The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has successfully rescued a director in the state’s Ministry of Justice and his niece, who were kidnapped by five armed men in December 2024.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Azare, disclosed this during a press briefing at the command headquarters in Uyo on Monday, detailing how the victims were abducted and taken to a forest in Ikot Ukpong Village, Abak Local Government Area.

“On December 2024, a distress call was received that a Director with the Ministry of Justice, Akwa Ibom State, and his niece were kidnapped by five armed men.

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Our operatives immediately swung into action and busted the kidnappers’ den in a thick forest located within Ikot Ukpong Village, Abak Local Government,” CP Azare explained.

The victims were found unharmed inside an abandoned soak-away within the forest. The operatives also recovered the victims’ car, which had been abandoned along Etinan Road, and a Toyota Sienna vehicle used in the abduction.

“Two of the suspects were neutralized during the operation. Further investigation led to the arrest of two others identified as Ability Etim Samuel, aged 45, and David Vincent Samuel, aged 36,” the commissioner added.

CP Azare urged the public to remain vigilant and provide timely information to assist the police in maintaining law and order.

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has apprehended four suspects in connection with the theft of four fire service trucks belonging to the state government.

This was disclosed by the Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Azare, during his inaugural press briefing held at the Command Headquarters in Uyo on Monday.

According to CP Azare, the suspects were arrested after a tip-off from a Good Samaritan revealed that the trucks had been stolen and moved to Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

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Investigations revealed that the vehicles were leased out to multinational companies under a dubious arrangement.

“Based on credible information from a Good Samaritan, four of the state fire service trucks were stolen and taken to Port Harcourt, Rivers State by some officials of the service.

The Command moved to recover the said trucks, and further investigation revealed that the fire trucks were leased out to some multinational companies at the rate of ₦140,000 per truck per day for an initial period of three years,” Azare said.

He explained that the deal, initiated in 2021, was supposed to expire in 2024, with ₦80,000 of the daily rate going to the link company and ₦60,000 to the fire service officials.

However, two months before the agreement’s expiration, the police intervened, recovering the trucks and arresting four suspects.

The suspects, according to the commissioner, will soon be charged in court.

The vehicles, Azare assured, will be returned to the government for public use, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend others involved in the scheme.

In a chilling incident that has sparked widespread shock and outrage, Oluwatimileyin Ajayi, a gospel singer and content creator, was apprehended on Sunday carrying a severed human head, allegedly belonging to his girlfriend.

The arrest occurred near a church where witnesses claimed to have noticed the suspect carrying a black nylon bag that attracted flies.

Upon being accosted, the grisly discovery of a fresh human head was made, prompting immediate intervention.

A social media user identified as Arike shared her harrowing experience of witnessing the incident, tweeting:

“I got the shock of my life as we apprehended a Yahoo ritual with human head (his girlfriend) inside a nylon close to our church as we were holding service. I thought I just used to watch things like this until I experienced one ‘Live’ today.”

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Although initial reports suggested the incident occurred in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, Josephine Adeh, the Police Public Relations Officer for the FCT, clarified that it happened in Nasarawa State. She stated:

“To clarify, the incident above did not occur in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) but in Nasarawa State. We kindly urge everyone to ensure accuracy in such reports for better public understanding.”

According to witnesses, Ajayi allegedly confessed that he had been in a relationship with the victim for a year.

Following the arrest, Nigerians have swarmed the suspect’s TikTok account, where he previously posted videos as a content creator. In one clip, he boldly declared, “No village person can stop them,” a statement now viewed with chilling irony.

The shocking nature of the crime has reignited conversations about ritual killings in Nigeria, with many calling for stricter measures to curb such acts.

The case is under investigation by the Nasarawa state police command, with further updates expected in the coming days.