In a bold move to tackle crime, the Imo State Police Command has dismantled a suspected kidnapping and organ trafficking syndicate, arresting one suspect and rescuing a 19-year-old girl.

The successful operation took place on October 10, 2024, at Douglas area in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State.

ASP Okoye Henry, Police Public Relations Officer, who confirmed the arrest, on Saturday, explained that the kidnappers were intercepted while transporting the abducted girl to an undisclosed location in their vehicle.

He said: “The arrest followed the swift response of vigilant operatives on visibility patrol, who observed the syndicate in a blue and white bus forcefully taking the young girl to an undisclosed location where they intended to kill her and harvest her organs.”

The police engaged in a hot pursuit, leading to the abandonment of the vehicle and the arrest of 38-year-old Justine Emmanuel, while others escaped into the nearby bush.

In another breakthrough, operatives of the Owerri Urban Area Command arrested one Mrs. Blessing Emmanuel, a secondary school teacher, for allegedly dehumanizing her 12-year-old stepdaughter, Amarachi Emmanuel.

The arrest occurred on Tuesday after a complaint was filed by Owerri-based activist journalist Chidiebube Okeoma.

Okoye urged the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities.

“The Imo State Police Command is committed to combating violent crime and ensuring community safety,” he said.

Adeleke Adeyinka, a councillorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, was brutally murdered on Saturday afternoon by unknown assailants along Osoba Way, in Abeokuta, the state capital.

The former youth leader of Ward 15 in Abeokuta South was reportedly shot and stoned to death by his attackers, who fled the scene in an unregistered vehicle.

The tragic incident has shocked the community, with the APC Youth Leaders Forum condemning the killing and demanding swift justice.

In a joint statement by the Youth Leader of Abeokuta South Local Government, Comrade Kabir Odedairo, and the forum’s State Public Relations Officer, Comrade Timothy Odedina, the group described the killing as senseless and horrific.

The statement read in part, “We strongly condemn this senseless and horrific act, which has left our community shaken and grieving.

The fact that Adeleke was shot and stoned to death by unknown assailants in a tinted car is particularly disturbing and warrants immediate attention from law enforcement agencies.”

The forum called on security agencies to investigate the killing and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice. They also urged the police to enhance security in the area to prevent further violence.

The Ogun State Police Command confirmed the incident, stating that the attackers, suspected to be cultists, arrived in an unregistered Toyota Corolla and opened fire on 40-year-old Adeleke before fleeing the scene.

The community and APC members are mourning the loss of a promising leader, and the forum has called for increased security measures in Abeokuta to ensure the safety of residents.

Ayilamo settlement in Logo Local Government Area of Benue State has become deserted following a bloody attack by suspected herdsmen that killed three persons and destroyed many property and crops.

Ayilamo settlement, an agrarian community, located at the Bank of River Benue, along Abinsi-Tyulen- Anyiin-Wukari trunk A federal road, is renowned for massive rice, yam and soybeans cultivation, particularly in Tombo ward, Logo Local Government Area, of Benue State.

Suspected armed herdsmen reportedly stormed the community on 9th, October, 2024 between 9pm and 3am, and opened fire on residents who were fast asleep.

Security personnel and youths in the community were said to have put up resistance against the invaders, culminating in a fierce gun battle. In the end, three persons were reportedly killed; over 10 houses were set ablaze while several persons sustained various degrees of injury.

The newly sworn-in Chairman of Logo Government Council, Clement Kav, who hurriedly visited the affected area, condemned the dastardly attacks and killings.

He immediately directed the deployment of troops and mobile policemen to halt further attacks on the community.

The house of the community monarch, Mue Ter Ipusu, Chief Dr. Enoch Ikyumen, was torched and his property burnt down.

The chairman later visited the Ayilamo Primary Health Care (PHC) where those who sustained injuries were being treated, and directed for the immediate transfer of badly injured victims to the Benue State Teaching Hospital in Makurdi.

Gunshot wound victims receiving treatment  at Ayilamo  PHC include; Yinanga Mbatsavende, Ahua Timothy, Azashachia Butu, Orhiiga Torbee, Dem Msuega, Ahua Mwarga, Vihior Dominic, Doosuur Terna, Mbapinen Mpuuga, Ushahemba Uza, Keghter Uza, Mhen Uza .

Meanwhile calm has returned to the area after more security personnel were deployed.

Some residents of the community who spoke to The Nation said the herdsmen hide under the guise of grazing cattle to perpetrate the heinous crime.

They said they were armed with sophisticated weapons and moved from one house to another, setting them ablaze.

A resident, Mr. Unande, said from Anyibe settlement to Tse Dzungwe- Ibor and Gbeleve villages all the planted yams, maize, corns and soybeans have been destroyed by the herdsmen and their cattle.

“If the state and federal government with their security don’t protect us, hunger alone will kill us,” Unande said.

The Logo Police Division confirmed the incident.