NEWS
Lagos Police Command Arrests 2,176 Suspects in 4 Months

The Lagos State Police Command says it arrested about 2,176 suspects between September 2024 and January 2025.The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Olanrewaju Ishola, confirmed this on Saturday, while briefing newsmen on the Command’s recent achievements.He said that the 2,176 suspects were arrested for various offences including murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, among others.
He said that all the suspects had been charged to court for prosecution. In a breakdown of the arrest figure, Ishola said that four suspects: Emeka Akwara, 19; David Segun, 21; Samuel Ariori, 21; and Lukman Ariori, 19, who allegedly murdered an Uber driver were apprehended.“On Jan. 9, the suspects ordered for an Uber ride at Chevron in Lekki area en-route Obalende.“On getting to Obalende in a lonely area, they robbed and killed the driver by stabbing him multiple times on the neck, unfortunately they were unable to snatch the vehicle.“With the intervention of good Samaritans and passersby, two of the suspects were immediately apprehended and handed over to police and further investigation led to the arrest of the other two fleeing suspects.“The deceased corpse was deposited in the Morgue at Mainland Hospital, Yaba, and a Toyota Camry Big Daddy AGL 650 HN and knives were recovered from them,” he said.Ishola said that some other murder suspects – Edmond Julius, 34; Abdullahi Umar, 32; and Saturday Oke, 40, were arrested for allegedly killing another Uber Driver, Oluwaseyi Fowler, on Sept. 12.“The arrested suspects confessed that they kidnapped the driver at Ajah area of Lagos, murdered and robbed him of his Toyota Camry Car.“They sold the stolen car to their criminal receiver. During investigations, the suspects led the police to recover the decomposed body of the driver and the Toyota Camry car,” he said.The commissioner of police added that on Oct. 15, the police also arrested two cultists, Samuel Ojenuga and Abdullahi Yusuf, members of the Aye Confraternity, for alleged murder.“Ojenuga confessed to the killing of 12 Eiye Confraternity members at Orita School, Ijora Oloye Area of Lagos.“His accomplice, Yusuf, also confessed to killing of three persons at railway crossing Ijora Badia, Lagos,” he said.The police chief noted that, among the suspects arrested, a notorious armed robbery syndicate led by one Fatai Lawal a.k.a Bullet, operating between Ijora and Isashi, along Badagry Road, were on Sept. 28 arrested.“This syndicate specialises in snatching vehicles, mobile phones and other personal belongings at gun point.“Other members of the syndicate arrested are Magdalene Jackson, a female; Lawal Michael, Ibrahim Saliu a.k.a gun-crosser, and Ayuba Amzat, 27.“One locally-made single barrel gun with 4 cartridges, three mini-buses popularly called korope were robbed at gunpoint.Similarly, the police boss said that a gang of alleged robbers led by one Godwin Chukwuma, 23, and Solomon Balogun, 23 were also arrested.“They have confessed to various robberies across the country and one AK 47 with three rounds of live ammunition, two locally made double/single gun with four live cartridges were found on them,” he said.Ishola said that on Nov. 22, a traffic robber, Oguche Sylvanus, 27, using an unregistered Faragon Bus with the Lagos State commercial colour to terrorise commuters along Ikorodu Road was arrested.“The Faragon bus with other personal effects were recovered and the case has been charged to court, ”The commissioner of police said three suspects were arrested for alleged kidnapping.“The suspects’ modes of operation was to lure their victims through a tinder app on social media, specifically Facebook, where they will make the victim a friend and asked them to come for a visit.“On this particular case, the victim was lured to a particular house, N300,000 ransom was collected from the victim and his phone was taken from him, ”He also said that on Oct. 23, the police arrested two kidnappers: Hassan Samson, 35 and Segun Akinola, 27 at Era area of Ojo, Lagos and rescued the victim unhurt.According to him, the police also arrested five suspects for allegedly kidnapping one Azeez Olosa at a dredging site called pump and sell, adding that the victim had, however, been rescued.He said the police recovered firearms abandoned by the fleeing suspects.“On Nov. 5, at First Gate, Agidingbi, Ikeja, police intercepted men in a commercial shuttle bus without a registration number with one Stanley SMG rifle and 44 live ammunitions.“On Nov. 6, at Odo Eran Area of Idimu, men on patrol sighted men aboard a motorcycle and following an effort to intercept them, the men absconded abandoning a bag at the scene.“Inside the bag were one locally-made double barrel pistol, two locally-made single barrel pistol with two live cartridges and one empty shell.“On Oct. 29, at Ijeshatedo, a Lagos Suburb, some other suspects on sighting the police, fled leaving their bags at the scene, which contained one locally-made pistol with its own live cartridge.“On Dec. 27, at 14, Idunsagbe Street, Lagos Island, information was received that a bag was sighted on the rooftop at this address.“The bag contained two AK 47 rifles with breach numbers 52573 and 4004855, and 07003-853 K2 assault rifle all without magazine and ammunition,” Ishola said. (NAN)NEWS
FCTA Orders Demolition of 24 Storey Buildings Built on Waterways

The Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has ordered the demolition of 24 two-storey buildings illegally constructed on a waterway in Guzape District, Abuja.AMMC Coordinator, Chief Felix Obuah, issued the directive during an inspection tour of various parts of Abuja on Monday, alongside other council officials.
Obuah stated that the affected buildings were developed by Cityscape Estate on Plot 4851 without necessary approvals. He described the construction as a flagrant violation of planning regulations and vowed that the structures would be removed to serve as a deterrent to others.“We have mobilised equipment, materials, and machines on-site.“These illegal buildings erected without approval will go down,” Obuah said.“Any other building without proper approval, especially those constructed on waterways or road corridors, will be demolished.“It is no longer business as usual; we are committed to restoring Abuja to its original master plan.”He warned that AMMC officers found complicit in the approval or oversight of the illegal structures would face disciplinary action, stressing that the council would no longer tolerate negligence or sabotage.“They are receiving salaries and are expected to do their jobs.“The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, is working tirelessly to change the narrative, and we will not allow any disgruntled elements to sabotage those efforts,” Obuah said.Though the demolition of one structure was carried out on-site, the council granted a two-week grace period, at the developer’s request—for the voluntary removal of all contraventions.“Failure to comply will result in full-scale demolition,” Obuah warned.Director of Development Control, Mr Mukhtar Galadima, explained that the developer had originally been allocated a plot near the Federal Housing Authority Estate in the area.However, after part of the land was affected by the proposed S20 road project, additional land was allocated as compensation.“That compensation does not give the developer the right to build without obtaining proper approval,” Galadima noted.He said the infractions were discovered two weeks ago during a routine inspection.“A committee was subsequently set up to investigate the situation, which revealed that construction was ongoing in a valley area—an unacceptable practice under FCTA regulations.“Our preliminary findings show that the number of buildings on site exceeds the approved number.“This is a complete violation of the terms of approval,” Galadima added.Chairman of the FCT Building Contravention Taskforce, Mr Gabriel Musa, revealed that while only 18 buildings were approved, the developer constructed 42, more than double the permitted number.In response, the developer, Mr Kadiri Obaidi, admitted the infractions and accepted responsibility, attributing some of the unauthorised development to subscribers.“We have approval for the estate, but many infractions occurred—mostly by our subscribers, for whom we are responsible,” he said.“We acknowledge the violations and are willing to pull down the illegal structures ourselves within two weeks to salvage some of the materials.”The council granted his request on the condition that all unauthorised structures are removed at no cost to the government. (NANNEWS
Landlord’s Son Kills Tenant During Argument in Ondo

A 22-year-old lady, Joy Tale, has been reportedly killed by her landlord’s son, Odunayo Olomolatan, 41, in Ode-Irele, Irele Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Report says that the tenant was hacked to death on Monday during an argument.
DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, the spokesman for the Police Command in Ondo State, confirmed the incident to newsmen in a telephone interview.
Ayanlade said that the suspect has been arrested and in the custody of the Divisional Police Headquarters, Ode-Irele.
He disclosed that investigation has begun to unravel the circumstances surrounding the death of the lady.
“Yes, I can confirm to you that the lady was allegedly hacked to death during argument between her and her landlord son.
“The suspect has been arrested and investigation is ongoing to unravel circumstances surround the lady’s death,”Ayanlade said.
Meanwhile, Olajide Akinfe, the Chairman of the local government, has called for calm over the incident, urging residents not to take laws into their hands.
Akinfe, who claimed to have visited the divisional police headquarters, said that measures have been put in place to ensure that the suspect did not escape justice. (NAN)
NEWS
Finance Ministry Denies N13bn Contract Breach
The Federal Ministry of Finance has stated that no contract was awarded without strictly adhering to due process and existing procurement regulations. This is contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by Mr Mohammed Manga, Director of Information and Public Relations at the Ministry.
He said the ministry’s attention was drawn to an online report by Akelicious, alleging that N13 billion in contracts were awarded without due process between February and June 2024. According to the report, the contracts included the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (Pi CNG) and other ongoing projects. Manga clarified that all contracts were awarded in line with the Public Procurement Act and other relevant laws and regulations. He described the allegations of corruption or irregularities as entirely baseless and without merit. “The ministry, under the leadership of Mr Wale Edun and Mrs Lydia Shehu Jafiya, remains committed to transparency and accountability in its operations,” he said. This commitment, he said, is reflected in the effective management of the national economy. Manga acknowledged the important role of the media in promoting transparency, accountability, and good governance. He, however, urged the media to verify all information before publication and warned that legal action would be taken against false or malicious claims. “The ministry unequivocally states that no contracts were awarded without due process at any time,” he said. He added that the allegations are unfounded and malicious, aimed at damaging the ministry’s reputation and distracting from its economic recovery efforts. He said the ministry’s work aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s administration. (NAN)