Crime
Death threat: Invite Arabambi for questioning, LP begs DSS
Arabambi had accused the party’s National Youth Leader, Kennedy Ahanotu, of sending threat messages to him in the build up to last Wednesday’s assault on Apapa outside the court premises.
Some aggressive supporters believed to be loyal to the National Chairman, Julius Abure, strongly resisted journalists from interviewing the Apapa-led faction.
The group waited to block the interview with Apapa and booed him while chanting “Ole” (thief).
To curtail the chaos, the police had to ward off the determined protestors who followed him and attempted to block him from entering his car to leave the premises.
A furious Arabambi had insisted that the attack could not have occurred without the alleged collusion and knowledge of Obi.
His statement was also corroborated by Apapa, who fingered Obi and Abure, as sending the thugs that assaulted and humiliated him at the tribunal.
The factional chairman, who featured on Arise TV on Thursday, bemoaned that he was shown the threat message threatening to “deal with him” if he appeared in court.
“There was a text message from one of the groups that if I should appear they are going to deal with me and they actually executed that text. That’s why I accuse Peter Obi and Aburi to have committed the act…,” he stated.
Reacting in a joint statement issued in Abuja by Ahanotu and LP National Secretary, Alhaji Umar Farouk, respectively, the party described the accusation as “preposterous”.
They also threatened to petition the DSS and police authorities to invite him for questioning.
“We are challenging him to make public the said conversation he had with our National Youth Leader to prove the allegation of threat to life from our leaders. We see such baseless attempt to defame our principal and that of our National Youth Leader as a last kick of a dying horse. Arabambi must be reminded that those who fetch ants infested firewood invite lizards to their abode.
“We want to restate that neither His Excellency Peter Obi nor any other person from Labour Party has or will ever contemplate to influence or stimulate any such response to Apapa from Nigerians who already knew that Apapa, Arabambi and their cohorts have been heavily compromised to thwart the proceedings in the Tribunal.
“He is renowned to be the only governor in Nigeria who moved around without a bullet proof car. For anyone to imagine, suggest or even contemplate to associate him with act of violence is pure mischief taken too far and this must be addressed.”
When notified about LP’s petition to the DSS, Arabambi appeared unperturbed, saying he is not afraid of anybody.
The spokesman disclosed that he has his evidence, some of which have already been published in the print media.
He said, “I am planning to have a full press conference over it. But let me quickly repeat again that my life was threatened in court the last time. Kennedy Ahanotu sent me a text message that I will be severely dealt with if I showed up. I still have the message with me. And we were dealt with. We were thoroughly beaten in the presence of Peter Obi.
“Ahanotu said Obi did not like me and I am not a member of Labour Party. Can you imagine? That is a tenant challenging a landlord. I am telling you that Obi was there live and direct when they were dealing with us. You also heard the acting national chairman saying on television saying Obi gave the directive.
“Even after the incident, Obi did not give me chance to pull a call through because he said he doesn’t know us. A tenant saying he doesn’t know his landlord? So when did he become a member of Labour Party? Obi can’t be a tenant and be challenging us from his master bedroom. It can’t work. As I am talking to you, I have received over 15 calls from people I don’t knowing threatening me. I have reported to the IGP already. I quoted all their numbers and did an open advert in the dailies on the threat to my life.
“I am also using this opportunity to ask the DSS, Police to put Obi and Abure under house arrest over plans to scuttle Asiwaju’s inauguration. I want to security operatives to be checking the Labour Party secretariat from May 26 for strange movement. We have heard they are recruiting miscreants. This is democracy. Nobody should be allowed to derail it.”
Although Arabambi disclosed that he received the intelligence from some of his loyalists in the party, our correspondent could not independently verify the claim.
A police inspector has been killed and another officer seriously injured after gunmen allegedly ambushed a joint security team in Jigawa State.
The incident occurred on Saturday, August 22, 2026, after security personnel responded to reports of farmland destruction in Gwaram Local Government Area.
According to a security report obtained by Zagazola Makama, the attack took place at about 3pm in a forested area.
The joint team comprised personnel from Gwaram and Fagam police divisions, the 35 Police Mobile Force and local security outfits. Members of the Vigilance and Community Response Unit (VCRU) and Operation Salama also participated in the operation.
The report said the team had been patrolling the area following recurring complaints involving suspected herders and farmland destruction.
The personnel reportedly came under attack after entering the area, with the assailants said to have used arrows.
Inspector Bukar Wakili, attached to Gwaram Division, was reportedly struck in the face and sustained serious injuries.
Another officer, Inspector Mohammed Shafiu of the VCRU in Dutse, was also injured during the incident.
Both officers were taken to a hospital, where Shafiu was confirmed dead, according to the report.
Bukar was later referred to the Malam Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital for further medical treatment.
The identities and affiliation of the attackers have not been independently confirmed, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Additional tactical teams were subsequently deployed to reinforce the security personnel and support efforts to identify those responsible.
Police have opened an investigation into the incident and maintained a security presence in the affected area.
The attack comes amid recurring disputes involving farmers and herders in parts of northern Nigeria, where disagreements over farmland and grazing routes can sometimes escalate into violence.
A young man suspected of attempting to steal cables from a transformer was found dead after reportedly being electrocuted along Trademore Road in Lugbe, Abuja, in the early hours of Friday.
The deceased was reportedly found crouched and lifeless near the transformer, with his body said to have become stiff, suggesting he may have been electrocuted when power was restored.
Residents said there had been no electricity supply in the area on Thursday night before the incident occurred.
The discovery attracted a crowd of residents, who expressed concern over the increasing activities of cable vandals in different parts of the Federal Capital Territory.
Rasheed Ogunyemi, a resident of Iddo Seriki along the Airport Road, said residents in his area often contribute money to repair their transformer, only for vandals to return and cut the cables.
The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed the incident, stating that the deceased’s body had been evacuated and deposited at a mortuary in Gwagwalada for autopsy.
More than 60 worshippers are feared to have been kidnapped from the Central Mosque in Dekara town, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, during Jumu’at prayers on Friday.
The incident occurred when suspected terrorists, said to be operating in large numbers, stormed the mosque while the prayers were ongoing.
According to sources, the attackers fired several shots before rounding up some of the worshippers and taking them into the surrounding forest.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Borgu Local Government Area witnessed several security incidents on Friday, including attacks on three communities.
“So many things happened in Borgu LGA on Friday. Terrorists attacked three communities, including Dekara. In Dekara, they went to the Central Mosque while Jumu’at prayer was ongoing and kidnapped more than 60 people. But they did not injure anybody,” the resident said.
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Oyewole Mayowa Solomon, has died after reportedly collapsing during a party reconciliation meeting in Iyara, the council headquarters.
Solomon reportedly slumped suddenly while participating in the meeting convened on Friday by a former Ijumu council chairman, Funsho Olumoko, as part of efforts to resolve internal disagreements and promote unity among APC stakeholders in the area.
An eyewitness said the incident caused confusion among participants, who immediately attempted to revive the party chairman before rushing him to a hospital in Kabba.
He reportedly died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
The development shocked party leaders and other stakeholders who had gathered for the reconciliation meeting, which was aimed at strengthening the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The meeting was expected to bring together party leaders, ward and local government executives, women and youth leaders, as well as government appointees from the 15 wards in Ijumu.
The incident occurred amid renewed efforts by APC stakeholders in the council to resolve longstanding disagreements and restore unity within the local chapter.
Earlier in the month, party leaders in Ijumu had endorsed President Bola Tinubu and Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, for second terms.
However, that gathering was reportedly disrupted by disagreements over the leadership of the local government, with Solomon and some other officials said to have walked out of the meeting.
Olumoko, who organised Friday’s reconciliation meeting, had previously been mandated by the Ijumu Consultative Forum to facilitate dialogue among political stakeholders in the council.
Solomon’s sudden death is expected to create fresh uncertainty around the ongoing reconciliation efforts within the Ijumu APC, coming barely two weeks after stakeholders renewed calls for unity ahead of the 2027 elections.
The cause of his death had not been officially disclosed as of the time of filing this report, while efforts to obtain an official reaction from the APC were ongoing.
Tension and grief have gripped the political community in Enugu State following the suspected murder of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Chairman in Udenu Local Government Area, Chisimdiri Emmanuel Ngwu.
Ngwu, described as one of the longest-serving members of the ADC in the state, was reportedly found dead in the early hours of Wednesday, August 19, 2026, under circumstances that have raised concerns among his family, friends and political associates.
A family source told our correspondent that Ngwu woke up early on Wednesday, left the house and never returned alive.
The source said the family became worried after they noticed he was missing, only to later discover his lifeless body outside the compound.
“We woke up and didn’t see him, only to discover his lifeless body in front of our compound,” the source said.
The source further alleged that scratches were found around Ngwu’s neck and that his neck appeared to have been twisted backwards, raising suspicions about the circumstances of his death.
The incident has sparked concern within the ADC in Udenu and the wider political community in Enugu State, with calls for security agencies to thoroughly investigate the matter and bring anyone found responsible to justice.
Meanwhile, two persons have reportedly been arrested in connection with the incident.
Their identities and the specific circumstances surrounding their arrest were not immediately known as of press time.
Ngwu’s death has since sent shock waves through the ADC, with party members and associates mourning his death and demanding a transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
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