Crime
Kidnapping: Enugu, Kano, others to implement death sentence
Amid the growing concern over the raging abduction epidemic in the country, no fewer than ten states have vowed to implement the death sentence and life imprisonment for convicted kidnappers.
The states made the vow on Tuesday as the Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, deployed intelligence squads to state commands and formations to tackle the wave of abductions and other crimes across the country.
States including Kano, Benue, Bayelsa, Enugu, Anambra, and Nasarawa and another northern state in separate interviews affirmed their commitment to applying the death sentence to anyone convicted of kidnapping in their jurisdictions.
Officials of Kwara, Ondo, and Osun states vowed to ensure the implementation of relevant anti-kidnapping laws including life imprisonment.
The nation has been on edge over the wave of abductions sweeping across several states and the Federal Capital Territory in the past few weeks.
Dozens of victims have been abducted by gunmen and millions of naira extorted from them in what appeared to be an organised criminal enterprise.
In Kano State, the Director-General of Media and Publicity, Sanusi Tofa, confirmed that the administration of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf would apply the anti-kidnapping law which prescribed the death sentence for convicts.
“We will continue with the death sentence on kidnappers as approved by the immediate past administration,’’ Tofa said on Tuesday.
The Anti-kidnapping, Abduction and Forced Labour Bill were signed into law by the immediate past administration of former governor Abdullahi Ganduje after its passage by the state House of Assembly in October 2016.
The anti-kidnapping law had been in existence since the colonial era, but it did not provide any serious punishment for kidnappers until it was amended by the state assembly.
Under the revised law, any person found guilty of kidnapping would face life imprisonment without an option of a fine.
However, the former governor in 2019 approved the death penalty for anyone found guilty of kidnapping across the state.
“The law provides for death sentence for kidnappers who abduct and kill their victim, while kidnappers who abduct but did not kill their victim, if apprehended and found culpable, would be jailed for life”, Ganduje had said while signing the amended bill into law in 2019.
On his part, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order in Benue State, Fidelis Mnyim, assured that the administration of Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia was committed to the implementation of the anti-kidnapping law which stipulated the death sentence for abductors.
He said, “The present administration is 100 per cent committed to the implementation of anti-kidnapping law of the state.’’
The Bayelsa Anti-kidnapping law, which was christened ‘Bayelsa State Kidnapping and Allied Offences Act, 2013’, prescribed the death sentence for the offence of kidnapping.
It was assented to by former governor Seriake Dickson after it was passed by the House of Assembly.
The legislation empowers the governor to sign the death warrant of a person or group of persons convicted for the crime of kidnapping and other related crimes.
The Commissioner for Justice in Anambra State, Prof. Chika Ifemeje, could not be reached for comment but an official in the justice ministry said the Anambra State House of Assembly had amended the state Criminal Code, making it an offence punishable by death for any person convicted of kidnapping.
The official said, “The legislators at one of their plenary sessions amended sections 315 and 316 of the Criminal Code to stipulate capital punishment for offenders.
“Although, no offender has yet been punished and there is no plan yet to review the laws to recommend life imprisonment, the state government, through the relevant agencies and security apparatus, is doing everything possible to ensure strict enforcement of anti-kidnapping laws.”
An official of a state in the North-Central pointed out that in the state where a kidnapping incident involved death, the perpetrators would face the death penalty while a case that did not result in the death of the victim would attract a life sentence.
Nasarawa laws
In Nasarawa, the State Kidnapping Act Prohibition Law, 2020, stipulates the death penalty on conviction and forfeiture of any property used by kidnappers while the owner of such a property would be liable to 20 years in jail.
Governor Abdullahi Sule assented to the bill passed by the state House of Assembly.
He explained that the law was enacted to tackle kidnapping, conspiracy to kidnap, attempt to kidnap, fake kidnap, false representation to release a kidnapped victim, and assisting in the escape of kidnappers.
Speaking on the measures put in place to eliminate abductions in Ondo, the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Mr Charles Titiloye, confirmed that the anti-kidnapping law was being implemented in the state.
The law, he noted, was passed to protect the people of the state.
The commissioner said, “ The bill was signed into law by the Dr Olusegun Mimiko administration. The penalty is life imprisonment.”
A former speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mr Taofeek Abdulsalam, explained that the law was passed by the sixth assembly in the state, adding that the penalty for kidnapping is life imprisonment for the offender.
He said, “ It was passed into law during our time (Sixth Assembly) and the penalty is life imprisonment.”
On his part, the Kwara State AG and Commissioner for Justice, Ibrahim Suleiman, disclosed that the penalty for kidnapping in the state is life imprisonment.
However, in a move to reinforce the onslaught against abductions, the IG on Tuesday ordered the posting of 54 Assistant Commissioners of Police to head the Force Intelligence Departments at zonal and state command levels nationwide.
Egbetokun had in September 2023 approved the upscaling of the Force Intelligence Bureau to the Force Intelligence Department.
In Enugu, the State Government has vowed to implement the provisions of the Anti-kidnapping Law 2009 to the letter.
The state Commissioner for Information, Mr Aka Eze, says that the Enugu State government led by Governor Peter Mbah doesn’t joke or compromise with the security of lives and properties of her citizens.
“We will implement every law that will curb insecurity in the state including kidnapping. We have laws in Enugu state that have remained dormant until we came on board.
“Therefore, the onus is on us to not only implement extant laws to secure lives and property but also strengthen them or even make new ones as if necessary.”
He added, “Security of lives and property is the number one priority as far as the Governor Peter Mbah administration is concerned. This is what Section 14 (2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) demands of every government
“Enugu State, under Mbah, has no room, no forest, and no space for criminals.”
The PUNCH reports that the Enugu State House of Assembly on February 19, 2009, unanimously passed into law a bill making kidnapping with the use of a gun a capital offence in the State.
The law, however, stipulates a 10-year imprisonment for anybody found guilty of kidnapping without the use of a weapon.
The law which took effect from February 19, 2009, was an amendment of the original law which carried 10 years imprisonment.
Meanwhile, a legal practitioner, Rabiu Musa, advised the Federal Government to emulate Plateau State by imposing the death penalty on anyone found guilty of kidnapping-related offences.
A Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja has ordered the remand of Nigerian-American car dealer Oluwatobi Adegoke at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Correctional Centre over an alleged $680,000 vehicle-import fraud.
Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe issued the order on Friday following Adegoke’s arraignment by the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a one-count charge of stealing.
According to the EFCC, Adegoke was arrested in July 2026 over an alleged cross-border scheme involving the purported purchase and importation of luxury vehicles from the United States to Nigeria.
Investigators reportedly linked him to a US-based syndicate allegedly targeting Nigerians seeking to purchase vehicles abroad.
The commission alleged that Adegoke, while residing in the United States, circulated photographs of a 2024 Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG to prospective buyers, claiming he could procure and ship the vehicle to Nigeria.
The EFCC further alleged that two victims paid more than $320,000, equivalent to approximately ₦434.88 million, in connection with the transaction.
However, the charge before the court cited an alleged theft of $680,000 belonging to Ikechukwu Osita Ifeabunike.
According to the charge, the money was transferred to the bank account of Adegoke’s company, Omosco Auto Sales LLC, for the purchase of a 2022 G-Wagon from an individual identified as Mr Robinson.
The alleged offence is punishable under Sections 278(1)(b) and 285(1)(a) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
Adegoke pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Following the plea, EFCC counsel Arazeem Adebayo urged the court to fix a trial date and remand the defendant.
Defence counsel Olalekan Abiodun, whose earlier objection to the arraignment was overruled, subsequently asked the court to keep his client in EFCC custody pending the filing of a bail application.
The judge rejected the request and ordered that Adegoke be remanded at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Correctional Centre.
The court adjourned the case until January 13, 2027, for the commencement of trial.
The allegations against Adegoke remain subject to judicial determination.
The 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members abducted in Imo State have reportedly been given the opportunity to choose any of the six South-West states for their national service.
According to Saturday PUNCH, the graduates were kidnapped on October 1 along the Owerri–Onitsha Road, near Umunoha in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, while travelling in two commercial buses belonging to Uko Akwa Ibom Motors. They were reportedly heading to Abia and Akwa Ibom states.
Families of the victims disclosed that they paid ₦6 million per captive to secure their release, after the kidnappers initially demanded ₦50 million per person. One victim’s mother said the demand was later reduced to ₦15 million before the kidnappers agreed to accept ₦6 million following appeals from the family.
Relatives and well-wishers reportedly contributed money towards the ransom. Some family members also described the emotional and physical toll of the incident, with one mother revealing that she and her daughter had been hospitalised following the ordeal.
The Imo State Police Command, however, maintained that the graduates were rescued through sustained security operations and denied knowledge of any ransom payment. The police had announced their rescue on Wednesday, after which the victims were taken to a Department of State Services hospital in Owerri for medical evaluation.
The Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, also visited the released graduates alongside senior security officials.
However, the NYSC had yet to officially confirm the reported offer allowing the graduates to choose their preferred South-West states as of the time of publication.
The incident has renewed concerns over the safety of corps members travelling long distances for national service. Similar kidnappings in other parts of the country have intensified calls for improved security measures and, in some quarters, the scrapping of the 53-year-old scheme.
Although the Federal Executive Council approved NYSC reforms in June 2026, including risk-sensitive deployment and a technology-driven mobilisation process, questions remain about how effectively the measures will protect young graduates from security threats.
ENUGU — The Enugu State Police Command says it has arrested five male suspects in separate operations across the state and recovered three firearms, six rounds of live ammunition and other exhibits.
The Command disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday, October 8, 2026, by its Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe.
According to the statement, police operatives attached to Inyi Division responded to a distress call about an armed robbery at Umuaor, Umukabia Isiama Awlaw Community, Oji-River Local Government Area, at about 5:10 a.m. on October 7.
One suspect, identified as 26-year-old Arinze Osita Onwuaso, was arrested while other suspects reportedly fled the scene. Police said they recovered a locally made cut-to-size single-barrel gun, two live cartridges, a pry-bar, hammer, scissors and chisel from him.
In a separate operation on October 5, operatives of the Anti-Cultism Section of the Violent Crime Response Unit arrested two suspected cultists, 24-year-old Jonas Adejo, also known as J-Money, and 25-year-old Okoro Innocent, also known as Virus, at Umudioka Community in Nsukka.
Three live rounds of 9mm ammunition were recovered from the suspects. Police said the two men confessed during interrogation to membership of the Supreme Vikings Confraternity.
Meanwhile, on September 25, operatives of Aninri Division, working with members of the Neighborhood Watch Group, raided a suspected criminal hideout at Amagu Mpu Community in Aninri LGA.
The operation led to the arrest of 25-year-old Anichebe Ogbonna, from whom police said one locally made pistol was recovered.
Similarly, on September 18 at about 11:00 p.m., operatives of 9th Mile Division, acting on information and in collaboration with Neighborhood Watch members, arrested 38-year-old Chukwujekwu Chukwuemeka at Ameke-Ngwo, Udi LGA.
He was arrested over alleged involvement in armed robberies in the area. Police said one cut-to-size pump-action gun and one live cartridge were recovered from him.
The Command said investigations into the cases are ongoing and that the suspects would be arraigned in court after the conclusion of investigations.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, commended members of the public for providing information and praised the police operatives for their response to credible intelligence.
He reiterated the Command’s commitment to intelligence-led operations against armed robbery, cultism and other violent crimes, while urging residents to remain vigilant, law-abiding and supportive of security agencies.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
The Awka High Court, on Tuesday, denied bail to the General Overseer of Day Spring Assembly, Mr Harrison Anazodo, who is standing trial over alleged offences relating to his activities as a pastor.
Anazodo had applied for bail on health grounds, but the presiding judge, Justice Jude Obiora, rejected the application, citing concerns over possible interference with witnesses.
The development came as seven persons, believed to be members of the congregation, are expected to testify in the case.
The court adjourned the matter until October 16 for further proceedings.
Speaking shortly after the hearing, State Counsel, Victoria Ekwerekwu, commended the Anambra State Government for its efforts to tackle alleged fraudulent activities by some religious figures.
She said, “We thank Governor Charles Soludo for trying to sanitise our society from pastors who make the younger generation believe that making money without hard work is possible.”
According to her, the prosecution has established a prima facie case against Anazodo, although the state would still be required to prove the allegations beyond reasonable doubt.
“Today, there is a prima facie case against the accused, Mr Harrison Anazodo, though it is left for us to prove it beyond reasonable doubt.
“The court ruled on the bail application and denied him bail because of the witnesses, to ensure that they are not interfered with. The matter was subsequently adjourned until October 16,” she said.
The Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, expressed optimism that the case would be concluded expeditiously, stressing that the ultimate decision rests with the court.
“We have been here since 9am. The court considered the bail application filed by his counsel and, after weighing its merits, the judge ruled that bail should be denied.
“We are looking forward to the quick dispensation of the matter and we assure you that justice will be done and will be seen to have been done,” Mefor said.
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.
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