The Delta State Police Command has arrested and arraigned three suspects, including the chairman of Emevor Community, over their alleged involvement in the torture of a resident captured in a viral video circulated on social media.

The development was disclosed in a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer of the command, SP Bright Edafe, on July 10, 2026.

According to the statement, the Commissioner of Police, Yemi Oyeniyi, ordered an investigation after the video surfaced online.

The investigation, reinforced by a petition from human rights activists, allegedly established that the victim was unlawfully apprehended on July 5, 2026, and taken to a hotel in Emevor Community, Isoko North Local Government Area, where he was allegedly assaulted, humiliated and threatened.

Police subsequently arrested Lucky Okeremu, 48 years old, chairman of Emevor Community, alongside Okiemute Oyibo, 46 years old, and Karo Akamakusi, 45 years old.

The suspects were arraigned before a competent court on charges bordering on conspiracy, assault occasioning harm, conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace, and allegedly threatening the life of the victim.

“The investigation, which was further reinforced by a petition from concerned human rights activists, established that on July 5, 2026, the suspects, acting in concert with others now at large, unlawfully apprehended the victim and took him to a hotel in Emevor Community, where he was allegedly subjected to severe humiliation, physically assaulted, inflicted with bodily injuries, and allegedly threatened with death,” the statement read.

The police said efforts are ongoing to arrest other suspects who allegedly participated in the incident but remain at large.

The Commissioner of Police warned that while community leaders and vigilante groups play important roles in supporting security efforts, they have no authority to assault, torture or unlawfully punish any individual. He urged vigilante members to always hand over suspects to the police for investigation and prosecution in accordance with the law.

A Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja has convicted and sentenced Minnis Uchenna Howard and his company, Howard Minnis Asset Management Limited, over the fraudulent conversion of N822,422,260 meant for the purchase of base oil.

The conviction followed the successful prosecution of the case by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before Justice R. A. Oshodi on Friday.

The anti-graft agency said in a statement that the defendants were initially arraigned on November 30, 2023, on a two-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence and stealing. They, however, pleaded not guilty when the charges were first read to them.

During the trial, the prosecution, led by M. K. Bashir, called four witnesses and tendered several documents as exhibits, while the defence presented two witnesses.

The EFCC said the defendants were later re-arraigned on July 3, 2026, on an amended one-count charge.

The charge read: “That you, Minnis Uchenna Howard and Howard Minnis Asset Management Limited, sometime in 2023 at Lagos, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly converted to your own use the sum of N822,422,260.00, property of Krystal Lubes Limited, paid to you for the purchase of 900,000 litres of SN900 Base Oil and 500,000 litres of SN500 Base Oil, thereby committing an offence contrary to Section 285(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.”

The defendants pleaded guilty to the amended charge.

Following the guilty plea, prosecution counsel urged the court to convict the defendants as charged and rely on the evidence already presented before the court.

In his judgment, Justice Oshodi convicted the first defendant, Minnis Uchenna Howard, and sentenced him to two years and four months’ imprisonment.

The court also fined the second defendant, Howard Minnis Asset Management Limited, N10 million.

Justice Oshodi also ordered the defendants to refund the full sum of N822,422,260 to the victim, Krystal Lubes Limited, within one year, in line with the nomination agreement signed by the defendants, their guarantor and the petitioner.

The judge further directed that the N45 million recovered during the investigation be released to the petitioner within seven days.

The EFCC said Howard was convicted after he dishonestly converted N822,422,260 belonging to Krystal Lubes Limited, which had been entrusted to him for the purchase of 900,000 litres of SN900 Base Oil and 500,000 litres of SN500 Base Oil.

A Nepalese national, identified simply as Bista, has disclosed how some officers at the Nigeria Police Force headquarters in Abuja played a role in a fraudulent scheme that cost him about N1.6 billion.

Bista made the allegation in an interview with social media activist, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, or VDM.

He narrated how he and dozens of other foreign nationals were allegedly deceived with promises of relocating from Nigeria to Suriname for business.

He added that the scheme was orchestrated by a Cameroonian, Emmanuel Masa, resident in Nigeria.

According to him, Masa claimed to have secured a partnership involving Azman Airlines and another firm to facilitate visas, travel documents and chartered flights to the South American country.

The Nepalese citizen further noted that he first travelled to Abuja from Gambia in 2023 with six associates after being assured the arrangement was genuine.

Bista claimed that his confidence in the scheme increased after he was taken to the Force Headquarters, where, according to him, police officers attended a meeting with prospective travellers.

“One of the officers openly vouched for Masa, assuring those present that the arrangement was legitimate.

“After the involvement of the police, we had nothing to worry about. I subsequently paid an initial $20,000 for the trip after Masa promised the flight would depart within two weeks.

“When the departure failed to materialise, Masa blamed the delay on an insufficient number of passengers and persuaded us to recruit more people,” he said.