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Suspected Rivers cultists kill vigilante, burn councillor’s house

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Gunmen suspected to be cultists have shot and killed a member of a vigilante group in Obele community in the Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The victim was a member of a local security outfit called the ONELGA Security Peace and Advisory Committee codenamed OSPAC.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the assailants had earlier razed the house of a councillor in the area while four others sustained gunshot wounds as a result of the shooting on Wednesday night.

One of the survivors of the shooting who gave his name as Eze told newsmen on Thursday that he was at home with his brother when suddenly gunshots rented the air followed by the sound of a motorbike in front of their house.

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Eze said the assailants accused them of being informants giving information to security operatives before they were attacked.

He stated, “I stood up and said let me go and check the people. I saw boys working for one man nicknamed ‘Naked’ with guns and immediately told my brother to run. As we started running, they began to shoot at us.

“Now, they shot me, shot my brother, we are like four that they shot. I have not seen one up till now. We called the village if they had seen my brother, and they said they had not seen him.

“Naked is from Ibaa community (also in Emuoha). He was said to be on security surveillance, I don’t know. I am not a cultist.”

Continuing, he said, “They (the assailants) said that we were giving information. That is the last thing I heard in the community before I left. I don’t know who I am giving information to.”

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Meanwhile, a former councillor in Port Harcourt ward 17, Chigozie Woka, a native of Obele, whose house was attacked and destroyed by the gunmen last Sunday, has also accused the same “Naked” of being behind the attack.

Speaking to newsmen, Woka said,  “I served as a councillor in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area. What is happening in Obele today is unfortunate. Obele has been having a crisis because of this young man called Naked.

“This young man in question is not even from Obele. He is from Ibaa, and comes to Obele to take refuge. He called me on the phone to say I was working with the security agencies to chase him out of Obele. I told him I was not working with anybody because I didn’t have any plan like that.

“It was on a Sunday. I was in Port Harcourt when they called me that he had gone to my house with his OSPAC (vigilante) boys. This young man, if he is called for profiling as an OSPAC officer will not come.

“He went to my house, they told me he scattered everywhere, put the house on fire and I’m in Port Harcourt here. What is my crime? That I am working with security agencies.

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Continuing he said, “These are the things happening in Obele. After he scattered my house and set fire to it, I went to the Divisional Police Officer in Rumuji. I have made an entry there.

“Today again, I am surprised that they were calling me that he had gone to my place to shoot some people in my community, that they were working with me and the police to chase him out.

“He shot four people, they can only see three, who are looking for a way to treat themselves. One, I don’t know if he is dead, they are calling me they cannot reach that one.”

While speaking on behalf of Naked, the acting Youth Chairman of Omuobu village in Ibaa, Achor Egberuwho, denied the allegation and rather accused Woka of sponsoring cultists to attack and kill Naked.

Speaking to newsmen, Egberuwho said, “It is laughable that a person like Chigozie Woka will stoop so low to say such a thing. Chigoze, supported by his paymaster, led this group of rascals to Obele on Sunday morning, if not for the grace of God, Chinanu Eleonu aka Naked would have died. He barely survived.

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“Chigozie has been boasting that Obele will know no peace except the CDC chairman position is given to him.

“So the OSPAC are searching for the killers. No house has been razed down. We call on the public to go to Obele to see if any house was burnt and if any other person has been killed except the OSPAC member who was allegedly killed by Chigozie and his gang. Chinanu Eleonu did not destroy any house nor did he kill anybody.

“The OSPAC member who was killed was from Obele. His name I can’t ascertain now. The Rumuji Police Division has taken inventory of it. They are investigating it.”

As of the time of filing this report, our correspondent gathered that the killing of the OSPAC member, reported shooting of four persons and destruction of the house of the former councilor had been reported to the Rumuji Police Division.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the state police command, Grace Iringe Koko, confirmed the killing and the attack on the councillor’s house.

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Iringe-Koko however said she had yet to receive information on the shooting of the four others.

She stated, “ Yes, I can confirm that one person was killed and a house destroyed. An investigation is ongoing to fish out the culprits and bring them to book.”

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Crime

Two Policemen Killed As Gunmen Attack DPO’s Convoy in Benue

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Two police officers have been killed after suspected armed herders ambushed the convoy of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Ayilamo, Logo Local Government Area of Benue State.

The latest attack occurred on Monday evening, barely four days after another deadly incident in the community reportedly left four policemen and seven residents dead.

Community sources said the DPO had travelled to Makurdi on official duty and was returning to Ayilamo when his entourage came under attack.

One of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the victims were among newly deployed Mobile Police officers stationed in the area.

He said the officers were attacked at about 6pm while travelling from Ayilamo to escort the DPO back to the community from Makurdi.

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, DSP Peter Aondongu, said two officers attached to the DPO’s entourage were killed in the attack.

“The DPO came to Makurdi to collect some things, and while returning to Ayilamo, he was attacked and lost two of his men in the attack,” Aondongu said.

The latest incident has raised fresh concerns over the security situation in Ayilamo, where repeated attacks have resulted in casualties among security personnel and residents.

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Police Place Nigeria on Red Alert Over Planned Attacks

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The Nigeria Police Force has placed its formations nationwide on red alert following intelligence reports of planned terrorist attacks on worship centres, schools, NYSC orientation camps and other public places.
The alert followed fresh intelligence indicating increased mobilisation of terrorist elements for possible coordinated attacks on vulnerable targets across the country.
Police authorities also reportedly received intelligence on the movement of armed elements from Katsina through Kaduna towards Plateau State.
The operational order was contained in a police wireless message dated September 13, 2026, with reference number CB: 0900/FDPS/DOPS/FHQ/ABJ/VOL38/68, issued by the Department of Operations at Force Headquarters, Abuja.
Marked “Security General” and tagged “Treat as Very Important,” the message was circulated to Assistant Inspectors-General of Police overseeing Zones 1–17, Mobile Police formations, counter-terrorism and other specialised units, as well as Commissioners of Police in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The police directed formations to intensify vigilance and take proactive measures to prevent criminal and terrorist elements from carrying out attacks.
The warning specifically highlighted places of worship, educational institutions, NYSC orientation camps and other vulnerable public locations as potential targets.

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Crime

Kidnappers Dump 16-Year-Old Enugu Boy Near Onitsha Checkpoint, Police Rescue Him

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A 16-year-old boy, Favour Ayogu, who was allegedly abducted in Igboeze South Local Government Area of Enugu State, has been rescued in Onitsha, Anambra State, after his abductors reportedly abandoned him near a security checkpoint.

Ayogu was rescued on the evening of September 13, 2026, by a joint security patrol team operating along Oguta Road, Onitsha.

According to the Anambra State Police Command, the teenager was found at Ekene Junction after unidentified persons reportedly pushed him out of a black Toyota Highlander SUV close to a security checkpoint.

The patrol team immediately intervened and rescued the victim, thereby preventing what the police described as further danger to his life.

Following the rescue, the Command said it had intensified surveillance and intelligence-led operations to identify and apprehend members of the suspected criminal gang responsible for the abduction.

The police also appealed to residents of Igboeze South and Ibagwa-Aka in Enugu State who may have useful information about Ayogu or his family to contact the nearest police station or the Anambra State Police Command in Awka.

The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, commended the security personnel involved in the rescue and directed officers to sustain strategic checkpoints, intelligence-led patrols and coordinated security operations across the state.

The Command assured residents and visitors that it would continue to intensify efforts to prevent criminal elements from using Anambra as a safe haven.

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Crime

Gunmen Attack Commercial Bus, Kill Nine Passengers

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At least nine passengers have been killed after gunmen opened fire on a commercial bus at Dungus Junction in Kuru community, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The attack reportedly occurred around 9:40 p.m. when the bus, which was travelling towards Jos, stopped at the junction to drop off some passengers.

Several other passengers were reportedly injured in the attack and rushed to hospitals for treatment.

Lawan Suleiman, a neighbour and teacher of one of the victims, identified the driver as Ibrahim and said three of the victims were from his community in Bukuru.

“The driver is Ibrahim and he was my student. Three of them are from our community here in Bukuru. Their bodies have been deposited at the hospital. But relatives are preparing to collect them for burial,” Suleiman said.

The bus was reportedly riddled with bullets, with bloodstains visible inside the vehicle after the attack.

Rwang Tengwong, spokesman for the Berom Youth Moulders (BYM), also confirmed the incident, saying the victims were passengers travelling to Jos when the attackers opened fire on the vehicle.

Tengwong said one of those killed was a member of Operation Rainbow.

“The incident happened around 9.40 p.m. The victims were all passengers travelling to Jos when the terrorists opened fire on the vehicle. Among those killed was a member of Operation Rainbow. It is a very sad development and we lament the loss of lives,” he said.

He added that some passengers sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to hospitals, while some of the injured reportedly later died.

The attack has raised fresh concerns over the safety of commuters travelling along the route at night amid continuing security challenges in parts of Plateau State.

As of the time of filing this report, the Plateau State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.

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Crime

Enugu Police Probe Alleged Disruption of Political Gatherings, Warn Against Violence

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The Enugu State Police Command has ordered an investigation into two separate incidents of alleged disruption of political gatherings in Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state.

The incidents reportedly occurred on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at Ndiuno-Obuoffia community and St. Joseph Primary School, Agbani.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Command’s spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, said the Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to thoroughly investigate the incidents and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.

According to the statement, armed hoodlums allegedly disrupted a National Democratic Congress (NDC) ward meeting at Ndiuno-Obuoffia with sporadic gunshots, leaving two attendees injured.

In a separate incident at St. Joseph Primary School, Agbani, hoodlums allegedly destroyed canopies and chairs arranged for a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rally.

The police said operatives were promptly deployed to both locations after receiving reports of the incidents to prevent further breaches of peace and track down the fleeing suspects.

The Command, however, noted that neither of the political gatherings had been formally brought to the attention of the police for security coverage.

CP Giwa reiterated his warning that all political activities in the state must be conducted peacefully and in accordance with the law.

He stressed that electoral offences are punishable under the law and warned political parties, candidates, supporters and other stakeholders against violence, intimidation, destruction of property and other acts capable of disrupting public peace or the electoral process.

The Commissioner urged political parties and other stakeholders to notify the police ahead of campaigns, meetings, rallies and other political gatherings to enable the Command to make adequate security arrangements.

He assured residents that the police would continue to maintain a peaceful and secure environment for lawful political activities while dealing decisively with anyone found violating the law.

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