Crime
3.2M Nigerians Homeless, 55,430 Dead To Terrorist Attack In Seven Years – Report
According to a report from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change’s Counter-terrorism Department, over 55,430 Nigerians have been slain by terrorist organizations and criminal gangs operating throughout the nation between May 29, 2015, and May 29, 2022.
The report also stated that nearly 3.2 million Nigerians, largely from the North, had been uprooted from their homes in 2021 alone.
The majority of refugees live with relatives, mostly in urban and suburban regions that are seen to be safer, while some escaped across the border to Niger.
The report authored by a Senior Fellow of the Institute, Bulama Bukarti, was titled, ‘Democracy under threat: Why security risks to Nigeria’s 2023 elections must not be overlooked’, a copy of which exclusively was obtained by The Punch.
The paper was released as a roadmap for Nigeria’s general elections in 2023.
Bukarti, who is also a lawyer, claims that the situation has gotten worse over the last 18 months, during which time 7,184 Nigerians have been kidnapped and 8,948 have been killed.
At least 2.45 million people were registered as internally displaced as of July 2022.
“If this trend continues, millions of Nigerians will be displaced from their designated polling units on election day. Individuals are only allowed to cast their vote in polls where they originally registered. So, the high number of internally displaced people could make a big difference to the outcome of the 2023 election,” part of the report read.
Bukarti also noted that the President, Muhammadu Buhari, came to power in 2015 on three campaign promises – tackling insecurity, fighting corruption and growing the economy.
“In his first few months in office, he took major steps to contain and thwart Boko Haram, which had become one of the deadliest terrorist groups in the world. However, while security forces were dismantling and pushing Boko Haram back to the fringes of the Lake Chad region, two other serious threats were escalating.
“While the secessionist IPOB predates the Buhari administration, the group did not pick up arms until well after he became president. Similarly, criminal gangs or, as they are known locally, “bandits” have been operating for more than a decade, but their danger and reach have increased during the president’s tenure. Today, these acute security threats are turning Nigeria into a nation at war with itself, albeit without any formal declaration.
“Despite assurances by the government, Boko Haram remains a serious threat around the borders of the Lake Chad Basin. The group’s three splinter factions have expanded their reach over the past two years into new territories, including in North West and North Central Nigeria, and even parts of the south.
“However, the primary threat in the North West remains the bandits who, over the past seven years, have killed and kidnapped thousands of people while destroying hundreds of villages and causing the displacement of millions.”
Additionally, he exhorted INEC to collaborate with political parties and other interested parties to increase and improve the legitimacy of its IDP voting system.
Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a 21-year-old man, Samson Onilewaji, after allegedly discovering a suspected human hand, firearms and other items believed to be linked to criminal activities during a routine stop-and-search operation along the Lekki-Epe Expressway.
The arrest was confirmed on Friday by the command’s spokesperson, CSP Abimbola Adebisi, who disclosed that the suspect was travelling in an unregistered commercial shuttle bus alongside five other passengers when police officers intercepted the vehicle for inspection.
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According to Adebisi, a thorough search of the vehicle and its occupants led to the recovery of a suspected human right hand, two locally made pistols, one live cartridge, two axes, a Point of Sale (POS) terminal and five ATM cards from the suspect.
She further revealed that preliminary investigations showed the suspect allegedly confessed to recently robbing three people of their valuables, including the POS machine and ATM cards recovered from him.
The police spokesperson said investigators are working to determine the identity of the owner of the suspected human hand, how it came into the suspect’s possession and what it was allegedly intended to be used for.
She added that efforts are ongoing to track down other suspected members of the criminal network believed to be connected to the suspect.
Adebisi stated that the suspect would be arraigned in court after investigations are concluded.
She also quoted the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, CP Tijani Olaiwola Fatai, as reassuring residents of the command’s commitment to tackling violent crimes and ensuring the safety of lives and property across the state.
The police commissioner urged members of the public to remain vigilant and continue providing useful and timely information that could assist security agencies in preventing crime and bringing criminals to justice.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested two elderly men aged 84 and 75 for allegedly supplying illicit drugs to secondary school students in Umuahia, Abia State, in a shocking case that has stirred public concern.
The suspects, identified as Godfrey Orji (84) and Godwin Obulunbiya Obiora (75), were arrested in separate intelligence-led operations by NDLEA operatives over their alleged involvement in drug distribution within school communities.
Drugs hidden in patent medicine shop
According to the NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, Obiora was arrested on June 19, 2026, after credible intelligence linked him to selling illicit substances to students from his patent medicine store located at 4 Club Road, Umuahia.
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A search of the premises reportedly led to the recovery of 4.64 kilograms of opioids, including tramadol and diazepam.
Babafemi stated: “Pa Obiora was arrested by NDLEA operatives following credible intelligence that he was selling illicit substances to young students and others in his patent medicine store.”
Arrest at school exposes second suspect
In a separate operation, Godfrey Orji, a pensioner, was apprehended after he was allegedly caught supplying drugs to students of Saint Silas Secondary School, Old Umuahia.
Security guards at the school reportedly intercepted him and handed him over to the police, who later transferred him to the NDLEA.
One of the teenage students, a 15-year-old SS2 pupil, allegedly confessed during interrogation that the suspect regularly supplied him with drugs, which he also sold to other students.
Students moved to rehabilitation
The NDLEA confirmed that while the two suspects will face prosecution, the affected students have been placed under counselling and rehabilitation programmes as part of efforts to curb drug abuse in schools.
Nationwide crackdown continues
The Abia arrests come amid ongoing nationwide operations by the NDLEA, which also recorded major drug seizures across the country In Lagos, operatives intercepted 9.5kg of ADB-Chminaca, a synthetic cannabinoid concealed in a shipment from China.
Another raid uncovered 300 grams of cannabis (“Loud”) hidden in handbags at a logistics facility.
A drug dealer’s home in Ajah was raided, with codeine syrup and cannabis recovered.
In Kogi State, a suspect was arrested with 1.030kg of methamphetamine hidden in custard containers.
In Oyo State, operatives recovered 1,416kg of skunk during a major raid.
In Edo State, large cannabis farms were destroyed, with over 4,000kg of cannabis recovered or eradicated.
NDLEA vows stronger enforcement
NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended operatives across multiple states for their coordinated operations and urged them to sustain the momentum.
He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to both enforcement and public sensitisation under its War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign.
The NDLEA says it will continue its nationwide crackdown on drug trafficking networks, especially those targeting vulnerable young people in school environments, as investigations and prosecutions continue in the Abia case.
Popular TikTok personality, Fati Cele, has been detained by the Kano State Police Command following the death of her boyfriend, Isma’il Makaye, at her residence in Kano State.
The development was confirmed on Saturday by the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Abdullahi Haruna, who said the social media influencer is currently in custody while investigations continue.
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“Yes, it’s true, the TikToker is currently being detained over the death of her boyfriend, Isma’il Makaye,” Haruna said.
The police spokesperson, however, declined to provide further details regarding the incident, stressing that investigations are ongoing.
Fati Cele, who is originally from Borno State, resides in a rented apartment in the Danbare area of Kano.
She is a well-known content creator on TikTok, where she has built a following of more than 32,000 followers.
According to a source close to the deceased who spoke on condition of anonymity, the incident occurred after Cele allegedly raised an alarm from her residence, claiming there was a fire outbreak.
The source said Makaye was immediately rushed to Nassarawa Hospital for treatment but was later confirmed dead.
It was further gathered that officers attached to the Dorayi Babba Police Division subsequently took the TikTok personality into custody as part of ongoing investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The deceased, Makaye, was a cosmetics trader who lived in the Hotoro Tishama area of Kano.
Family associates disclosed that he was buried at Unguwa Uku Yan Awaki after his remains were released to relatives for burial rites.
The Kano State Police Command has yet to disclose the exact cause of death, maintaining that investigations are still underway.
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