The monarch of Agamọ Community in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, Oba Kehinde Falodun, has reportedly been killed by suspected bandits.
It was gathered that the traditional ruler was murdered on Wednesday evening while resisting an attempt by the gunmen to abduct him.
A source in the community said about 10 armed men stormed the palace and attempted to kidnap the monarch, but he resisted them.
According to the source, when the assailants allegedly shot at him several times and the bullets did not penetrate, they reportedly struck his head with a heavy object, leading to his death.
Confirming the incident to our correspondent in a statement on Thursday, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ondo State Police Command, Mr Abayomi Jimoh, said an investigation had commenced into the matter.
According to him, efforts were ongoing to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects.
“The victim was later found a few metres away with gunshot wounds. He was confirmed dead at the scene.
“Upon receipt of the report, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), alongside tactical teams from the command, promptly mobilised officers in collaboration with local security outfits.
“Atuluse Security, local hunters, and Amotekun operatives also assisted in combing adjoining bushes and surrounding areas in a bid to apprehend the perpetrators. Efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects.
“Monitoring and surveillance activities have been intensified across the area to ensure the safety of residents and prevent further breakdown of law and order.
“The public is assured that no stone will be left unturned in bringing those responsible for the heinous act to justice,” he said.
PUNCH Online reports that the incident comes weeks after suspected bandits attacked Ayede Community in the same local government area and abducted a pregnant woman, Mrs Mary Jesulayomi, who was later released after a ransom was reportedly paid.
Days after that incident, the Ondo State Security Network Agency, also known as Amotekun, arrested 12 men suspected of being involved in banditry in the area.
Residents have expressed concern over the growing insecurity in Akure North, calling on security agencies to intensify efforts to restore peace in the affected communities.
A car dealer, Chima Edmund, has accused the Lagos State Police Command of releasing a man suspected of attempting to steal a 2025 Toyota Tundra pickup worth about N130m from his showroom in the Victoria Garden City area of Lekki, Lagos State.
Edmund, founder of Mayor and Sheiks Autos, said the suspect allegedly drove the vehicle away from his showroom on Monday after posing as a prospective buyer but crashed it into a canal in the Ajiran area while attempting to escape.
The Toyota Tundra before the incident. Credit: Chima Edmund
The incident went viral on Tuesday, with the dealer estimating the cost of repairing the damaged vehicle at about N40m.
Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Metro on Thursday, Edmund said the suspect arrived at the dealership around 4pm carrying a bag and asked to inspect the pickup.
He said a junior staff member attended to the man, who requested the key to the unsold vehicle under the pretext of checking its engine.
The car dealer, Chima Edmund
“On Monday, the guy came to my outlet around 4pm. He met my junior staff and came in with a bag as a customer. He asked for the 2025 Toyota Tundra pickup, which costs around N130m, and demanded the key to check it. He dropped his bag inside it, and the staff watched him start the engine, thinking he only wanted to check it. But the man engaged the gear and drove off,” Edmund said.
According to him, the vehicle exited the dealership through a route that required a supporting slab because of the difference in elevation between the car stand and the main road.
He said the vehicle’s doors locked automatically when the suspect engaged the gear, after which he drove towards the VGC Bridge.
Edmund said his staff member pursued the vehicle but struggled to convince passers-by that the man behind the wheel was not the owner.
He alleged that the suspect drove through a residential estate in Ajah, damaged a barricade at the entrance and continued towards Chevron and Ebeano before heading to Ajiran.
“On getting to Ajiran, he could not find his way again. He realised he had driven to the end of the road, and when he could not proceed, he drove over the canal until the vehicle landed in it. That was when some boys dragged him out,” the dealer said.
Edmund said the escape attempt damaged the pickup and a barricade at the VGC entrance.
He added that he paid for repairs to the barricade and incurred expenses on the treatment of people injured during the incident, as well as the suspect’s feeding and other related costs.
The dealer said he also paid for the suspect’s medical treatment following the crash, adding that the man was not kept in a cell because of the injuries he sustained.
According to Edmund, the case was initially reported at the Ajah Police Division before being transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, where two women who identified themselves as the suspect’s mother and sister visited him.
He said the women claimed to be from Agbor, Delta State, adding that he became concerned about recovering his expenses after learning that the suspect had been released on bail.
Edmund alleged that he was pressured to withdraw the case after investigators established that the suspect had a psychiatric condition.
“I am already suspecting foul play in the police dealings because I was hurried to close the case when the man was confirmed to be a psychiatric patient. Just yesterday evening, he had been released on bail.
“For somebody who caused me such heavy damage, how am I going to bear these losses alone, knowing that the culprit has been released? Somebody attempted to steal a car from my outlet. It is sad,” he said.
The dealer appealed for assistance in recovering from the financial losses, saying preliminary estimates put the cost of repairing the damaged Toyota Tundra at about N40m.
Edmund, who said he had been in the automobile business since 1996, described the incident as unprecedented in his nearly three decades in the trade.
He said he had operated in different parts of Lagos, including Berger and FESTAC, before relocating to VGC, adding that he had never experienced a similar incident despite attending to numerous customers over the years.
He said it was difficult to identify suspicious customers by their appearance, noting that some casually dressed clients had purchased vehicles worth more than N200m from his dealership.
Edmund also dismissed suggestions that the vehicle had been left unattended with the suspect, insisting that a proper test drive should involve at least two people accompanying a prospective buyer.
On why the pickup did not have a tracking device, he said it was a new vehicle that had not yet been sold.
According to him, installing a tracker before a vehicle is purchased could require interference with its wiring system and raise concerns among prospective buyers about whether it was a Nigerian-used vehicle.
He added that the pickup had a fuel tank capacity of about 130 litres, but its fuel gauge was already on red, indicating that approximately 30 litres remained when the suspect allegedly drove it away.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, SP Abimbola Adebisi, denied the allegation that the police had improperly released the suspect.
Adebisi said the suspect had been certified as a psychiatric patient by recognised government hospitals and competent courts, adding that the dealer withdrew the case after the information emerged during the investigation.
“The suspect is a psychiatric case, certified by recognised government hospitals and competent courts.
“All these were well known by the complainant in the course of our investigation. This prompted him to submit a withdrawal letter, whereupon the suspect was handed over to his mother for rehabilitation,” she said in a WhatsApp message to our correspondent.
However, PUNCH Metro could not independently verify the police spokesperson’s claims, as she did not provide the documents requested by the correspondent to substantiate the alleged medical certification and withdrawal of the complaint.
Suspected Boko Haram terrorists have attacked a military formation in Mairari community, Guzamala Local Government Area of Borno State, with some soldiers feared killed.
Our correspondent gathered that the terrorists attacked the military post around midnight on Tuesday.
Local sources, who confirmed the incident to The PUNCH, said the attack lasted for more than two hours, with casualties feared on both sides.
Confirming the incident exclusively to The PUNCH on Wednesday, the Chairman of Guzamala Local Government Area, Umar Sheriff, said there were no civilian casualties.
According to him, the terrorists specifically targeted the military post.
He said, “The incident occurred last night around 12 am. Though I don’t have statistics regarding the casualties yet, because it’s not everything we are told. It’s a security matter. But I know that no civilian was killed.”
He described the attack as a major one, noting that the locality had not witnessed such an incident in recent times.
“They have never attacked as much as this time, but thank God, the military were able to repel them,” he stressed.
The chairman said the situation was currently calm, adding that he would visit the community on Thursday to assess the situation on the ground.
“The situation is calm. I will be there tomorrow morning (Thursday) to evaluate the situation,” he stated.
Meanwhile, local sources, who pleaded not to be identified, said both sides suffered casualties.
“I know there are military casualties. It was rumoured that seven soldiers were killed, but no one could verify that yet,” one source said.
“That attack left the entire town in tension. With the gunfire yesterday, there is no way that the terrorists will not suffer casualties. Both local forces and the military stood their ground,” another source familiar with the incident told The PUNCH.
Efforts to contact the Acting Military Information Officer of the North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Capt Mohammed Goni, for comments failed, as he neither answered nor returned calls as of press time.
A 28-year-old Nigerian, Adebayo Maoli, has been arrested and charged with sexual assault and two counts of committing an indecent act in Toronto, Canada, following allegations that he exposed himself to passengers on the city’s subway system.
The Toronto Police Service disclosed this in a statement seen by PUNCH Metro on Wednesday, saying the alleged incidents occurred at King and College subway stations on September 1 and October 3, 2026, respectively.
According to the police, the first incident occurred around 3pm on September 1, when Maoli allegedly exposed himself to two passengers aboard a southbound Toronto Transit Commission subway train at King Station.
The police said the victims activated the train’s emergency alarm, prompting the suspect to leave the train.
In the second incident, which reportedly occurred around 12.10am on October 3, the suspect allegedly followed a passenger who was alighting from a subway train at College Station.
“The victim got onto an escalator and the accused followed.
The accused exposed himself to the victim, who verbally confronted him, prompting him to flee the area,” the statement added.
Maoli, who resides in Toronto, was subsequently charged with one count of sexual assault and two counts of committing an indecent act.
The police said he was scheduled to appear before the Toronto Regional Bail Centre at 2201 Finch Avenue West on Friday, October 9, 2026, at 9.30am.
The statement added that investigators believed there might be additional victims. The police released an image of the suspect and appealed to members of the public with relevant information to come forward.
