Police in Ogun State have arrested a 32-year-old security guard, Abraham Anelka, following the alleged rape, criminal intimidation and attempted robbery of a 16-year-old girl in the Abule-Ijoko area of the state.

The arrest was confirmed in a statement released by the Ogun State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi.

According to Babaseyi, detectives attached to the Agbado Division tracked down and apprehended the suspect following a formal complaint.

The incident was reported to the authorities on June 10 by a family member of the victim. The complainant alleged that on the night of June 9, the teenage girl was walking home when she was suddenly accosted by the suspect.

“The suspect, armed with a locally made single-barrel gun, allegedly threatened the girl before forcibly taking her to his residence at Abule-Ijoko, where he had unlawful carnal knowledge of her,” DSP Babaseyi stated.

Upon receiving the report, detectives launched a coordinated response that led to the prompt arrest of Anelka and the recovery of the firearm allegedly used during the commission of the crime.

Preliminary investigations by the police revealed that the suspect assaulted the minor without her consent and further attempted to dispossess her of her personal belongings.

As part of the initial investigative procedures, law enforcement officials visited the scene of the incident. The victim was subsequently issued a medical form and taken to hospital for medical examination and treatment.

The case has since been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Eleweran, Abeokuta, for a comprehensive investigation. The suspect remains in custody pending the conclusion of the investigation and subsequent prosecution.

Nine victims abducted by kidnappers along the Katsina-Kankara highway have been rescued by operatives of the Katsina State Police Command, while efforts are ongoing to locate two others who remain missing.

Security operatives responded to a distress call and effected the rescue following a kidnapping incident that occurred on Friday at Tashar Kanya Village in Kankara Local Government Area of the state.

DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, the command’s spokesman, said in a statement that the incident occurred at about 2:30 pm when armed bandits blocked the Katsina–Kankara Road and intercepted a red commercial Volkswagen Golf III saloon car with registration number KMC 400 MK.

He said, “The vehicle, driven by a 40-year-old man identified as Aliyu, popularly known as Maitakabari, was conveying 11 passengers from Dandume to Katsina when the gunmen abducted all the occupants.”

Upon receiving the distress report, Aliyu said the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Kankara immediately mobilised a team of operatives, including personnel from the Violent Crime Rescue Unit (VCRU), to the scene, where they reportedly engaged the bandits in a fierce gun duel, forcing them to abandon the victims and flee into surrounding bush due to the superior firepower and tactical manoeuvres of the police team.

During a subsequent search of the area, he said operatives successfully rescued nine victims unhurt. The rescued persons were identified as Abubakar Ibrahim, 28; Rakiya Ya’u, 30; Shamsiya Ahmad Mahamud, 18; Jumai Majarazu, 20; Salamatu Adamu, 30; Yusuf Halliru, 17; Harira Hamisu, 25; Umma Kabir, 17; and three-year-old Nusaiba Maharazu.

Aliyu stated that two persons, Buhari Kabir and the driver, Aliyu “Maitakabari”, are still missing, adding that a search-and-rescue operation is ongoing to ensure their safe recovery and the arrest of the fleeing suspects.

The Commissioner of Police, Katsina State Command, Ali Umar Fage, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to combating criminal activity across the state while commending the professionalism displayed by the operatives.

He assured residents that the police would continue to intensify efforts to rid Katsina State of criminal elements and urged members of the public to support security agencies with timely and credible information.

A road accident involving a Benue Links passenger bus has claimed the life of a woman after the vehicle reportedly plunged into a stream along the Ogiladzi–Abakwa Road in Adi-Etulo, Benue State.

The incident occurred on Friday evening between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at Ofyanghan, a community located along the Adi-Etulo axis, according to residents and travellers familiar with the area.

Sources disclosed that the bus was heading towards Jato-Aka when it veered off the road and crashed into a nearby stream. The circumstances surrounding the accident remain unclear.

Residents and passersby quickly mobilised to the scene and assisted in pulling passengers from the submerged vehicle. Despite the rescue efforts, a female passenger reportedly lost her life in the crash.

At the time of this report, officials had yet to release details regarding the total number of passengers aboard the bus, the identity of the deceased woman, or the factors that may have led to the accident.

Neither emergency services nor relevant government authorities had issued an official statement concerning the incident as of press time.

Efforts to obtain independent confirmation and additional details about the crash were still ongoing.

Meanwhile, relatives of passengers who may have travelled on the route have been advised to reach out to appropriate authorities and contact their loved ones as rescue and recovery operations continue.