The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a 28-year-old man, identified as Opeyemi Ganiyu, for allegedly beating his mother-in-law, Abosede Oyewole, to death.

Ganiyu was arrested on Wednesday in the Atan Ota area of the state after he reportedly pounced on the deceased for trying to mediate in a fight with his wife and in the process, stabbed her in the belly resulting in her death.

The state Police spokesman, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed the incident, said Ganiyu’s mother-in-law had gone to the couple’s house to mediate in their quarrel when the man beat her up and also stabbed her to death.

The suspect was also said to have beaten and inflicted injuries on his wife, before descending on the mother-in-law.

A statement by Oyeyemi on the incident reads:

“The suspect was arrested following a report made at Atan Ota divisional headquarters by one Odunayo Mathew, who reported that the suspect, who is married to the daughter of the deceased, is fond of beating his wife on slight provocation.

“On the fateful day, the suspect, as usual, beaten up his wife and inflicted injuries on her, and that is the reason why the deceased went to meet him in order to warn him to desist from beating her daughter.

“On sighting the deceased in his house, the suspect descended heavily on her, beat her mercilessly before stabbing her in the ribs with a knife.

“The deceased was rushed to an hospital for treatment, but gave up the ghost in the process.

“Having heard that the victim has died, the suspect took to flight. The police at Atan Ota embarked on intelligence based investigation, which led them to his hideout in Ikorodu, Lagos State, where he was eventually apprehended.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect is a member of notorious cult group in the area.

“He was also one of those who led hoodlums to burn down the Atan Ota police division during the EndSARS protest, and killed the divisional crime officer on October 21.”

The India’s Narcotic Control Bureau has arrested a suspected Nigerian drug lord, Tiger Mustafa at Anjuna in North Goa.

The accused was arrested on Sunday night, May 2, by a joint team of NCB and Anjuna police. He had managed to flee during a narcotics raid conducted on April 30. 

A senior NCB official said that the accused was on the run since a café at Arambol beach in North Goa was raided and various drugs seized.

“Tiger Mustafa was arrested from Anjuna on Sunday by a joint team of local police and NCB,” a senior NCB official said.

The NCB also arrested one Cajitan Fernandes who was providing shelter to Mustafa when he was on the run since the raid was conducted.

On Friday, April 30, on the basis of intelligence developed by NCB Mumbai, the teams of NCB Mumbai and Goa had raided one place namely Negi Café, opposite Arambol Beach in North Goa.

NCB official said that during the raid, 58 grams of Amphetamine, 15 blots of LSD, Cocaine, Mephedrone, Heroin, Ecstacy, MDMA was seized.

“This drug syndicate was being operated by one suspect, Mustafa alias Tiger, a Nigerian national. Further, the caretaker of Negi Cafe, Ranbir Singh has been placed under arrest. NCB Goa has summoned the shack owner for further iinvestigation.” said Sameer Wankhede, Zonal director, NCB

The Bellville Commercial Crimes Court Cape Town, has sentenced a Nigerian fraudster Chinonso Pascal Eze, who ran an online dating scam in which he duped unsuspecting women out of over R1 035 030 (N26m) 

Spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Eric Ntabazalila said in a statement that Eze, 36, was on Thursday, April 29, sentenced to 20 years imprisonment after being convicted on 23 counts of fraud and nine counts of money laundering.

Eze entered into a plea and sentencing agreement with the State on Thursday and confessed to being part of a syndicate which operated an online dating scam.

He told the court the ultimate goal was to secure large sums of money from “unsuspecting victims”.

The court heard that Eze and members of the syndicate reached out to victims through dating sites. He groomed women, gaining their trust, and then requested money from them in “emergencies”.

Ntabazalila said the syndicate created fake dating profiles using the names Marcos Ivan, Michael Brandy Smart and Craig Thompson.

The profiles portrayed wealthy men who were in a position to repay the victims, and this was a deliberate action to create a false sense of security in the victims.

In the first incident, Eze pretended to be Ivan and communicated with the victim via a dating site and even sent her photos of “himself”.

Eze, gaining the trust of his victim, managed to swindle a total of R314 950 between November 2017 and January 2018.

In the second incident, Eze pretended to be Smart, where he used the same modus operandi and managed to swindle a total of R186 080 that was deposited into accounts held by four people.

The third victim spent the most money. Using the same modus operandi, Eze managed to convince his victim to deposit R534 000 into bank accounts held by various people. In total, Eze swindled his victims out of R1 035 030.

Evidence before the court revealed that the money was transferred and withdrawn from bank accounts held by Yolanda Mange, R. Mapheelle, Hako XB, LC Sihepo, Global Shipping, LF Coe, O. Dlikilili and P. Mendrew, forming the basis for money laundering.

Senior State advocate Lucinda Mcani told the court that the offences committed by Eze contained elements of premeditation and argued that the offences were grave.

Eze was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for the 23 counts of fraud, four years of which are suspended for a period of five years on condition that he is not found guilty of fraud during this time.

He was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for money laundering of which five years were suspended for five years on condition that he is not found guilty of money laundering during this time.

The court ordered his sentences to run concurrently, thus Eze will effectively serve six years in prison.

The court also declared Eze unfit to possession of firearm. 

Embattled Nollywood star, Olanrewaju James, also known as Baba Ijesha, may spend the rest of his life in prison if found guilty of sexual assault by penetration.

The offence among others, were part of the charges being considered by Lagos State Government to prosecute the Nollywood star.

Baba Ijesha, who is in police custody, is accused of sexually assaulting a 14-year old girl and the state government had declared it intention to take over the case from the police.

The state government through its agency, Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (LSDSVRT) reiterated its position of zero tolerance to all forms of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and its firm commitment to ensuring justice for survivors

In a statement shared by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Lagos, Gboyega Akosile on his Twitter handle @gboyegaakosile,

LSDSVRT revealed the possible charges Baba Ijesha could face if legal action is carried out against him.

The statement reads: “This is to inform members of the public that the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Team is actively following up on the Baba ljesha case, we are also in direct contact with the complainant with a view to providing the necessary support.

“We confirm that the duplicate case file has been forwarded to the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice. For the avoidance of doubt, the following allegations are being considered: “Sexual Assault by Penetration- S 261 of the Criminal law of Lagos State, 2015 punishable by Life imprisonment. Secondly, “Attempted Sexual Assault by Penetration-S262 of the Criminal law, punishable by 14 years imprisonment. Thirdly, “Sexual Assault-S263 of the Criminal Law, punishable by 3 years imprisonment (4) Indecent treatment of a child- S135 of the Criminal Law punishable by seven years imprisonment.”

Notorious bandit leader Auwalun Daudawa who led his gang to abduct over 300 students of Government Science Secondary School Kankara, Katsina State last December has been killed.

The Commissioner for Security and Home Affairs in Zamfara State, Abubakar Dauran, confirmed his death, according to Channels Television.

Daudawa had laid down his arms and accepted Governor Bello Matawalle’s peace initiative in February 2021 but a few days ago, he went back into the trenches to continue his banditry.

Daudawa had surrendered 20 AK-47 rifles, 20 Magazines, one General Purpose Machine Gun, one Rocket-Propelled Grenade and several ammunitions to the Zamfara State government on the day he repented with five of his comrades.

He had reportedly sworn never to go back to his old ways but he resumed his illegal activities recently.

The notorious bandit leaders was reportedly shot dead by a rival gang while on a revenge mission.

Daudawa and his gang threw the whole nation into excruciating pains last December when they abducted young boys of Kankara numbering over 300. The boys were kidnapped on the same day the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), visited the state. The lads, were, however, freed after about six days of grueling search.

A drug trafficker, Chigbogu Ernest Obiora, 47, has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos State.

Disclosing the development on Friday, the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said Obiora was arrested on Sunday, April 25, and subsequently put under observation during which he excreted 97 wraps of cocaine with a total weight of 1.55 kilogrammes and a street value of N360 million.

Babafemi said, “He was arrested about 1:16pm on Sunday, April 25, 2021, during the inward clearance of Ethiopian Airline. He had arrived Lagos onboard the airline from Entebbe, Uganda via Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia.”

Commenting on the arrest, the NDLEA Commander at the airport, Ahmadu Garba, said Obiora was intercepted in the E-arrival hall of the airport by the operatives of the agency on the suspicion that he ingested drug substance.

“The suspect was taken for body machine scan and the result was positive for ingestion of substance suspected to be an illicit drug. The suspect was promptly moved to the NDLEA excretion/observation facility,” he said.

Barely an hour after his arrest, Obiora was said to have excreted 31 wraps of cocaine weighing 500 grammes and another 47 wraps weighing 750 grammes in the evening of same day, while he excreted another 19 wraps weighing about 300 grammes the following day, Monday, April 26.

Meanwhile, undergoing interrogation, Obiora was said to have claimed he was promised $1,500 if he successfully trafficked the drugs, noting that he only agreed on the deal because he needed money.

“I did it so that I will be capable of feeding my family. I was living in Madagascar but due to the COVID-19 and the lockdown in the country, I couldn’t go back to my place of work.

“There was a time I started lacking money to feed my family and to pay my children’s school fees and the worst part of it is to pay my rent. So, I decided to take the option to do it,” he reportedly said.

Personnel of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested 67 suspected Internet fraudsters in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and Owo, Ondo State.

The Head of Media and Publicity, EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said 33 suspects were arrested on Thursday at Adigbe, Oloke, Ibara Housing Estate Extension and Idi Ori areas of Abeokuta following actionable intelligence earlier received on their alleged criminal activities.

The suspects include Sodiq Kotoye, Lawal Temitope, Abiola Oladimeji, Olufowobi Adeniyi, Lateef Taiwo, Oyebasi Damilola, Oluwatoyin Awonuga, Akinbode Azeez, Kayode Victor, Sulaimon Abdulahi, Adekona Tolani, Babatunde Rotimi, Oduwole Olatokunbo, Fatai Habeeb, Fashola Pelumi, Obitokun Olugbade, Atewojaye Oluwadamilare, Fawaz Calfos, Obadina Tobi Godfrey, Eugushi Mumuni and Ehis Hopkins.

Others are Kolawole Bankole, Balogun Toheeb, Alaka Ismail, Adebowale Babatunde, Yusuf Ajibola, Adeoye Hammed, Omolayo Odutola, Musabaudeen Azeez Ayomide, Anifowoshe Babamide, Habeeb Ibrahim, Oladimeji Odunayo and Sunday Opatola.

Items recovered from them include 18 cars, mobile phones, laptops and several incriminating documents.

Similarly, 34 men were arrested in Owo, headquarters of the Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, for Internet-related fraud.

It was gathered that operatives of the anti-graft agency stormed the community on Wednesday and arrested the suspects, who were codenamed ‘Erinle’, following a tip-off.

The suspects include, Adesuyan Ayoola, Oyesanmi Shola, Adegbole Victor, Osagie Ekiende, Akinayomide James, Okunade Jamilu, Omotoso Oluwaseyi, David Oluwatobi, Ahmed Rilwan, Saheed Odunayo and Olorunfemi Emmanuel.

Others are Obakpolor Tommy, Emmanuel Ibe, Temiloluwa Joshua, Victor Benjamin, Akinwale Oluwaseun, Ogunboye Dotun, Adeniyi Femi, Obademi Samson, Oladunjoye Teniola, Eze Raphael and Samson Fadugbagbe.

Also arrested are Oguntimehin Bamidele, Moshood Kazeem, Oniye Damilare, Balogun Mayowa, Obadapo Wale, Ese Stephen, Atakili Pelumi, Adesumo Fatai, Olalekan, Demi Temidayo, Oshorun Joseph and Oluwafemi Damilola Michael.

It was gathered that the suspects were taken to the Benin, Edo State office of the agency for investigation.

Some of the items recovered from the suspects include nine exotic cars, laptops, mobile phones, documents and identity cards.

Uwujaren said investigation into the matter had begun after which the suspects would be charged.

The police in Kaduna State have arrested two suspected ritualists with human skulls at a Muslim cemetery.

The spokesperson for the police in the state, ASP Mohammed Jalige, disclosed in a statement in Kaduna on Saturday.

Jalige also said that the suspected ritualists were caught in possession of a hoe.

He added, “On Äpril 23, 2021, at about 2130hrs, the command received a distress call through DPO Kakuri, Kaduna, that some people were sighted at a Muslim graveyard at Kudenden and suspected to be carrying out a heinous act.

“On getting the report, operatives were immediately dispatched to the area where they succeeded in apprehending the following persons; (1) Abdulaziz Jimoh ‘M’ 68yrs of Zaki Close, Kabala West Kaduna, and (2) Mohammed Isa ‘M’ 30yrs of the same address. Recovered in possession of the said persons were a hoe and some human skulls.

 “Meanwhile investigation into the incident is ongoing and the suspects will be charged to court on completion of the same. The command is still soliciting prompt information on any suspicious person or group to enable it to tackle the activities of robbers.”