Five persons, including a female child, lost their lives while 12 others sustained varying degrees of injuries in a lone road accident along the Nkalagu axis of the Enugu–Abakaliki Federal Highway in Ebonyi State on Friday.

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‎The Ebonyi State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Daniel Asanya, disclosed this in an interview with our correspondent in Abakaliki.

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‎According to him, the accident occurred at Edema Bridge in Nkalagu, Ishielu Local Government Area, involving a commercial white Toyota Hiace bus with registration number RSH 231 XE travelling from Abakaliki to Enugu.

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‎Asanya said the vehicle was conveying 17 passengers comprising 12 males, four females and one female child.

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‎“The crash claimed the lives of five persons, four males and one female child while 12 others, comprising eight males and four females, sustained injuries,” he said.

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‎The FRSC commander attributed the accident to excessive speed, noting that preliminary investigations identified speed violation as the cause of the crash.

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‎He added that items recovered from the scene included three mobile phones, two bags containing personal effects and a quarter bag of rice.

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‎He noted that the injured victims were evacuated to Annunciation Hospital, Emene, Enugu State, for treatment, while the bodies of the deceased were deposited in a morgue.

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‎Asanya urged motorists to exercise caution, especially along sections of the Enugu–Abakaliki highway currently undergoing construction and maintenance.

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‎He also called on the construction company handling the project to install adequate reflective and illuminated warning signs to alert road users to ongoing work and enhance safety on the highway.

Abia State State Police Command has nabbed a man identified as Stephen Njoku for allegedly defiling an 8-year-old child in Ebem Ohafia, Ohafia Local Government Area of Abia State.

Njoku, who is about 50 years of age, was nabbed by the Ebem community youths and taken to the Police before being moved to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Umuahia, for a thorough investigation.

The victim of the defilement was also taken to the hospital for immediate medical attention.

The incident sparked a wild protest by about 200 women of Ebem, who went round the community demanding justice for the defiled child.

The women, who were running around the community with fresh leaves, performed a traditional outing known as Ikpa Mbogo against the suspect.

Meanwhile, the Ebem Ohafia Development Union, EODU, has strongly condemned the alleged sexual abuse of a minor within the community, describing the reported incident as disturbing, unacceptable, and contrary to the cherished values, traditions, and moral standards of the Ebem Ohafia people.

The union, in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Ifeanyi Okali, stated unequivocally that Ebem Ohafia has zero tolerance for any form of abuse, exploitation, or violation of the rights and dignity of children and other vulnerable persons.

The EODU appealed to concerned members of the community, especially the aggrieved women, to remain calm as the matter is currently under investigation by the relevant law enforcement authorities, who are empowered by law to handle such cases and ensure that justice is served.

Confirming the incident to DAILY POST on Friday, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Maureen Chinaka, said the scene of the incident was visited by the Police, adding that the suspect was apprehended.

DSP Chinaka assured the public that suspect would be charged to court when the ongoing  investigation at State Criminal Investigation Department, is concluded.

The Federal Capital Territory, FCT Police Command says its operatives have successfully apprehended suspects captured in viral video, brandishing AK-47 rifles and dressed in military camouflage.

Video clip of suspected bandits with walkie-talkies and weapons recently went viral on social media.

At a press conference in Abuja on Friday, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi told journalists that upon seeing the video on social media, he immediately directed a detailed forensic analysis into the origin of the content.

The CP said he also ordered that all persons connected to the disturbing footage be arrested with immediate effects.

He stated that following digital forensic analysis and actionable intelligence, “I directed operatives of the FCT Police VCRU Sector 5 and personnel from Zuba Division, led by the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Ogu Caleb Ikechukwu, on a coordinated operation at Runji Village, Zuba, on the 25th of May, 2026, where three suspects featured in the videos were arrested at their hideout”.

The CP identified the suspects as one Umar Babangida, Adamu Yeti and Yahaya Idris all residents of Rijana, Kaduna State.

CP Sanusi said investigation revealed that the suspects had previously been in possession of the AK-47 rifles, which were obtained from their gang leader identified simply as “Esco” from Rijana, Kaduna State who is currently at large.

“Further investigations also led to the recovery of additional videos and photographs from the suspects’ mobile phones showing them dressed in military camouflage while brandishing AK-47 rifles and carrying walkie-talkies”, the CP added.

Exhibits recovered from the suspects include, One AK-47 rifle loaded with 30 rounds of live ammunition, eight phones, two jackknives, Power banks and more incriminating videos and pictures depicting the suspects in military camouflage brandishing arms and ammunition.