Crime
Teacher Arrested for Allegedly Killing 16-Year-Old WAEC Candidate, Spending Ransom on Betting
A 30-year-old private school teacher, Nathaniel Baiyegun, has been arrested for allegedly kidnapping and killing a 16-year-old West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) candidate, Florence, said to be his former student.
Police sources disclosed that the suspect allegedly lured the teenager under the pretext of attending an academic coaching class before abducting her and later demanding a ransom from her family.
According to the source, Baiyegun allegedly contacted the victim about a year after she left his former school and attempted to pressure her into a relationship with his friend, identified simply as Sola.
The suspect was said to have kept the teenager in an uncompleted building, where he allegedly administered an overdose of D5 sleeping tablets. He later claimed the killing was accidental.
Investigators further revealed that Baiyegun allegedly engaged in internet fraud activities and had reportedly requested nude photographs from the deceased, which she allegedly sent through her mobile phone.
Police said the suspect dumped the victim’s body in a river in Ogijo after believing she had died.
In a confessional statement obtained on Friday, Baiyegun admitted knowing the deceased closely but denied having any romantic relationship with her.
“I am a teacher at a private school in Ogijo, and she was one of the students in my former school. She was not one of my direct students because she was in the humanities while I teach only science students,” he reportedly stated.
He explained that their relationship became strained after the victim allegedly involved him in a lie told to their former principal, leading him to cut off communication with her.
The suspect said they reconnected on April 7 while he was filming content for his Instagram page. According to him, Florence informed him that she intended to rewrite her WASSCE after failing Mathematics and English in her previous examination.
Baiyegun said he later introduced her to his WAEC and JAMB coaching classes and subsequently invited her to his new school on April 8, where he introduced her to his friend, Sola.
He alleged that after Sola demanded sex from the teenager and she declined, she later requested transport fare from him, but he had no money.
The suspect confessed that they then planned a fake kidnapping scheme aimed at extorting money from her family.
“I took her to an uncompleted building at the back of our school and used her phone to negotiate a ransom of N3 million from her father,” he reportedly confessed.
He added that after the victim complained of being unable to sleep in the building, he gave her four doses of D5 sleeping tablets before leaving for a burial ceremony.
“When I returned on April 11, I discovered she was gasping for breath. I quickly stopped a bike and took her to a river in the MTN area and dumped her body there,” he said.
Baiyegun further admitted that the victim’s father later paid N500,000 ransom after he falsely promised that the teenager would be released.
“I spent almost all the money on online sports betting, and I regret it now,” he added.
Reacting to the incident, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, CSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, commended the Anti-Kidnapping Unit for the successful operation that led to the suspect’s arrest and recovery of incriminating exhibits.
He also praised the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, and the Ogun State Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, for their support and strategic leadership in tackling violent crimes in the state.
Babaseyi assured residents that efforts were ongoing to dismantle criminal syndicates across Ogun State while urging the public to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies.
In a statement issued on May 22, 2026, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the officer connected with the tragic incident had been identified and taken into custody, while a full investigation has commenced.
According to the statement, “The Police Officer allegedly connected with the unfortunate incident that resulted in the death of a three-month old baby at Okija has been identified and taken into custody.”
The Command stated that it had launched “a full-scale investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident to ascertain the facts and ensure that justice is served.”
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Ikioye Orutugu, expressed sadness over the incident and sympathised with the bereaved family.
While condoling with the family of the deceased child, the police commissioner assured residents that the Command would handle the matter with professionalism and transparency.
“The Command will remain transparent and professional in handling the matter,” the statement added.
Police authorities further disclosed that the officer involved is currently undergoing interrogation alongside other disciplinary and administrative procedures in line with the regulations of the Nigeria Police Force.
The Command also appealed to members of the public to remain calm and avoid actions capable of escalating tensions, assuring that anyone found culpable would face justice.
It added that further updates on the outcome of the investigation would be communicated in due course.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has dismantled a transnational methamphetamine production syndicate jointly operated by a Nigerian drug cartel and Mexican collaborators, leading to the arrest of 10 suspects.
Also, illicit drugs and chemicals valued at over N480bn were recovered during the operation.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), disclosed this on Wednesday during a media briefing at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
Marwa said the operation, carried out by operatives of the agency’s Special Operations Unit, led to the discovery and shutdown of what he described as the biggest clandestine methamphetamine laboratory ever uncovered in Nigeria.
According to him, the laboratory was hidden in Abidagba forest in Ijebu East Local Government Area of Ogun State and was being operated by the Anochili Innocent Drug Trafficking Organisation.
He said the coordinated operation was conducted simultaneously in Ogun and Lagos states on Saturday, May 16, 2026, following months of intelligence gathering.
Marwa said, “Through a clinical, simultaneous operation executed by the elite operatives of our Special Operations Unit, we have successfully dismantled a sophisticated, transnational methamphetamine production syndicate run jointly by a Nigerian drug cartel and their Mexican counterparts.
“This network did not just traffic drugs; they were actively manufacturing industrial-scale quantities of highly lethal illicit substances right on our soil.”
He disclosed that seven members of the cartel were arrested at the forest laboratory, including three Mexican nationals allegedly brought into Nigeria to produce methamphetamine.
Marwa said the arrested Mexicans were identified as Martinez Felix Nemecto, 46; Jesus López Valles, 40; and Torrero Juan Carlos, 51.
According to him, Nigerian suspects apprehended at the site included Nwankwo Sunday Christian, 41; Igwe Abuchi Remijus, 42; Ifeanyichukwu Chibuike Joshua, 23; and Egwuonwu Uchenna Victor, 38.
Marwa added that another tactical team arrested the alleged kingpin of the cartel, Anochili Innocent, at his residence located at No. 8 Tafawa Balewa Street, Golf Estate, Lakowe, Lekki, Lagos.
According to him, a search of the residence led to the recovery of the passports and mobile phones of the arrested Mexican nationals, linking the suspect directly to their importation and activities in Nigeria.
He said the total number of suspects arrested in connection with the syndicate had risen to 10, comprising the alleged baron, three Mexican nationals, and six Nigerian collaborators.
Marwa stated that the operation led to the recovery of 2,419.48 kilograms of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals.
“The operation yielded a massive 2,419.48 kilograms of chemical materials, including highly toxic, volatile, and crystallised methamphetamine worth $362,922,000 in the international market. This translates to over N480bn,” he said.
“Also recovered from the cartel include: a Toyota Tacoma vehicle used for operations at the clandestine meth laboratory, and a Toyota Highlander seized from the kingpin’s residence.
“To put this in perspective, the 2,419.48 kilograms of finished and liquid methamphetamine seized represents millions of street doses that would have flooded our local communities and international markets, causing untold destruction, psychosis, and violence,” he said.
Marwa warned that the NDLEA would continue to target drug cartels and their collaborators across the country.
“We are fully aware of the shifting tactics of these cartels, including the disturbing trend of hiring South American cartel specialists to set up production factories in our rural communities,” he said.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities in their communities, noting that the clandestine laboratory in Ogun operated under the cover of a regular farm.
This is came days after the operatives of the NNDLEA, Edo State Command, destroyed two cannabis farms in Ago Forest, Orhionmwon Local Government Area of the state.
The state commander, Mitchell Ofoyeju, in a statement on Monday, said the cannabis plantations had a yield of 1,388.42kg.
He added that four suspected drug traffickers were also arrested in the past one week.
The schools attacked were Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and L.A. Primary School.
Tension is reportedly rising in the state following the incident.
Security agencies are also said to have surrounded the possible escape routes of the assailants after they fled into a nearby forest reserve bordering Oriire communities and the Old Oyo National Park axis.
A teacher at Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Elizabeth Olagoke, told one of our correspondents that the kidnappers spoke Yoruba, Hausa, and Pidgin English.
She said, “The terrorists came around 8am. We had all started the morning session. They came on six motorcycles, and there were two passengers on each bike.
“I heard them saying, ‘E ya wolé’ (come in). They started shooting sporadically, and there was pandemonium. The terrorists were speaking Yoruba, Hausa, and Pidgin English.
“They were all masked and dressed in camouflage, and they were young men. They came from the Esinele area. They operated for about seven minutes.
“They entered my classroom first and seized me and a two-year-old girl I was carrying. I pleaded with them, and one of them said they should let me go.
“I started running, and some of them even chased after me. I had about 20 children in my kindergarten class. The schoolchildren are from three communities: Yawota, Esinele, and Alausa. The abducted schoolchildren are: eight from Yawota, 20 from Esinele, and five from Alausa. They also kidnapped a teacher. In all, they abducted about 48 persons.
“The terrorists stole my husband’s motorcycle, which he had parked at my school. They also killed a motorcyclist and snatched his bike. The total number of motorcycles stolen in Yawota is three. They took away the schoolchildren on motorcycles. It was a terrifying situation. I am yet to recover from the shock.”
The traditional ruler of the community, the Eleshi Ele of Esiele, Oba Tajudeen Abioye, said 45 pupils were abducted.
Oba Abioye noted that efforts were ongoing to rescue them.
A former lawmaker representing Oriire Constituency, Bamigboye Abidoye, who visited the community, said 36 pupils were abducted from Baptist Nursery and Primary School alone.
“About five teachers were also abducted from the secondary school,” he added.
Three suspects had been arrested in connection with the incident.
A senior security operative involved in the investigation explained that the suspects were caught on Friday in Esiele and were transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department.
“Investigation is ongoing, and the public is assured that the schoolchildren and the principal will be rescued unhurt,” he added.
The Anambra State Command of the Nigeria Police Force has recorded major breakthroughs in its ongoing crackdown on violent crimes, rescuing kidnapped victims, recovering heavy weapons, arresting suspected cultists, and dismantling an alleged child-trafficking network across the state.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ikioye Orutugu, said the Command had intensified intelligence-led operations against kidnapping, cultism, armed violence, sexual offences, and child trafficking.
According to him, one of the biggest breakthroughs came on May 10, 2026, when police operatives rescued four kidnapped victims, including the Chief Medical Director of Crown Hospital, three days after they were abducted.
Orutugu disclosed that the rescue followed a fierce gun battle between police operatives and suspected kidnappers at their hideout in Obosi.
“In the course of the operation, two armed suspects were neutralised, while operatives recovered one locally made pistol, 100 rounds of live GPMG ammunition, 23 expended rounds, and three vehicles, including a silver Lexus RX 350 belonging to one of the rescued victims,” he said.
The police commissioner, however, revealed that a police officer lost his life during the exchange of gunfire, while two others sustained injuries.
“The officer paid the supreme sacrifice in active service to the nation. The Command honours his courage, gallantry, and dedication to duty,” Orutugu stated, while commending the Anambra State Government for pledging support for the deceased officer’s family and treatment of the injured personnel.
He added that the building where the victims were rescued had been cordoned off after angry residents attempted to set it ablaze.
The police boss also disclosed that operatives carried out strategic clearance operations in Owerre-Ezukala, targeting criminal camps linked to a proscribed secessionist group.
According to him, one suspect identified as Nnamdi Nkemdilim Ogbonna, said to be a top commander of the group, is already in custody.
He said the operation led to the recovery of a General Purpose Machine Gun with about 2,000 rounds of live ammunition, two fabricated rocket launchers with 25 propellers, 10 Improvised Explosive Devices, one locally made Beretta pistol, two pump-action guns, three hand grenades, and other dangerous items.
“The operatives also dislodged the armed criminals and sustained operational dominance in the area to prevent any regrouping,” he said.
In another operation, police operatives arrested a suspected cultist identified as Favour Izunna, alleged to be a member of the Vikings Confraternity.
The police said the suspect led operatives to the recovery of a pump-action gun, seven live cartridges, a locally made Beretta pistol, and five rounds of live ammunition.
Orutugu said the suspect allegedly confessed to participating in multiple killings in Obosi and surrounding communities, including the murder of two victims identified as Emeka Chukwuka and Chinelo Onyeka.
The commissioner added that efforts were ongoing to arrest other fleeing gang members linked to the cult group.
On crimes involving children and vulnerable persons, the police commissioner revealed that five suspects had been remanded over alleged sexual offences and child abuse cases in Awka.
Among them, he said, was a father accused of having unlawful sexual relations with his biological daughter in Oko.
“The Command views crimes against children and vulnerable persons as grave violations and assures the public that all cases involving sexual abuse, violence against children, and related offences will be thoroughly investigated and diligently prosecuted,” he said.
The Command also announced the arrest of a female suspect identified as Chinazo Winners Anyasirikwu over alleged child-trafficking activities in Aguata.
According to the police, 12 children — seven girls and five boys aged between one and 20 years — were rescued during the operation.
“The children have been placed under protective care while investigations continue to uncover the full network and possible collaborators connected to the criminal act,” Orutugu stated.
Reaffirming the Command’s resolve to sustain ongoing offensives against criminal elements, the commissioner urged residents to remain vigilant and continue supporting security agencies with credible information.
“We shall continue to strengthen security, uphold justice, and make Anambra State increasingly hostile to criminals,” he added.
The Management of Eastland Electricity Distribution Limited has announced the successful prosecution and conviction of a transformer vandal in Ebonyi State, describing the judgment as a major breakthrough in the fight against vandalism of electricity infrastructure.
The development was disclosed to journalists in Abakaliki on Wednesday by the Head of Communications of EEDL, Mrs. Patience Ezeagu.
According to her, on May 6, 2026, a High Court sitting in Afikpo convicted one Ikechukwu Osondu for vandalising a public electricity transformer within the Afikpo area of the state.
The court found the defendant guilty under the Ebonyi State Miscellaneous Offences Law, 2018, and sentenced him to five years imprisonment without the option of fine.
Mrs. Ezeagu explained that the arrest of the suspect followed credible intelligence and the collaborative efforts of community vigilante members and security agencies, while the company’s legal team diligently pursued the matter to a successful conclusion.
“This conviction serves as a strong warning to individuals involved in vandalising electricity installations. Electricity infrastructure remains a critical national asset meant to serve communities and support economic activities. Anyone who destroys such facilities directly harms customers and slows development,” she said.
She recalled that earlier this year, EEDL raised concerns over the increasing wave of substation vandalism across Ebonyi State, which resulted in power outages and significant financial losses.
According to her, EEDL entered Ebonyi State to foster development through improved electricity supply, support businesses, and enhance the quality of life of residents. She, however, warned that these objectives may not be fully realised if vandalism continues unabated.
“We are committed to improving power supply and expanding our network, but continuous vandalism undermines these efforts. We will therefore sustain collaboration with security agencies, community leaders, and other stakeholders to ensure offenders are arrested and prosecuted,” she stated.
The company further appealed to community leaders, youth groups, neighbourhood watch organisations, and residents to take ownership of electricity installations serving their communities by remaining vigilant and promptly reporting suspicious activities around transformers and other power facilities.
EEDL reassured customers of its commitment to improved service delivery and vowed that anyone found vandalising power infrastructure would face the full weight of the law.
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