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Two women have been arrested in Jalingo, Taraba State, after they were caught attempting to take three young girls out of the state to Adamawa.

According to reports, the suspects, both single and reportedly from the South-East, were arrested at a filling station while travelling in a commercial vehicle with the girls, aged between five and six.

The incident reportedly began when the women, who had rented a room in the same compound where the girls lived about two weeks earlier,
reportedly deceived their mothers into allowing the children to accompany them to the market.

Instead, the women allegedly took the girls to a motor park in Jalingo, where they hired a vehicle to transport them to Adamawa State.

The vehicle driver reportedly became suspicious after noticing that the girls did not resemble the women. He alerted members of his union, who contacted the police, leading to the suspects’ arrest.

At the police station, the women reportedly admitted taking the girls from their compound after deceiving their mothers. The girls, identified as Ummul Shuaibu, Ummul Baba Gasal and Amina Abubakar, were later reunited with their families at the Taraba State Police Command headquarters.

Their fathers were initially invited to identify them, while their mothers were subsequently asked to confirm their identities before their release.

Abubakar Kwalli, father of one of the girls, said the children became emotional when they saw their mothers, with each girl rushing to her mother in tears.

The Taraba State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Victor Mshelizah, confirmed the arrest and said investigation into the incident was ongoing, adding that further details would be released after the investigation.

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The Sokoto State Hisbah Board has denied claims that it imposed restrictions on Christian worship and practices in the state.

According to the board, it has no legal authority to regulate how Christians conduct their religious activities.

The board’s commandant, Dr Usman Abdullahi Jatau, made this known in a statement issued on Saturday in Sokoto.

The clarification followed social media claims alleging that the board was interfering with Christian worship in Sokoto.

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A student of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Ademiju Ayeni, popularly known as Jago, has reportedly been stabbed to death during the National Association of Nigerian Students Joint Campus Council (NANS JCC) Osun convention in Osogbo, Osun State.

Ayeni, who was a student of Estate Management, reportedly sustained a stab wound to his chest following a disagreement involving some individuals around the venue of the convention.

According to a report by Punch, sources who participated in the convention alleged that Ayeni was stabbed by a member of the convention’s security committee while attempting to prevent him from gaining access to the venue.

However, the circumstances surrounding the stabbing, including the identity and motive of the alleged assailant, remain subject to police investigation.

The Osun State Police Command confirmed that it was aware of the incident.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abiodun Ojelabi, said the disagreement had initially been resolved before the parties involved dispersed.

According to him, Ayeni later complained of chest pain and was examined, leading to the discovery of a stab wound.

He was subsequently taken to a private hospital in Osogbo, where he was pronounced dead.

His remains were reportedly deposited at the morgue of the Osun State University Teaching Hospital, while the police said an autopsy would be conducted as part of efforts to establish further details surrounding his death.

As of the time of the report, the police had not confirmed any arrest in connection with the incident.

Meanwhile, the NANS Southwest Coordinator, Josiah Adeyemo, reportedly described the incident as cult-related, alleging that those involved had engaged in a brief fight before Ayeni was stabbed.

However, he said the alleged perpetrator had not been identified.

The development has generated concern among students and stakeholders, particularly because it occurred around a student leadership convention.

The newly elected NANS JCC Osun leadership, in a statement signed by its Chairman-elect, Comrade Keinde Ayokule Temiloluwa Kaywhytee; General Secretary-elect, Comrade Odewale Favour Olatunde Oladex; and Public Relations Officer-elect, Comrade Adediran Okikijesu, expressed condolences to Ayeni’s family, friends and the Iree Polytechnic community.

The new leadership also called on students and stakeholders to remain calm, reject retaliation and refrain from circulating unverified accounts capable of escalating tensions.

“No student election or leadership ambition is worth the life of a student,” the statement said.

The leadership urged members of the Osun student community to prioritise peace, reconciliation and unity following the incident.

The police investigation is expected to clarify the circumstances that led to the fatal stabbing and establish responsibility.