Crime

Anambra couple held as police probe 10-year-old boy abuse

Published

4 weeks ago

June 19, 2026

A 30-year-old woman, Chisom Chukwukere, who allegedly brutalised a 10-year-old boy in Awada, Obosi, in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, has been arrested by the police.

Her husband, Chukwudi, was also arrested over allegations that the couple used burning plastic to inflict severe burns on the child.

The victim, whose video showing extensive injuries across his body recently went viral on social media, had sparked widespread outrage.

Operatives of the Anambra State Police Command arrested the suspects.

At the same time, the woman’s infant child was taken into protective custody by the state Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Welfare on Thursday.

During interrogation, Chisom reportedly pleaded with police and ministry officials to release the infant to her, claiming that the child was unwell and could not be left alone.

A video circulating online showed the suspect appealing to the authorities to return the child to her because the infant was sick and required attention.

The development has triggered public outrage, with many questioning how someone so concerned about her own child’s welfare could allegedly inflict such severe injuries on another child.

The infant has since been placed in the care of a family member through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare.

Confirming the development, the spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said investigations had been intensified and assured that all those found culpable would be brought to justice.

He said, “The police remain steadfast in enforcing laws designed to protect children from abuse, neglect, exploitation, and all forms of violence.

“The Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, has reassured residents of the command’s unwavering commitment to collaborating with relevant government agencies, child protection organisations, and community stakeholders to promote and safeguard the rights, safety, and welfare of children throughout the state.

“The Anambra State Police Command remains committed to promoting justice, compassion, and the protection of human rights in line with the vision of the Inspector-General of Police.”

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Crime

Troops rescue three kidnap victims after gun battle with terrorists in Plateau

Published

24 minutes ago

July 14, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

Troops of Sector 2, Operation Enduring Peace have rescued three kidnapped victims after engaging suspected terrorists during an offensive operation in Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The operation was launched at about 6:30 p.m. on Saturday July 11, 2026 following credible intelligence on the movement of armed terrorists escorting kidnapped victims along the Aduwa Road.

The troops swiftly moved to intercept the suspects and established contact with the terrorists, who fled into the bush after abandoning the captives in the face of superior firepower.

The three victims were rescued unharmed and subsequently debriefed.

According to preliminary findings, the victims had been abducted from Kufayi Village in Karim Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State before being moved through the Wase axis.

The rescued victims were handed over to the appropriate authorities and reunited with their families.

Security sources said troops have intensified efforts to track down and neutralise the fleeing terrorists as part of ongoing operations to dismantle kidnapping networks operating across the Plateau–Taraba border corridor.

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Crime

Gunmen abduct 60-year-old man in Oyo, demand N30m ransom

Published

23 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted a 60-year-old man, Mr. Owoade Matthew Kolawole, in Igboyaye, Itesiwaju Local Government Area of Oyo State.

The incident occurred between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, 2026.

According to the victim’s family, the kidnappers contacted them shortly after the incident using Mr. Kolawole’s mobile phones and demanded a ransom of N30 million for his release.

Speaking on the incident, the victim’s son, Mr. Owoade Abiola, said security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, the Amotekun Corps, and local vigilante groups, were immediately alerted. GeographicReference

A joint search operation was launched and continued throughout the night, but the victim was not found.

However, at about 8:20 a.m. on Sunday, July 12, the search team recovered Mr. Kolawole’s abandoned motorcycle in a nearby bush, raising further concerns about his whereabouts.

The family has appealed to the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies to intensify efforts to secure the victim’s safe release and ensure those responsible for the abduction are apprehended and brought to justice.

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Crime

NDLEA arrests South African woman over 5.75kg cannabis haul

Published

1 day ago

July 13, 2026

Newsbreak365_Admin

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 38-year-old South African woman, Will Ann, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for allegedly attempting to smuggle 5.75 kilograms of heroin into Nigeria while travelling with her three-year-old son.

According to the agency, the suspect was arrested on Monday, July 6, 2026, during the inward clearance of passengers aboard Qatar Airways flight QR1433 from Doha.

NDLEA stated that the suspect allegedly concealed 14 large blocks of heroin in two suitcases and initially denied travelling with any checked-in luggage.

In a statement on Sunday by the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, the anti-narcotics agency said its operatives established that the baggage tags matched the claim tags attached to the suspect’s passport, prompting her to admit ownership of the bags.

The statement read, “Though she initially denied travelling with checked-in bags, after operatives were able to quickly establish that the two bags containing the drugs had tags which tallied with the claim tags attached to her passport, she recanted and admitted ownership of the bags, adding that she forgot she had checked in the two bags.”

The agency added that the suspect claimed she travelled from Cambodia through Doha to Abuja.

NDLEA further alleged that intelligence indicated she was part of a transnational drug trafficking organisation operating along the Cambodia-South Africa axis with her husband and partner, Jan Coenraad De Jager.

In a separate operation, NDLEA operatives at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, arrested a 48-year-old commercial motorcycle rider, Onyechere Chinadu, after he arrived from Madagascar via Addis Ababa on an Ethiopian Airlines flight.

The agency disclosed that an initial search of his backpack uncovered 87 wraps of methamphetamine concealed in clothing.

According to the statement, the suspect confessed that he had worked as an okada rider in Lagos for 15 years before being recruited into drug trafficking by a Uganda-based associate.

“He said he ingested the recovered pellets of methamphetamine in Uganda before embarking on his planned journey to Madagascar to deliver the drug consignment,” the statement said.

The NDLEA added that after the suspect was denied entry into Madagascar, his sponsor allegedly rerouted him to Lagos, where he was arrested.

The agency revealed that the suspect was placed under observation because he could not state the exact number of pellets he had swallowed. Between his arrest and July 11, he excreted 13 additional pellets, bringing the total recovery to 100 wraps of methamphetamine weighing 1.715 kilograms.

At the Apapa Seaport in Lagos, NDLEA disclosed that it intercepted 8,287 bags of Canadian Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain, weighing 4,143.5 kilograms, with an estimated street value of over N10.3bn.

The drugs were discovered during a joint examination involving NDLEA officers, the Nigeria Customs Service, and other security agencies after weeks of surveillance on the container imported from Canada.

“The discovery followed weeks of targeted tracking and monitoring of the shipment since its departure from Montreal, Canada, by operatives of the Maritime Intelligence Unit of NDLEA in close collaboration with the Apapa Strategic Command of the Agency,” the statement added.

The agency also said its operatives foiled an attempt to export 2.5 kilograms of skunk concealed in a gas compressor destined for Cyprus through a Lagos courier company.

Beyond enforcement operations, NDLEA noted that its commands across the country sustained the War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaign with advocacy lectures in secondary schools in Ebonyi, Kano, Ekiti, and Ogun states, while the leadership of its Zone 14 Command paid an advocacy visit to Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

Commending the officers involved in the operations, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa praised the commands for combining drug supply reduction efforts with public sensitisation.

Marwa charged officers across the country “not to rest on their past laurels” in the agency’s campaign against illicit drug trafficking and abuse.

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