Crime
Reign Of Terror As Gunmen Takeover Bayelsa, High Court Judge Kidnapped
He was kidnapped in front of a popular eatery known as Kilimanjaro at about 7 p.m. after a struggle.
The judge, according to many legal practitioners in the state, was in the company of two of his daughters to buy a loaf of bread from the eatery before the gunmen struck.
He was described as a confident judge who usually drove himself around town without designated security during off-duty hours. He was also a former State Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association.
Eyewitnesses at the eatery and those across at Ekeki Park confirmed that the abducted judge was trailed to the eatery by the armed men dressed in full police combat regalia with masks covering their faces.
Two of the men were seen alighting from a Nissan Hilux vehicle and tapping on the car window, which was rolled down by the judge, who was on a call with his mobile phone.
One eyewitness said he overheard the men telling the judge, “Our Oga wants to see you,” but the judge responded, “Are you aware I am a judge? Tell your Oga to come and see me here.”
The two armed men were seen walking away from his vehicle and making some calls to an unknown person. They later returned, knocked loudly on the judge’s car, forcefully opened the door, and dragged him out.
The judge, who seemed offended, was seen struggling with the gunmen while passersby watched in awe.
He was eventually forced into the white Nissan Hilux vehicle after much struggle. The incident lasted over 50 minutes.
A military personnel was sighted on the close-circuit camera of the eatery contemplating intervening in the altercation between the judge and the gunmen, “but thought better of it.”
However, a loud gunshot fired into the ground made the decision for him, and he scampered back into the eatery to avoid getting killed.
“I thought they were police or men of the DSS. But they were not carrying that funny (uzzi) rifle like the DSS, neither was their uniform marked ‘Police’. But they wore black on black with bulletproof jackets like the police. After the real police arrived, many people realized those others were kidnappers,” an eyewitness said.
Some staff of the eatery told newsmen that, in the midst of the struggle, the kidnapped judge’s mobile phone and a pouch containing his identity cards, ATM cards, and National ID card fell. Two mobile phones belonging to the kidnappers also fell.
A police source at the Ekeki Divisional Headquarters corroborated the claims, stating that a passerby picked up the judge’s phone and handed it to the police.
Contacted on the development, the spokesman of the Bayelsa State Police Command, Mohammed Musa, confirmed the incident and said the command has started a discreet investigation.
Meanwhile, the Bayelsa State Police Command has confirmed that the killer of the four-year-old boy, Godspower Ebisimiagh, also known as Bobby, is a member of a notorious cult group.
He was reportedly contracted to procure a boy for a charm-related human ritual.
According to the police, although an autopsy has been ordered on the corpse of the deceased boy, a discreet investigation is ongoing to verify the claims that the killer was paid the alleged sum of a million naira to kill the boy.
The suspect, who spoke with journalists in police custody, confirmed that he is 24 years old and a member of the notorious Greenlanders cult gang.
He, however, denied being paid N1 million to kill and bring the boy for cult-related ritual. “I was not paid to bring the boy for ritual,” he said.
On why he murdered the 6-year-old boy and kept the corpse in a sack, Bobby, whose head was wrapped in a heavily blood-stained bandage after a mob tried to lynch him, said he was on drugs when he smashed the boy on the floor and kept the remains in a sack.
“On that fateful day, I took ice (cocaine), and while I was eating with the boy, I stood up and smashed him on the floor,” he said.
A claim one of the senior policemen contradicted, accusing him of lacing the food given to the boy with poison: “If he smashed the boy on the floor, why was there no sign of injury on the body?”
A question Bobby could not answer as at the time our correspondent left the State Police Headquarters.
The State Commissioner of Police, Francis Idu, while speaking with our correspondent, said he allowed media interaction with the suspect to dismiss the claim of a cover-up or that he had died in police custody after the angry mob tried to lynch him.
He confirmed that the police are investigating the allegations of the suspect being contracted to procure a small boy for human sacrifice by his cult group. “We are also conducting an autopsy to know if the food given to the boy was laced with poison.”
He said he has assured gender advocacy groups and the Federation of Women Lawyers, who earlier paid a courtesy visit to the deceased boy’s family, that due diligence would be followed to ensure justice.
Recall that 6-year-old Muhammadu Bilah was allegedly murdered last Tuesday by Godspower Ebisimiagh, also known as Bobby, at the Aritalin area of Ovom in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.
Speaking on insecurity in the state over the last six months, former Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) President, Udengs Eradiri, said over 40 persons had lost their lives to cult-related killings in the last four months.
He called on the State Governor, Sen. Douye Diri—whom he accused of remaining silent since the unholy incidents began—to take decisive action to end the cult war.
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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