Crime
How pastor defrauded 88-year-woman N36.5m
An 88-year-old woman, Mrs Tawakalitu Ilumooka, on Thursday told an Ikeja Special Offences Court how a pastor, Ayodeji Olorunfemi, allegedly defrauded her of N36.5 million.
Ilumooka testified that the pastor took her to a river goddess (Olookun) for fake hard currency.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Olorunfemi is standing trial on a three-count charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretences and stealing.
He is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
On Thursday, Ilumooka, led in evidence by EFCC counsel, Mr Ahmed Yerima, said that the pastor took her to Olookun on the pretext that the river goddess had blessed her with a box containing dollars and pounds sterling.
The octogenarian testified that the defendant told her that the N36.5 million would be used for spiritual cleansing before the currencies could be spent.
Ilumooka, a former businesswoman on Lagos Island, told the court that she gave birth to nine children and that one of her daughters, Kuburat, and her friend introduced her to the defendant.
“It has been seven years since we have been on this matter.
“Otunba has a big church and he prays for people; so, I spoke with him on the phone and told him I wanted to sell a piece of land at Orile Agege and he could help me pray about it.
“He instructed me to prepare a large bowl of semo with assorted meat and give it to a mad person, which I did and later sold the land for N100 million, after he prayed for me.
“I told him to send his account details in which I transferred N100,000 as a form of appreciation,” she said.
The witness further told the court that his 64-year-old son later called her from America and told her that he was sick and confined in a wheelchair.
She said she called the defendant on phone to pray for his sick son but he told her that she had to travel to Ondo State before her son could be healed.
“I told him Ondo is far that I could not go because I am old, but Otunba insisted that it is the only place they could take care of my sick son, and I told him, ‘It is okay’.
“He told me that one Fakunle Fabunmi and one other person, whose name I cannot remember, would call me.
“I was in bus when they started calling me and when I got to Ondo State, I was taken to Ondo Town,” she said.
The witness said she that did not suspect any foul play because the two men came with an expensive car and the defendant knew them.
She told the court that she was taken to a big house in a bush and was later taken into a room filled with water, adding that a woman, Olookun ( river goddess) came out of the water and promised to give her money but she declined.
“When I entered the room filled with water, a woman came out from the water and they told me it was Olookun (river goddess) and they instructed me to look down to avoid looking at her face.
“They were the one interpreting what Olookun was saying as I could not hear her, and they said Olookun wanted to give me money but I told them that I did not need money. I came because of my son’s health.
“They took me to another room filled with many people that were masked with white clothes. They mentioned my parents’ names to me, and I was terrified.
“They gave me a calabash when I got out, and instructed me to take it home so that my son could recover from illness.”
According to the witness, the men took her back to Lagos and warned her that her house would be razed by fire if she would not return the calabash within seven days.
“I was scared; that made me return the calabash to Ondo Town,” she said.
The witness said that she met the defendant with the two other men when she returned the calabash to Ondo Town and they brought out a port mantle into which hard currencies were flowing into, from the roof of a room.
” Dollars and pound sterling were flowing into the port mantle from the roof of the room, and they asked if I wanted money, but I told them, ‘No’.
“The said Olookun wanted to give me money but I told them I did not come because of money.
“They tore my cloth and I was naked and they started snapping my nakedness when I refused to carry the port mantle full of dollars and pound sterling.
“The defendant looked at me and said, ‘You did not know what you came to do here.’
“I replied that I was there because of my son. I told them I wanted to poo but they said I should poo inside a big hole that was dug in the room.”
She told the court that she cried unto God afterwards.
“They said I should take the money and they would follow me to my house.
“They carried the port mantle inside a jeep and drove me down to Lagos from Ondo.
“Fakunle plucked a leaf and and dropped it on the port mantle and said some words into it so that no police would stop them on the way.”
The octogenarian told the court that the men carried the money to her house and put it under her bed.
“They warned that I should not tell anybody,” she added.
The witness further told the court that the defendant and the two men monitored her and later sent their account details in which she paid N36.5 million.
“The first one I paid was N5 million, the second one was N11 million and they later collected N10 million.
“The total money they collected from me is N36.5 million.
“They said they would give me something like a stick with cowries to stir the port mantle.
“My lord, I am 88 years old. Despite all my struggles not to lose my son and the money they collected from me, my son died from the illness in February at the age of 64 years.”
The witness testified that she reported the case to EFCC.
“Otunba was arrested and N1.8 million was recovered from his account. EFCC withdrew the money and gave it to me and took the port mantle,” the witness said.
NAN reports that the witness broke down in tears and her statement dated March 16, 2018 and July 2018 with an obituary of her son were admitted in evidence.
During cross-examination by defence counsel, Mr Bamidele Olayemi, the witness said that she had been relating with the defendant on phone since the time her daughter and her friend connected her with him.
“She also said that she did not see the defendant in person prior to the time they met in Ondo.
NAN reports that the EFCC alleged the defendant with six others still at large fraudulently obtained the sum of N36 million from the octogenarian.
The alleged offences contravene Sections 1(1)(a) and 1(3) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences, 2006, and Sections 287 (1) (2) and 285 (1) of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011 .
Justice Mojisola Dada adjourned the case until Sept. 30 for continuation of trial.
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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