Crime
3 arrested as cultists kill rival in Lagos restaurant
After spotting him, the suspects, who were armed with guns and cutlasses, allegedly shot Ayegbusi. In a bid to escape, the victim ran into the restaurant.
Thereafter, the suspects, numbering six, were seen in a video clip captured by the Closed-Circuit Television installed on the premises of the restaurant, shooting and using cutlasses to hack Ayegbusi till he died.
The attack threw the security guard, workers and customers, who came to patronise the restaurant into panic as they were seen in the video clip, running helter-skelter to escape from the crime scene.
The suspects left the premises of the restaurant after perpetrating the crime.
A source, who spoke to our correspondent on Tuesday, said residents in the area alerted the police after the suspects fled from the crime scene.
“The policemen from the Alapere Division quickly mobilised to the restaurant. They evacuated the corpse and commenced investigation,” the source said.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, in a statement on Tuesday, identified three of the suspects as Jamiu Rasheed, Emmanuel Samson, and Sheriff Module.
Three feared killed in cult supremacy war, suspect arrested
He said efforts were on to arrest other fleeing members connected to the crime, adding that the suspects would be arraigned at the conclusion of the investigation.
Hundeyin said, “Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a suspected cultist, Jamiu Rasheed, 22, who was captured on CCTV on July 7, 2022, hacking and shooting to death, one Akinola Ayegbusi, a rival cult member at a restaurant in the Alapere area of Lagos State.
“Investigations revealed that Jamiu has been a member of Klansman Confraternity since 2017 and has participated in the killing of two other rival cultists. Investigation into the crime also led to the arrest of the armourer of the group, one Sheriff Module, 26, who was found with two locally-made pistols; and one other cultist, Emmanuel Samson.
“Sheriff who was also part of the killing confessed that it was carried out to avenge the death of their leader who was killed by the Eiye Confraternity on November 23, 2021. Efforts are ongoing to arrest other fleeing cultists. Suspects will be arraigned at the conclusion of investigations.”
Hundeyin said the state Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi, called on parents and guardians, as well as traditional, religious, and political leaders to prevail on their children and wards, and the teeming youth population to stay away from cultism and other social vices.
Cult-related attacks and killings had been ongoing for a while in the Alapere area of the state.
Rampaging cultists allegedly killed a father of three, identified only as Oluwole; a man, identified simply as Labalaba, and a yet-to-be-identified tricycle operator, in the Agboyi area of Alapare.
Landlords, residents and business owners in the area had been calling on the Lagos State Police Command to mobilise policemen to restore normalcy in the community.
PUNCH
Lawyers representing the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, have formally written to the Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi State, requesting that an autopsy be conducted on the late Mary Habila before her remains are released for burial.
In a letter dated July 15, 2026, and acknowledged by the Ebonyi State Police Command the same day, Roy & Associates said they were acting on the instruction of the minister.
According to the petition, Mary Habila, a staff member of the David Umahi Federal University of Medical Sciences, Uburu, who was on secondment to the Federal Ministry of Works, died on June 27, 2026, in a staff residential building located within Umahi’s residence in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
The lawyers stated that the deceased did not live in the same building as the minister, explaining that the building was reserved for members of Umahi’s staff and other personnel working with him. They further noted that on the night of her death, only Habila and another female occupant, identified as a physiotherapist, were in the building.
The legal team urged the police to ensure that a comprehensive autopsy is carried out by qualified forensic pathologists to scientifically determine the actual cause and circumstances of Habila’s death. They also requested that her remains should not be released to any person, including her next of kin, until the autopsy and all relevant investigative procedures have been concluded.
According to the letter, the request is intended to preserve the integrity of the ongoing investigation, eliminate speculation, and ensure that the true cause of death is conclusively established before burial.
Panic erupted at the permanent site of the University of Jos (UNIJOS) after the headless body of a middle-aged man was discovered on a farmland within the university premises on Wednesday.
The discovery was reportedly made in the early hours of the day, sending shockwaves through the university community.
A 300-level student of the institution, Pius Atok, told journalists that the deceased was neither a student nor a member of staff of the university.
“The body was found this morning on a farm around the university community. From what we gathered, the victim was neither a student nor a member of staff of the university,” he said.
A senior university official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident, stating that preliminary investigations showed the victim was a farmer known within the area.
“We have investigated and found the victim is neither a student nor a staff member of the university. He is known to people around the area because he usually goes there to farm. We believe he came very early this morning, as he normally does,” the official said.
The official added that the circumstances surrounding the killing remain unclear but suggested the attackers may have deliberately targeted the victim.
“What actually happened is still unclear, but from the nature of the attack, it appears those responsible came specifically to kill him and made away with his head,” the source added.
According to the official, the university’s Information Directorate is handling the matter and will issue an official statement through the institution’s communication channels.
The victim’s family has been notified, while arrangements are underway to evacuate the body. Security agencies are expected to investigate the incident.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the final forfeiture of 48 property linked to a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, to the Federal Government.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, in a judgment delivered in Abuja on Wednesday, held that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had established the reasonable suspicion required by law to justify the forfeiture of the assets.
The judge ruled that Malami, his family members and companies linked to the properties failed to dislodge the commission’s allegation that the assets were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities.
Before delivering the substantive judgment, Justice Abdulmalik dismissed several applications, motions on notice and applications to show cause filed by the respondents, describing them as “wanting in merit.”
She held that the issue before the court was not the ownership of the properties but the legitimacy of the funds used to acquire them.
“The issue before the court is not who owns the property, but how legitimate are the funds used to acquire the property,” the judge said.
She added that the respondents had “not dislodged the reasonable suspicion that the property was acquired by unlawful activities.”
Relying on Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, Justice Abdulmalik granted the EFCC’s application for final forfeiture.
The court, however, discharged the interim forfeiture order in respect of some of the property.
The anti-graft agency had, in January, instituted civil forfeiture proceedings seeking the permanent forfeiture of 57 properties valued at N212.8 billion, alleging that they were proceeds of unlawful activities linked to the former AGF.
Following the publication, Malami, his wife, Nana Hadiza Malami; his son, Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami; and several companies linked to the assets challenged the interim forfeiture order.
They argued that the property were lawfully acquired and contended that the EFCC failed to establish any nexus between the assets and the alleged unlawful activities.
The respondents further maintained that the commission relied on speculation rather than credible evidence and neither proved that the property were proceeds of crime nor identified any specific criminal offence from which they were allegedly derived.
After the court resumed from its annual vacation, the case was reassigned to Justice Abdulmalik for hearing and determination.
At the hearing, counsel for the EFCC argued that investigations showed the property were acquired with proceeds of unlawful activities and held in the names of individuals and companies acting as fronts for Malami.
The commission also submitted that, under the law governing civil forfeiture proceedings, it only needed to establish reasonable suspicion and not prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.
After the parties adopted their final written addresses in May, the court reserved judgment.
The judgment, initially fixed for July 6, was deferred twice before Justice Abdulmalik finally delivered the ruling on Wednesday.
Confirming the incident, the Kogi State Police Command disclosed that a combined team of police officers and other security agencies had been mobilised to the area immediately after receiving reports of the attack.
Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Saliu Oyiza Afusat, said security operatives had already recorded a breakthrough, revealing that one of the abducted students had been rescued.
She added that efforts were being intensified to secure the release of the remaining victims and bring the perpetrators to justice.
According to the police spokesperson, the Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, accompanied by the Brigade Commander and the Kogi State Security Adviser, Commodore Jerry Omodara (Rtd.), had departed for the community to carry out an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and coordinate ongoing security operations.
The Command assured residents that further details would be made public as investigations progress and more verified information becomes available.
The latest attack adds to growing concerns over the security of schools and examination centres across the country, particularly as candidates continue to sit for this year’s NECO examinations.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command has foiled an alleged kidnap plot targeting prominent personalities in the state and arrested a suspected leader of a three-man fraud syndicate accused of defrauding unsuspecting members of the public in Anambra and Enugu states.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed the development in a statement, attributing the breakthrough to operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Awkuzu, in Oyi Local Government Area.
According to Ikenga, police operatives on the evening of July 11, 2026, foiled the suspected kidnap attempt, rescued a victim, and arrested 66-year-old Kenneth Nnaji for his alleged involvement in a criminal syndicate specialising in obtaining money under false pretences in Awka.
He said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect is allegedly a member of a three-man gang that has been defrauding unsuspecting members of the public through elaborate schemes across Anambra and Enugu states.
“The suspect, during interrogation, allegedly confessed to his involvement in the criminal enterprise and provided useful information on the group’s modus operandi,” Ikenga stated.
He explained that members of the syndicate allegedly disguise themselves in branded overalls and caps while posing as representatives of reputable companies.
According to the police, the suspects allegedly obtain goods from prospective victims under the pretext of collecting samples before directing them to another location, claiming larger quantities of the goods are available for purchase at heavily discounted prices. The victims are then allegedly defrauded through the scheme.
Ikenga said the suspect identified other members of the syndicate as Christopher (surname yet to be ascertained), Jacob Musa, and Joseph (surname yet to be ascertained), all of whom remain at large.
He added that efforts are ongoing to arrest the fleeing suspects and dismantle the criminal syndicate.
The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Ikioye Orutugu, urged members of the public to remain vigilant and verify the identities and credentials of individuals claiming to represent companies before engaging in any business transactions.
He also directed the investigating team to conduct a comprehensive investigation, arrest all fleeing suspects, recover the proceeds of the alleged fraud, and ensure the prosecution of all those found culpable in accordance with the law.
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