Crime
10 dead as soldiers, youths clash in Imo, soldier stabs creditor to death
UMUAHIA— Less than 24 hours after soldiers and youths clashed in Izombe, Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State which left many dead, no fewer than 10 persons have again, been reported killed and many houses burnt as soldiers from 14 Brigade, Nigeria Army, invaded Amangwu community in Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State in search of their missing colleague.
Also yesterday, gunmen allegedly attacked a popular police checkpoint located along the Onitsha-Owerri road in Ihiala, Anambra State.
Similarly, a soldier, identified as Saeed Sabo, of the 82 Division, Nigerian Army, Enugu, is now cooling off in police cell for allegedly stabbing a middle-aged man to death in Umuahia.
10 killed, scores missing
Following the military raid of Amangwu community, scores of locals were also reportedly arrested and are yet to be sighted.
The community has been reportedly deserted as locals fled to different locations, abandoning their homes just to stay out of trouble.
The invasion was in the aftermath of an alleged abduction of a yet-to-be-identified soldier, said to be ” on pass in the area”.
The soldier, according to reports, was said to be on leave, and visited his village in nearby Ikwun in Cross Rivers State but got missing at the border between Amuma Ohafia and Amangwu.
It was learned that troops from 14 Brigade were deployed for a rescue operation on the missing soldier.
The soldiers allegedly burnt over 50 houses in the community, while 10 persons were killed, with many others missing.
Sources said the soldiers had also invaded Okon and Amuma with heavy shooting and broke into houses to arrest some youths.
His words: “The problem was with our neighbouring community, Amangwu, but the Army invaded Okon yesterday and burnt 5 houses. They were shooting everywhere. Some of them were using drones to take pictures of the community.
”They returned by 2 am today (yesterday) and burnt another house. They broke into houses and dragged youths into their vehicles. Any youth arrested is tagged a member of IPOB.
”The youths arrested are yet to be seen since their arrest. People are fleeing their homes to the IDP camps. We are now IDPs in our place. We are afraid they may storm the IDP camp in search of youths.”
A resident of Amangwu who spoke on the condition of anonymity, alleged that the number of youths killed in the community was above 20, contrary to the 10 reported by the media.
He said: “What soldiers are doing in Amangwu community amounts to ethnic cleansing. If any youth has committed an offence, the soldiers should arrest him, not burn houses and kill people.
”Everybody arrested is tagged a member of IPOB. Many youths have been killed. Even families who fled Amangwu have been searching for their loved ones. Those whose houses were burnt couldn’t save anything because the soldiers came in the early morning when the residents were still sleeping.
”Some people were lucky to escape through the bush path because the Army blocked the area searching for people. Amangwu is now a ghost town.”
Efforts to contact the Army Public Relations Officer, 14 Brigade, Ohafia, Lt. Innocent Omale, were unsuccessful as he did not respond to calls and a text message was sent to his mobile number unreplied.
However, a top military source in the Brigade informed that soldiers were currently on operation in Ohafia, fighting the rising insecurity in the area, but denied burning houses and killing innocent people.
The source, who pleaded not to be quoted, confirmed that there was a military operation in the community in search of the missing soldier, and against criminal elements who had allegedly taken over the area.
The source denied the killing of locals and destruction of houses, explaining that only shrines used by criminals were destroyed.
Said the source: “There is an ongoing operation in search of a missing soldier in Amangwu general area. Only shrines belonging to the criminals in the enclaves were affected.
”The Nigerian Army is a professional Army that respects law-abiding citizens and fishes out those with criminal intent disrupting the peace-loving people of Ohafia and its environs.
“We must fish out the criminals in our immediate society for peace to reign.”
On the justification for the alleged invasion, the source said: “But the criminals being executed in the criminal enclaves are irrelevant. Human skulls in different shrines? Mini Barracks in the bushes by these criminals? Missing innocent souls is (sic) of no concern? The Nigerian Army must fish out criminals in our society.”
IDP camps spring up in Ohafia
The IDPs, comprising women and children, are now quartered in primary schools, community halls, and churches in some communities yet to be attacked by the soldiers.
Some IDPs who spoke to Vanguard, stated that they escaped with nothing as the soldiers burnt their houses, adding that They lacked clothing, food, and medicine .
They urged the federal and state governments to call the soldiers to order.
Gunmen attack police checkpoint in Anambra
In a similar development, gunmen yesterday attacked a police checkpoint in Anambra State.
The attackers, who allegedly came from the neighbouring Mgbidi Local Government Area of Imo State, opened fire on the policemen on duty, who took to their heels.
Amid the confusion, passengers traveling to Owerri from Onitsha and Onitsha to Imo State had to make u-turn.
The development caused traffic gridlock in the area as the travellers parked their vehicles at nearby Nkwo Ogbe market, Ihiala, and at the Mgbidi end in Imo State.
Workers at Anambra-owned Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University who were on their way to the office, had to abandon work for the day and fled home.
Residents of the area also fled into a nearby bush for safety, while authorities of the nearby Abbott Boys Secondary School, Ihiala, directed students to immediastely leave the school premises.
The state Police Public Relation Officer, PPRO, Mr. Tochukwu Ikenga, could not speak on the matter, but a police source confirmed the attack.
The source could, however, not confirm if there were casualties, although he said that the state police command had dispatched a special squad to Ihiala to quell the situation.
Police detain soldier for stabbing creditor to death
In a related development, te Police in Abia have detained a soldier for stabbing a man to death.
The victim, Uchenna Offor, 34, from Olokoro in Umuahia South, was said to have demanded that the soldier paid for goods bought previously on credit before another one would be sold to him.
An eyewitness said: “The soldier attached to a Chinese construction firm came to buy something on credit around Umuahia Railway station but the victim demanded payment for goods bought previously on credit.
”In the ensuing altercation, the suspect was said to have used the bayonet of his gun on the victim, stabbing him in the chest.”
The eye witness said the victim who slumped after he was stabbed, was immediately rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia, where he was certified dead on arrival.
Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in charge of Abia State command, Geoffrey Ogbonna, a Superintendent of Police, confirmed the incident.
He said investigations into the matter had commenced, assuring that justice would be served.
Dismantle Mgbidi army checkpoint, CSO tells CDS, CoAS, Imo govt
However, a civil society organisation, Security Situation Room, has drawn the attention of the Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff and Imo State government to the army checkpoint of ‘extortion and oppression’ at Mgbidi, by St Joseph’s Catholic Church/Ray Jacobs Boarding School, Imo State.
Convener, Security Situation Room, Douglas Ogbankwa, in a statement in Abuja, yesterday, said: “We, through our observers noticed with dismay the long, unconscionable and reprehensible gridlock, artificially spurned by extortionist army personnel, who force commuters to cross to the other side, with the attendant danger of fast moving vehicles on the ever busy Owerri- Onitsha Express Way, a clear case of ethnic profiling, as prohibited by Section 42 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria , 1999 (As Amended), as majority of those that ply that road are of Igbo extraction.
“But in the hot bed of insurgency and banditry in the North, the Nigerian Army does not deploy such selective and targeted method used to humiliate people without any reason whatsoever. They collect money from those buses who do not disembark and keep all in a callously created gridlock, of which the only goal is to extort the poor commuters, who are mostly those perceived as the poor and the weak, while those in air conditioned private vehicles are given fast passes.
“There is no search conducted. Even at that, they need a warrant on each commuter in their name to conduct a search according to the law. The Security Situation Room condemns the actions of these brigades , masquerading as Army officials and we restate that there is freedom of liberty and freedom of movement as enshrined in Chapter 4 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria , 1999 (As Amended), as the actions of these brigades are a flagrant infringement of the Fundamental Human Rights of the citizens who ply the road”.
The Bauchi State Police Command has commenced an investigation into the death of a 20-year-old man, Abdullahi Adamu, following allegations that he was assaulted while in police custody in Misau Local Government Area.
The Command’s spokesperson, SP Nafiu Habib, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday, saying the police became aware of reports circulating on social media alleging that officers attached to a police outpost under the Misau Division assaulted the Sebore Village resident during interrogation.
According to the statement, Adamu was initially taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Misau, for treatment before being referred to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), Bauchi, where he was confirmed dead on Sunday, July 12, 2026.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, directed an immediate and thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death, stressing that the Command remains committed to professionalism, respect for human rights, and due process.
He assured that any officer found culpable would face appropriate disciplinary and legal action in accordance with the law.
“The Command is committed to ensuring that justice is served, and appropriate disciplinary and legal actions will be taken against any personnel found culpable,” the statement read.
The police also expressed condolences to the deceased’s family and prayed for the peaceful repose of his soul.
The Command appealed to members of the public with relevant information to assist the ongoing investigation, noting that it has not confirmed the allegations against its personnel and that investigations are ongoing to establish the facts surrounding the incident.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television, Adeyemi insisted that the funds were obtained through loans, adding that he has yet to repay the money.
“I borrowed the ₦400 million to pay for the appointment, and I am still indebted to those who gave me the money,” he said.
Adeyemi also dismissed allegations that he falsely presented himself as a United Nations ambassador, describing the claims as a calculated smear campaign aimed at discrediting him.
The controversy stems from earlier allegations in which Adeyemi accused Gbajabiamila of receiving ₦400 million through a proxy to facilitate his appointment and subsequently demanding an additional ₦200 million before the agency could become fully operational.
The Presidency has rejected the allegations, maintaining that Adeyemi heads a non-existent agency.
However, reports indicate that the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council received allocations in the federal budget and operated from an office within the Federal Secretariat in Abuja.
Amid growing public attention, President Bola Tinubu last week directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the bribery and forgery allegations involving the PFIPC and all individuals named in the claims.
The allegations against Gbajabiamila remain under investigation, and no official findings have been released by the anti-corruption agency.Politics
Both the Presidency and the Chief of Staff have continued to deny any wrongdoing.
Suspected gunmen have abducted several mourners escorting the remains of a Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) officer to Benue State for burial after ambushing their convoy along the Ososo–Ajaokuta axis of Kogi State.
The victims were travelling with the body of Deputy Corps Commander Augustine O. Ikwue, popularly known as “Etume Zero,” when the attackers struck, forcing the mourners and the corpse into the bush.
According to citizen journalist and activist Meddy Olotu, the kidnappers later abandoned the officer’s body, which was recovered around Ejule in Kogi State, while the abducted mourners remain in captivity.
Olotu said the kidnappers are demanding a ₦50 million ransom for the victims’ release.
Describing the incident as heartbreaking, he lamented the worsening security situation in the country, saying, “What kind of country are we living in? Even the dead cannot rest in peace.”
He called on security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the abducted mourners and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
The late Deputy Corps Commander Augustine O. Ikwue was scheduled to be buried on Friday in Ai-Ode, Upu Community, Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, before the funeral procession was attacked.
Mr Gbajabiamila has been implicated in corruption scandals across borders, including in the U.S., where he was disbarred by the State Bar of Georgia.
President Bola Tinubu’s chief of staff, Femi Gbajamila, illegally cornered tens of billions of naira in oil and gas royalty from Nigeria’s thriving oil regulatory commission after citing a fake law for the president’s approval, documents seen by Peoples Gazette showed.
Weeks after Mr Tinubu took the oath of office in 2023, his chief of staff began canvassing for money, knocking on the doors of highly lucrative agencies like the Nigeria Revenue Service (formerly Federal Inland Revenue Service), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (the agency in charge of the nation’s maritime operations) and Nigeria Customs Service, sources acquainted with the matter told The Gazette.
The Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission was not left out of the financial push as Mr Gbajabiamila drafted a memo requesting that four per cent of the cost of collection (annual revenue generated from the NUPRC) be split into two parts: 2.5 per cent for its operations and routine capital expenditure, and 1.5 per cent for capital expenditure.
The language ringfencing the 1.5 per cent, equal to N54 billion, was vague, as Mr Gbajabiamila said it was for “upgrading of crude oil and gas metering and transparency systems”. What he meant by transparency systems for such a humongous amount was not immediately clear.
“Mr President has directed that the Budget Office and the Accountant General of the Federation implement the approval in paragraph 2.a. above and ring fence the 1.5 per cent which may only be utilised for upgrading crude oil and gas metering and transparency systems upon obtaining relevant approvals,” Mr Gbajabiamila stated in a memo dated July 4, 2023.
Mr Gbajabiamila justified his request by citing a section of the Petroleum Industry Act 2023 to support his directive.
“The authority to collect these fees is vested in statute—Section 24(2)(c) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) (2023). However, the specific percentage collectable is subject to presidential approval,” Mr Gbajabiamila said in the July 2023 memo.
Checks by The Gazette revealed the section contains language that does not in any way correlate with the authorisation to claim tens of billions of naira from the nation’s coffers.
“The source of the commission Fund shall be as follows–( c) cost of collection by the commission,” stated PIA 2023 Section 24 (2c) that Mr Gbajabiamila cited in a letter to the Ministry of Finance and Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to lay claim to N54 billion.
When asked for comments, the presidency defended Mr Gbajabiamila, saying he only carried out the president’s instructions, which he claimed were within the ambit of the law.
The presidency avoided commenting on the falseness of the cited law, instead insisting that the N54 billion illegally received was with the president’s say-so and that there was no “smoking gun” on the matter.
“Gbajabiamila did not commandeer any money,” Bayo Onanuga told The Gazette on Monday. “The presidential order given to the NUPRC is within the right of the Mr President as president and C-in-C.”
Further checks by The Gazette showed that even the president lacked such powers to direct NUPRC’s revenue accrual and capital expenditure appropriation.
That responsibility was assigned to the National Assembly under Section 24(1) of the PIA 2023, stating, “The commission shall maintain a fund into which money accruing to the commission shall be paid, and all expenditures of the commission shall be subject to appropriation by the National Assembly.”
The president, according to the cited law, has no business with directing how the cost of collection is shared, let alone laying claim to its 1.5 per cent.
The cost of collection, which was N98 billion in 2022, increased significantly to N145 billion following Mr Tinubu’s unification of the official and black market exchange rates.
Whether Mr Tinubu’s action constitutes an overreach of his constitutional powers remains to be seen and can only be determined by a competent court.
Mr Gbajabiamila has been implicated in corruption scandals across borders, including in the U.S., where he was disbarred by the State Bar of Georgia after allegedly stealing money from a client.
For months, Mr Gbajabiamila ignored summonses from the State Bar to answer questions regarding the theft. He subsequently stopped paying his membership fee after his client reported him to the Bar.
His actions led to a five-year suspension from the Bar in 2015 and ultimately led to outright termination in 2020 after the Bar determined it could no longer condone Mr Gbajamila’s ethical lapses.
In 2022, Mr Gbajabiamila was accused of accepting $2 million in cash bribes (as the speaker of the House of Representatives) to secure passage of the new Petroleum Industry Bill, despite protests from host communities.
In his latest financial scandal, the president’s chief of staff is battling fraud allegations and fighting to survive a N400 million bribery scandal that has engulfed his political career.
Adeniyi Adeyemi, director-general of a controversial Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), accused Mr Gbajabiamila of collecting N400 million through a proxy and demanding an additional N200 million to secure his appointment as director.
The allegation arose after Mr Gbajabiamila released a statement on June 11 denying that the PFIPC (which appeared on pages 50 and 51 of the appropriation budget) existed and that the president was unaware of Mr Adeyemi’s appointment.
Mr Adeyemi said Mr Gbajabiamila was stung by his refusal to give him 48 per cent commission of PFIPC ‘s N27.7 billion grant and hence, sought to discredit the council and humiliate his person.
“The major rationale behind the disagreement between myself and the chief of staff is because he allegedly requested 48 per cent of the take-off grant (N27,395,510,136) from the same agency, which he denies, to which I rejected after he collected a total sum of 400 million by proxy, with a remaining balance of 200 million to secure the said appointment,” Mr Adeyemi said in a statement last month.
Mr Adeyemi said it was impossible for an agency that did not officially exist to be issued such a grant at the president and chief of staff’s directive.
He said, “If the agency does not exist, yet found its way into the Nigerian national budget, what that means is that the entire 2026 appropriation budget is a fraud and should be discarded.”
The president has ordered that the allegations be thoroughly investigated and concluded within 30 days. He said persons found culpable in the corruption would be prosecuted.
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By Okey Maduforo Awka
An Awka Magistrate Court has remanded a blogger , Mr Ejike Ofoegbu following an Experte Order brought by the Police for his remanded.
Recall that Ejike Ofoegbu was arrested by the Police on the account of defermation and invasion of privacy through his Media platform Igbo News Magazine.
Contained in the said platform was a report on the disowning of Soludo’s son Ozo Nna and the other report that Ozo Nna had accused his father of maltreatment on his mother.
Shortly after Ejike Ofoegbu was arrested, he went on air to tender an apology to Governor Charles Soludo and the rest of the family members stating that the stories were false and unfounded adding that no such disagreements took place within the Soludo family.
Delivering his ruling the presiding Magistrate Ozekwele in Suit No M/ W 3136/ 2026 stated that the Court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter adding that the issue under contention is wheather the accused should be granted bail or remanded .
Ozekwele further stated that the matter should be referred to the State Attorney General for his input on the case before the matter would be entertained at the High Court.
Earlier counsel to the accused (Ofoegbu) S.A Machie in response to the Experte Order prayed the Court to consider the application for bail which the Court did not grant .
The matter was adjourned to the 27th day of July waiting for the submissions of the state Attorney General and ordered for the remand of Ejike Ofoegbu.
Also in a statement the Police Public Relations Officer SP Tochukwu Ikenga said that the arraignment of Ejike Ofoegbu followed the Command’s receipt of the suspect from the Department of State Services Awka, and the conclusion of Police investigations into a petition alleging the publication of false information capable of causing reputational harm and inciting public disaffection.
Ikenga noted that the Command will refrain from making further comments, as this may prejudice the ongoing Court proceedings.
“Furthermore, the Command advises members of the public, media practitioners, and publishers to exercise due diligence in verifying information before publication and to adhere to the ethics of responsible journalism and the provisions of extant laws governing the dissemination of information” he said.
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