The Police Command in Kaduna State has recovered 10 firearms, two stolen vehicles and 332 suspected counterfeit U.S. dollar notes in clearance operations across the state.

The command disclosed this in a statement on Thursday by its spokesman, Mansir Hassan.

Hassan said the recoveries were made during operations conducted between Aug.

31 and Sept. 2 in different parts of the state.

He said on Aug. 31, armed bandits sighted disturbing farmers in Kidandan area of Giwa Local Government Area engaged security personnel in a gun battle.

According to him, the police, supported by personnel of the Police Mobile Force and members of the Kaduna Vigilance Service (KADVS), responded to the attack and forced the bandits to flee into the bush.

He said the fleeing suspects abandoned a pump-action rifle, two cartridges and a motorcycle.

Hassan also said police operatives acting on intelligence about suspected gunrunners around the Maraban Jos axis mounted roadblocks on access routes, forcing the suspects to abandon their firearms and flee.

He said nine fabricated firearms were recovered from the area, while efforts were ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects.

Hassan said on Wednesday, police operatives arrested three suspects at Panteka, Kurmin Mashi, Kaduna.

He said the suspects were intercepted while allegedly attempting to sell a black GMK Jeep valued at about N70 million for N4 million, after preparing it for dismantling and sale in parts.

According to him, preliminary investigation revealed that one of the suspects allegedly stole the vehicle from Abeokuta where he worked as a driver for a Chinese company.

The PPRO added that the vehicle had been recovered and secured, while investigation was ongoing to identify other members of the syndicate.

He further said police operatives of the Surveillance Unit, State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), recovered a white Toyota Hilux allegedly stolen from Agadez, Niger Republic.

Hassan said the vehicle was intercepted in Kaduna on Aug. 31, adding that verification of its chassis number confirmed that it corresponded with that of the vehicle reported stolen in Niger Republic.

He said one Abubakar Abdullahi, found in possession of the vehicle, was arrested and the vehicle remained in police custody for further investigation.

The PPRO said the command also arrested one Kabir Yusuf of Barnawa, Kaduna, on Aug. 31, following intelligence that he was in possession of suspected counterfeit U.S. currency.

He said a search led to the recovery of 332 pieces of suspected counterfeit 100-dollar notes and six counterfeit N1,000 notes.

According to him, preliminary investigation showed that Yusuf confessed to obtaining the counterfeit currencies from one Sahibu Ruhan of Kano State, who is currently at large.

Hassan said efforts were ongoing to arrest Ruhan and uncover the wider network allegedly involved in the circulation of counterfeit currencies.

The Commissioner of Police appreciated members of the public for providing timely and actionable information to the command.

He urged residents to continue reporting suspicious activities to the police and other security agencies to enhance security and protect lives and property across the state.(NAN)

From Francis Sadhere, Delta

A Delta State High Court sitting in Ogwashi-Uku, Aniocha South Local Government Area, has sentenced two men to death by hanging for the kidnapping and murder of Miss Elozino Joshualia Ogege, a 300-level Mass Communication student of Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, bringing to an end a legal battle that lasted about nine years.

Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge, who delivered judgment on Wednesday, convicted Macaulay Desmond Oghenemaro and Enaike Onoriode on charges of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, and murder.

The court, however, discharged and acquitted the third defendant, Nwosisi Benedict Uche, after ruling that the prosecution failed to establish his involvement beyond reasonable doubt.

Ogege, an indigene of Isoko, Delta State, was murdered in 2019 after she reportedly left to meet a man who had promised to help her secure accommodation within the DELSU community in Abraka. Her death sparked widespread outrage across the country after investigations alleged that parts of her body, including her eyes, breasts and heart, had been removed in what was believed to be a ritual killing linked to suspected internet fraudsters, popularly known as “Yahoo Plus” operators.

The Delta State Government, through the Office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, prosecuted the defendants on an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, kidnapping, armed robbery, membership of an unlawful society and murder.

A fourth defendant, Robinson Obajero Ojokojo, said to be a native doctor, died during the course of the trial.

The proceedings suffered repeated delays over the years, largely due to the frequent absence of counsel representing the first defendant. After the parties adopted their final written addresses earlier this year, Justice Azinge reserved judgment before delivering her verdict on July 29, 2026.

Reacting to the judgment, the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Omamuzo Erebe, SAN, who led the prosecution alongside Okolotu Ugochukwu and Funkekeme Solomon Junior, described the verdict as a landmark victory for justice.

Erebe said the court found the two convicted defendants guilty of conspiracy to commit kidnapping, kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder and murder. While they received varying prison terms on some of the counts, he noted that the offences relating to conspiracy to commit murder and the murder of Miss Ogege attracted the death sentence by hanging.

He expressed condolences to the family of the deceased, saying they had waited for years to see justice served.

“Although this judgment cannot bring Elozino back, we hope it provides some measure of closure to her family. They have waited about nine years, and today justice has finally been served,” he said.

Erebe added that the judgment should serve as a deterrent to those involved in ritual killings and other violent crimes, warning that no matter how long it takes, offenders would eventually be brought to justice.

Counsel to the first defendant, Benjamin Okoh, also reacted to the judgment, describing it as “justice at last.”

He said the judgment demonstrated that justice had not only been done but had been seen to have been done. Okoh also commended the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria for its role throughout the trial and expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision.

From Aliyu Askira, Kano

A Kano State High Court, presided over by Justice Farida Dan Baffa, has sentenced one Sha’aibu Abdulkadir, to death for the murder of a newly married pregnant woman, Rumasa’u Shuaibu.

Abdulkadir had claimed during the trial that he killed the pregnant woman after she informed him that the baby in her womb belonged to him and not her newly married husband.

The culprit also told the court that the deceased had demanded N500,000 from him and threatened to expose their secret relationship if he failed to pay the money within a given period.

According to evidence before the court, Abdulkadir visited the deceased at her residence in 2025, where he allegedly killed her after she informed him that she was pregnant with his child rather than her husband.

In the course of the trial, the prosecution called three witnesses, while the defendant testified by himself.

In a judgement delivered on July 24, 2026, the Judge sentenced Abdulkadir to death by hanging after finding him guilty of murdering a newly married 23 year old Rumasa’u Shuaibu.

After reviewing the evidence and submissions of both parties, Justice Dan Baffa ruled that the prosecution had established the offence beyond reasonable doubt and consequently sentenced the defendant to death by hanging.