The Sokoto State Police Command has confirmed the death of a man who was allegedly stabbed by a suspected attacker after Friday prayers in Sokoto.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Rufa’i Ahmad, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday that the deceased was among those involved in the incident that followed the stabbing of prominent Islamic cleric, Malam Musa Lukuwa.

According to Ahmad, the suspect used a knife to stab Lukuwa in the stomach immediately after the Jumu’at congregation.

He said the suspect was subsequently killed by a mob, while Lukuwa was rushed to Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), where he is receiving treatment.

The PPRO added that no arrest had been made in connection with the incident, saying the situation was under control and urging residents to remain calm and law-abiding.

The incident reportedly followed allegations that Lukuwa made remarks considered blasphemous against Prophet Muhammad, which had generated anger among some Muslim faithful.

A Sokoto-based gangster, Dahiru Maibarewa, had also reportedly threatened to kill Lukuwa over the alleged remarks, while demonstrations had taken place in parts of Sokoto metropolis.

NAN further reported that a coalition of Islamic groups had petitioned the Sokoto State Government and security agencies, calling for action against Lukuwa over remarks they described as capable of provoking violence.

At a September 4 press conference, Islamic cleric Sheikh Abubakar Yagawal urged Muslims to oppose what he described as blasphemous content by clerics, while calling for peaceful coexistence.

Yagawal, Leader of the National Sufi Council of Nigeria and a National Commissioner at the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), said Lukuwa’s alleged utterances were unbecoming and capable of triggering violence among Muslim communities.

He said the coalition had called on the Federal and Sokoto State governments, as well as security agencies, to investigate and take appropriate action over the matter.

The Nigeria Police Force has allegedly arrested the General Manager of JKD Television/Hamada Radio Network, Kaduna, Charles Abah, and a security guard following a video produced by the station about Ibrahim Kabir Masari, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Political Affairs.

The station’s management, in a statement issued on Friday, alleged that police operatives invaded its premises while searching for a staff member, Zainab Salihu Yabagi, who presented the video explainer.

According to the management, the officers insisted on seeing Yabagi in connection with the video before arresting Abah and the security guard.

The two men were subsequently taken to the Kaduna State Police Command, the station alleged.

The management described the arrests as unacceptable and called for their immediate release.

Amnesty International Nigeria also condemned the incident, describing the alleged raid as an “unlawful and outrageous invasion” of the station’s premises.

The organisation alleged that Abah and the security guard were arbitrarily arrested, adding that police authorities had been seeking Yabagi over the video and had previously declared her wanted.

Amnesty International said the incident reflected a wider pattern of alleged attempts to intimidate newsrooms and create a climate of fear among journalists in Nigeria.

It maintained that public officials, regardless of their positions, should remain open to scrutiny and criticism in the public interest.

JKD TV/Hamada Radio Network is chaired by Yusuf Mamman, a former Nigerian ambassador to Spain and former spokesman for former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida.

A 20-year-old woman has recounted how a Nigerian man dragged her into a wooded area in Wrexham, Wales, and raped her after offering to escort her home from a night out.

The victim, whose identity has been withheld, said the attack occurred on September 7, 2025, after 24-year-old Gift Oladele approached her while she was walking home.

According to an account published by the Daily Mail on Wednesday, Oladele told the woman that he was heading in the same direction and offered to accompany her.

However, when they reached an isolated area, he allegedly grabbed her over the mouth and dragged her into the woods.

“He was a lot bigger than I was. I tried pushing him away, but he overpowered me,” the woman said.

She said Oladele covered her mouth and prevented her from calling for help before violently assaulting her.

The victim said she feared that she would be killed after Oladele allegedly asked if it was her first experience of rape.

“My brain just switched into survival mode. It was weird. It was either I do what he says and get home to my mum, or he is going to kill me,” she recalled.

She said the attacker struck her six times on the head and left bruises on her body.

According to her, after the assault, Oladele allegedly told her, “I think you’ve had enough now. At least you have been raped by someone good-looking.”

She also alleged that he threatened to track her down if she reported the incident and warned that he could take photographs of her and publish them online.

Despite the threats, the woman immediately told her parents what had happened after arriving home at about 3:30am, prompting her father to contact the police.

“I felt numb. I was hysterical. My brain couldn’t figure out what had just happened,” she said.

Oladele was arrested the following day at his cousin’s residence in Wrexham. Police reportedly discovered that he had attempted to conceal a mobile phone, which subsequently revealed internet searches relating to sexual attacks.

Oladele was sentenced at Caernarfon Crown Court in April to 17 years in prison after being convicted of rape and sexual assault. He was also given an extended licence period of eight years, bringing the total sentence to 25 years.

He had been convicted at Mold Crown Court in March after denying the offences and claiming that the victim had consented.

The court also imposed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order protecting the victim for life.

At the time of the Wrexham attack, Oladele was reportedly on bail over another rape allegation in Manchester dating back to November 2024. He had also previously been jailed in 2022 for a sexually motivated attack.

Oladele, a Nigerian citizen born in Italy, had previously challenged attempts by UK authorities to deport him to Nigeria on human rights grounds.

Following his earlier prison sentence, the authorities sought to deport him, but he argued that removal would violate his right to private and family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

An immigration tribunal subsequently ruled in his favour, holding that his deportation would be disproportionate. Two subsequent appeals by the Home Office were also rejected.

Reacting to the decision, the victim’s mother questioned why her daughter’s rights appeared not to have received similar consideration.

Wrexham Chief Inspector Caroline Mullen-Hurst described Oladele as “a dangerous predator” and commended the victim for her courage in reporting the attack.

She said Oladele showed no remorse for his crimes and forced the victim to relive the traumatic experience during the trial.

The victim said the assault had continued to affect her physical and emotional wellbeing, including making it difficult for her to eat.

She added that there were times when she cried uncontrollably and struggled with thoughts about continuing to live.

A suspected motorcycle thief has been beaten and burnt to death by a mob in Ikpe Ikot Akpan Village, along the Ikot Ekpene–Uyo Road in Akwa Ibom State.

The incident occurred at about 7:05 a.m. on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, after the man was allegedly caught attempting to steal a motorcycle belonging to a resident, identified as Idoroenyin Udo.

According to the police, the motorcycle owner resisted the alleged theft and raised an alarm, prompting residents to chase and apprehend the suspect.

Instead of handing him over to the police, however, the mob allegedly attacked him and subsequently set him ablaze. He suffered severe burns and died at the scene.

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has launched an investigation and deployed operatives to the area to identify and arrest those involved in the mob action.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Mohammed Azare, condemned the incident and warned residents against jungle justice.

He stressed that an accusation does not amount to guilt and urged residents to hand suspected criminals over to law enforcement agencies for proper investigation and prosecution.

The police said efforts are ongoing to apprehend everyone connected with the incident, adding that those found culpable will face the full weight of the law.

By Okey Maduforo, Awka

Two weeks after the gruesome murder of popular Awka Master of Ceremony and celebrity town crier, Mr Aiza Nwosu, the Anambra State Police Command has arrested his niece, Miss Jennifer Nwosu, alongside 12 suspected cultists in connection with the ongoing investigation.

The victim’s nephew, Mr Kenechukwu Nwosu, who the police identified as a principal suspect, remains at large.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this while briefing journalists in Awka, explaining that Jennifer was initially arrested and later granted bail but was subsequently rearrested after allegations surfaced that the Command demanded N600,000 for her release.

Ikenga dismissed the allegation, describing it as untrue and insisting that the Command did not collect any money from Jennifer before she was released.

According to him, investigators became interested in Jennifer because of her alleged communication with her brother, Kenechukwu, on the night of Aiza Nwosu’s murder.

Ikenga said Jennifer, during interrogation conducted in the presence of her lawyer, initially denied having seen or spoken with her brother for about five years.

He, however, said information obtained by investigators indicated that she communicated with Kenechukwu on the night of the incident and allegedly informed him about the death of Aiza Nwosu.

He said the communication was among the issues being investigated by the police, particularly as investigators were attempting to locate the suspect who remains at large.

Ikenga stated: “The Command is investigating a cult-related murder in Awka. As part of that investigation, the police are examining individuals and circumstances that may assist in identifying the perpetrators and locating the principal suspect who remains at large.

“During interrogation conducted in the presence of her lawyer, Miss Nwosu denied communicating with the suspect for over five years.

“However, information available to investigators indicated that there was communication between her and the suspect on the night of the incident.

“The communication under investigation included information concerning the death of the victim and an alert to the suspect that the police were closing in on him.

“These were legitimate investigative issues that the police had a duty to clarify.”

The police spokesman stressed that being invited, arrested or questioned in connection with an investigation did not amount to a declaration of guilt, adding that the Command remained guided by due process and the presumption of innocence.

He further explained that Jennifer was subsequently released after offering to assist the police in locating and apprehending her brother.

Ikenga said the release was connected to the ongoing investigation and the need to explore every lawful means of bringing the principal suspect to justice.

He also cited Section 83 of the Criminal Code of Anambra State, which, according to him, provides for liability where a person becomes an accessory after the fact to a felony.

He added that the Administration of Criminal Justice Law provides the legal framework for bail and criminal proceedings, stressing that the police would continue to exercise their investigative responsibilities within the law.

On the allegation by the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) that N600,000 was demanded from Jennifer for her release, Ikenga said the allegation was false.

He explained that Jennifer was granted bail at the office of the Commissioner of Police, which, he said, demonstrated that no money was collected from her.

Ikenga urged individuals and organisations making allegations of extortion, corruption or misconduct against the Command to provide credible and verifiable evidence.

“We welcome scrutiny, but we also urge individuals and organisations making allegations of extortion, corruption or misconduct to support such claims with credible and verifiable evidence,” he said.