Crime
Kidnapping: Wike fiddles with Rivers politics while Abuja burns
A few years ago, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, was perceived as the safest city anyone could wish to live in. The headquarters of all the security establishments are located in the seat of power and this confers an aura of invincibility on the city and also gives the residents a sense of peace and safety.
However, the situation has deteriorated in the last five years with all manners of criminality pervading the once idyllic boulevards of the city. Robberies, kidnappings, car-snatching and even murders are now commonplace. Strolling on the streets by any resident is now considered a big risk.
Residents who expected the situation to improve with the appointment of the former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, as the FCT minister are struggling to come to terms with the worsening security situation in the nation’s seat of power.
Not only has the security crisis worsened, but bandits have reportedly moved their camps to the surrounding forests and are abducting the residents from their homes. Abductors confidently demand millions in ransom while running rings around the security agencies.
The FCT Police Command in a recent statement acknowledged the rising abductions but disagreed with the number of reported victims.
Meanwhile, Wike appears to have been distracted by his ongoing squabble with his successor in Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara. While the minister is fighting tooth and nail over the Rivers State ‘’political structure’’ he claimed to have built, bandits, kidnappers, one-chance robbers, and other hoodlums are cashing out big from their criminal enterprise in Abuja.
Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project indicate that 83 persons were killed and 146 individuals kidnapped between June and December 2023 in the country.
ACLED collects real-time data on the locations, dates, actors, fatalities, and types of all reported political violence and protests around the world.
The latest incident is the abduction of six sisters and their father in the Bwari Area Council of the FCT by bandits on January 13, 2024. The killing of Nabeeha Al-Kadriyar, one of the girls, has generated anger among Nigerians. The sisters were among the 23 others abducted by the bandits who reportedly killed a policeman and injured another one during the attack.
One Folorunsho Ariyo was killed alongside Nabeeha by the hoodlums and their corpses and two other unidentified bodies were reportedly dumped around a former military checkpoint behind Idah Junction along the Bwari-Jere SCC Road in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The gunmen had released the girls’ father with an instruction to raise N60m ransom before January 12. Two days later, the hoodlums killed Nabeeha, the eldest of the siblings, and two other victims.
They also jacked up the ransom to N100m after the bereaved father of the murdered girl informed them they were able to raise about N30m. Nabeeha, who was murdered in cold blood, was a 400-level student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
While Nabeeha was not lucky, many others who survived their ordeal in the camp of their abductors would not forget the trauma they went true. On January 7, at about 7:30pm, about 11 persons, including a mother and four children, were kidnapped in the Sagwari Estate Layout, in the Dutse-Alhaji axis of the FCT by gunmen reportedly dressed in military uniforms. The kidnappers were said to have raided two compounds and a hotel where they snatched the receptionist and the barman.
On December 18, 2023, gunmen kidnapped a Nigerian musician, Adeyinka Adeboye, also known as Boyebest, and his crew members, after a performance, demanding a ransom of N10mn each for their release. Also, the President of the Abuja Newspaper Distributors’ Association, John Emmanuel, was kidnapped in a ‘one-chance’ vehicle in the Giri area on December 12. His family and associates coughed out some millions of naira to secure his release.
The dare-devil bandits similarly attacked the Zone 5 segment of the Kubwa Extension 2 Relocation Estate along Arab Road on December 10 where they abducted a woman and her three children, including a six-month-old baby, after shooting indiscriminately, causing pandemonium in the area. Four days earlier, unknown gunmen snatched two landlords in the Asokoro Extension area, demanding N20m ransom for their victims.
In its December 2023 Nigeria Security Report, Beacon Intel, a publication of Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited, said the FCT recorded the highest number of kidnaps in the North-Central region, with 75 people taken hostage.
Commenting on the latest incident, the Nigeria Police Force, through its official X handle, @PoliceNG, said it was “diligently coordinating efforts” to apprehend the kidnappers and rescue the victims.
A statement by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, read, “In the wake of the abduction of six young girls in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, it is vital to state that the police force has already initiated a comprehensive plan of action. The force headquarters is diligently coordinating efforts to address this and prevent any further occurrence, as all hands are on deck to rescue the victims.
“The NPF is actively engaging and contacting individuals crucial to the rescue operations and investigation. The objective is not only to bring perpetrators to justice but also to intensify efforts in rescue operations for victims still in captivity.”
Reacting to the killing of Nabeeha in a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday night, former Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Pantami, said he had spoken with the father of Nabeeha over the other kidnapped girls.
“Inna lil Laahi wa inna ilaiHi Raajiun! I just read about the killing of our daughter Nabeeha (400 level, ABU). I also spoke with her father about the remaining five of our kidnapped daughters. May Allah forgive her, rescue others & bring absolute peace to Nigeria,” he said.
He disclosed that his associate offered to pay N50mn to facilitate the release of the girls.
In another X post, Pantami said, “I am personally not in support of paying ransom to criminals. However, since it became clear, that we lost our daughter Nabeeha yesterday (Saturday), and the five remaining daughters have been threatened, as I spoke with the father on the matter yesterday and today.
“Furthermore, I spoke with a friend and a brother who offered to pay the remaining 50 million Naira of the 60m immediately.”
He lamented the failure of the security agencies to crack down on criminals through the various digital and technological equipment and facilities acquired by the government.
Meanwhile, outraged Nigerians have condemned the insecurity in Abuja and the failure of the authorities to justify their appointments. They also expressed their intention to support the family in raising the ransom.
Former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, on his official X handle, said the country’s security architecture should be rejigged while calling for security agencies to step up actions to rescue the other victims.
“This is yet another reminder that kidnappers and bandits are operating unhindered in our country. The security architecture needs to be rejigged to the extent that it stems from the free rein of criminal elements and guarantees the safety of lives and property.
“The security agencies should step up action to rescue the rest who are still in the custody of the kidnappers. I pray Allah to grant the deceased eternal rest and comfort the family. -AA #Nabeehaandhersisters”, his tweet read.
Former lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sanni, also lent his voice to the issue in a post on his X handle @ShehuSani, stating, “The gruesome murder of Nabeeha Al-kadriyar is a condemnable act of evil before our very eyes. Her death was an avoidable tragedy.
“The perpetrators must be brought to justice. The deterioration of security within the Federal Capital should be a matter of urgent concern to our security services. May her soul rest in peace. Amin.”
In the wake of Nabeeha’s death, outraged netizens have lambasted the government over the recurrent abductions in the FCT.
An X user, @Ethereal_ilo, condemned the government’s swiftness in finding accounts that supported the #Endsars protests and its failure to track down the kidnappers.
“FG sniffed out accounts that donated to #EndSARS. They tracked phone numbers and addresses. But they can’t find the people who kidnapped the #Nabeehahandhersisters.”
The FCT Director of Security, Adamu Gwary, could not be reached for comment on the measures put in place to address the escalating security incidents.
But speaking on the development, the Managing Director, Beacon Security, Dr Kabir Adamu, noted that the FCT security department had failed to put in place efficient and effective security management systems.
“In simple terms, the FCTA, especially its security department and the FCT security committee, has not put in place an effective and efficient security management system that is a combination of people, technology, and systems with the ability for proactive and reactive security including the elements to deter, detect and to delay threat actors.
“The other elements are the ability to respond, review and recover. These six elements have several components that failed when my consultancy did a desktop audit to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the security management system in place in the FCT at the moment,” Adamu said.
“To properly understand the context of my statement, it is important to situate the FCT, Abuja. It shares boundaries with four states that are all security-challenged. These are Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States.
“All have threat elements including varied forms of non-state armed groups that have the capacity to use the forested and mountainous paths in the border communities of the FCT to these states to come in and attack innocent residents and escape back through the same routes,” he added.
Source: PUNCH
This is as the agency said terrorist financiers were opening bank accounts in women’s names as well as using phone numbers for mobile banking or account alerts that are not registered to the account holder or the true beneficiary.
The disclosures are contained in the NFIU’s 2025 Annual Report, obtained by The PUNCH from a top official.
According to the report, the crowdfunding scheme involves foreign-based facilitators using social media platforms to solicit donations under the guise of humanitarian relief or educational support, before moving the funds through multiple layers to terrorist operatives in Nigeria.
The NFIU said hundreds of sympathisers were typically encouraged to make relatively small donations, ranging from $50 to $500, through PayPal pages or conventional bank accounts, with the amounts deliberately kept low enough to evade automated anti-money laundering alerts.
“The following is a case study on Crowdfunding Network identified during the year: A foreign-based facilitator runs social-media campaigns claiming humanitarian relief or educational support and uses encrypted apps (Telegram, Signal) to share links to convincing PayPal pages or standard bank accounts.
“Hundreds of sympathiser donors contribute $50–$500 each, amounts small enough to avoid most automated AML alerts,” the report read.
The funds are subsequently pooled into a “master account” controlled by a senior member of the group living legally abroad.
“When the pool reaches a threshold, that account becomes the hub for onward movement,” the report stated.
The NFIU said the funds were then fragmented into dozens of smaller payments and transferred through International Money Transfer Operators and remittance applications to a network of money mules in Nigeria.
It identified students, small-business owners and relatives among those used as mules, noting that the strategy was designed to avoid reporting thresholds and obscure the origin and destination of the funds.
“Rather than sending one large transfer, the senior member fractures the funds and sends dozens of sub-threshold payments through IMTOs and remittance apps to a network of money mules in Nigeria; students, small-business owners, or relatives, avoiding reporting triggers.
“Upon receipt, the money was either converted to cash, used to purchase dual-use items such as motorcycles, fertilisers and satellite internet equipment, or transferred through mobile banking channels to logistics managers and field operatives,” it added.
The report described the final stage as the “integration” of the funds into terrorist operational financing.
The Unit also identified the use of gender-based proxy accounts as another emerging terrorist financing technique, with terrorists opening bank accounts in women’s names while male commanders or logistics managers secretly control them.
“Terrorist financiers are opening bank accounts in women’s names while male commanders and logistics managers secretly control them.
“They exploit cultural norms that make women less likely to be suspected by authorities, using wives, sisters, or female associates as fronts to distance illicit funds from the true operatives.
“This tactic functions as identity laundering: women’s accounts are managed by men who hold ATM cards, mobile-banking credentials, and PINs, while the women often remain unaware of the transactions and volumes,” the report stated.
The report further revealed that terrorist facilitators were using telephone numbers that were not registered to the account holders or actual beneficiaries for mobile banking and transaction alerts.
It said pre-registered SIM cards, numbers registered to deceased persons and SIMs linked to gender-based proxies were being used to break the connection between bank accounts, SIM cards and Bank Verification Numbers.
“Terrorist facilitators use phone numbers for mobile banking or account alerts that are not registered to the account holder or the true beneficiary.
“They bypass the security link between SIM cards and BVNs by using pre-registered SIMs, SIMs registered to deceased people, or SIMs tied to gender-based proxies. This severs the audit trail: when a transaction is flagged, investigators trace the phone to an unrelated person, letting the real facilitator stay anonymous and continue operations,” it stated.
The NFIU also uncovered sophisticated methods of disguising terrorist transactions through detailed or coded narrations.
It said cells, particularly those linked to the Islamic State West Africa Province, used precise transaction descriptions to maintain what analysts described as an internal accounting system.
According to the report, frequent logistics-related payments with detailed narrations were often sent from a single source to multiple recipients, reflecting a structured financial system within the terrorist network.
“Terrorist cells, particularly those linked to ISWAP, routinely use precise, professional-sounding transaction narrations to maintain internal accounting. Operating like “shadow states” with strict bureaucratic controls, they require detailed descriptions so field commanders can justify expenses to central financial controllers. Although truthful narrations appear counterintuitive, they create an internal audit trail; analysts repeatedly observe high-frequency, logistics-related payments with accurate narrations sent from a single source to multiple recipients,” the report said.
However, the NFIU said some facilitators used innocuous words, secret codes and alphanumeric strings in transaction descriptions, sometimes switching between languages, to conceal the purpose of payments and evade automated bank filters.
“Transaction descriptions employ innocuous words, secret codes, or alphanumeric strings to conceal intent. Facilitators use this coded language, often switching languages to evade banks’ automated keyword filters that flag terms like ‘Jihad,’ ‘Arms,’ or ‘Boko.’
“This practice obscures the true purpose of transfers, preventing detection and enabling continued financing,” it said.
The NFIU said its risk and crime analysis during the year identified an increasingly interconnected threat landscape involving financial crime, technology and cross-border activity.
It noted that fraud remained a dominant predicate offence, with growing cases of Ponzi schemes, fraudulent crowdfunding arrangements, cryptocurrency-enabled investment scams and hacking-related fraud.
The Unit said the schemes increasingly exploited fintech onboarding gaps, including tiered accounts requiring minimal identification, while digital platforms were used to rapidly recruit victims and move funds.
The report also highlighted persistent vulnerabilities in public sector financial management, including the diversion of state and local government funds through accounts belonging to finance officers and associated third parties.
It identified procurement processes and cash transactions as significant risk areas, saying the latter complicated audit trails and efforts to trace illicit assets.
The NFIU said its findings were translated into targeted advisories, executive alerts and strategic intelligence products to support competent authorities, reporting entities and policy responses.
Six suspected members of a gang of gunmen terrorising Amiyi Community and neighbouring towns in Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State have been killed by a joint security task force.
The gunmen met their end after security operatives, acting on intelligence gathered over several days, tracked them to their camp around the River Niger creek.
The operation involved personnel of the Nigeria Police Force Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu; Department of State Services (DSS); 302 Artillery Regiment, Onitsha; Nigerian Navy personnel from Ogbaru; and Agunachamba operatives from the community.
The security team trekked for about four hours through difficult terrain and dense palm forest before reaching the suspected criminal camp.
On sighting the operatives, the gunmen opened fire, triggering a prolonged gun battle.
At the end of the encounter, six suspected members of the group were neutralised, while others fled, some reportedly with gunshot wounds.
Two pump-action guns and charms were recovered from the camps, while structures believed to have been used by the gang were subsequently dismantled.
However, the operation came at a cost, as one security operative was killed and another injured after an explosive device suspected to have been planted in the area detonated.
The injured operative is receiving treatment in a hospital.
The Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, commended the security personnel and community-based operatives for their courage and resilience, describing the operation as a demonstration of the importance of intelligence sharing, inter-agency cooperation and community support in tackling violent crime.
He commiserated with the family and colleagues of the fallen operative and wished the injured officer a speedy recovery.
The Commissioner assured residents that security agencies would sustain intelligence-led operations to dismantle criminal camps, recover illegal weapons and prevent armed groups from establishing operational bases across Anambra State.
Operatives of the Enugu State Police Command have rescued three victims of abduction and recovered their Lexus RX350, two locally made firearms and ammunition following a hot pursuit of suspected kidnappers in Enugu.
The operation was carried out by operatives of the Anti-Cultism Sub-Unit of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU), with support from members of the Neighbourhood Watch Group and local residents.
According to a statement by the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, the operation followed credible intelligence received at about 1:30 a.m. on August 18, 2026, while the operatives were conducting crime-prevention patrols along the Port Harcourt Expressway.
The information concerned the carjacking and abduction of occupants of a Lexus RX350 by armed hoodlums in the Independence Layout area of Enugu.
The operatives immediately launched a hot pursuit which led to Hillview Road, Independence Layout, where the suspects abandoned the vehicle and firearms before fleeing into the area.
The three victims were subsequently rescued unharmed and taken to safety with the assistance of Neighbourhood Watch members and other residents.
Police said they recovered one locally fabricated Beretta-like pistol loaded with five rounds of 9mm live ammunition, one locally made cut-to-size firearm and one live cartridge.
Other items recovered were a pair of hand gloves, a ski mask and a mobile phone.
The Command said investigation had been intensified and a manhunt launched for the fleeing suspects, with efforts ongoing to identify and apprehend them, recover additional exhibits and establish their involvement in the crime.
The Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, commended the police operatives, Neighbourhood Watch members and residents for their swift and coordinated response.
Giwa reiterated the Command’s commitment to intelligence-led and community-supported operations against kidnapping, armed robbery, car snatching and other violent crimes.
He also urged residents to remain vigilant and provide the police with timely and credible information that could assist in preventing and solving crimes.
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) has arrested a suspect for allegedly swindling 16 job seekers within Enugu metropolis.
The Commandant of NSCDC Enugu State Command, Dr Elijah Willie, disclosed this while briefing journalists on the arrest and investigation on Monday.
Willie said that the suspect collected a total of N6,139,000 from the ignorant and unsuspecting job seekers.
He said that the suspect, Mrs Serah Onyemerela, had been evading arrest by many security agencies until a resourceful officer of the command tracked her down and brought her to the Command.
The Commandant said that the suspect collected the sum of N306,000 from each of the 16 job seekers in the alleged job racketeering or job scam,which totalled N6,139,000.
“On August 12 and 18, 2026, Mrs Love Nnenna Onyema and Mrs Chidimma Ubah, the complainants, reported that Mrs Serah Uchechukwu Onyemerela, the suspect, defrauded them of N770,000 and N424,500 respectively.
“This amount to a total of N1,194,500 from both. However, the ones collected among the remaining people that made up the 16 job seekers at N306,000 each totalled N6,139,000.
“The suspect allegedly promised to assist the complainants in securing employment at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH).
“However, there is evidence indicating a lack of genuine intent, as there are no current job vacancies available, and the suspect has failed to refund the amounts as promised,” he said.
Willie said that on Aug. 17, 2026, the suspect was summoned, tracked and subsequently detained due to her inability to fulfil the conditions of an administrative bail application facilitated by the NSCDC Enugu State Command.
“The suspect has since confessed to the charges of job fraud and obtaining money under false pretences.
“The funds were transferred to a personnel account linked to Mrs Onyemerela Serah Uchechukwu,” he said.
The Commandant also warned job seekers and people seeking for help in any form to ensure no one places them in a condition to pay first before rendering a help.
Willie called on Nigerians, enlightened or not, to see the red flag that any help being offered even in prayer houses and money payment comes before the job or help is “total fraud”.
He said, “Our people should get wise like people in advance world and stop falling prey to swindlers and wicked people who are bent on taking the little they have from them.
“However, the NSCDC has a mandate to take away these unscrupulous elements out of the society for Nigerians to experience peace as well as the trust and bond in the society continue.”
The suspect would be handed over to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) soon as the NSCDC conclude its preliminary investigations on the matter.
A police inspector has been killed and another officer seriously injured after gunmen allegedly ambushed a joint security team in Jigawa State.
The incident occurred on Saturday, August 22, 2026, after security personnel responded to reports of farmland destruction in Gwaram Local Government Area.
According to a security report obtained by Zagazola Makama, the attack took place at about 3pm in a forested area.
The joint team comprised personnel from Gwaram and Fagam police divisions, the 35 Police Mobile Force and local security outfits. Members of the Vigilance and Community Response Unit (VCRU) and Operation Salama also participated in the operation.
The report said the team had been patrolling the area following recurring complaints involving suspected herders and farmland destruction.
The personnel reportedly came under attack after entering the area, with the assailants said to have used arrows.
Inspector Bukar Wakili, attached to Gwaram Division, was reportedly struck in the face and sustained serious injuries.
Another officer, Inspector Mohammed Shafiu of the VCRU in Dutse, was also injured during the incident.
Both officers were taken to a hospital, where Shafiu was confirmed dead, according to the report.
Bukar was later referred to the Malam Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital for further medical treatment.
The identities and affiliation of the attackers have not been independently confirmed, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Additional tactical teams were subsequently deployed to reinforce the security personnel and support efforts to identify those responsible.
Police have opened an investigation into the incident and maintained a security presence in the affected area.
The attack comes amid recurring disputes involving farmers and herders in parts of northern Nigeria, where disagreements over farmland and grazing routes can sometimes escalate into violence.
-
Politics4 days agoAwkunanaw Clan gives ‘Ofo’ to their son, Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa, the NDC 2027 Enugu state Guber candidate
-
Politics5 days agoHon. Chief Kevin Tobias Chukwu: Bringing Enterprise, Experience and Grassroots Leadership to Ezza South/Ikwo
-
News4 days agoPlane crash kills eight at US Air Force site in Alaska
-
News4 days agoUN security council holds second poll to select next secretary-general
-
News4 days agoAFRAA admits Enugu Air, Strengthens National Domestic Aviation Growth
-
News5 days agoFG Says It Won’t Publish Details of $5bn First Abu Dhabi Bank Loan
-
Foreign4 days agoUK: 11 Drug Couriers Convicted Over £13.8m Cannabis Smuggling Plot Through Birmingham Airport
-
Crime4 days ago
Anambra Police Arrest Four Over Alleged Murder of 56-Year-Old Man in Awkuzu