The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Edo State Command, has launched a manhunt for a 28-year-old awaiting-trial inmate, Osita Thomas, who escaped while being taken to court for trial.

Thomas, an inmate of the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Auchi, reportedly escaped last week during a court appearance over charges bordering on conspiracy and stealing.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Aminu Suleman, disclosed the development in a statement dated October 21, 2026, and made available to journalists in Benin City on Thursday.

Suleman said the Controller of Corrections in Edo State had directed intensified efforts towards apprehending the fugitive, assuring residents that security measures across custodial facilities had been strengthened to prevent similar incidents.

The Command appealed to members of the public with useful information about Thomas’s whereabouts to report to the nearest police station or custodial centre.

It also released two telephone numbers, 08038075882 and 08039243704, through which information could be provided to security authorities.

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Meanwhile, an official of the Correctional Service attributed the escape to inadequate manpower, explaining that the officer escorting Thomas to court could not abandon other inmates in his custody to pursue the fleeing suspect.

According to the official, pursuing Thomas would have exposed the remaining inmates to possible escape.

The official further raised concerns over worsening personnel shortages in the Service, alleging that more than 1,000 officers were expected to retire this year without corresponding plans for fresh recruitment.

He called on the Federal Government to urgently address the manpower deficit, warning that inadequate personnel could continue to undermine the effective management and security of custodial facilities across the country.

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An alleged employment racket involving 21 job seekers and N8.29 million has landed an Enugu-based businesswoman, Stella Ezinne Egotanwa, in the net of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The 45-year-old businesswoman is being investigated for allegedly collecting money from unsuspecting applicants under the guise of securing employment for them at a psychiatric hospital in Enugu State.
The EFCC, in a statement posted on its official X handle on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, disclosed that the suspect allegedly collected the money between December 28, 2025, and June 30, 2026, through bank accounts belonging to different Point of Sale (POS) operators.
According to the commission, trouble began for Egotanwa when 16 aggrieved job seekers petitioned the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), accusing her of collecting N6.193 million from them without delivering the promised jobs.
The petition subsequently led to her arrest by NSCDC operatives in Anambra State on July 30, 2026.
However, the case took another dimension when five additional victims approached the EFCC, alleging that the businesswoman had similarly defrauded them of N2,098,200 through promises of employment at the same hospital.
The fresh petitions brought the number of alleged victims to 21, with the total amount involved rising to N8,291,200.
One of the victims, who narrated his ordeal to investigators, claimed to have paid Egotanwa N1.05 million on December 28, 2025, believing that she had the connections to secure the promised employment.
“I made the payment in good faith because I believed that the employment opportunity she presented to me was genuine.
“However, after making the payment, the promised employment did not materialise. I subsequently experienced difficulty reaching her and there were periods she did not respond to my calls or messages,” the petitioner stated.
The anti-graft agency further disclosed that Egotanwa was already awaiting trial in a separate case involving a similar alleged employment scam.
It added that the suspect had admitted to the alleged offence during interrogation and would be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations.
The EFCC maintained that investigations were ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the alleged fraudulent recruitment scheme.
Clarify the EFCC’s role in her arrest
Use consistent language for alleged victims
Tighten the opening for stronger impact

A Foundation Member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Osita Okechukwu, has lauded the Federal Government through the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for acknowledging that military operations alone cannot end banditry.

Okechukwu said that the recent acknowledgement of the NSA reflected the reality on ground on the protracted activities of banditry in the country.

The APC chieftain said this in a statement he signed and issued to newsmen in Enugu on Sunday.

Okechukwu reacted directly to Ribadu’s remarks at a brainstorming session on coping with banditry, organised by the Sokoto Advancement Forum in collaboration with the Centre for Peace Studies, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.

Aligning himself with the NSA’s position, he stressed that building community trust, protecting agriculture and rural livelihoods, and preventing youth recruitment into criminal networks are indispensable complements to military operations.

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He said, “We must measure progress by more than arrests, weapons recovered or territory cleared.

“Success must also mean safer communities, returning families, productive farms, reopened schools, functioning markets and the restoration of public confidence.”

Okechukwu argued that this broader understanding of national security must inform the Federal Government’s economic and political policies if Nigeria is to achieve sustainable peace.

He urged Ribadu, as one of the closest presidential advisers, to appeal to President Bola Tinubu to rejig his economic programme to improve living standards, stimulate production, expand employment opportunities and alleviate the hardship confronting ordinary Nigerians.

According to him, economic insecurity, widespread hardship and unemployment can undermine community trust and create conditions that criminal networks exploit to recruit vulnerable youths.

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He maintained that restoring livelihoods, strengthening rural economies and creating productive opportunities for young people must go hand-in-hand with security operations if the country is to achieve lasting peace.

Okechukwu also advised the NSA to recognise that the conduct of free, fair and credible 2027 General Elections as a foremost instrument for rebuilding public confidence nationwide.

The APC chieftain stressed that democratic legitimacy, public trust in institutions and confidence in the electoral process are essential to national cohesion and security.

Okechukwu further advised Ribadu that politicians, whether from APC or opposition parties, who incite violence, promote political intolerance or embrace a do-or-die approach to elections should be treated as threats to democratic stability.

He urged the appropriate authorities to investigate and prosecute those who engage in criminal conduct, irrespective of their political affiliations, in accordance with the law.

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“Those who beat the drums of political violence and turn elections into a do-or-die affair are, in effect, political bandits.

“They threaten our democracy from within and must be held accountable before they pull down the roof of our democratic house,” Okechukwu warned.

He concluded that Nigeria could no longer afford to ignore the connection between economic hardship, political alienation and insecurity.

He said, “Hunger has awakened Nigerians who had hitherto resigned themselves to fate.

“The answer is not to dismiss their grievances, but to restore hope through economic opportunity, accountable governance, credible elections and a security strategy that protects both lives and livelihoods.”

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Two police officers have reportedly been killed and three others injured following an early morning attack on Uratta Eziukwu Police Station in Aba, Abia State, on Saturday.

The assailants, suspected to be armed hoodlums, reportedly stormed the station with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), causing extensive damage to police facilities and other property.

During the attack, the gunmen set a police patrol van ablaze and destroyed a Toyota car, a power generator and other valuables within the station premises.

Confirming the incident, the Abia State Commissioner of Police, Wilfred Afolabi, condemned the attack and vowed that the perpetrators would be tracked down and brought to justice.

“The most important thing is to get the culprits, and that is what we are doing. Wherever they are, we are going to get them. Whether they enter the bush, we are going to get them,” he declared.

Afolabi also commended Governor Alex Otti for his prompt visit to the affected police station, describing the governor’s assurance of support as a morale booster for officers of the command.

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Meanwhile, the three injured officers, who sustained gunshot and machete wounds, were rushed to the Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba, for treatment.

Governor Otti also visited the hospital to sympathise with the injured personnel.

The police command said efforts were ongoing to apprehend the fleeing attackers.

Newswatch will publish a collection of writings by its founding editor, Dele Giwa, on October 19, to mark the 40th anniversary of his assassination.
Titled Dele Giwa’s Granite Journalism, the book will feature his works from the Daily Times, Sunday Concord and Newswatch magazine, alongside tributes from prominent journalists who knew and worked with him.
The publication was announced by Newswatch Plus Limited and the wider Newswatch family in a statement signed by the magazine’s Editor-in-Chief, Soji Akinrinade.
The book presentation is scheduled for noon at the Kessington Adebutu Auditorium of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos.
The founder and publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, Sam Amuka, will chair the event, while veteran journalist Ray Ekpu edited the book.