Crime
Gunmen Attack Police Station, Kidnap Traditional Ruler’s Wives, Children
The attack, which occurred between about 12:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m., saw heavily armed men storm the border town in large numbers, firing sporadically into the air before advancing directly toward the palace and nearby police formation.
Residents said the attackers overpowered local security operatives stationed around the palace and forced their way into the inner sections of the royal residence, where members of the emir’s household were seized.
A resident who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity due to security concerns described the chaos that followed the invasion.
He said, “I just finished communicating with my father right now. In his report, he said three of the wives of the emir and four children were abducted, including some residents of the community.
“People were running in different directions because of the sporadic gunshots. Some sustained injuries while escaping, but we cannot confirm the exact number for now,” the resident said.
Another resident, Tukur Ahmed, said the attackers arrived on motorcycles and moved straight to the palace complex.
“They came on motorcycles and went straight to the palace. They were shooting into the air and broke into the inner quarters where the emir’s wives and children were.
“They took three of the wives and four children, alongside some other residents, before setting the cars on fire and leaving the town,” he added.
Sources confirmed that several vehicles belonging to the palace were set ablaze during the raid, causing significant property damage estimated in millions of naira.
The emir was not in the palace at the time of the attack.
The Kwara State Police Command confirmed the incident in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, stating that 10 people were abducted during the coordinated assault.
According to the statement, the attackers struck at about 2:00 a.m., simultaneously targeting the Yashikira Police Divisional Headquarters and the emir’s palace in what the command described as a coordinated and desperate operation.
The police said: “The Kwara State Police Command condemns in the strongest possible terms the cowardly and audacious attack carried out by suspected bandits in the early hours of today, 25/5/26, in Yashikira, Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.
“The armed criminals, in a coordinated and desperate assault at about 0200hrs, simultaneously attacked the Yashikira Police Divisional Headquarters and the Palace of the Emir of Yashikira.
“During the attack, part of the palace was set ablaze, while 10 people were abducted and taken to an unknown destination. However, the attack on the police station was successfully repelled by police operatives on duty.”
Following the attack, the Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, ordered a full-scale tactical operation involving the military, police, forest guards, vigilantes, and other security stakeholders to rescue the victims and track down the attackers.
The command said rescue operations had already commenced, with security forces combing nearby forests and suspected hideouts.
The Enugu State Police Command has arrested an alleged firearm repairer and two other suspects in separate operations across the state, recovering locally made guns, live cartridges, a motorcycle, and other incriminating items.
According to a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, operatives attached to the Surveillance Team of Okpuje Division arrested a 23-year-old suspect, Sunday Okwumaji, during a stop-and-search operation at Ovogovo in Nsukka Local Government Area on May 19, 2026.
Police said a search conducted on the suspect led to the recovery of a locally made pistol loaded with one live cartridge concealed in his bag. The suspect, who hails from Alogwugwu in Igala-Mela Local Government Area of Kogi State, allegedly claimed to be a firearm repairer and told investigators that the gun was handed over to him for repairs by an owner who is currently on the run.
In a separate operation carried out the same day at about 5:00 p.m., operatives of the Command’s Distress Response Squad intercepted a motorcycle carrying three occupants along the Abor/Nsukka Old Road in the 9th Mile area.
The police disclosed that two suspects, including the rider, escaped during an attempted search, while one Chimobi Ozo, aged 27, was arrested. Recovered from his bag were a locally fabricated revolver pistol and four live cartridges.
During interrogation, the suspect allegedly confessed to involvement in cult-related activities and stated that he and his fleeing accomplices were heading to a secret cult gathering at Ijebuoghene in Udi Local Government Area before they were intercepted.
In another related operation, operatives attached to the Nsukka Area Command reportedly recovered another locally made pistol and one live cartridge after a suspect abandoned his ladies motorcycle and fled upon sighting police operatives along Amaenu Edem, Nsukka, on May 15, 2026.
Other items recovered from the abandoned bag included bunches of keys, a tube suspected to be used for taking illicit drugs, torchlight, spanners, and an iron cutter.
Police said credible intelligence later led to the arrest of the suspect, identified as Ekene Alphous Ugwu, aged 31, on May 16, 2026.
The Command stated that efforts were ongoing to arrest fleeing accomplices, while the suspects would be arraigned after the conclusion of investigations.
The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, commended the operatives for their professionalism and vigilance, reaffirming the Command’s commitment to sustaining the fight against crime and criminality in the state.
He also urged residents to remain law-abiding and continue supporting security agencies with credible and timely information.
A 30-year-old private school teacher, Nathaniel Baiyegun, has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and killing a 16-year-old West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) candidate, Florence, said to be his former student.
Police sources disclosed that the suspect allegedly lured the teenager under the pretext of attending an academic coaching class before abducting her and later demanding a ransom from her family.
According to the source, Baiyegun allegedly contacted the victim about a year after she left his former school and attempted to pressure her into a relationship with his friend, identified simply as Sola.
The suspect was said to have kept the teenager in an uncompleted building, where he allegedly administered an overdose of D5 sleeping tablets. He later claimed the killing was accidental.
Investigators further revealed that Baiyegun allegedly engaged in internet fraud activities and had reportedly requested nude photographs from the deceased, which she allegedly sent through her mobile phone.
Police said the suspect dumped the victim’s body in a river in Ogijo after believing she had died.
In a confessional statement obtained on Friday, Baiyegun admitted knowing the deceased closely but denied having any romantic relationship with her.
“I am a teacher at a private school in Ogijo, and she was one of the students in my former school. She was not one of my direct students because she was in the humanities while I teach only science students,” he reportedly stated.
He explained that their relationship became strained after the victim allegedly involved him in a lie told to their former principal, leading him to cut off communication with her.
The suspect said they reconnected on April 7 while he was filming content for his Instagram page. According to him, Florence informed him that she intended to rewrite her WASSCE after failing Mathematics and English in her previous examination.
Baiyegun said he later introduced her to his WAEC and JAMB coaching classes and subsequently invited her to his new school on April 8, where he introduced her to his friend, Sola.
He alleged that after Sola demanded sex from the teenager and she declined, she later requested transport fare from him, but he had no money.
The suspect confessed that they then planned a fake kidnapping scheme aimed at extorting money from her family.
“I took her to an uncompleted building at the back of our school and used her phone to negotiate a ransom of N3 million from her father,” he reportedly confessed.
He added that after the victim complained of being unable to sleep in the building, he gave her four doses of D5 sleeping tablets before leaving for a burial ceremony.
“When I returned on April 11, I discovered she was gasping for breath. I quickly stopped a bike and took her to a river in the MTN area and dumped her body there,” he said.
Baiyegun further admitted that the victim’s father later paid N500,000 ransom after he falsely promised that the teenager would be released.
“I spent almost all the money on online sports betting, and I regret it now,” he added.
Reacting to the incident, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, CSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, commended the Anti-Kidnapping Unit for the successful operation that led to the suspect’s arrest and recovery of incriminating exhibits.
He also praised the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, for their support and strategic leadership in tackling violent crimes in the state.
Babaseyi assured residents that efforts were ongoing to dismantle criminal syndicates across Ogun State while urging the public to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies.
In a statement issued on May 22, 2026, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the officer connected with the tragic incident had been identified and taken into custody, while a full investigation has commenced.
According to the statement, “The Police Officer allegedly connected with the unfortunate incident that resulted in the death of a three-month old baby at Okija has been identified and taken into custody.”
The Command stated that it had launched “a full-scale investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident to ascertain the facts and ensure that justice is served.”
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Ikioye Orutugu, expressed sadness over the incident and sympathised with the bereaved family.
While condoling with the family of the deceased child, the police commissioner assured residents that the Command would handle the matter with professionalism and transparency.
“The Command will remain transparent and professional in handling the matter,” the statement added.
Police authorities further disclosed that the officer involved is currently undergoing interrogation alongside other disciplinary and administrative procedures in line with the regulations of the Nigeria Police Force.
The Command also appealed to members of the public to remain calm and avoid actions capable of escalating tensions, assuring that anyone found culpable would face justice.
It added that further updates on the outcome of the investigation would be communicated in due course.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has dismantled a transnational methamphetamine production syndicate jointly operated by a Nigerian drug cartel and Mexican collaborators, leading to the arrest of 10 suspects.
Also, illicit drugs and chemicals valued at over N480bn were recovered during the operation.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), disclosed this on Wednesday during a media briefing at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
Marwa said the operation, carried out by operatives of the agency’s Special Operations Unit, led to the discovery and shutdown of what he described as the biggest clandestine methamphetamine laboratory ever uncovered in Nigeria.
According to him, the laboratory was hidden in Abidagba forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State and was being operated by the Anochili Innocent Drug Trafficking Organisation.
He said the coordinated operation was conducted simultaneously in Ogun and Lagos states on Saturday, May 16, 2026, following months of intelligence gathering.
Marwa said, “Through a clinical, simultaneous operation executed by the elite operatives of our Special Operations Unit, we have successfully dismantled a sophisticated, transnational methamphetamine production syndicate run jointly by a Nigerian drug cartel and their Mexican counterparts.
“This network did not just traffic drugs; they were actively manufacturing industrial-scale quantities of highly lethal illicit substances right on our soil.”
He disclosed that seven members of the cartel were arrested at the forest laboratory, including three Mexican nationals allegedly brought into Nigeria to produce methamphetamine.
Marwa said the arrested Mexicans were identified as Martinez Felix Nemecto, 46; Jesus López Valles, 40; and Torrero Juan Carlos, 51.
According to him, Nigerian suspects apprehended at the site included Nwankwo Sunday Christian, 41; Igwe Abuchi Remijus, 42; Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua, 23; and Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor, 38.
Marwa added that another tactical team arrested the alleged kingpin of the cartel, Anochili Innocent, at his residence located at No. 8 Tafawa Balewa Street, Golf Estate, Lakowe, Lekki, Lagos.
According to him, a search of the residence led to the recovery of the passports and mobile phones of the arrested Mexican nationals, linking the suspect directly to their importation and activities in Nigeria.
He said the total number of suspects arrested in connection with the syndicate had risen to 10, comprising the alleged baron, three Mexican nationals, and six Nigerian collaborators.
Marwa stated that the operation led to the recovery of 2,419.48 kilograms of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals.
“The operation yielded a massive 2,419.48 kilograms of chemical materials, including highly toxic, volatile, and crystallised methamphetamine worth $362,922,000 in the international market. This translates to over N480bn,” he said.
“Also recovered from the cartel include: a Toyota Tacoma vehicle used for operations at the clandestine meth laboratory, and a Toyota Highlander seized from the kingpin’s residence.
“To put this in perspective, the 2,419.48 kilograms of finished and liquid methamphetamine seized represents millions of street doses that would have flooded our local communities and international markets, causing untold destruction, psychosis, and violence,” he said.
Marwa warned that the NDLEA would continue to target drug cartels and their collaborators across the country.
“We are fully aware of the shifting tactics of these cartels, including the disturbing trend of hiring South American cartel specialists to set up production factories in our rural communities,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities in their communities, noting that the clandestine laboratory in Ogun operated under the cover of a regular farm.
This is came days after the operatives of the NNDLEA, Edo State Command, destroyed two cannabis farms in Ago Forest, Orhionmwon Local Government Area of the state.
The state commander, Mitchell Ofoyeju, in a statement on Monday, said the cannabis plantations had a yield of 1,388.42kg.
He added that four suspected drug traffickers were also arrested in the past one week.
The schools attacked were Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and L.A. Primary School.
Tension is reportedly rising in the state following the incident.
Security agencies are also said to have surrounded the possible escape routes of the assailants after they fled into a nearby forest reserve bordering Oriire communities and the Old Oyo National Park axis.
A teacher at Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Elizabeth Olagoke, told one of our correspondents that the kidnappers spoke Yoruba, Hausa, and Pidgin English.
She said, “The terrorists came around 8am. We had all started the morning session. They came on six motorcycles, and there were two passengers on each bike.
“I heard them saying, ‘E ya wolé’ (come in). They started shooting sporadically, and there was pandemonium. The terrorists were speaking Yoruba, Hausa, and Pidgin English.
“They were all masked and dressed in camouflage, and they were young men. They came from the Esinele area. They operated for about seven minutes.
“They entered my classroom first and seized me and a two-year-old girl I was carrying. I pleaded with them, and one of them said they should let me go.
“I started running, and some of them even chased after me. I had about 20 children in my kindergarten class. The schoolchildren are from three communities: Yawota, Esinele, and Alausa. The abducted schoolchildren are: eight from Yawota, 20 from Esinele, and five from Alausa. They also kidnapped a teacher. In all, they abducted about 48 persons.
“The terrorists stole my husband’s motorcycle, which he had parked at my school. They also killed a motorcyclist and snatched his bike. The total number of motorcycles stolen in Yawota is three. They took away the schoolchildren on motorcycles. It was a terrifying situation. I am yet to recover from the shock.”
The traditional ruler of the community, the Eleshi Ele of Esiele, Oba Tajudeen Abioye, said 45 pupils were abducted.
Oba Abioye noted that efforts were ongoing to rescue them.
A former lawmaker representing Oriire Constituency, Bamigboye Abidoye, who visited the community, said 36 pupils were abducted from Baptist Nursery and Primary School alone.
“About five teachers were also abducted from the secondary school,” he added.
Three suspects had been arrested in connection with the incident.
A senior security operative involved in the investigation explained that the suspects were caught on Friday in Esiele and were transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department.
“Investigation is ongoing, and the public is assured that the schoolchildren and the principal will be rescued unhurt,” he added.
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