Metro
Benue: Police arrest two women for allegedly staging fake kidnap to extort ransom
The Benue State Police Command has arrested two women for allegedly staging a fake kidnapping in a bid to extort ransom from a family.
The command said the suspects, identified as Mary Torkuma of Akpehe, Makurdi, and Evergreen Samuel from Abia State, allegedly conspired to deceive Torkuma’s mother into believing her daughter had been abducted.
According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Orchia Peter Aondongu, the case was reported to the Command’s Violence Crime Response Unit (VCRU) on July 15, 2026.
The police said Mary Torkuma had left her residence on July 12 to visit a friend in the North Bank area of Makurdi. The following day, her mother, who lives in Lagos State, reportedly received a call from an unknown number demanding ransom and claiming that her daughter had been kidnapped.
Acting on the report, operatives of the VCRU launched an intelligence-led investigation, which led them to a hotel in the Ankpa Quarters area of Makurdi.
The police said the supposed victim was found in the hotel alongside her alleged accomplice, Evergreen Samuel, who had travelled from Abia State.
Preliminary investigations, according to the command, revealed that the two women allegedly orchestrated the fake kidnapping to extort money from Torkuma’s mother through a false ransom demand.
The suspects are currently in police custody, while investigations are ongoing. The police said they would be charged to court upon the conclusion of the investigation.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Benue State, Cletus C.N. Nwadiogbu, warned members of the public against engaging in criminal activities, including staging fake kidnappings.
He noted that such acts divert security personnel and resources away from genuine emergencies and are punishable under the law.
Metro
Armed bandits attack Kwara community, abduct one person
Armed bandits on Thursday attacked Lata Nna community in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State.
In the fresh attack on the community, one person identified as Mohammed Abubakar Ndapkada was abducted by the daring bandits, raising renewed concerns over the worsening security situation in the area.
The incident occurred between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., according to community sources.
Local sources told NupekoTV that shortly after the abduction, the kidnappers contacted members of the community to confirm that Mohammed was in their custody. They also handed him the phone to speak with his brother.
During the brief conversation, Mohammed reportedly told his brother that he had been blindfolded and did not know where he was being held.
As of the time of filing this report, the abductors had not communicated any ransom demand or conditions for his release.
The latest incident comes barely weeks after security operatives repelled a similar attack in Lata Nna, underscoring the persistent threat posed by armed bandits to communities in Patigi Local Government Area.
Residents have again renewed their appeals to the state government, the Federal Government, and security agencies to urgently strengthen security operations across the area and ensure the safe release of the abducted victim.
The community has repeatedly raised the alarm over the worsening security situation in the area, with residents sending SOS messages to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and making several appeals through the media for increased military presence and sustained security intervention in Lata Nna and neighbouring communities.
They warned that, without urgent action, more communities in the area could remain vulnerable to recurring attacks by bandits.
Metro
Yobe Police record 152 convictions, arrest 448 suspects in one year
The Yobe State Police Command has recorded major operational successes, with 407 criminal cases handled and 152 convictions secured within the year under review.
The Commissioner of Police, Usman Kanfani Jibrin, disclosed this on Thursday during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters in Damaturu.
He said the 407 cases comprised 31 murder cases, 35 rape cases, eight kidnapping cases, 11 armed robbery cases and 322 other offences.
“A total of 448 suspects were arrested in connection with the various crimes.
“152 suspects were convicted, 127 cases are before competent courts, 69 cases are pending, 17 case files are awaiting legal advice, while 42 cases resulted in acquittal,” he said.
The CP, while highlighting key arrests, said operatives uncovered a suspected drug warehouse in Potiskum, arrested a suspected drug baron and recovered eight cartons of assorted illicit drugs, 1.5 Ghana-Must-Go bags of Tramadol and Exzol tablets, as well as N835,500 suspected to be proceeds of drug trafficking.
He noted that police repelled violent resistance from members of the syndicate and were intensifying efforts to arrest fleeing accomplices.
“The Command also carried out coordinated raids on criminal hideouts and drug joints in Jakusko LGA, leading to the arrest of 14 suspected drug dealers and users and the recovery of over 300 sachets and packages of Tramadol, Indian hemp, Vega tablets and other prohibited substances,” he added.
The Police Commissioner reaffirmed the command’s commitment to intelligence-led policing, proactive crime prevention and the protection of lives and property.
Metro
Kidnappers rejected N155m ransom – Kwara families tell government
Families of people kidnapped during a deadly attack in Kwara State say more than N155 million raised as ransom did not secure the release of their loved ones, five months after the incident.
The attack occurred on February 3, 2026, when community leaders said more than 100 armed attackers invaded Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area. They said over 260 people were killed, more than 30 houses were burnt, and 176 residents were abducted.
Speaking to BBC Hausa, Alhaji Abdul Ibrahim, who represented the affected families, said he lost 10 relatives and still had 35 family members in captivity.
He said the community raised N155 million after the kidnappers demanded ransom, but the money was rejected.
“We raised N155 million and took it to them, but they refused to accept it, saying it was not enough. We returned with the money and have not heard from our relatives since. We appeal to the Federal Government and the Kwara State Government to rescue them because there is nothing more we can do,” he said.
Under Nigerian law, paying ransom to kidnappers is illegal.
The families said they were disappointed that while security forces rescued victims abducted in a separate incident in neighbouring Oyo State, those taken from Woro were still being held.
Another community leader, Alhaji Sulaiman Bukata, said residents recently held a peaceful protest to demand government action. He claimed the kidnappers threatened to force some young women into marriage and kill others if authorities failed to act. However, the claim could not be independently verified.
The lawmaker representing the area in the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Sa’idu Baba Ahmed, urged the Federal Government to step up efforts to rescue the captives, saying the prolonged wait had increased the suffering of the affected families.
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