Crime
Four suspects gang-rape Lagos schoolgirl for five days
A 15-year-old teenager, who was allegedly abducted, drugged and raped by four men in the Igando area of Lagos State, has been found.
She was found last Friday, five days after she went missing and a search party was raised by her family.
The victim’s father, Tony, said his daughter had just finished sitting her West African Senior Secondary School Examination and was on her way to church when she was abducted.
He said the victim was going to the Saint John Catholic Church, Igando, when four men in a Toyota Camry, who pretended to give her a lift, drove her away.
Tony said the teenager was in the company of her siblings when the incident happened.
He said, “My other children said on their way to church, they greeted the people who were in the car and they asked where they were going and they said church. So, they said they should get in the car that they were also heading in the same direction.
“But after their eldest sister entered the car, they sped off and her other siblings started shouting, ‘Sister, where are you going to?’ Immediately, they wound up the glass and even when she was shouting for help, nobody could hear her.
“After searching for her throughout Monday and Tuesday, I reported a case of a missing person at the Ikotun Police Station and the search for her continued. We posted her picture on different WhatsApp groups until a church member saw the post on Friday and sent us the number plate of the car that was used to abduct my daughter.
“The church member said he saw when my daughter entered the car and he immediately wrote down the number plate of the car, but he didn’t know that she was abducted, adding that he saw the street where the car entered.
“We went to the street, Aiye Omere, Igando. When we got there, we saw the car and my daughter, where she was kept, drugged and was being raped by the four men from Monday till Friday between 4pm and 5pm when we got there.
“My daughter was not herself; the only thing she was able to tell her mother was that they kept drugging and raping her and whenever they were going out, they would drug her and then she would fall asleep until they returned.”
The victim’s father said one of the suspects was identified as Ifeanyi the Great, adding that the police arrested some of the culprits.
He noted that a classmate of the victim who lived on the street where she was violated was also arrested.
“After we found my daughter, we took her to the Igando General Hospital so she could be examined, but she was rejected. They said we should come back on Monday, but a family member told us to go to Mirabel Centre at Ikeja and not wait till Monday.
“I want justice for my daughter. I want all those involved in the abduction, drugging and raping of my daughter to be punished for the violence they committed against her,” he added.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident.
He said, “A case of abduction of a 15-year-old girl who was drugged and raped was transferred from the Ikotun Police Station to the gender unit at the state police headquarters. The outcome of police investigation will determine the next line of action.”
Abduction and rape of teenage girls have been on the increase in the country.
In February 2021, men of the Lagos State Police Command arrested four suspects for gang-raping a teenager in the Ejigbo area of the state.
The suspects, who were also teenagers, allegedly attacked the victim on her way to buy food.
In July 2022, the police in Ogun State also arrested three men for allegedly gang-raping a 15-year-old girl while forcing her into a cult.
The victim was running an errand for her mother when she was waylaid and abducted by the cult members.
The Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, said there was an increase in formal and informal reporting of sexual and gender-based violence.
She said, “In the unfortunate instance where sexual violence occurs, the survivor is encouraged to immediately go to a designated health facility to receive medical attention and counselling.
“The survivor is also encouraged to report the case at a designated police station because these issues are criminal and securing conviction is one of the ways of ending the culture of impunity.”
PUNCH
By Our Correspondent
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, to Imo State to coordinate the search-and-rescue operation for 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members and other passengers abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road.
The victims were reportedly abducted on Thursday, October 1, 2026, around Umunoha in Imo State.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, CSP Anietie Iniedu, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday.
According to the statement, Nadada arrived in the state alongside two Commissioners of Police and immediately conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the incident and the ongoing rescue operation.
He also reviewed the operational strategies, deployment of personnel and available assets, while issuing additional directives aimed at strengthening the coordinated response.
The assessment was conducted alongside the Imo State Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Garba Bosso; the Commissioner of Police in charge of Federal Operations, CP Akpan Anifiok; the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Police Mobile Force; other service commanders and members of the management team of the Imo State Police Command.
Iniedu said the search-and-rescue operation had been intensified, with additional tactical teams and operational assets deployed to identified areas.
He added that the operation was being supported by intelligence-led tracking of the abductors and coordinated efforts with other security agencies.
Nadada assured members of the public that the police remained committed to securing the safe release of the abducted persons.
“The Nigeria Police Force is committed to securing the safe rescue of the 20 abducted persons and will sustain the operation until the mission is successfully concluded,” Iniedu quoted Nadada as saying.
The police boss urged members of the public and the media to remain calm and vigilant, while appealing to anyone with credible information that could assist the operation to contact the police or the nearest security formation.
He assured the public that all information received would be treated with strict confidentiality.
The police said further updates would be provided as the rescue operation progresses.
Five men have been arrested and arraigned before a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Maiduguri, Borno State, after police allegedly found them wearing T-shirts bearing the words “Tinubu Must Go.”
The defendants were identified as Baba Aji Gremami, 44; Mustapha Abba Yemen, 28; Abbacha Mohammed Ali, 32; Adam Umar Gubio, 21; and Abdulhamid Mohammed, 21.
According to a First Information Report issued by the State Criminal Investigation Department, the incident occurred on September 25, 2026, near West End Roundabout in Maiduguri.
Police charged the five men with criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery under Sections 60, 78, 79 and 392 of the Borno State Penal Code.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when they appeared before Chief Magistrate Court I in Maiduguri.
Their lawyer subsequently applied for bail. The court adjourned the matter until October 6, 2026, to rule on the bail application, while the substantive trial has been scheduled for October 26.
The case has drawn attention because the alleged conduct involved wearing clothing displaying a political message.
Amnesty International criticised the prosecution, describing the arrests as arbitrary and arguing that peaceful political expression is protected by fundamental human rights. The organisation called for the immediate release of the five men and urged authorities to discontinue the case.
Amnesty International also expressed concern that the prosecution could have implications for political expression and opposition activities in Borno State.
The case has generated reactions on social media, with some commentators questioning whether the display of political messages on clothing should constitute a criminal offence.
There have also been allegations that a prominent politician in Borno State may have influenced the arrests. The allegation has not been independently verified.
Efforts to obtain a comment from the Borno State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Kenneth Daso, were reportedly unsuccessful as of the time of filing.
The defendants remain subject to the court process, and the allegations against them have not been established in court.
The Jigawa State Hisbah Board has arrested eight people in Kazaure Local Government Area over alleged homosexual acts, according to the board.
The board’s Public Relations Officer, Dauda Hadejia, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday, September 26, 2026.
Hadejia said the arrests followed a complaint filed by a 22-year-old man, who alleged that nine individuals had engaged in sexual acts with him on different occasions.
According to the statement, the complainant also claimed that he later contracted HIV, which he attributed to the alleged encounters. He reportedly appealed to the Hisbah authorities for justice, describing the alleged conduct as deceptive and harmful to his life.
Following the complaint, Hadejia said Hisbah operatives launched an investigation and began searching for the nine individuals named by the complainant.
“So far, eight suspects have been arrested, while efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining suspect,” Hadejia said.
He added that the eight arrested individuals reportedly admitted during preliminary investigations to having engaged in sexual acts with the complainant.
Hadejia said the board had gathered information and evidence that would be presented before a court. He added that the investigation remained ongoing and that the suspects would be charged upon its completion.
The Deputy Commander-General of the Jigawa State Hisbah Board, Dr. Hussain Baban, reportedly urged parents to pay closer attention to their children’s upbringing and the people with whom they associate.
He also called on members of the public to be mindful of the consequences of their actions and to uphold religious and moral values.
The board further expressed appreciation to the Jigawa State Government for its support and cooperation in carrying out its responsibilities.
A newly married couple, Funmilayo Bamidele and her husband, Reverend Abiodun David, have been abducted along the Iyemero-Eruku Road, a border route linking Kwara and Kogi states.
The couple were reportedly returning from their engagement ceremony in Eruku on Saturday evening when armed men intercepted their vehicle and abducted them alongside four other passengers.
According to sources, the vehicle was initially expected to take the Isanlu Road. However, the driver reportedly chose an alternative route to drop off the best man and other members of the group at Iyamoye in Kogi State.
The vehicle was subsequently intercepted by armed men along the Iyemero-Eruku Road, leading to the abduction of all the occupants.
A photograph of the newly abducted couple has since emerged following the incident, while details about the whereabouts of the other passengers remain unclear.
Confirming the incident on Sunday, Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, said soldiers had been deployed to search the surrounding bushes and rescue the victims while also pursuing the suspected kidnappers.
Ojo disclosed that the vehicle used by the victims was later found abandoned at a former police station in Ayetoro, Ekiti State.
He added that police operatives from Kwara, Kogi and Ekiti states were working jointly on the rescue operation because the incident occurred around the border communities of the three states.
Authorities have yet to disclose further details on the identities of the suspected abductors or whether any contact has been established with the victims.
At least five miners have been killed and two others injured after gunmen reportedly ambushed them at a mining site in Plateau State.
The incident occurred at about 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 26, in Marit village, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.
According to community sources, the miners were carrying out their legitimate activities when they came under attack. The incident has plunged the community into mourning and renewed concerns over the safety of residents in the area.
Confirming the attack, the National Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youth Moulders Association, Rwang Tengwong, said five people lost their lives while two others sustained injuries.
“It is a very sad and painful development. Our people are once again mourning the loss of lives to violence,” Tengwong said, while calling on security agencies to intensify efforts to protect communities and prevent similar incidents.
A community member, Simon Mundat, also described the attack as devastating and appealed to the authorities to strengthen security in the area.
“We are deeply saddened by this attack. We appeal to authorities to strengthen security in the area so that our people can go about their legitimate activities without fear,” he said.
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