Niger Police Arrest Five Over Alleged Plot to Sacrifice Biological Children for Wealth

The Niger State Police Command has arrested five suspects, including four fathers accused of offering their biological children for money rituals in exchange for wealth.

The suspects were reportedly apprehended while allegedly preparing to perform a money ritual at an isolated compound in the Garima area of Bosso, Minna, following an intelligence report received by police operatives.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, disclosed this in a statement issued in Minna, saying the operation was carried out on October 27, 2026, at about 8:30pm.

According to him, operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, while on routine patrol around Bosso, received information about suspected ritual activities taking place at an isolated compound in Garima.

The officers reportedly stormed the location and arrested five men, identified as Mohammed Idris Dogara, 57, from Nasarawa State but residing in Bosso; Aliyu Sule, 25; Abubakar Abdullahi, 40, both of New Garima; Ibrahim Mohammed Hamisu, 43; and Shehu Abubakar, 40, a native doctor from Maikunkele.

Items recovered from the scene included blood-stained red and white clothing, four calabashes, two live chickens, three slaughtered chickens, a blood-stained knife and a large mat on which the suspected ritual materials were arranged.

The police said preliminary investigations revealed that four of the suspects — Ibrahim, Abubakar, Aliyu and Mohammed — had approached the native doctor to perform money rituals for them using a human skeleton allegedly discovered during mining activities.

However, the native doctor reportedly declined their request, insisting that he did not offer such services.

The four men allegedly persisted and offered their biological children as sacrifices in exchange for different sums of money.

Following their insistence, the native doctor reportedly instructed each of them to procure a chicken and meet at a designated location for the ritual.

The police said the suspects were arrested while allegedly carrying out the activities. Aliyu Sule was reportedly found holding a blood-stained knife and preparing to slaughter his chicken, while three other suspects had already slaughtered theirs.

The command added that the suspects had confessed to the allegations and were undergoing further investigation before being charged to court.

Meanwhile, the police statement did not disclose the identities or ages of the children allegedly offered for the ritual, or whether they had been located and placed under protective care.

It also remained unclear whether any of the children had been exposed to immediate danger or whether the alleged ritual had progressed beyond the slaughtering of the chickens.

The circumstances surrounding the alleged discovery of the human skeleton and its intended use in the ritual were also not fully explained by the police.

NNPCL Slashes Petrol Price By Up To ₦80, Sells At ₦1,325 Per Litre In Abuja

ABUJA — Motorists in Abuja have received some relief following a downward adjustment in petrol pump prices by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), with its retail outlets now dispensing the product at ₦1,325 per litre in parts of the Federal Capital Territory.

The reduction, which followed a recent adjustment in the petrol pricing structure by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, represents a decrease of between ₦45 and ₦80 per litre compared with the previous prices charged by NNPCL retail outlets.

According to a report by DAILY POST published on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, a market survey showed that NNPCL filling stations in Abuja and neighbouring areas had adjusted their pump prices from between ₦1,370 and ₦1,405 to ₦1,325 per litre.

The new price was reportedly implemented at the company’s retail outlets in Gwarimpa and along the Kubwa Expressway.

A fuel attendant at one of the affected NNPCL filling stations confirmed the development, explaining that the downward adjustment took effect on Wednesday afternoon.

The latest reduction comes amid renewed movements in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum market, where changes in the prices of petrol supplied by domestic refineries and depot operators continue to influence retail pump prices.

Barely two days before the adjustment, Dangote Petroleum Refinery reportedly reduced its petrol gantry price to ₦1,215 per litre, prompting expectations that filling stations would review their retail prices downward.

The development had raised hopes among motorists that the reduction in the refinery’s wholesale price would translate into cheaper petrol at filling stations across the country.

However, the impact has not been uniform across locations, as petrol prices continue to fluctuate among different marketers.

In Lagos, for instance, separate market checks reported by Vanguard showed that NNPCL and MRS filling stations were selling petrol at approximately ₦1,360 per litre, while some independent marketers charged between ₦1,365 and ₦1,370.

The differing prices highlight the competitive and changing nature of Nigeria’s deregulated downstream petroleum market.

Although the latest adjustment offers some relief to motorists patronising the affected NNPCL outlets in Abuja, it remains unclear whether the company will extend the new price to all its filling stations nationwide.

For now, motorists in Abuja can take advantage of the reduced price at the affected outlets, while consumers elsewhere will have to monitor developments in their respective locations as petroleum marketers continue to adjust their pump prices.

NNPCL Slashes Petrol Price By Up To ₦80, Sells At ₦1,325 Per Litre In Abuja

Dogo Gide Throws Spanner in Islamic State’s Expansion Plans, Forces Terrorists to Retreat in North-West Nigeria

A notorious Nigerian bandit kingpin, Dogo Gide, has reportedly emerged as a major obstacle to the expansion of the Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) in north-western Nigeria, after confronting the terror group over attempts to establish control in territories dominated by armed bandit groups.

The development represents another significant dimension of the increasingly complicated security situation in northern Nigeria, where criminal bandit groups and internationally affiliated terrorist organisations are competing for territorial influence, recruits and control of local communities.

According to a report published by Daily Post on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, security analyst Brant Philip disclosed that Dogo Gide had frustrated the Islamic State’s expansion efforts following a confrontation with its fighters around the middle of 2026.

Philip, in an analysis shared on X, reportedly explained that ISSP had spent the past two years attempting to establish stronger relationships with armed groups operating across Sokoto, Zamfara and Niger states.

The organisation reportedly approached several bandit groups, seeking to persuade their members to abandon their existing criminal networks, embrace its extremist ideology and become part of its wider terrorist campaign.

While some groups in Zamfara and Sokoto reportedly accepted the overtures and joined the Islamic State’s network, others resisted the attempts to bring them under its control.

Philip further disclosed that ISSP fighters had defeated several bandit groups in northern Zamfara, subsequently taking over their camps, weapons and vehicles.

However, the group’s expansion reportedly encountered a formidable challenge when its fighters came into confrontation with Dogo Gide, one of the most influential bandit warlords operating in north-western Nigeria.

According to the analyst, Gide’s resistance presented one of the most significant obstacles to the Islamic State’s efforts to extend its influence into the region.

Dogo Gide’s confrontation with ISSP is particularly significant given his previous associations with jihadist groups operating in Nigeria.

A January 2026 research publication by the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC) at the United States Military Academy, West Point, examined the complicated relationship between powerful bandit leaders and jihadist organisations seeking to expand their influence in Nigeria.

The study, titled Kachallas and Kinship: Understanding Jihadi Expansion and Diffusion in Nigeria, identified Dogo Gide as an influential warlord whose relationship with extremist groups had historically been opportunistic rather than based on firm ideological commitment.

Researchers explained that Gide had previously maintained relationships with jihadist factions, including Ansaru and the faction led by Sadiku, while using such associations to strengthen his influence among fellow bandits and in his dealings with local communities.

However, the relationship eventually deteriorated as the jihadist groups attempted to extend their authority over territories controlled by his fighters.

The research documented confrontations between Gide’s group and Ansaru in 2024, as well as clashes with Sadiku’s faction in early 2025.

According to accounts cited by the researchers, the jihadists wanted Gide to embrace their ideology and surrender control of his territory, but he rejected the demands, insisting that outsiders could not take over areas controlled by local armed groups.

The study further explained that Gide had become increasingly determined to protect his territorial influence against jihadist encroachment.

The Islamic State Sahel Province is an affiliate of the global Islamic State terrorist organisation, with its traditional operational strongholds across parts of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

However, the group has increasingly sought to extend its activities into north-western Nigeria, exploiting insecurity, weak border controls and existing networks of armed groups.

Security assessments by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) have also identified the growing activities of ISSP in Nigeria, particularly through its connections with militant networks operating around the Niger-Nigeria border.

The group’s activities have raised concerns about the possible convergence of Sahel-based terrorist organisations and Nigeria’s longstanding banditry crisis.

Research by the Combating Terrorism Center has similarly highlighted how jihadist organisations attempt to establish relationships with local armed groups to gain access to territory, recruits, resources and logistical support.

However, the researchers cautioned that powerful bandit leaders are not necessarily willing to surrender their independence or territorial authority to foreign or externally based extremist organisations.

The reported confrontation involving Dogo Gide illustrates the complex relationship between banditry and terrorism in Nigeria’s north-west.

Although both criminal bandits and jihadist organisations engage in armed violence, kidnapping and attacks on communities, their objectives and interests are not necessarily identical.

For powerful warlords such as Gide, maintaining territorial control and influence over local armed networks remains a major consideration.

Consequently, attempts by jihadist organisations to impose ideological authority or absorb independent bandit groups can trigger violent resistance.

Nevertheless, resistance from powerful bandit leaders does not automatically eliminate the threat posed by jihadist organisations.

The January 2026 West Point study specifically cautioned that although Dogo Gide has the capacity to complicate jihadist expansion in core bandit territories, extremist networks could continue establishing themselves in other parts of western Nigeria.

For Nigeria’s security agencies, the emerging situation presents another challenge in the fight against insecurity: confronting criminal banditry while preventing internationally affiliated terrorist organisations from exploiting existing armed networks to establish deeper roots in the country.

The reported confrontation between Dogo Gide and ISSP therefore underscores an important reality: the battle for influence in north-western Nigeria is no longer simply between security forces and bandits, but increasingly involves competing armed organisations seeking control of the region.

Dogo Gide Throws Spanner in Islamic State’s Expansion Plans, Forces Terrorists to Retreat in North-West Nigeria