Police kill four kidnappers, rescue five victims in Lagos-Ogun joint operation

The Nigeria Police Force has recorded a major breakthrough in the fight against kidnapping after operatives of the Lagos State Police Command and Ogun State Police Command rescued five abducted victims and neutralised four suspected kidnappers during a coordinated operation in Ogun State.

The operation, conducted under the newly launched Operation KOSAYE, also led to the arrest of four other suspected members of the kidnapping gang, as police intensified efforts to dismantle criminal networks operating along the Lagos-Ogun border corridor.

The Commissioners of Police in Ogun and Lagos states, Bode Ojajuni and Fatai Tijani, announced the development while briefing journalists on Saturday at the Police Training School in Iperu, Ogun State.

According to Ojajuni, the victims were abducted by armed criminals around the Ogbere Forest along the J4 corridor of the Sagamu-Benin Expressway, one of Nigeria’s busiest highways linking the South-West to other parts of the country.

He said intelligence gathered by security operatives enabled officers to track the kidnappers to their hideout inside the forest, where a fierce gun battle ensued.

The police commissioner disclosed that four suspected kidnappers were killed during the exchange of gunfire, while four others were arrested. The five kidnapped victims were rescued unharmed.

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“The victims were rescued successfully, and four of the kidnappers were neutralised while four others were taken into custody,” he said.

Ojajuni explained that the successful rescue followed the directive of the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, to strengthen collaboration among police commands in tackling kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes across state boundaries.

He said the Nigeria Police Force recently launched Operation KOSAYE, a joint security initiative covering Lagos and Ogun states with the support of both state governments.

According to him, the operation—whose name means “No Space”—is designed to deny criminals safe havens by targeting forests, border communities and other isolated locations used as hideouts by kidnappers, armed robbers and bandits.

Ojajuni revealed that security personnel had already carried out extensive clearance operations across Ogere, Ijebu-Ode, Ajebandele and the J4 corridor, among other vulnerable communities identified through intelligence.

Beyond the rescue mission, the commissioner disclosed that the operation resulted in the arrest of 84 additional criminal suspects across Lagos and Ogun states.

He added that operatives recovered AK-47 rifles, assault weapons, locally fabricated pistols, battle axes, live ammunition, mobile phones and other items linked to criminal activities.

Ojajuni reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to sustaining the operation until kidnapping and violent crimes are significantly reduced across both states.

He added that the initiative could eventually be expanded to other parts of the country if it continues to produce positive security outcomes.

Speaking at the briefing, Lagos State Commissioner of Police Fatai Tijani dismissed reports suggesting that bandits had infiltrated and taken control of parts of Lagos and Ogun states.

He said ongoing security operations had proved such claims to be false, stressing that security agencies remained firmly in control of the affected communities.

According to Tijani, Operation KOSAYE involves coordinated security sweeps across forests, border communities and identified criminal hideouts stretching from Lagos into Ogun State.

“Our personnel thoroughly combed forests and other identified locations. This operation is not a one-off exercise. It will continue for as long as necessary to keep our communities safe,” he said.

The Lagos police commissioner further disclosed that the IGP had directed commissioners of police in neighbouring states to work closely together in securing interstate border corridors and dismantling criminal gangs operating across state boundaries.

He commended the governors of Lagos and Ogun states for providing the logistics and operational support that contributed to the success of the exercise.

“The results speak for themselves. You have seen the rescued victims, the suspects arrested and the recoveries made. This demonstrates our commitment to protecting lives and property,” Tijani added.

One of the rescued victims, Jimoh Badamosi, narrated how he and four others were kidnapped while travelling to Ibadan.

The 58-year-old said heavily armed men suddenly emerged around Ogbere Forest, opened fire on moving vehicles and forced passengers out at gunpoint before marching five victims from three different vehicles into the forest.

According to him, the kidnappers demanded ₦40 million from his family for his release, while another victim was asked to produce ₦30 million.

Badamosi said they had spent less than 24 hours in captivity when they suddenly heard heavy gunfire.

“We later heard the kidnappers shouting that the Nigeria Police had arrived. They ordered us to lie down, but when we heard police officers calling us, we crawled towards them and were rescued,” he recounted.

He commended the police for the swift rescue operation and urged the Federal Government to provide security agencies with more sophisticated weapons, establish additional security checkpoints and strengthen surveillance around forests frequently used as criminal hideouts.

Other rescued victims also expressed gratitude to the police, describing the operation as timely and life-saving.

Police authorities urged residents of both states to continue providing timely and credible intelligence, stressing that community support remains crucial in the ongoing fight against kidnapping, banditry and other violent crimes.

Police kill four kidnappers, rescue five victims in Lagos-Ogun joint operation

Updated: DPO Gave Kaduna Mob My Wife to Kill – Ummulkhairi Husband Alleges 

A grieving Kaduna mechanic, Aliyu Muhammed, has accused the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Mararaban Jos of dragging his wife out of a police station and handing her over to an angry mob that lynched and burnt her alive, an explosive allegation that has prompted the Inspector General of Police to order a Force Criminal Investigation Department probe into the horrific killing.

The victim, Ummulkhairi Muhammed, a 35-year-old Islamic teacher and mother of four, was killed on June 21, 2026, in Mararaban Jos, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, when she was on her way to an Islamic school graduation and some children screamed “kidnapper” after she asked for directions, triggering a deadly chain of events.

Speaking in an emotional interview, Aliyu Muhammed, 42, recounted the events leading to his wife’s death, explaining that he had left for work that morning while his wife headed to an Islamiya school in a neighbouring community.

He said at exactly 11:21 am, he received a call from his wife’s phone, and a man told him that some women had accused her of attempting to traffic children, but stressed it was only an allegation that had not been confirmed, asking if he knew anyone who could quickly reach the location where she was being held.

Muhammed immediately contacted his friend, Suleiman, who rushed to the scene and later informed him that more than 300 people had gathered outside the house and that he had contacted the DPO to deploy officers so Muhammed’s wife could be safely taken to the police station.

While rushing back to Mararaban Jos with his elder brother, Muhammed saw smoke rising in the distance, and his second wife called him, crying, and told him they had killed her, but he was restrained from rushing to the scene by people who warned that the mob might kill him if they discovered he was her husband.

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The grieving husband made a damning allegation against the Divisional Police Officer, explaining that his elder sister was with his wife at the police station after she had been rescued.

While they were inside the station, the DPO entered and asked where the suspect was, and his sister replied that his wife was not a criminal.

The DPO then held his wife’s hand and started dragging her towards the station gate, with Muhammed recounting, “My sister asked where he was taking her and pleaded with him not to take her outside because the mob would kill her.

She tried to pull my wife back into the station, but another police officer allegedly struck her hand, allowing the DPO to drag her outside.”

He explained Once his wife was pushed outside by the DPO, the mob descended on her, beat her, placed her motorcycle on top of her, and set both her and the motorcycle ablaze, with another witness alleging that the DPO also removed her hijab before sending her out.

Since the incident, Muhammed said he has not been himself, stating, “I have been sick. I hardly sleep because I keep thinking about what happened and crying over the tragedy that has befallen my family.”

He now has four young children who have lost their mother, and he lamented, “What pains me most is that she was killed without being found guilty of any offence.” When asked how his children reacted, he said they were not at the scene and were not even aware of the incident until he returned home, recalling that “they only told me that their mother had said I would give them money to buy cooking oil.”

He added that while he was at home, some women from the community came because they heard that his wife had been taken to the police station, and as they were asking him questions, he broke down in tears and told them that she had been killed, which was when his children first heard that their mother was dead.

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The Kaduna State Police Command initially condemned the killing, describing it as “barbaric, criminal and a direct assault on the rule of law,” with police spokesperson DSP Mansir Hassan stating that the DPO had rescued the woman from an initial mob attack and moved her to the station for safety.

However, the police official account claims that “hundreds of people stormed and surrounded the police station, overpowered officers on duty, forcibly removed the woman from custody, killed her, and burned her body.”

The police have confirmed the arrest and arraignment of 24 suspects in connection with the killing on charges including criminal conspiracy, inciting public disturbance, mischief, destruction of police property, and culpable homicide.

Following a petition by human rights lawyer Hamza Dantani, the Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, directed the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) to investigate the allegations against the DPO and other officers involved.

Amnesty International Nigeria also condemned the killing and called for a thorough investigation, stating that eyewitnesses alleged officers on duty brought the victim out of the station and handed her to the crowd, with the rights organisation describing the incident as a “clear indication of the failure of law enforcement.”

Muhammed said the tragedy has devastated his family and left him unable to sleep or function properly, and he demanded that the DPO be thoroughly investigated, asking, “Why did he drag my wife outside and hand her over to the mob after she had already been rescued and taken to the police station?”

He also urged the public to avoid jungle justice and allow due process to prevail, questioning, “Even if my wife had been guilty of the allegation against her, does the law permit a police officer to drag her outside and allow a mob to kill her?” Muhammed also requested that the Mararaban Jos Bridge be renamed in his wife’s honour to preserve her memory.

Updated: Gave Kaduna Mob My Wife to Kill – Ummulkhairi Husband Alleges 

“I Gave Her 15 Strokes” – Pastor Confesses to Flogging 13-Year-Old to Death

A 45-year-old pastor in Cross River State has been arrested for allegedly flogging a 13-year-old girl to death with a horsewhip after she was accused of stealing N30,000 from her mother, with both the pastor and the victim’s mother now in police custody as investigations continue into the tragic incident that has sparked outrage in the community. The incident occurred on June 1, 2026, in Obanleku Community, Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State, when the victim, Nancy Peter, a secondary school pupil, was taken to the residence of Pastor Roman Samson Okoye, the General Overseer of Goodness of Jesus Ministry in Wula, by her mother, Agnes Peter, following allegations of theft.

The tragedy began when Agnes Peter discovered that the N30,000 she had kept at home was missing and accused her daughter of taking it, with a source at the Homicide Section of the Cross River State Police Command explaining that the mother took the teenager to the pastor’s house for discipline. “The woman complained that she had kept N30,000 at home and could not find the money when she needed it. She accused her daughter of stealing the money,” the source said. The mother left the girl with the pastor and went home, but by the time she returned, the pastor had allegedly flogged the girl with a horsewhip and was taking her to the hospital, where she was confirmed dead.

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Agnes Peter, a mother of three, insisted she did not ask the pastor to beat her daughter, claiming she only wanted the cleric to counsel and pray for the girl. “It is true that I took my daughter to the pastor after I discovered that my N30,000 was missing from where I kept it. That was not the first time my daughter had stolen my money, and it was not the first time I reported her to the pastor,” she said. Agnes narrated that while at the pastor’s house, the teenager confessed to stealing the money and told her mother she had hidden it in one of her trousers. “That was when I quickly stood up to go and confirm where she kept the money, and I found my N30,000 in the pocket of one of her trousers. The pastor had not beaten her when I left to search for the money. It was while I was returning that I saw him rushing my daughter to the hospital. I met him on the way,” she explained. “I didn’t tell him to kill my daughter. I have reported her to the pastor before, and I only wanted him to scold and counsel her. I was not there when he beat my daughter. I only saw him taking her to the hospital,” she lamented.

Pastor Samson, however, gave a conflicting account, claiming the mother asked him to beat the teenager. The 45-year-old cleric, who is the founder of Goodness of Jesus Ministry in Wula, Boki LGA, said he had known the family for about four years and had supported them after the mother had marital problems. “When the woman came, she had nothing. She was rejected by her husband with two children. I began to fund their schooling and upkeep,” he said. The pastor alleged that Nancy had repeatedly stolen from her mother, with incidents reported to him more than 20 times. “On the day she brought the girl to my house, she complained that she had stolen her money again. She also complained that her daughter was in the habit of sleeping away from home. She told me that the girl stole her N30,000 and asked me to beat her. She also said she had already beaten her but wanted me to beat her as well,” he claimed. The pastor admitted using a horsewhip on the teenager but insisted he never intended to kill her. “I went for my horsewhip and started beating her. I only gave her about 13 to 15 strokes when I discovered that the girl became very weak. I quickly rushed her to the hospital, but she died by the time we got there,” he said. Visibly remorseful, Samson expressed regret over the incident: “I feel very sad. I didn’t want to kill her. It was her mother who insisted that I must beat her. She was like a daughter to me.”

The spokesperson for the Cross River State Police Command, ASP Ewa Eitokpah Sunday, confirmed the arrest of both suspects and assured that a thorough investigation was ongoing to ensure justice is served. “The Cross River State Police Command, under the leadership of CP Rashid Afegbua, assures residents of its commitment to sustaining the ongoing offensive against criminality and dismantling all criminal networks operating within the state,” the police spokesperson stated. The incident has triggered outrage within the community and beyond, with residents demanding justice for the teenager.

“I Gave Her 15 Strokes” – Pastor Confesses to Flogging 13-Year-Old to Death