Crime
Witness narrates how Gen Alkali was murdered in Jos 5 years ago
Muhammed (rtd) who was assigned by the Nigerian Army to conduct search and rescue operation after General Idris Alkali was declared missing in 2018 has narrated how Gen Alkali was killed in Dura-Du village, Jos South local government of Plateau state.
Gen Muhammed who narrated his discovery when he appeared before the Jos high court, on Wednesday, as principal witness, said late Gen Alkali was gruesomely murdered and his body dismembered before he was buried in shallow grave.
According the star witness, “Late Gen Alkali left Abuja for Bauchi en route Jos in 2018, while on transit, he made the last call around Dura Du village in Jos South. And from that moment, his phone went off. He never got to Bauchi and he could not be accessed on phone. Three days after, his family had to declare him missing, that was on 3rd of September 2018.
“I was the garrison commander with the 3 division of the Nigerian Army, and I was tasked to conduct a search and rescue operation. My task was to do three things; to find Gen Alkali dead or alive; to find his vehicle black Toyota Corolla with MUN 679 AA; and to find whoever is responsible for his sudden disappearance.
“I was given one Major General and 30 soldiers to carry out the task. We searched all the hospitals, Police station without result. We went to MTN for search and discovered that his phone was switched off in Dura, Du village. That was how we centered our search operations in that village.
“In the village, we searched about 32 mining ponds, but information available to us made us to concentrate on the particular one. But the youths of the village mobilised about 500 women to protest against us searching the pond. But in spite of those initial resistance from the locals, we continued with our assigned task.
“We had to go to Taraba state to get Fire service trucks and some divers from Bauchi and after intensive labor for two weeks, we succeeded in evacuating water from the pond and on the 29th of September discovered Gen Alkali Toyota Corolla from the pond. Inside the vehicle, we saw his uniform, shirt, shoe, cap with his name on them.
“We continued our search in the pond, on the 1st of October, we saw a bus in the pond whose driver was declared missing 7 years earlier. We also saw a Rover car, red color, the owner resides in Bisichi, he was declared missing in the same village. Inside that pond were Tipper lorry, Tricycles, motorcycles etc.
“Having discovered his vehicle, the next was to find his body. We intensified in our intelligence, and got one of the suspects who led us to the shallow grave where the remains of Gen Alkali were initially buried by the killers. The suspects confessed that after killing Gen Alkali, his body was dragged round the village before taking him to a location called “no man’s land” and buried him in shallow grave.
“We went to Abuja to bring our sniffer dog, we cultured the dog with his shirt for 3 days. Then we took the dog to “no man’s land”. We discovered they had already moved the body from that grave.
“Further search made us to understand that the killers got the service of a mortician who evacuated the body and packaged it in two bags. We got the mortician, he led us to one Mr Stephen, and Mr Stephen eventually led us to
Another village called Buchwet which is 10km away from Dura-Du. That was where the remains of Gen Alkali was dumped, we recovered the body on the 30th October 2018.
“To be sure the body we recovered was that of Gen Alkali, we contracted a renowned pathologist to carry out thorough examination on the remains. The pathologists rearranged the entire body to show us how he was killed.
“Study shows that the killers sliced the skull into two, and pieced all parts of his body. That showed us he was gruesomely murdered by the suspects. The pathologist further requested for Gen Alkali ex-ray from the wife, and it matched what we recovered. He also went to the shallow grave where Gen Alkali was first buried to fetch the sand from the grave to also confirmed the petsone buried there was Gen Alkali.”
The second witness, Major Arashinga Bulus, a serving in army officer in Abuja, also narrated his role in the search and rescue team and confirmed that 21 persons were arrested in connection with the killing of Gen Alkali.
After taking two witnesses, the court adjourned the case to 6th November to take additional witnesses. (Daily Trust)
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.
Five men have been arrested and arraigned before a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Maiduguri, Borno State, after police allegedly found them wearing T-shirts bearing the words “Tinubu Must Go.”
The defendants were identified as Baba Aji Gremami, 44; Mustapha Abba Yemen, 28; Abbacha Mohammed Ali, 32; Adam Umar Gubio, 21; and Abdulhamid Mohammed, 21.
According to a First Information Report issued by the State Criminal Investigation Department, the incident occurred on September 25, 2026, near West End Roundabout in Maiduguri.
Police charged the five men with criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery under Sections 60, 78, 79 and 392 of the Borno State Penal Code.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when they appeared before Chief Magistrate Court I in Maiduguri.
Their lawyer subsequently applied for bail. The court adjourned the matter until October 6, 2026, to rule on the bail application, while the substantive trial has been scheduled for October 26.
The case has drawn attention because the alleged conduct involved wearing clothing displaying a political message.
Amnesty International criticised the prosecution, describing the arrests as arbitrary and arguing that peaceful political expression is protected by fundamental human rights. The organisation called for the immediate release of the five men and urged authorities to discontinue the case.
Amnesty International also expressed concern that the prosecution could have implications for political expression and opposition activities in Borno State.
The case has generated reactions on social media, with some commentators questioning whether the display of political messages on clothing should constitute a criminal offence.
There have also been allegations that a prominent politician in Borno State may have influenced the arrests. The allegation has not been independently verified.
Efforts to obtain a comment from the Borno State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Kenneth Daso, were reportedly unsuccessful as of the time of filing.
The defendants remain subject to the court process, and the allegations against them have not been established in court.
The Jigawa State Hisbah Board has arrested eight people in Kazaure Local Government Area over alleged homosexual acts, according to the board.
The board’s Public Relations Officer, Dauda Hadejia, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday, September 26, 2026.
Hadejia said the arrests followed a complaint filed by a 22-year-old man, who alleged that nine individuals had engaged in sexual acts with him on different occasions.
According to the statement, the complainant also claimed that he later contracted HIV, which he attributed to the alleged encounters. He reportedly appealed to the Hisbah authorities for justice, describing the alleged conduct as deceptive and harmful to his life.
Following the complaint, Hadejia said Hisbah operatives launched an investigation and began searching for the nine individuals named by the complainant.
“So far, eight suspects have been arrested, while efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining suspect,” Hadejia said.
He added that the eight arrested individuals reportedly admitted during preliminary investigations to having engaged in sexual acts with the complainant.
Hadejia said the board had gathered information and evidence that would be presented before a court. He added that the investigation remained ongoing and that the suspects would be charged upon its completion.
The Deputy Commander-General of the Jigawa State Hisbah Board, Dr. Hussain Baban, reportedly urged parents to pay closer attention to their children’s upbringing and the people with whom they associate.
He also called on members of the public to be mindful of the consequences of their actions and to uphold religious and moral values.
The board further expressed appreciation to the Jigawa State Government for its support and cooperation in carrying out its responsibilities.
-
Politics4 days ago2027: Odii Will Not Step Down, Says Spokesperson
-
EverydayNews Telescope4 days agoNkalagu Cement Factory: Project or 2027 Political Promise?
-
News4 days agoHow NAF Plane Vanished From Radar Shortly After Take-Off, Crashes In Ondo Swamp
-
News4 days agoNo Survivor Found Yet in Ondo Air Crash — Aiyedatiwa
-
Crime3 days ago
Court Denies Alleged Fake Pastor Bail as Seven Witnesses Await Trial
-
News2 days agoCurfew Continues as Soludo Sets Up Commission of Inquiry Over Aguleri–Umuoba Anam Clash
-
Education2 days agoIhejirika Hails Mbah’s Infrastructure Drive as Coal City University Inaugurates Governing Council
-
News3 days agoNAF Crash Claims Pilot 16 Days After Wedding