Crime
Arrest: How widow lured Lagos bizman circulating ex-lovers’ nudes
Our correspondent had reported in a special feature on Sunday that two women, Kester and Temi, met Kennedy separately on different WhatsApp and Facebook chat groups for singles.
Kester, who lost her husband about eight years ago in a car crash, said the banker turned businessman, after chatting her up, started showering her with monetary gifts.
However, after a disagreement, he sent her over 50 of her nude photos which he secretly took after their lovemaking in a hotel.
She said the Umunze, Anambra State indigene, demanded N100,000 from her as a condition to delete the photos.
The mother of two noted that after she sent the money and asked if the photos had been deleted, he demanded an additional N40,000 to delete them permanently, which she sent to him.
Despite the payments, the suspect went ahead to circulate the photos on Facebook.
Kester said she attempted suicide twice but failed, as some of those who saw the images started questioning her.
The second victim, Temi, said the suspect usually had marathon sex with her in hotels while under the influence of drugs, and afterwards gave her N1,000 as transport fares.
She noted that after she discovered that he was not serious about the relationship and was merely using her, she stopped talking to him.
However, Kennedy sent her several of her nude photos and demanded all the money he had spent on her in the relationship.
She said she borrowed N15,000, which she sent to him.
However, after she appealed to his sister on Facebook for help to talk to him, he started circulating the nude photos.
Temi said the businessman regularly called her to demand money.
After the report was published, the suspect on Monday threatened to continue to damage the reputation of the women for “spoiling my image.”
He then started sending the nude photos to their Facebook friends, family members, co-workers and church members.
Kennedy also sent the nude photos to Kester’s in-laws, vowing that “by the time I am done, suicide will be her only option.”
After a series of reports on his continued criminal act, the suspect on Thursday accused this reporter of being “a tribal bigot and an idiot”.
He poured expletives on the journalist, querying why he was “bent on destroying” him.
That night, Kester informed this reporter of a plan to lure Kennedy out of his hiding, saying she had agreed to resolve issues with him.
The peace meeting was mediated by a rights activist, Arike Adelodun.
On Friday morning, the day of the meeting, Adelodun called this reporter on the phone to say the suspect decried PUNCH’s continuous reports on the matter.
She said he wanted an assurance that the report would stop, as part of the conditions for the meeting, where he would delete all the nudes.
After she called back, this reporter agreed to stop reporting on the matter pending when he would get feedback from the women “by the end of today”.
Our correspondent was told that Kennedy did not send the meeting location until around 7am on Friday; he fixed the meeting for 9am at an eatery at Oshodi.
Around 12 noon, the suspect was arrested.
Kester, who spoke on the phone, said she felt like “someone who just won a visa to Canada.”
“I feel excited; this has traumatised me so much. My daughters will see the mummy they have always known,” she added with a laugh.
Recalling the arrest, she said, “My friend who mediated created a group for me and Kennedy. We had a video call yesterday (Thursday) where he said he still had the (nude) pictures on his phones. He said we should meet somewhere so I could use my own hands to delete them. I agreed. We asked him to choose the location and time.
“However, when he saw your publication that day, he said I should reach an agreement with you to stop reporting. That was when you agreed to stop after everything had been settled.
“He gave us the location and address. The police had, however, got there even before we arrived. They were hanging around. They took my pictures and we sent his pictures to them. Kennedy came to the bus stop to pick me and my friend. A policeman was already in the eatery. As we were about to enter the eatery, the police arrested him.
“He then started begging the police officer to shoot him and let him die. The man refused. I then told him that the death he wished me, he would beg for it and would not see it.”
She said she was looking forward to the arraignment of the suspect.
The founder of a rights group, Black Diamonds Support Foundation, Defunke Adewunmi, commended the state Commissioner of Police, Idowu Owohunwa, and the gender unit for providing support for the success of the sting operation.
“While I was talking to the victim and her friend whom we used to bait him, I was also speaking to the commander of the CP’s surveillance team. The suspect changed the venue three times before the surveillance team caught him.
“I am glad for the arrest. I hope the victims can eventually get closure and justice would be served as quickly as possible,” she added.
Adewunmi’s organisation provided support for the women while the suspect circulated their nudes.
She had said nine widows and three single mothers claimed the suspect blackmailed them.
Reacting to the arrest, the second victim, Temi, said, “I can say this is the happiest day of my life. I’ll finally have peace of mind. I just feel like going out for fresh air and to enjoy myself. I feel really relieved.
“For over a year now, he has been a threat to my life. Every day, once I see his message, my heart starts pounding. These past few days when he saw that the matter was in the media, he started tormenting me again for having the courage to speak.
“He had told us that nobody can catch him. We have been to different places for help. It’s either they are demanding money from us or giving excuses as if it’s not possible. This guy told us he had an anti-tracker on his phone, and truthfully, they had been tracking him for a long time. But he kept escaping. I believe with his arrest, more women will come out.”
She said the suspect’s action had damaged her business.
“I do online business and two of my customers no longer talk to me. I am in a Facebook group where single mothers get help. But he sent the nudes to one of the people there and they said if the group admin sees the nude, I would be removed,” she added.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the development after tweeting the suspect’s photo.
He noted that investigation was ongoing into the matter.
PUNCH
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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