Crime
Insecurity: Over 615 schools shut in Kaduna, Zamfara, others
Many northern states have come under attack by terrorists with many people, including children, killed and several others kidnapped. The most hit states are Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina and Niger, while Sokoto, Kebbi, Bauchi, Plateau and Taraba states have not been spared by the attackers.
The disturbing rate of out-of-school children came to the fore again on Thursday when a report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, in partnership with Global Education Monitoring Report, showed that the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria had risen to 20 million from about 12.5 million recorded in 2021.
This has sparked calls for an urgent intervention by the government to arrest the situation so that the pupils can return to school.
Findings indicated that many schools were shut across the affected northern states.
Some of the major school abductions include the April 14, 2014 kidnap of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State; another 300 pupils from Damasak, Borno State; 110 pupils from Dapchi, Yobe State; 344 pupils from Kankara, Katsina State; 276 pupils from Jangebe, Zamfara State; 140 students from Chikun in Kaduna State; and 102 pupils from Yauri, Kebbi State.
In Kaduna State, the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, which is an umbrella body for the people of Southern Kaduna, an area severely hit by insecurity, said about 500 schools, mostly primary schools, had either been shut down, abandoned or destroyed as a result of the unrelenting attacks on communities in the area since 2019.
The union’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Luka Biniyat, in an interview with one of our correspondents said in all the 200 communities sacked by bandits and armed herdsmen in Southern Kaduna, all the primary and secondary schools had been closed.
“In my village, Zamandabo, Zangon Kataf Local Government Area, which was attacked twice last year, the Day Secondary School there and the two primary schools remain shut down,” he said, adding that some schools had been abandoned for over five years as a result of the attacks and kidnapping, especially in the Chikun and Kachia local government areas.
He added, “The villages that confronted the situation and refused to vacate soon found that no teacher was willing to go to the schools to teach. So, we have kids, who left home when they were five years old, which was not the ripe age for admission into public schools in Kaduna State.
“Today, they are 10 years old and have never been to school, because they have become internally displaced persons with their parents.”
Biniyat called on Governor Nasir El-Rufai to empower the people to defend themselves before the arrival of military troops during attacks, and that if the governor refuses, a state of emergency should be declared in the state.
“In the interim, we are calling on the United Nations Children’s Education Fund to come to the assistance of our stranded schoolchildren. Many of them are suffering from food and nutrition deficiency.”
Also, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers in the state, Ibrahim Dalhatu, affirmed that the level of insecurity had grossly affected teaching and learning in the state, but that it was difficult to give the actual number of schools closed.
He said, “I cannot give you a specific number of schools that have been shut down now, even if you go to SUBEB (State Universal Basic Education Board) or the Kaduna State Ministry of Education, they cannot give you the exact number of schools that are closed.
“I know so many schools have been shut down and many primary school pupils can no longer go to school as a result of threats and insecurity. Birnin Gwari and Kajuru are the two most volatile local government areas that are worst hit by this banditry, and some parts of Giwa and Chikun local government areas are also affected too.
“Some of the schools were not totally shut down. Some schools closed down for some weeks, while others closed down for some months and reopened again. It all depends on the nature of the security problems.”
Dalhatu stated that the state government saw the NUT as its enemy, but that teachers were partners in progress, adding, “The government takes most of its decisions without consulting us until we make our own findings and put them out through the media before the government would react and ask us why we took such actions.”
He said insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic had affected the sector and if the insecurity problem was not solved, “not only the educational sector will be affected, but all sectors in the state will grossly be affected.”
El-Rufai had said some weeks ago that terrorists had formed a parallel government in some parts of the state and called for the Federal Government’s intervention.
All calls and messages to the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr Samuel Aruwan, to react were not answered.
PUNCH
A police corporal attached to the Ajaokuta Division of the Kogi State Police Command has reportedly shot his girlfriend dead before taking his own life with his service rifle.
The incident allegedly occurred around 9 p.m. on Friday, October 23, 2026, leaving both the officer and the woman dead.
According to a report by Veracity News, the officer allegedly shot the woman at close range before turning the weapon on himself.
The circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear, while the motive behind the alleged killings has yet to be established.
The bodies of the deceased were reportedly evacuated to a mortuary as investigations into the incident commenced.
Efforts to obtain an official reaction from the Kogi State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Saliu Afusat, could not be reached for comment, according to the publication.
The incident is expected to be investigated to establish the circumstances leading to the deaths and determine the events that preceded the shooting.
As of the time of filing this report, no further details about the identities of the deceased or the outcome of the investigation had been provided in the original report.
Editor’s note: The incident and details in this report have not been independently verified. An official statement from the Kogi State Police Command would be needed to confirm the circumstances of the deaths.
A young woman identified as Messioma Nwaora, who was earlier reported missing, has reportedly been found dead in Uga, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.
Unverified reports circulating on social media allege that her former boyfriend, identified as Chima Emmanuel and said to be from Ebonyi State, killed her after she ended their relationship. The reports further claim that he strangled her with clothing, placed her body in a bag and transported it on a commercial motorcycle, popularly known as an okada.
The alleged confession and the circumstances surrounding the woman’s death have not been independently verified. Therefore, it cannot be conclusively established that the former boyfriend killed her.
As of the time of filing this report, the Anambra State Police Command had not issued an independently confirmed statement establishing the cause of death, confirming the identity of the deceased or stating whether a suspect had been arrested.
The reported death has prompted calls for a thorough investigation. Outstanding questions include where the body was recovered, how the woman died, whether Chima Emmanuel has been detained and whether investigators have obtained evidence linking him to the incident.
Further details are expected as reliable information becomes available.
A birthday party organised by popular Enugu socialite Nnaji Izuchukwu, popularly known as Stone, at Bull Hotel, Asata, Enugu, reportedly turned chaotic following a misunderstanding that allegedly prompted the hotel management to invite the police.
Stone, who was the celebrant, reportedly died from gunshot injuries sustained during the ensuing police operation.
Information available to Everydaynewsngr.net indicated that the misunderstanding at the birthday party degenerated into chaos, prompting the hotel management to call in operatives of the police Anti-Cultism Section.
In the confusion that followed, Stone was said to have attempted to escape through a window alongside another person before he sustained gunshot injuries.
However, the exact circumstances surrounding the shooting remained unclear as of the time of filing this report.
The Enugu State Police Command has since confirmed Stone’s death and ordered an investigation into the incident.
In a press release issued on Friday, October 23, 2026, the command said the Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, had directed a thorough investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the death and determine whether the operation and use of firearms complied with established operational standards and applicable laws.
According to the police, operatives of the Anti-Cultism Section of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) stormed Bull Hotel during an intelligence-led operation targeting Nworie Chidera Kelvin, popularly known as Akidi, an alleged drug dealer and member of the Vikings Confraternity.
The police said Akidi was suspected of involvement in several cases relating to cultism and unlawful possession of firearms.
The operation reportedly led to the arrest of Akidi and nine other suspects, comprising males and females aged between 17 and 28.
The police also said quantities of dried weeds suspected to be cannabis, a weighing scale allegedly used for measuring illicit drugs, and ₦43,400 in cash were recovered during the operation.
Giving its account of how Stone died, the command said preliminary findings indicated that he and another suspect jumped through a window in an attempt to escape.
The statement added that an operative pursuing the two suspects was allegedly confronted by them as they attempted to disarm him.
According to the police, the officer’s firearm discharged during the ensuing struggle, leaving Stone with gunshot injuries, while the other suspect escaped.
Stone was rushed to a hospital, where he was later confirmed dead. His remains have been deposited in a mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
CP Giwa has directed the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Intelligence Department to establish the facts of the incident and determine whether the officers involved complied with operational standards and applicable laws.
The commissioner assured that any officer found culpable would face appropriate disciplinary action.
He also urged Stone’s family, associates and members of the public to remain calm, stressing that professionalism, ethical conduct and strict adherence to operational standards, particularly those governing the use of firearms, must be upheld during police operations.
The police statement was signed by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, on October 23, 2026.
The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Edo State Command, has launched a manhunt for a 28-year-old awaiting-trial inmate, Osita Thomas, who escaped while being taken to court for trial.
Thomas, an inmate of the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Auchi, reportedly escaped last week during a court appearance over charges bordering on conspiracy and stealing.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, Aminu Suleman, disclosed the development in a statement dated October 21, 2026, and made available to journalists in Benin City on Thursday.
Suleman said the Controller of Corrections in Edo State had directed intensified efforts towards apprehending the fugitive, assuring residents that security measures across custodial facilities had been strengthened to prevent similar incidents.
The Command appealed to members of the public with useful information about Thomas’s whereabouts to report to the nearest police station or custodial centre.
It also released two telephone numbers, 08038075882 and 08039243704, through which information could be provided to security authorities.
Meanwhile, an official of the Correctional Service attributed the escape to inadequate manpower, explaining that the officer escorting Thomas to court could not abandon other inmates in his custody to pursue the fleeing suspect.
According to the official, pursuing Thomas would have exposed the remaining inmates to possible escape.
The official further raised concerns over worsening personnel shortages in the Service, alleging that more than 1,000 officers were expected to retire this year without corresponding plans for fresh recruitment.
He called on the Federal Government to urgently address the manpower deficit, warning that inadequate personnel could continue to undermine the effective management and security of custodial facilities across the country.
An alleged employment racket involving 21 job seekers and N8.29 million has landed an Enugu-based businesswoman, Stella Ezinne Egotanwa, in the net of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The 45-year-old businesswoman is being investigated for allegedly collecting money from unsuspecting applicants under the guise of securing employment for them at a psychiatric hospital in Enugu State.
The EFCC, in a statement posted on its official X handle on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, disclosed that the suspect allegedly collected the money between December 28, 2025, and June 30, 2026, through bank accounts belonging to different Point of Sale (POS) operators.
According to the commission, trouble began for Egotanwa when 16 aggrieved job seekers petitioned the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), accusing her of collecting N6.193 million from them without delivering the promised jobs.
The petition subsequently led to her arrest by NSCDC operatives in Anambra State on July 30, 2026.
However, the case took another dimension when five additional victims approached the EFCC, alleging that the businesswoman had similarly defrauded them of N2,098,200 through promises of employment at the same hospital.
The fresh petitions brought the number of alleged victims to 21, with the total amount involved rising to N8,291,200.
One of the victims, who narrated his ordeal to investigators, claimed to have paid Egotanwa N1.05 million on December 28, 2025, believing that she had the connections to secure the promised employment.
“I made the payment in good faith because I believed that the employment opportunity she presented to me was genuine.
“However, after making the payment, the promised employment did not materialise. I subsequently experienced difficulty reaching her and there were periods she did not respond to my calls or messages,” the petitioner stated.
The anti-graft agency further disclosed that Egotanwa was already awaiting trial in a separate case involving a similar alleged employment scam.
It added that the suspect had admitted to the alleged offence during interrogation and would be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations.
The EFCC maintained that investigations were ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the alleged fraudulent recruitment scheme.
Clarify the EFCC’s role in her arrest
Use consistent language for alleged victims
Tighten the opening for stronger impact
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