor, Owoidoho Etuk Akpan, who testified as a defence witness, who provided N5,000 to enable the deceased change the locks.
According to evidence before the court, no further items went missing after the locks were changed.
Tensions later arose between the deceased and the defendant over the handling of rent money reportedly paid for the use of the hall and intended for repairs.
In a detailed and emotionally charged judgment read for over two hours, Justice Gabriel Ette described the case as “very sympathetic,” recounting the efforts of the deceased’s late mother to build and develop the property for educational purposes before her death.
The court found that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
In sentencing the defendant, Justice Ette condemned the act, noting the irony of a religious leader taking a life within church premises.
“Life is sacred and those who represent God on earth should teach that. It is an irony and quite appalling when a man who claims to be the representative of the divine on earth stoops so low as to denigrate the very essence of his calling and take someone’s life in the premises of the church.” Justice Ette held.
He further stated that individuals who betray public trust in such a manner, pose a danger to society and must face the full weight of the law.
“Having found you guilty as charged, I hereby sentence you to death by hanging,” the court held.
