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Kidnappings: Police raid dangerous spots in FCT, arrest 307 suspects

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As part of the efforts to end the spate of kidnappings and other criminal activities, the tactical teams of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command have through the newly launched operation velvet, raided a marked black spot, Gidan Dambe in Dei-Dei-Zuba axis and arrested 307 suspects.

 

The Command, in statement on Monday by its spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, said one English Pistol with 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition was recovered from one Ibrahim Tukur who claimed to be a DSS personnel.

Adeh added that other exhibits such as motorcycles, wraps of marijuana, illicit substances and valuables reasonably suspected to have been stolen from innocent residents were equally recovered.

 

While suspects are still undergoing screening, the FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Benneth Igweh, who personally led the operation, informed the members of the public of operation velvet, which was launched on 10/02/2024, comprising all the Tactical teams of the Command to curb all forms of vehicular criminality and other crimes in the Territory.

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The Commissioner of Police further cautioned officers against extortion of residents, asking them to adopt professionalism in the discharge of their lawful duties, as security of the populace remains his utmost priority.

 

With the growing insecurity in the Federal Capital Territory, the police have been cracking down on criminals hideouts within the city, neutralising and arresting many in the process.

 

Last week, operatives of the FCT Police Command arrested six suspected armed robbers in Utako Village.

 

The suspects were apprehended on Wednesday in an uncompleted hospital building which is a marked black spot during a coordinated raid operation.

Rescued children

The suspected armed robbers were paraded in Abuja on February 9, 2024. Credit: FCT Police Command.
Police Public Relations Officer of the FCT Command, Josephine Adeh, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, saying a locally made pistol, two live cartridges, and wraps of substances suspected to be marijuana were recovered from the suspects.

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She identified the suspects as Basara Hassan, Daniel Charles, Adamu M Oshiaka, Chancy Asidi, and Saliu Al Hassan, all from neighbouring states bordering the nation’s capital.

 

In another operation on Friday, operatives attached to the Rapid Response Squad 74 (RRS 74), intercepted one Muhammad Isah ‘m’ of Kafanchan, Kaduna in a Toyota Hiace bus with Reg No APP 489 XE, conveying twelve; four (4) male and eight (8) female; underage children to a destination later discovered to be in Ogun State.

 

Some of the suspects

Police said that preliminary investigation revealed that the children whose ages are between 5 years and 16 years, all from Akwanga Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, were being trafficked to Ogun state by one Pastor Simon Kado ‘m’ and Jesse Simon Kado ‘m’, who are now presently in police custody.

Recently commenting on the insecurity in the FCT, the Minister, Nyesom Wike vowed that his administration won’t leave any stone unturned in the quest to make the nation’s seat of power secure.

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Wike told a gathering at the flag off of the construction of Paikon-Kore Road in the Gwagwalada area of the FCT on February 1, that his administration is on course to flush out criminals.

 

“I have assured you before that we are going to take this fight against security headlong. Today, you can see that we are not letting them go. I told you all these criminals will run away,” he said.

 

“We will make sure they don’t sleep again. If they say we will not sleep, they too will not sleep. A child that says the mother will not sleep, will he sleep? So, we are taking the war to them head on. Let them wait for us, they will see fire for fire,” Wike, who is the immediate past Rivers State Governor, added.

 

Bandits and other criminal elements have in recent months held sway in some parts of the FCT, killing and kidnapping others.

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Two killed as fuel-laden tanker collides with truck in Lagos

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Two people were confirmed dead following an early morning collision between a fuel-laden tanker and a tipper truck on the Lekki–Epe Expressway, Sangotedo area of Lagos state.

In a statement on Saturday, Margaret Adeseye, controller-general of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, said the accident occurred in the early hours of the day, prompting officers to rush to the scene.

“It was reported that a speeding 20-tonne tipper truck from the Epe end rammed into a stationary 30-tonne gas tanker that failed to pull over from the highway,” the statement reads.

Adeseye said the collision sparked a fire that spread to three warehouses and 10 roadside shops, including a gym and a generator house, before it was eventually brought under control.

She added that a Total petrol filling station, fully loaded with a 33,000-litre PMS tanker, narrowly escaped a major explosion.

“After the blaze was extinguished, three Sienna buses, one Toyota Corolla, and a forklift parked within the affected area were recovered. Tragically, the tipper truck driver and his assistant, both adult males, were burnt beyond recognition, while the gas tanker driver escaped unhurt,” Adeseye said.

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The agency said that efforts are ongoing to remove the remains of both trucks from the highway, though normal traffic has largely resumed at the scene.

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Cocaine trafficking: Court convicts, fines 10 Filipinos $6m

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The federal high court in Lagos has convicted 10 Filipino sailors and their merchant vessel of trafficking 20 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Apapa seaport.

The sailors were arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in November 2025 at Apapa seaport.

The vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, with registration number 9760110, arrived in Nigeria from Santos in Brazil.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said the defendants pleaded guilty to the charges and entered a plea bargain agreement.

The anti-drug agency had disclosed that its officers discovered the “Class A drug” buried under the ship’s cargo on Sunday, November 16, 2025.

The NDLEA arraigned the sailors and the vessel on a four-count charge.

The defendants are Eugene Quinos Corpuz; Mark Joseph Jardiniano; Alexis Navidad Evarrola; Francis Gerard Niones Carpio; Franz Jude Mayran; Mahinay Junniel Lagura; Mario Ganiban Malvar; Hormachuelos Lordito Guivencan; Joshua Emmanuel Hufanda; and Edwin Baltazar Reyes.

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In his judgment, Ayokunle Faji, the trial judge, found the vessel guilty for an offence under section 25 of the NDLEA Act.

The judge ordered the vessel to pay the sum of N100,000 penalty for the offence and a restitution in the sum of N5.3 million to the federal government.

The judge convicted three principal officers of the vessel who are the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th defendants. They were asked to pay N100,000 each and a restitution of $100,000 each to the federal government.

After conviction, the judge ordered the 5th to 11th defendants to pay N100,000 each in addition to a restitution of $50,000 each.

According to the NDLEA, the total money to be paid to the federal government by the vessel and the 10 sailors is $6 million and N1.1million as restitution and penalty.

Reacting to the judgment, Mohammed Buba Marwa, NDLEA chairman, said the conviction of the vessel and its crew members is a “lesson to international drug cartels and their local collaborators that Nigeria’s territorial waters are no longer a playground for the illicit narcotics trade”.

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“Let this judgment be an unambiguous signal to every shipping line, vessel owner, and sailor worldwide that if you turn your ships into floating warehouses for illicit drugs, you will not only lose your freedom but also your assets,” Marwa said.

“We have moved beyond mere seizures; we are now hitting the syndicates where it hurts most, their pockets and their operational assets.”

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VIDEO: Man caught trying to lure child hawker for sex with ₦1,000

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A man has been caught on video while allegedly attempting to lure a young girl hawking avocados with ₦1,000 for sexual purposes.

The unfortunate incident, which surfaced in a viral video, was shared by content creator LordZeus in a post shared on IG on Monday, who confronted the suspect.

When questioned, the man denied the allegation and claimed he was the girl’s father.

But the child contradicted him, stating that he approached her and asked her to follow him to a secluded place so they could “touch body,” promising to give her ₦1,000. She added that when she refused, the man brought out the cash in an attempt to persuade her.

During the confrontation, some bystanders pleaded on behalf of the suspect, claiming he was mentally unstable and alleging that the girl was not the first child he had approached.

Reacting, LordZeus challenged the defence, questioning why alleged mental illness should excuse such behaviour toward a minor.

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He also used the moment to caution parents against sending young girls out to hawk, noting that female child hawkers are often

He wrote, “Parents please, no matter how hard life gets, do not allow your girl child especially underage to hawk on the streets alone. Even If they must hawk, hawk alongside them.

“They are constantly at risk of se*xual harassment, and many of them will never speak up. I’ve hawked before, so I know exactly what life on the street is like.

“Imagine if this man was able to manipulate the little girl with just 1,000 naira , this will be unimaginable.

“Ihe na-eme nu o. Let’s do everything possible to protect our girl children. Their safety and dignity must come first before any other thing. It can only get better ”

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