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Appeal court judge escapes kidnap attempt in Imo

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APPEAL COURT JUDGE ESCAPS KIDNAP ATTEMPT

 

Justice Rita Pemu, a presiding judge of the Court of Appeal, Owerri Division, narrowly escaped a kidnap attempt on Monday.

 

Secretary of the Nigeria Bar Association, Owerri Branch, Chinedu Agu, said the justice’s driver is still missing.

 

According to him, the incident happened along Azia-Orsumoghu-Ihiala.

He explained in a statement that the justice escaped amid gunshots by the kidnappers who could not identify her.

 

The statement was titled, “The presiding justice of the Court of Appeal, Owerri Division, Hon. Justice Rita Pemu, escapes from the snares of kidnappers’.

Agu said, “Yesterday, Sunday, February 20, 2022, the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, while traveling to Owerri from Benin City, was kidnapped along Azia-Orsumoghu-Ihiala Road by Kidnappers at about 11 am.

 

“When the Chairman of the Bar, J.I. Ogamba and the Secretary, Chinedu Agu, paid His Lordship a visit at 5 pm today, the Secretariat gathered that the Kidnappers double-crossed His Lordship’s vehicle at a Speed Break, disembarking her and ordering her to lie prostrate on the road, while pointing guns menacingly on her head.

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“Justice Pemu, who by happenstance was rather in her Hiace Bus instead of her SUV and was dressed in a simple, spartan and free-flowing gown was mistaken by the Kidnappers as one of “oga’s stewards,” as they kept demanding to know in which car their “oga” was.

 

“While she was matched into a thick forest, one of the Kidnappers, the Secretariat gathered, was boasting that he would have wasted their oga if he were there.

“As his Lordship was matched into the bush-like a death-destined Sheep to the slaughter, gunshots and concomitant cries of anguish pervaded the bush, which heightened her apprehension.

“As the Kidnappers backed out for his Lordship to continue the Golgotha walk into the depth of the bush, where perhaps she would face the doomed fate of others, she detoured and took safety elsewhere, and was hurried back to Orlu town in disguise from where she found her way into Owerri.

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“As of the time of this report, His Lordship’s official cars, her Driver, her personal property inside the car are yet to be found.

“As we condemn the spate of kidnapping and unsettling height of insecurity in the State, we thank God for the life of Hon. Justice Rita Pemu.”

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Kidnappers of retired Major General release video, demand cows, members’ release

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The abductors of retired Major General Rabe Abubakar, former Director of Defence Information, and his wife has released a video of the couple in captivity.

It would be recalled that the couple were abducted along the Marabar Musawa–Kafinsoli road in Matazu Local Government Area of Katsina State, near Zakin Baure village.

In the four-minute video circulated on social media on Saturday, the wife of the retired general was seen conveying the abductors’ demands.

The demands included the release of three of their members identified as Sani, Aminu and Nasiru, as well as the return of livestock allegedly seized from them.

According to her account, two of the detained individuals were arrested in Jikamshi while the third was arrested in Kano.

She also appealed to the Katsina State Government and leaders of five local government areas to facilitate compliance with the demands to secure their release.

The retired general, who spoke briefly in the video, called for efforts to ensure peace, adding that the abductors had expressed interest in dialogue and peaceful coexistence.

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The notorious bandit leader, Kachallah Muhammad, who operates in parts of Katsina State, had reportedly established communication with the family of the retired general, according to a report by Daily Trust.

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Police uncover gun factory in Yobe, arrest seven suspects

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Operatives of the Yobe state command of the Nigeria Police Force have uncovered an illegal firearms fabrication factory in Potiskum, Yobe State.

The Command’s spokesman, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, in a press statement, confirmed that seven suspects were arrested as part of the renewed strategies of the Commissioner of Police aimed at combating crime and criminality across the state.

“On June 2, 2026, at about 1800hrs, acting on credible intelligence, the Potiskum Area Command led a coordinated raid in collaboration with the Divisional Police Headquarters following reports that some blacksmiths were engaged in the illegal fabrication of Dane guns and other firearms.

“Police operatives swiftly mobilised to the scene, a blacksmith workshop located at Tasha Adua along Danchuwa Road, Potiskum. During the operation, seven suspects were arrested, and the following exhibits recovered,” the state read in part.

Abdulkarim added that fabricated pistols, 24 muzzle pipes, nine gun butts, four unserviceable Dane guns, one filing machine, and one sharp cutlass were recovered.

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He said that the suspects are currently undergoing thorough investigation with a view to identifying their collaborators, possible buyers, and the intended use of the fabricated firearms.

“The Commissioner of Police, CP Usman Kanfani Jibrin, has directed officers handling the case to intensify investigation, identify other illegal firearms fabrication centres within the area, and assess the level of security threat posed by such criminal activities.

“The Command further advises members of the public to refrain from allowing their premises or facilities to be used for unlawful activities, including the fabrication of dangerous weapons.

“Residents are urged to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements or activities to the nearest police station or other security agencies,” the statement added.

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NDLEA intercepts drugs concealed in water purifiers from Netherlands, arrests man with 380 rounds of military-grade ammunition

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Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have intercepted high-potency illicit drugs concealed in water purifier machines shipped from the Netherlands.

The discovery was made on May 26, 2026, at a courier company, where officers found 3 kilograms of ketamine and 199 grams of MDMA hidden inside the appliances.

Femi Babafemi, the Director, Media & Advocacy of NDLEA, in a statement released on Sunday, said, “Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have uncovered consignments of high potency illicit drugs concealed in water purifier machines shipped to Lagos from Netherlands.”

In another operation in Kaduna State, operatives arrested a couple, Musa Sunday and Mercy Sunday, alongside Salomi Ezekiel, after recovering 100 jumbo bags of skunk weighing 1,246 kilograms from their residence in Gonin Gora area on May 24.

On the same day, along the Abuja–Kaduna highway at Jere, officers intercepted Sunusi Musa, a 30-year-old suspect found with 380 rounds of 7.62mm military-grade ammunition, allegedly heading to Katsina State.

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The suspect and exhibits were handed over to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.

Babafemi said, “In Niger State, NDLEA operatives acting on intelligence raided a warehouse at Gidan Kukah, Bosso Local Government Area, on May 27, where 457 kilograms of skunk were recovered.

“A suspect, Godwin Zakka, was later arrested at his residence in Minna in connection with the seizure.

“In Enugu State, operatives on patrol along the Onitsha–Enugu expressway intercepted a commercial vehicle marked JAY-158-YF on May 28, recovering 22,000 tramadol pills, 100 ampoules of pentazocine and 200 grams of bromazepam. A suspect, James Maigari Wisdom, was arrested.”

The agency said its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation campaign continued nationwide alongside enforcement operations, with lectures held in schools and communities across Cross River, Taraba, Lagos and Anambra states, among others.

It said, “With the same zeal, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities, among others.”

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Commending the operations, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), praised officers for sustaining both enforcement and preventive efforts and urged them to intensify the nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking networks.

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