CRIME
I Committed No Crime in Property Seized by ICPC – Bauchi Gov
The Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has reacted to the seizure of a multi-million naira property in Abuja traced to him by anti-graft agency, ICPC.
The commission had last week accused Mr Mohammed of illegally allocating a property belonging to the federal ministry of agriculture for his personal use while he was minister of the FCT.
The ICPC said the property located at Plot 298 Wuye District, Cadastral Zone B3, FCT, Abuja, was subsequently turned into a school; Zinaria International School, in which the governor and family members are directors and shareholders.
According to the commission, the seizure is pursuant to its powers contained in Section 45 (4) (a-c) of the Corrupt Practices Act, 2000.
The Commission also said it will apply to the court for an order of forfeiture under Section 48 of the ICPC Act, “pending when the tenure of the governor expires.”
But in reaction, Mr Mohammed in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Mukhtar Gidado, yesterday, Mohammed said he did not break any law that could have warranted the ICPC to have “perniciously scandalise” his image.
He said he had resigned from the school as soon as he was appointed a minister.
The governor described the commission’s claims of him taking advantage of public office as mischievous, false and misleading.
Mr Mohammed said the ICPC’s action was “premised on bare-faced double standards, favouritism, dishonourable tactics and impunity.”
He said the school was in existence before he became minister of FCT during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
He said the school was allocated the land legitimately after its shareholders and directors applied for an expansion of its land.
“We refute the commission’s story in its entirety and state that Senator Bala Mohammed did not flout any policy or break any law, known to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, or did he, in any way, breach his oath of office to warrant perniciously scandalising his name or subjecting members of his family to mindless persecution as the ICPC is willfully pushing,” Mr Gidado said.
“Zinaria International School was established and had been long operational, offering quality education, in a cost-effective manner, to all and sundry, long before Senator Bala Mohammed became Minister of the FCT.
“Like any other corporate entity, due to planned expansion, the school applied for land, a legitimate right it would have exercised, irrespective of whomsoever was the Minister of the FCT at the time.
“The shareholders and directors of the school are Nigerians who, by their respective ages, were qualified to apply for and be allocated land if they met the conditions required.
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“And we make bold to say that all the names listed in the MEMAT (Draft Memorandum and Articles of Association) of the school are eminently qualified to be allocated land.”
“Why is the ICPC in a hurry to disrupt the smooth functioning of a public trust that is devoted to learning, if not for the singular purpose of ingratiating itself to its paymasters by causing maximum damage to the family’s investment?
“Is it fair, right or just to deny members of the family of a public office holder their right to the public good, for the simple reason that their benefactor or relation is holding public office?”
Mr Mohammed served as FCT minister between 2010 and 2015. He has since been facing various corruption charges and prosecution for alleged graft during his time as FCT minister.
The EFCC last year charged the former minister on six-count for accepting gratification and acquisition of landed property.
The EFCC said the property is valued at N550 million – located at No 2599 and 2600 Cadastral Zone, AO4 Asokoro District, Abuja, from Aso Savings and Loans Plc in 2014.
Mr Mohammed is also accused of failing to make full disclosure of his property on 54, Mike Akhigbe Street, Jabi, Abuja, in the course of filing his asset declaration form at the EFCC.
Similarly, the ICPC had earlier charged him for using his office to confer corrupt advantage upon himself and relations under Section 19 of the ICPC law.
CRIME
Enugu Police Bust Armed Robbery Operation, Arrest Suspect, Recover Arms
From Sylvia Udegbunam, Enugu
The Enugu State Police Command has sustained its onslaught against criminal activities during the Yuletide season with the arrest of a male armed robbery suspect and the recovery of an imitation firearm and ammunition.
The suspect, one Oshim Lambert Chimuanya (male, aged 28), was arrested on 13th December 2025 at about 11:30 p.
m. while attempting to rob members of the public around Agric Bank Bus Stop, Independence Layout, Enugu, following a prompt response to a distress call by operatives of the Command attached to the Independence Layout Police Division.In a statement sent by the Police public relations officer Enugu State command Daniel Ndukwe stated that Upon arrival at the scene, the operatives apprehended the suspect in the act of robbing an unsuspecting young man and recovered from him one revolver imitation (toy) pistol loaded with eight toy bullets.
The suspect is currently in custody and will be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of investigations.The Commissioner of Police, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has charged operatives of the Command to sustain the momentum and continue to make Enugu State uninhabitable for unrepentant criminals during the festive season and beyond. He further enjoins citizens to continue to cooperate with the Police by providing timely and credible information that will aid crime prevention and detection.
CRIME
NDLEA Arrests Fleeing Bandits’ Drug Supplier in Niger
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a notorious supplier of illicit drugs to bandits operating in the area of Kuta, Shiroro Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger state.
This is contained in a statement by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi on Sunday in Abuja.
Babafemi said that the suspect was nabbed three weeks after escaping arrest at his home.
He said that NDLEA operatives had on Nov.
20 raided his house at Anguwan Makera, Kuta, where they recovered 471.8 kilograms of skunk, a strain of cannabis.“Though he escaped arrest during the raid and has since been in hiding, the manhunt for him eventually paid off on Thursday, Dec.
11.“This was when NDLEA officers acting on processed intelligence traced and arrested him at one of his drug joints in Anguwan Fadama, Kuta.
“Intelligence reports had indicated that the suspect is a major supplier of illicit drugs to bandits operating in Shiroro local government area,” he said.
Meanwhile, NDLEA officers in Abia on Thursday, Dec. 11 raided a clandestine codeine syrup-manufacturing factory at Amapu Igbengwo village, Umuakpara, in Osisioma LGA of the state.
Babafemi said that during the operation, operatives recovered a total of 9,015 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 1,152.2kg.
Also, in Enugu state, operatives on Thursday, Dec. 11 arrested another suspect along Onitsha – Enugu Ezike road with 7.2kg skunk.
Babafemi said that another suspect was nabbed along Enugu-Ezike -Ette road with 94.6kg of the same psychoactive substance.
“A raid carried out by NDLEA operatives at a notorious drug joint known as “Beere the California” at Ido in Oyo state on Thursday, Dec. 11 led to the seizure of 3.4kg skunk.
“Others are 1.6kg Colorado, a synthetic cannabis and 400grams of methamphetamine. The owner of the drug joint identified currently at large while a suspect was nabbed at the joint.
“Another operation at Idi Oro, Elekuro, Ibadan on Friday, Dec. 12 led to the arrest of Olusanya Abosede, 35, and the seizure of 238.4kg skunk,” he said.
In the same vein, two suspects were arrested on Wednesday, Dec. 10 at Gbaji checkpoint, Seme road Badagry, Lagos with 50,000 pills of tramadol 250mg.
Babafemi said that NDLEA operatives in Ogun state arrested another two suspects with 73kg skunk at Iperu, adding that a suspect was nabbed with 25kg of the same substance at Oke Agbede, Imeko area of the state on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
“In Ondo state, NDLEA officers acting on credible intelligence on Monday, Dec. 8 raided a compound in Ogbese, Akure North local government area, where they arrested a 55-year-old woman and her 29-year-old son.
“The NDLEA operatives also recovered 1,187 kilograms of skunk and its seeds from them,” he said.
Similarly, a suspect was arrested during a raid operation at Uroe community, Owan East LGA of Edo state, where 461kg skunk and its seeds were recovered on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
Babafemi said in Gombe state, a suspect was arrested with 40,000 capsules of tramadol at Tunfure area, adding that two other suspects were nabbed at Ashaka Jalingo, with 56kg skunk on Monday, Dec. 8.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 907 pills of tramadol, tapentadol, cocodamol, amitriptyline and bromazepam were intercepted and seized by NDLEA operatives at two major courier companies in Lagos.
Babafemi said that the drugs were concealed in containers of local black soap, and designer wears, in six different consignments going to the US, Canada and Sweden.
He said that the drugs were seized between Tuesday, Dec. 9 and Wed, Dec. 9 respectively.
Also, at the Apapa seaport in Lagos, NDLEA officers on Saturday, Dec. 13 intercepted a consignment of 170,000 bottles of codeine syrup weighing 23,579kg during a joint examination of a container with men of Customs Service and other security agencies.
In like manner, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitisation activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
This, he said included WADA enlightenment lecture to students and staff of Community Senior Secondary School, Sheme, Katsina; Government College, Tudun Wada Dankade, Kano; and Methodist High School, Makurdi, Benue.
Babafemi said that the Enugu state command of the Agency paid a WADA advocacy visit to HRM Igwe Ikechukwu Samuel Asadu, Chairman, Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers.
The NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa has commended the officers and men of DOGI, Niger, Abia, Oyo, Enugu, Seme, Ogun, Ondo, Gombe, Apapa and Edo Commands for the arrests, seizures and their dexterity.
Marwa enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.
CRIME
Mortuary Attendant in Police Net over Alleged Organ Harvesting in Edo
A mortuary attendant in the Upper Sakponba area of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo has landed in police net after allegations of missing vital organs from a corpse kept at Akugbe Mortuary.
This incident triggered a violent reaction from relatives of the deceased.
The situation reportedly escalated when angry family members and friends accused a mortuary attendant of harvesting organs from the body.
Relatives of the deceased were said to have raised alarm when they arrived at the mortuary on Friday to collect the body for burial and allegedly discovered that some vital organs were missing.
An eyewitness, Osaro Ivie, described the scene as chaotic, saying tempers flared after family members accused the attendant of engaging in ritual practices.
“The relatives claimed that the chest cavity of the deceased had been emptied and stuffed with nylon,” Ivie said.
He said the relatives threatened to lynch the attendant and set the facility ablaze before police operatives intervened to restore calm.
Confirming the incident on Sunday, ASP Eno Ikoedem, Public Relations Officer of the police command in Edo, said the command received a distress call that a mob was on the verge of attacking a suspect at the mortuary.
“The Command received a distress call that someone at Akugbe Mortuary was about to be lynched, and the Divisional Police Officer, Ugbekun Division, was immediately mobilised to rescue a mortuary attendant alleged to have harvested organs of a corpse,” Ikoedem said.
Ikoedem explained that the suspect was rescued from the crowd and subsequently to custody.
She added that he was currently being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), where investigations were ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the allegation.
Ikoedem assured the public that a thorough investigation would be conducted, urging residents to remain calm and allow due process to take its course.

