Metro
Owo Massacre: Amotekun Officer Identifies 2nd Defendant As Gunman
An officer of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun, has told a Federal High Court Abuja, that he engaged in a gun battle with one of the attackers behind the June 5, 2022 massacre at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, and later identified the man in court as the second defendant.
The witness, code-named SSG, an Assistant Commander with Amotekun and a resident of Owo, said he and his team encountered the fleeing attackers in the bush shortly after the church shooting, following intelligence from eyewitnesses.
According to SSG, he was initially responding to a separate kidnapping incident at Shagari Village in Owo when he received a call from his commander to abort the mission because an attack had just occurred at St. Francis Catholic Church.
Continuing his testimony, he said he saw spent AK-47 shells scattered on the ground, and inside the building, he met lifeless bodies of men, women and children, as well as several injured worshippers, when he got to the church.
He said the injured were taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, while the corpses were deposited at St. Louis Hospital.
SSG told the court that he later gathered intelligence from a corn seller and a motorcycle rider, who said the assailants escaped in a blue Nissan vehicle towards the Achievers University axis along Ute Road.
He said his team chased the attackers and found the vehicle abandoned along the road at Ijebu area.
He noted that the vehicle was blue, with registration number AKR 895 AG. He added that they found sachet water inside the car.
The vehicle was taken to the Amotekun office in Owo, after which the team tracked the suspects’ footprints into the bush.
At a cocoa farm area, SSG said the trail became unclear, and while observing the surroundings, he noticed movement in a nearby bush.
“I saw the mouth of an AK-47 rifle pointed at me,” he said.
He explained that as he tried to respond with his pump-action gun, he realised it was on safety mode. After disengaging the safety, a gun battle ensued.
During the exchange, the witness said the other attackers escaped into the bush, while one hid behind a tree and shot the hunter accompanying the team, killing him on the spot.
He added that he was focused on evacuating the dead hunter to the mortuary at FMC, Owo.
SSG was asked in court to identify the person he saw during the shootout. He pointed at the second defendant and reaffirmed his identification during cross-examination.
He said the suspect was later arrested through the joint efforts of the police, civil defence, the DSS and other security agencies.
The witness also identified photographs of the recovered vehicle and told the court that the car is still in the custody of security agencies.
Earlier, a pathologist, code-named SSF, testified that he conducted post-mortem examinations on victims of the Owo church attack in June 2022.
He said he was invited by the Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Awo Ajaka, and carried out the autopsies in Owo.
SSF told the court that all the bodies examined showed multiple gunshot injuries from firearms fired from different directions, leading to massive internal bleeding and death.
He identified several victims by name and body numbers in the forensic report tendered in evidence, and said the original copy was submitted to the Ondo State Government.
During cross-examination, he said he could not determine the exact type of gun or bullets used, explaining that he is a pathologist and not a ballistic expert.
The court upheld the prosecution’s objection, and the witness was discharged.
The trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite Subsequently adjourned the case to February 11, for continuation of trial.
The traditional ruler of Mbajiir in Tongov, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State, has been abducted and murdered by armed men.
According to Vanguard, the deceased, Zaki Sughter Agamber, was abducted on March 6, 2026, by suspected gunmen at Kam Village in Tongov, an incident that left residents of the community in shock and fear.
Sources in the area said the traditional ruler was taken away from his home in the presence of his family by the armed men.
The monarch’s lifeless body was later discovered the following day in a nearby bush, sparking anger and grief among residents and traditional institutions in the area.
The source stated that “no group has so far claimed responsibility for the killing, while the motive behind the attack remains unclear.”
The development has drawn widespread condemnation, including the Benue State House of Assembly, which strongly condemned the abduction and subsequent killing of the Kindred Head, describing the incident as barbaric and unacceptable.
The House described the murder as a grave threat to traditional institutions and community leadership.
The Assembly reached the resolution during plenary presided over by the Speaker, Alfred Emberga.
The lawmakers called on security agencies, including the Nigeria Police, Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), to intensify efforts to track down those behind the crime.
Metro
Court Remands Four Police Officers in Kirikiri Over Alleged Killing of Traders in Lagos Market
An Ebute Metta Chief Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday ordered the remand of four officers of the Nigeria Police Force accused of shooting and killing traders at the Owode Onirin International Spare Parts Market in Lagos.
The defendants Manu Bala, Jibrin Samaila, Ibrahim Garuba, and Ibrahim Kashimu were ordered to be held at the Kirikiri Custodial Centre pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The four officers are facing a seven-count charge that includes conspiracy and murder.
During the court proceedings, the police prosecutor, O. W. Ologun, told the court that the alleged offences occurred on August 27, 2025, at about 9 a.m. at the bustling spare parts market in Owode Onirin.
According to the prosecutor, the defendants allegedly conspired with other suspects who are still at large to carry out the attack on traders at the market.
Ologun further alleged that the suspects used AK-47 rifles to open fire on several traders at the market, resulting in multiple deaths.
“The defendants and others at large conspired and shot several traders to death with AK-47 rifles,” the prosecutor told the court.
The charge sheet filed by the Nigeria Police Force, through the Commissioner of Police, listed six victims who were allegedly killed during the incident. They were identified as Bamidele Dare Mufutau, Adebayo Adewale Mathew, Adeoye Taiye, Abraham Idowu Temilola, Akinboye Oluwaseyi Olamilekan, and Akeem Aderemi Adeoye.
The prosecutor informed the court that the alleged offences contravened Sections 223 and 233 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
He explained that the suspects were brought before the court primarily to obtain a remand order while awaiting legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions, which will determine whether sufficient evidence exists to establish a prima facie case against them.
“The advice will determine whether a prima facie case has been established against them,” Ologun added.
However, defence counsel Azuri Ejiofor urged the court to reject the prosecution’s request for remand. He argued that the accused officers had already spent more than five months in detention before their arraignment.
Despite the objection, the court ruled that the defendants should remain in custody at the Kirikiri Custodial Centre pending further legal advice from the DPP.
Jihadi extremist groups, including Boko Haram and one of its factions, have been blamed for intensified attacks on military bases in Nigeria’s north-east in the past week.
At least two officers and several soldiers have been killed in the attacks across parts of the region, as security analysts say the assaults demonstrate a remarkable level of coordination by the insurgents.
Over the weekend, Islamic extremists launched at least six attacks in Borno and Yobe states and across the wider Lake Chad region.
According to security reports, the attackers carted away trucks and military hardware from the targeted bases.
The Nigerian military said the attacks between Sunday and Monday were an attempt by terrorists to overwhelm troop positions.
Maj-Gen Sani Uba, military spokesperson, said the troops lost an unspecified number of soldiers and a military officer during the assaults.
Uba said the casualties add to the deaths of several soldiers and at least one officer recorded earlier in the week.
Security analysts estimate that at least four military officers have been killed in the attacks within the period.
The latest attacks have triggered public anger, with some Nigerians accusing the administration of President Bola Tinubu of focusing on political considerations ahead of the next presidential election.
Observers say although ISWAP has increased attacks on military positions in recent months, the recent wave marks one of the first times the group has carried out simultaneous assaults on such a scale in the region.
Videos released by ISWAP showed weapons, ammunition, motorcycles and vehicles which the group claimed were seized during the raids.
Taiwo Adebayo, analyst at the Institute for Security Studies, said insurgents often target military camps to replenish their weapons stock.
He said: “When they hit those camps, they strip the base of weapons, burn it down and retreat into the forests.”
Malik Samuel, Nigerian security researcher with Good Governance Africa, said the vulnerability of military bases has enabled insurgents to restock their weapons.
He said: “As long as military bases remain vulnerable to being overrun, ISWAP does not need to spend money buying arms.”
The attacks are occurring despite increased security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States.
At least 100 US troops have been deployed to assist the Nigerian military with training and logistics under a new security partnership.
Adebayo said the insurgents benefit from the limited presence of security forces and government institutions in many conflict-prone areas.
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