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Traditional Stool: Gunmen Invade Lagos Community, Kill One-yr-old Baby, 10 Others, Burn Houses
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Gunmen numbering over 100, invaded a riverine community in Egan Oriomi Otto Awori Local Council Development Area of Ojo, at the early hours of today, setting several houses on fire.
A 15-month-old baby, who was sleeping, was burnt beyond recognition.
Also, no fewer than 15 houses were burnt, with property worth millions destroyed.
Ten persons were shot by the gunmen, while others, among whom is a 90-year-old man sustained deep matchet cuts in parts of their bodies.
According to Vanguard, when its correspondent visited the riverine community today, Saturday, the burnt baby’s father, Taiwo Israel, was seen carrying the charred remains.
Explaining in tears, he said: “My baby’s name is Emmanuel. I went out yesterday (Friday) for our daily bread, leaving my wife with my two children.
“By 9.30 p.m., she called me on the phone to inform me that some cultists were shooting. I told her to go inside with the children.
“At about 1 a.m., she called again to inform me that the cultists had set our building on fire. She added that she ran out without carrying our baby who was sleeping.
“My father-in-law, who went inside to rescue the baby, was attacked with a cutlass. He is still in the hospital.
“When I came back this morning (Saturday), I met my baby burnt to death. He was our second child. The first one managed to escape.”
It was gathered that the affected community would stage a protest with the burnt baby tomorrow (Sunday), at the governor’s office, in Alausa, Ikeja.
Meanwhile, the affected residents blamed the gunmen attack on the position taken by the local government and some politicians in the area over the installation of a traditional ruler.
They alleged that a stranger was wrongfully installed as the traditional ruler. They said he should be from a family they described as “indigene of the community”.
Besides, Vanguard gathered that there had been a lingering tussle between two families in the community over who rules.
Explaining, one of the indigenes, Lawal Adesegun, who claimed to be a crown prince of the community, said: “The cause of this fight is ownership dispute.
“These people (invaders) are not indigenes of this community. We went to the tribunal set up by the Lagos State Government to fight for who would be the oba of this community and we won.
“There are documents from the tribunal, including judgments and clearance from the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Attorney General of the State. These confirm us as the Oba of Egan, Ori Omi Atto Awori of Ojo Local Government.
“However, some politicians of the leading political party, the Otto Awori Local Government wrongfully installed our opponent as our king. They did it in a hotel, not in the community.
“The politicians brought the man that was wrongfully installed to the community on Thursday, to force him on us. But the police restrained them because they knew a fight would break out.
“This isn’t the first time they would be attacking us. A similar incident occurred on June 15, 2018. Some of our people were also killed.
“The local government intervened then and the case was dropped in court, frustrating our efforts to seek justice.
‘How politicians frustrate us’
“The House of Assembly deliberated on the matter for two years. It set up a committee that recommended justice. They also emphasised the need to install the right person in the chieftaincy position.
“But the recommendation was not implemented because these same politicians scuttled the process.
“Our king is Olarewaju Moshood Lawal. Yet they replaced him with a non-indigene. He left the community in 2018 due to insecurity.
“We are, therefore, calling on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene before they wipe everyone out of this community.
“We have all our documents from the government. Yet, these politicians are blocking all our efforts to meet the governor, to hear us out.”
One of those shot in the neck was a 22-year-old farmer, Joel Babatunde.
He said: “I was sleeping in my house when I heard gunshots. I ran out in confusion, unaware of where the gunshots were coming from. Immediately I stepped outside, the gunmen shot me.”
Also, another resident, who gave his name simply as Moheed, said over 20 houses were burnt.
He stated that most of the affected houses belong to members of the Oba Moshood Olarewaju’s family.
According to Moheed, “One of the houses burnt belongs to the oldest woman in our community.
“She was lucky to have been taken out immediately the house was set on fire. She too could have died inside.
“Oba Moshood Olarewaju ought to be the rightful Oba of this community and we still regard him as our leader.”
Residents flee community
Many residents whose houses were spared were seen carrying their belongings, preparing to leave the riverine community.
Also, others who had become homeless were preparing to leave the community for fear of another attack.
However, armed policemen were sighted in the community to forestall further invasion by the gunmen.
Suspected armed bandits have abducted the Chairman of Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Hon. Nura Umar Abdullahi, killing four persons, including two policemen and two local vigilantes who attempted to foil the attack.
A family source said the gunmen invaded the chairman’s residence and took him, his mother, wife and two children away. The source, however, said the family members were later released, while the abductors moved away with the council chairman, a health worker from the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Gusau, and a Point of Sale (POS) operator.
The bandits reportedly engaged security personnel and local vigilantes in a gun battle while making their escape, leaving several people injured by stray bullets. Among those affected was a retired treasurer of the Zamfara State Ministry of Finance and elder brother to the abducted chairman, Bello Umar Abdullahi.
The chairman’s wife said the bandits informed them that their target was only the council boss and asked the family members to return home.
“They released us at a shallow distance into the bush,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force Operation Fansan Yamma (OPFY), Northwest, Lt. Col. Aliyu Danja, said troops of the Nigerian Army successfully rescued the family members of the abducted chairman after a fierce gun battle with the bandits.
The Gombe State Police Command has handed over a Toyota Highlander to its rightful owner, Mrs. Cecilia A. Duru of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, nearly five years after the vehicle was stolen.
The SUV was presented to its owner on Friday after police concluded investigations that confirmed her ownership.
In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer in Gombe, DSP Buhari Abdullahi, said the vehicle was recovered on June 8, 2026, by operatives of the State Intelligence Department, SID, in collaboration with officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC.
He said the SUV was intercepted during a routine vehicle data verification exercise at the Gombe State Internal Revenue Service Vehicle Licensing Office, where discrepancies in its registration documents raised suspicion.
According to the police, investigations revealed that the Toyota Highlander was stolen in Rivers State on September 17, 2021, before it was smuggled to the Republic of Niger in 2023.
The command said the vehicle later re-entered Nigeria through the Illela border in Sokoto State in October 2025. It was then sold in Kaduna State and eventually brought to Gombe for re-registration, leading to its recovery.
The police described the successful recovery and return of the vehicle as proof of the effectiveness of intelligence-led policing and inter-agency collaboration in combating vehicle theft and related crimes.
The command said efforts were ongoing to track down and prosecute those responsible for stealing and illegally transporting the vehicle across international borders.
It also advised prospective vehicle buyers to verify the authenticity of ownership documents before purchasing any vehicle, and urged members of the public to report suspicious transactions promptly to security agencies.
The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft, arresting a vessel allegedly involved in illegal oil bunkering and taking 12 crew members into custody during an intelligence-led operation in Akwa Ibom State.
The operation, conducted under Operation DELTA SENTINEL, saw naval personnel intercept the vessel, MT FILIA, at the UTUE Terminal while it was allegedly siphoning crude oil from an oil well terminal jacket.
Director of Naval Information, Navy Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, said the successful operation followed credible intelligence generated through the Navy’s surveillance systems and continuous monitoring by its operational platforms.
He disclosed that preliminary investigations showed the vessel was carrying about 32.82 metric tonnes of fuel oil and 650 metric tonnes of crude oil without lawful authorisation or the required documentation.
According to him, the vessel, its 12 crew members and the recovered products have been taken into custody pending further investigation and possible prosecution.
Reacting to the development, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, praised the officers and ratings who carried out the operation, describing their professionalism and vigilance as commendable.
He reaffirmed the Navy’s determination to stamp out crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and other maritime crimes that continue to undermine Nigeria’s economy.
The Naval Chief said Operation DELTA SENTINEL has continued to deliver measurable results through intelligence-driven operations, robust surveillance and collaboration with other security agencies and key stakeholders.
Folorunsho recalled that between April and June 2026, the Navy recovered more than 4.7 million litres of petroleum products, dismantled 58 illegal refining sites, destroyed 239 dugout pits and 13 refining ovens, and arrested 91 suspects linked to crude oil theft.
He added that the sustained operations coincided with Nigeria’s crude oil production rising to 1.89 million barrels per day in July 2026, surpassing the country’s OPEC production quota.
The Nigerian Navy assured Nigerians that it would sustain operations aimed at protecting the nation’s oil and gas assets and urged members of the public to continue providing credible information to support the fight against maritime crimes.
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