Crime
FCT: 7 Family Members Kidnapped, 1 Killed, Police Injured In Bandits’ Attack
In the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), a group of bandits carried out a disturbing attack, kidnapping seven members of a family.
During this heinous act, two policemen sustained bullet injuries.
Tragically, a middle-aged man known as Alhaji, who courageously led the police in an attempt to thwart the abduction, lost his life in the encounter with the bandits.
This incident is part of a concerning trend in the region, as bandits have been increasingly targeting villages within the Bwari Area Council.
Residents have faced the harrowing reality of abductions and even fatalities due to these repeated incursions by the bandits, causing heightened fear and concern among the community.
According to Isaiah Samuel, a resident of Bwari, the distressing incident occurred during the early hours of Wednesday in Zuma 1, located within the central ward of the Bwari Area Council.
Samuel described how the bandits meticulously planned their attack, positioning themselves strategically after singling out their target’s residence.
He stated that when the victim sensed something amiss upon hearing an unusual sound, they promptly contacted a relative known as Alhaji for assistance.
According to him, Alhaji swiftly organized a response, mobilizing the police to the scene in an attempt to intervene.
Samuel said “It was when the man suspected a strange sound in front of his house that he immediately called his brother, popularly called Alhaji to alert the police.”
Isaiah Samuel recounted that Alhaji, at the forefront with a team of policemen headed towards the targeted house, fell victim to a hidden bandit who fatally shot him from a concealed position which led to an intense exchange of gunfire between the police and the bandits, resulting in two officers sustaining gunshot wounds during the confrontation.
He said “The bandits eventually succeeded in whisking away the man and his family members, because the distance from the victim’s house to where the police engaged the bandits is far,”
Samuel further recounts an incident from the early hours of Tuesday when the bandits struck Barangoni, also within the Bwari central ward.
During this attack, three individuals were abducted, and a vigilant community member sustained injuries while trying to intervene.
Expressing concern and urgency, Samuel appealed to the authorities of the Area Council to step in and support the residents.
He emphasized the critical need for collaboration between local authorities and security agencies to address the relentless wave of kidnappings plaguing the area.
He added “The truth is that Bwari area council is under siege, because for the past two weeks now, bandits have been moving from one community to another killing and abducting people.”
However, the FCT Police Command had not responded or issued any statement regarding the recent attacks in Bwari.
Operatives of the Enugu Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested Basil Iwoba Ochili, Managing Director of Debasilio Construction and Estate Development Limited, over alleged fraudulent activities involving N128 million.
The EFCC disclosed this in a statement posted on its official X account on Wednesday.
According to the commission, Ochili was arrested for allegedly using his company for fraudulent activities, including “obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N128,000,000.00 (One Hundred and Twenty-eight Million Naira).”
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The EFCC said Ochili was arrested based on a claim by a petitioner who alleged that sometime in September 2022, the suspect falsely presented himself as the owner of five plots of land situated beside Anambra State Secretariat by Stamford Hotel, Aroma Junction, Awka, Anambra State, and falsely offered the property for sale.
“Relying on the suspect’s representation, the petitioner purchased the said plots in the sum of N128,000,000.00 (One Hundred and Twenty-Eight Million Naira), which was paid into the suspect’s company account,” the EFCC said.
However, the commission said the petitioner was unable to take possession of the land.
Preliminary investigations, according to the EFCC, showed that the suspect knew that the land “encroached on Anambra State Government Secretariat’s land” but allegedly went ahead to sell it to the petitioner.
The commission further said that instead of refunding the petitioner’s money, Ochili “offered him two dud cheques.”
“Further preliminary investigations showed that the suspect used part of the money to settle his debts,” the EFCC said.
The commission also stated that Ochili’s company, Debasilio Construction and Estate Development Limited, “has never been tax compliant.”
The EFCC said the suspect will be charged to court after investigations are concluded.
“The suspect will be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded,” the commission stated.
The Federal High Court (FHC) sitting in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, has sentenced nine convicted crude oil thieves to 10 years in prison without an option of fine following a joint intelligence-led operation by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Navy (NN).
The convicts were among 19 suspects arrested earlier this year after security operatives caught them allegedly stealing crude oil from an oil well head identified as Asabo-D in Ibeno Local Council of the state.
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Delivering judgment on Monday, Justice Joy Ikpeme found the nine men guilty on a two-count charge of conspiracy and tampering with an oil pipeline, contrary to Section 1(7) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act.
The judge sentenced each of them to five years’ imprisonment on the first count and 10 years on the second count, with no option of fine. The sentences are to run concurrently.
The remaining 10 suspects arrested during the operation are expected to face further legal proceedings.
The arrests followed an intelligence-led operation conducted by the DSS in collaboration with the NN as part of efforts to disrupt crude oil theft and illegal bunkering activities in the oil-producing communities of Akwa Ibom.
The conviction was described by a security source as another significant step in the sustained campaign against oil theft, particularly along Nigeria’s maritime and riverine areas.
According to the source, crude oil theft and illegal bunkering have continued to deprive the country of vital oil revenue while inflicting serious environmental damage on host communities.
The source said the latest conviction underscored the determination of security agencies to ensure that those involved in the theft of the nation’s crude resources are brought to justice.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has called on legal practitioners in the country to desist from the illegal and unethical practice of charging clients in foreign currencies.
The Commission disclosed this in a post on its official X account on Monday.
SEE ALSO: Expose Stolen Nigerian Assets Abroad, Get Up to 5% Reward — EFCC
The call was made on Friday, September 11, 2026, in Lagos by the Acting Zonal Director of the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC, ACE I Bawa Usman Kaltungo, when he received a delegation of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Lagos Task Force on Illegal Practice of Law, led by its Head, Moshood Abiola.
Speaking during the interactive session, Kaltungo expressed concern over the activities of lawyers who engage in “illegal and unethical practices,” stressing that the Commission would not hesitate to prosecute anyone found culpable.
He also urged legal practitioners to desist from charging their clients in foreign currencies, warning that such practice could attract regulatory action.
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