Crime
2 passengers shot dead, others kidnapped on their way to Enugu for burial
Narrating their ordeal to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Umuahia on Sunday, one of them, who identified himself simply as Francis, said their Sienna Bus was flagged down at gunpoint near the Arondizuogu Junction on the expressway.
Francis (not real name) said that the vehicle was later diverted off the expressway to Arondizuogu Road in Imo, from where they were led into a hamlet far into the bush.
He said: “I have never had this kind of experience in my life before.
“We were travelling to Enugu for a burial and when we got close to Arondizuogu Junction, we saw a group of heavily armed men and they asked us to park.
“One of us in the vehicle asked them ‘why do you ask us to park and pointing your guns at us, do you know who I am?’.
“Then one of the hoodlums said, ‘now oga you will prove to us whom you are’.
“They ordered us out of the vehicle and asked us to sit on the ground and pull off our shirts with which they blindfolded us.
“From there, they started beating the man that made the comment with machete,” Francis said.
He said that when they got into the hamlet, residents “were watching us as if they were watching a video.
“When we alighted from the vehicle, their leader asked about the man that made the comment and they pointed at him.
“They brought him out, and barely three steps away from us, they shot him dead.
“Another man with us, who saw what happened and attempted to escape was rushed and also shot dead,” Francis said.
According to him, they seized the two corpses.
He said that the hoodlums were not fewer than 50 in their hideout, with 20 of them heavily armed.
“And the funniest part of it was that these men were speaking our own language.
“They told us that Umuahia people are ‘sabo to them’, that they asked us not to vote in the last election and we went out to vote.
“That they declared Mondays sit-at-home and we are not obeying them.
“That any Umuahia person they got around here will get it hot.
“Then they asked us to say our last prayers,” Francis said.
He said that as they were praying, they were being moved into one of the three new Hummer Buses in the hideout and taken to where they eventually loaded them back into their Sienna Bus and led to the tarred road.
“At that point they asked whether we can find our way out and we said no and they told the driver to go straight.
“They said we should go and tell Umuahia people what we saw.
“That was how we found ourselves back to Umuahia,” he said.
Francis said that valuables collected from them, included cash and cell phones.
Meanwhile, the deceased persons were identified as Chukwuemeka Nwachukwu, a pastor, who passed a comment after they were flagged down, and the Village Youth Leader, Ifeanyi Onwukwe, who attempted to escape.
A journalist from the community said on the condition of anonymity that “the sad incident has thrown the area into mourning”.
Attempt made to get a confirmation of the attack from the Imo Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Henry Okoye, was unsuccessful as phone calls made to him failed to connect.
However, a senior police officer at the Abia Police Command claimed to be aware of the incident but said that “formal entry” had yet to be made.
“I am aware of the Saturday attack but you know the incident happened in Imo.
“So, as we speak, nobody has made any formal entry here,” the source said. (NAN)
A police inspector has been killed and another officer seriously injured after gunmen allegedly ambushed a joint security team in Jigawa State.
The incident occurred on Saturday, August 22, 2026, after security personnel responded to reports of farmland destruction in Gwaram Local Government Area.
According to a security report obtained by Zagazola Makama, the attack took place at about 3pm in a forested area.
The joint team comprised personnel from Gwaram and Fagam police divisions, the 35 Police Mobile Force and local security outfits. Members of the Vigilance and Community Response Unit (VCRU) and Operation Salama also participated in the operation.
The report said the team had been patrolling the area following recurring complaints involving suspected herders and farmland destruction.
The personnel reportedly came under attack after entering the area, with the assailants said to have used arrows.
Inspector Bukar Wakili, attached to Gwaram Division, was reportedly struck in the face and sustained serious injuries.
Another officer, Inspector Mohammed Shafiu of the VCRU in Dutse, was also injured during the incident.
Both officers were taken to a hospital, where Shafiu was confirmed dead, according to the report.
Bukar was later referred to the Malam Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital for further medical treatment.
The identities and affiliation of the attackers have not been independently confirmed, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Additional tactical teams were subsequently deployed to reinforce the security personnel and support efforts to identify those responsible.
Police have opened an investigation into the incident and maintained a security presence in the affected area.
The attack comes amid recurring disputes involving farmers and herders in parts of northern Nigeria, where disagreements over farmland and grazing routes can sometimes escalate into violence.
A young man suspected of attempting to steal cables from a transformer was found dead after reportedly being electrocuted along Trademore Road in Lugbe, Abuja, in the early hours of Friday.
The deceased was reportedly found crouched and lifeless near the transformer, with his body said to have become stiff, suggesting he may have been electrocuted when power was restored.
Residents said there had been no electricity supply in the area on Thursday night before the incident occurred.
The discovery attracted a crowd of residents, who expressed concern over the increasing activities of cable vandals in different parts of the Federal Capital Territory.
Rasheed Ogunyemi, a resident of Iddo Seriki along the Airport Road, said residents in his area often contribute money to repair their transformer, only for vandals to return and cut the cables.
The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed the incident, stating that the deceased’s body had been evacuated and deposited at a mortuary in Gwagwalada for autopsy.
More than 60 worshippers are feared to have been kidnapped from the Central Mosque in Dekara town, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, during Jumu’at prayers on Friday.
The incident occurred when suspected terrorists, said to be operating in large numbers, stormed the mosque while the prayers were ongoing.
According to sources, the attackers fired several shots before rounding up some of the worshippers and taking them into the surrounding forest.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Borgu Local Government Area witnessed several security incidents on Friday, including attacks on three communities.
“So many things happened in Borgu LGA on Friday. Terrorists attacked three communities, including Dekara. In Dekara, they went to the Central Mosque while Jumu’at prayer was ongoing and kidnapped more than 60 people. But they did not injure anybody,” the resident said.
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Oyewole Mayowa Solomon, has died after reportedly collapsing during a party reconciliation meeting in Iyara, the council headquarters.
Solomon reportedly slumped suddenly while participating in the meeting convened on Friday by a former Ijumu council chairman, Funsho Olumoko, as part of efforts to resolve internal disagreements and promote unity among APC stakeholders in the area.
An eyewitness said the incident caused confusion among participants, who immediately attempted to revive the party chairman before rushing him to a hospital in Kabba.
He reportedly died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
The development shocked party leaders and other stakeholders who had gathered for the reconciliation meeting, which was aimed at strengthening the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The meeting was expected to bring together party leaders, ward and local government executives, women and youth leaders, as well as government appointees from the 15 wards in Ijumu.
The incident occurred amid renewed efforts by APC stakeholders in the council to resolve longstanding disagreements and restore unity within the local chapter.
Earlier in the month, party leaders in Ijumu had endorsed President Bola Tinubu and Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, for second terms.
However, that gathering was reportedly disrupted by disagreements over the leadership of the local government, with Solomon and some other officials said to have walked out of the meeting.
Olumoko, who organised Friday’s reconciliation meeting, had previously been mandated by the Ijumu Consultative Forum to facilitate dialogue among political stakeholders in the council.
Solomon’s sudden death is expected to create fresh uncertainty around the ongoing reconciliation efforts within the Ijumu APC, coming barely two weeks after stakeholders renewed calls for unity ahead of the 2027 elections.
The cause of his death had not been officially disclosed as of the time of filing this report, while efforts to obtain an official reaction from the APC were ongoing.
Tension and grief have gripped the political community in Enugu State following the suspected murder of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Chairman in Udenu Local Government Area, Chisimdiri Emmanuel Ngwu.
Ngwu, described as one of the longest-serving members of the ADC in the state, was reportedly found dead in the early hours of Wednesday, August 19, 2026, under circumstances that have raised concerns among his family, friends and political associates.
A family source told our correspondent that Ngwu woke up early on Wednesday, left the house and never returned alive.
The source said the family became worried after they noticed he was missing, only to later discover his lifeless body outside the compound.
“We woke up and didn’t see him, only to discover his lifeless body in front of our compound,” the source said.
The source further alleged that scratches were found around Ngwu’s neck and that his neck appeared to have been twisted backwards, raising suspicions about the circumstances of his death.
The incident has sparked concern within the ADC in Udenu and the wider political community in Enugu State, with calls for security agencies to thoroughly investigate the matter and bring anyone found responsible to justice.
Meanwhile, two persons have reportedly been arrested in connection with the incident.
Their identities and the specific circumstances surrounding their arrest were not immediately known as of press time.
Ngwu’s death has since sent shock waves through the ADC, with party members and associates mourning his death and demanding a transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
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