Crime
Lagos based Igbo trader stabbed to death by cultists, family slams police
A 27-year-old trader, Ekene Ogbu, has been stabbed to death by suspected cultists in the Ojo area of Lagos State.
The victim reportedly sold phones at the Alaba International Market.
His sister, Irene Daniels, asked him to buy a drink at a location close to their residence on Olusegun Mustafa Street, Igbede New Site, Ojo.
Ogbu was said to be on his way when suspected cultists, identified as Bonaventure, T-Cash, Sugar, Bona, Choco, among others, accosted him.
Speaking to our correspondent, Daniels said she was pleading with the hoodlums to release her brother when Bonaventure allegedly stabbed him in the neck.
She said, “Around 11am on April 10, 2022, I asked Ekene (Ogbu) to buy a soft drink for me at a shop close to my house. After some seconds, a man forced his way into our compound and started shouting that Ekene would be killed. He also said he would set the house ablaze.
“I quickly confronted him to know the reason for his outburst, but he pushed me away. I ran after him and pleaded with him to leave my brother, but when I got outside, I saw that five cultists had held Ekene down.
“I was still pleading with them when one of them, known as Bonaventure, broke a bottle and stabbed my brother’s neck. He wanted to also stab me, but I dodged it and shouted for help. The suspects ran away, but I noticed one of them entering the house of a man, identified as Yinka.
“I rushed Ekene to the Oscar Hospital in my area, where he died. My landlord reported the case at the Ajangbadi Police Station and one of the policemen took Ekene’s corpse to a mortuary in Badagry.”
Daniels said she thought the police would immediately make arrests, but nothing was done.
The married woman noted that her brother-in-law later petitioned the Police Intelligence Response Team, Ikeja, when the investigation was being delayed.
She said, “They requested money before starting the investigation and after I paid, they arrested Yinka and one Darlington, but they were later released on bail. I learnt that my brother was killed out of envy.
“The case was later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, because policemen at the Ajangbadi division were reluctant to perform their duty for about a month.
“The police collected a lot of money from us, pretending that they would transfer the suspects to Abuja without telling us that they had released them. We want justice for my brother; he did not do anything wrong to them and he was not a cultist.”
The family’s lawyer, Margaret Iwuchukwu-Wilcox, while demanding justice for Ogbu, accused Yinka of orchestrating the events that led to the death.
She said, “After Yinka was released, he started announcing to people that he spent N3m to bail himself out of the police station. The police arrested some of the suspected cult members. The police interrogated them to determine the reason for the criminal act which late Ekene’s family is interested. We have not been informed that he was involved in any criminal act or if he was a member of their cult.
“Inasmuch as the police have tried their best to arrest some of the cult members, we want them to order Inspector Taiwo Adekunle to produce the two prime suspects, Yinka and Darlington, who were released on bail, so that they will be charged to court.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said the police at the Ajangbadi division denied knowledge of the incident.
He said, “I called the Divisional Police Officer of Ajangbadi Police Station, SP Hamisu Magaji, and he said there was no official report about the case of the man that was stabbed to death by cultists at Ajangbadi.”
PUNCH
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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