NSCDC busts alleged human trafficking and fraud camp in Lagos, rescues 17 victims, arrests four foreign nationals

The Lagos State Command of the Nigeria and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has uncovered a camp allegedly linked to human trafficking, fraudulent network marketing, extortion and unlawful detention in the Torikoh area of Badagry, Lagos State.

The operation led to the arrest of four suspects, the rescue of 17 victims and the recovery of several exhibits.

Parading the suspects and exhibits on Monday, May 11, 2026, the Lagos State Commandant, Mr Adedotun Keshinro, represented by the spokesperson, Oluwasegun Abolurin, said the operation was carried out through intelligence-driven tactics championed by the Commandant General of the Corps, Prof. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, to combat insecurity across the country.

Keshinro said the command received a complaint on Thursday, May 7, 2026, from a 28-year-old nurse from the Central African Republic, Mr Atokar Allah Iderim, who alleged that he was deceived, extorted and unlawfully detained by a syndicate operating under the guise of a network marketing business identified as “QNET.”

According to the commandant, the victim told operatives that he was lured to Togo and later Nigeria by a Facebook acquaintance identified as Lansu Alex with promises of better employment opportunities.

The statement said the victim alleged that upon arriving in Nigeria, he was compelled to register for the Internet marketing scheme and was subsequently extorted by its operators, who failed to fulfil their promises.

He added that the victim further alleged that the operators forcefully collected and sold his mobile phone and power bank, destroyed his SIM cards and handed him N10,000 for feeding while he sought funds to register for the business scheme.

The commandant said the command immediately launched an operation at the Torikoh camp following verification of the intelligence report.

He stated that operatives arrested four male suspects, comprising three Togolese nationals and one Beninese national, while rescuing 17 victims made up of 12 males and five females.

Keshinro alleged that the suspects attempted to bribe NSCDC operatives with 130,000 CFA, which was rejected and retained as part of the exhibits linked to the case.

Other items recovered included an HP laptop, files, QNET letter-headed papers, leather bags, phones and pharmaceutical items allegedly used on victims.

Preliminary investigations, according to the commandant, revealed that intending members of the scheme were allegedly required to pay 650,000 CFA as a registration fee before joining the business.

He added that investigations also showed that the syndicate allegedly operated four other camps in Aradagun, Mowo, Badagry Town and Limca areas of Badagry.

Keshinro warned those involved in human trafficking, fraud and economic sabotage to desist from such activities, assuring that investigations were ongoing to identify collaborators, seal the camps and determine the culpability of all persons connected to the operation.

Man awarded $2,500 refund after DNA test revealed he's not father of child he's supporting

A court in Hwange, Zimbabwe, has ordered a woman to refund US$2,500 in child maintenance payments after DNA results showed the man who had been supporting the child was not the biological father.

The ruling followed a long running paternity dispute involving Clean Nyathi, who said he had questioned the child’s paternity since 2014 and repeatedly requested a DNA test.

“This whole issue started in 2014 in Dete. I always knew deep down that the child was not mine. That is why I pushed for a DNA test,” Nyathi said. Nyathi claimed his former partner, Cynthia Dube, initially resisted requests for testing, which he said increased his suspicions.

“She kept refusing when I asked for DNA. That alone raised suspicion,” he said. According to Nyathi, he eventually paid approximately US$450 himself to conduct the DNA test, which later confirmed another man was the biological father of the child.

Before the results were released, Nyathi had reportedly paid maintenance for several years, with the amount increasing over time. “I have been paying maintenance for years. It started at US$40, then US$50, then US$60. All that time, I was paying for a child that is not mine,” he said.

Following the DNA findings, the court ordered Dube to repay US$2,500 within seven days. However, she reportedly told the court she did not have the financial means to raise the money within the specified period.

Dube said she met Nyathi while she was already involved in another relationship and later moved in with him after problems with her partner. According to her account, she was already pregnant at the time, and the relationship with Nyathi eventually collapsed, leading to disputes over maintenance payments.

She also stated that although she eventually agreed to the DNA test, delays in carrying out the process extended the dispute for several years. Nyathi said he was not immediately pursuing enforcement of the repayment order but warned he could return to court if the money was not refunded. “If I don’t get it, I will eventually take it back to court,” he said.

Police reportedly arrest Bayelsa sender of gun that led to k!lling of Delta youth by a police officer

Police have reportedly arrested two suspects in connection with the movement of a pistol and ammunition linked to the killing of 28 year old Oghenemine Ogidi in Effurun.

The arrests are said to include the alleged sender of the Beretta pistol and four rounds of ammunition from Yenagoa, which authorities believe eventually led to the fatal shooting involving ASP Nuhu Usman.

Sources said the two suspects were brought into the Effurun Area Command under the Delta State Police Command on Wednesday night as investigations continue into the movement of the firearm and the circumstances surrounding Ogidi’s death.

Police authorities have yet to officially comment on the reported arrests. However, a source familiar with the investigation told Vanguard: “It’s confirmed. They just brought in two suspects Wednesday night.”

“It’s not been announced who is who yet, but I can tell you for free that one of them is the person who sent the gun through a transport line from Yenagoa to Effurun, from where Mine picked it to send to a Sapele owner at the Effurun Motor Park where he was caught and extrajudicially killed by ASP Nuhu and accomplices.”

The source added: “Like I said, it’s not clear if the other person among the two could be the driver who brought the parcel from Yenagoa. But it’s clear that the sender is among the duo just apprehended. And the trail continues for the other suspects.”

The incident has continued to generate reactions following allegations that Ogidi, popularly known as Mine, was extrajudicially killed after being intercepted at the motor park in Effurun.

The case also drew emotional reactions from family members, including the victim’s mother, who previously questioned the circumstances surrounding the deaths of her sons.

Two confirmed de@d in Abuja as FCT Police engage kidnappers in gun duel

Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Police Command, have neutralized at least two kidnappers during a gun battle at the Karshi area, bordering the nation’s capital and Nasarawa State. 

A statement released on Wednesday, May 6, by SP Josephine Adeh, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, said the operation was carried out on May 3rd when the operatives, who were following a credible intelligence stormed the kidnappers’ hideout. 

According to the PPRO, during the operation, the kidnappers, upon sighting the operatives, opened fire and engaged the officers in a gun duel. 

During the exchange of fire, the gang leader, one Baba Ibrahim, also known as “Tsoho,” and one Isah Shehu were neutralized by the galant operatives. 

The PPRO, however, stated that three other members of the gang escaped with suspected bullet wounds while one of them was arrested. 

2 AK-47 rifles, 1 pistol, and 17 rounds of live ammunition were recovered from the suspects after a search in the hideout. 

The statement added: “Preliminary investigations revealed that the syndicate, led by Baba Ibrahim alias  'Tsoho,' comprises Khalid, Dan Geskiya, Mohammadu Mai Tsage, Isah Shehu, and one Dogo. 

“Further investigations indicate that the gang has been linked to multiple kidnapping incidents across Gwagwalada, Nyanya, Jikwoyi, and Karshi areas of the FCT, with at least 12 victims abducted.”

Police arrests six notor!us k!dnapping suspects, rescues victims in Kaduna

The Nigeria Police Force, through the Force Intelligence Department Special Tactical Squad (FID-STS), has recorded a major breakthrough with the arrest of six (6) notorious k!dnapping suspects and the rescue of victims in Kaduna State.

The suspects identified as Yusuf Shuaibu (23), Abubakar Bature (19), Yau Murtala, Bello Suleiman (19), Abdul Kareem Nuhu (36), and Ahmed Musa (28), were arrested on 3rd April 2026.

Confirming their arrest to newsmen, the force spokesperson, DCP Anthony Placid, said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects are members of a k!dnapping syndicate operating within Kaduna State and its environs, with links to criminal camps located in Rijana Forest.

‘’Further findings indicate that the group was involved in multiple k!dnapping incidents, including the abduction of a senior police officer and his son in October 2025. Despite collecting a ransom of Twenty-Four Million Naira (N24,000,000) and other items, the victims were not released until police operatives intervened, leading to the successful rescue of the officer’s son unharmed. Efforts are ongoing to rescue the officer.

The suspects are also linked to the abduction of other victims, including a young child and members of the same family, where a ransom of Eighteen Million Naira (N18,000,000) was collected before the victims were eventually rescued through police operations.''Placid said

He further stated that investigations are ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate, rescue remaining victims, and recover the syndicate’s weapons.

Kano court sentences phone robber to d3ath for m8rder of 22-year-old man

A Kano State High Court has sentenced one Abdulaziz Umar, to d3ath by hanging for the m8rder of a 22-year-old man, Mubarak Salisu Badawa. 

Umar was convicted on a two-count charge of armed robbery and culpable homicide.

Delivering the judgement on Monday, May 4, 2026, the trial judge, Justice Zuwaira Yusuf, holds that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.

She found the defendant guilty on all counts and convicted him as charged.

The incident occurred on October 1, 2020, at about 6:00pm at the Race Course in Badawa area of Kano, where the victim was attacked and robbed of his Samsung handset valued at N100,000.

Umar was charged alongside several accomplices identified as Muyi, Umar Sarki, Diga, Ashosho, and Taduke, who are all currently at large.

During the trial, the prosecution, led by Aisha Salisu, a Deputy Director of Public Prosecution in the Kano State Ministry of Justice, presented four witnesses whose testimonies implicated the defendant. 

The defence counsel, Ya’u Abdullahi Umar, called only the convict to testify in his defence.

According to the charges, the defendant and his accomplices conspired to rob the victim, carried out the robbery using a knife, and caused his d3ath by st@bbing him, with the knowledge that such action could result in fatal consequences.

The court found him guilty of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery, culpable homicide punishable with d3ath, and brigandage under relevant provisions of the Penal Code Law of Kano State.

Justice Yusuf subsequently sentenced Abdulaziz Umar to d3ath by hanging in accordance with the law. 

 

It is very unlikely that the North will rally around Peter Obi and Kwankwaso - Baba Datti-Ahmed

The former vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Baba Datti-Ahmed, says it is highly unlikely the North will rally behind the Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso in the 2027 presidential election.

In a fresh interview, Baba-Ahmed said

“It is very unlikely that the North will rally around OK. That is my personal opinion''

Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the LP, and Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano, formally joined the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) on Sunday.

According to him , he had initially suggested to Peter Obi to engage Kwankwaso and other opposition leaders ahead of the 2027 elections.

“I did say that I feel guilty because I was the one who told Peter Obi on the 31st of January 2024 in John Woods hotel, after asking him a few things, and I told him, ‘Your excellency, from this point there is Kwankwaso, there is el-Rufai, there’s another person I would like to suggest you to approach them'' he said

The politician added that he recommended the alliance as part of long-term political planning, but noted that it raises questions about its viability.

“If in 2024 you cannot plan 2027, I’m sorry, I cannot continue to be with you. So they are going together now with Kwankwaso, it’s my idea. Do you understand? Will it work? I think it’s a big question. We’ll wait and see.”

Baba-Ahmed opined that the political dynamics of leadership roles within such an alliance could pose challenges.

“You have a vice-president that is older than you, first of all in age, in education, in political profile, in so many other things.This is somebody with a burning ambition and temperament, who is going to be the president, actually? If you are presenting a ticket, throughout history, there’s a certain configuration that it goes.”

He said expectations from Kwankwaso around future power rotation could also create complications.

“And then the intricacies of, all right, ‘certainly 2031 is mine’. That doesn’t play out well in any political contest,” he said.

Baba-Ahmed added that Obi should have stayed back at LP to resolve the crisis in the party.

“Someone who got Labour Party ticket so easily, should have stayed to fix the problems of Labour Party however difficult they were.

I stood and I earned the wrath of many because I said ‘come and reconcile’ in Labour Party. 

Only for me to hear, to read it, and to even view it in the news. Here’s my former leader, my boss who I believe in, saying wherever there is a quarrel, he will walk away. So, there is a quarrel in Nigeria, you will walk away? These are things that don’t add up.” he said

Terror!sts are one of us before they were confused. It is okay to reintegrate them into the society,They just need monitoring- CSOs says

 

The Civil Society Organizations in Nigeria have made a case for the reintegration of terrorists through the military's Operation Safe Corridor. 

In a video making the rounds on social media, a leader of the organizations while speaking at a press conference, said terrorists deserve to be reintegrated into the society, According to him, the terrorists turned to crime because they were confused because of situations and circumstances in their lives at the time they ventured into crime.

Operation Safe Corridor (OPSC) is a Nigerian federal initiative established in 2016 (conceived 2015) to deradicalize, rehabilitate, and reintegrate "low-risk" repented Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgents. The program, led by the Defence Headquarters with over seventeen agencies, uses a non-kinetic approach including vocational training and psychological support to foster peace in the Northeast and Northwest. 

‘’The truth is that the terrorists are one oif us before they were confused because of situations and circumstances around us. It si very okay for them to be properly reintegrated into the society but there is need for adequate monitoring of their movements and activities. They have no other home but this Nigeria and they have to equally move on with their compatriots. The only thing is monitoring to make sure they do not deviate when they are brought back. ‘’

Culled from Linda Ikeji Blog.... 

"The world happened to me" Davido laments as he shares experience

Davido has gone online to lament after his travel plans were disrupted. 

The singer said the crisis being experienced in many countries around the world made him unable to get jet fuel to travel. 

He wrote today, Monday, May 4: "The world happened to me yesterday. ..These wars around the world has really started penetrating.. finding fuel was a problem yesterday to even fly .. everything had to be rescheduled..." 

He then apologised to fans who attended the event and promised to make it up to them.
 

US lifts visa freeze on Nigerian doctors and doctors from 38 other countries

The United States has reversed a policy that suspended visa processing for foreign-trained doctors, allowing physicians from Nigeria and about 38 other countries to resume their applications. 

According to a report by The New York Times, the earlier restriction introduced in January had halted decisions on visa extensions, work permits, and green cards for citizens of nearly 39 countries under the US travel ban system. 

The freeze forced some doctors into administrative leave, while others faced possible job losses due to stalled approvals. 

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services has now updated its guidelines to exempt medical doctors from the freeze, enabling their applications to move forward. 

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the development, stating that, “Applications associated with medical physicians will continue processing.” 

The policy reversal comes amid a growing healthcare staffing crisis in the US, where authorities estimate a shortage of about 65,000 doctors—a gap expected to widen in the coming years. 

Foreign-trained physicians make up roughly a quarter of the US medical workforce, with many serving in primary care roles, particularly in rural and underserved communities.