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EFCC Vows to Arrest Voters Who Chased Operatives From Ekiti Polling Unit
EFCC Vows to Arrest Voters Who Chased Operatives From Ekiti Polling Unit
- The anti-graft agency says the incident at Polling Unit 10, Ward B in Iyin-Ekiti during the 2026 governorship election was an unlawful attack on its mandate and a dangerous precedent that must not be allowed to stand.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is actively tracking voters who confronted and chased away its operatives from a polling unit during the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
Officials of the commission who spoke with our correspondent on Tuesday described the action as unlawful and warned that those involved could face legal consequences. The development has sparked concerns within the agency over the safety of its operatives and the ability of law enforcement personnel to effectively monitor compliance with electoral laws.
The incident occurred on Saturday at Polling Unit 10, Ward B, in Iyin-Ekiti, where EFCC operatives had arrived to monitor and curb vote-buying — a common electoral malpractice that has plagued Nigerian elections for years. However, their presence provoked resistance from voters, who confronted the operatives and demanded they leave. A viral video circulating on social media showed angry youths chanting in Yoruba and escorting the EFCC officials out of the polling area. Some voters questioned the presence of the anti-graft officials and challenged their deployment, insisting there was no evidence of vote-buying at the centre. The confrontation created a tense atmosphere before the operatives withdrew peacefully. Voting continued without disruption after their departure.
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One EFCC official, speaking anonymously to The PUNCH, said the commission views the voters’ actions as an “attack on its lawful mandate” and a dangerous precedent that could embolden others to obstruct law enforcement during future elections if left unchecked. “We consider the action unacceptable and unlawful. The commission will not condone criminality. We are on the lookout for those involved,” the official said. The official further stated that the action of those voters has set a dangerous precedent and that if such conduct is allowed to continue, it could embolden others to obstruct law enforcement officers carrying out legitimate assignments during elections. He added that the commission would seriously look into the matter and ensure that the actors in that scenario are located, stressing that people cannot simply decide to frustrate officials of the commission who are carrying out their statutory responsibilities. The commission made it clear that it would not be intimidated in its efforts to combat electoral offences and vote-buying. The official insisted that vote-buying is wrong and that the commission would not condone it, adding that they would not allow anybody to intimidate them or succumb to any form of harassment. He further stated that the EFCC would continue to fight vote-buying and sanitise the electoral process, emphasising that the responsibility has been entrusted to them and they will not abandon it because of threats or resistance from any quarter.
The commission had deployed operatives to multiple locations across Ekiti State on election day. A separate team of about ten operatives visited Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s polling unit — Polling Unit 003, Ward 06, Ikogosi in Ekiti West Local Government Area — arriving around 9:05 a.m. to monitor activities. No disruption or arrests were reported at that location. The incident at Iyin-Ekiti, however, has become the focal point of the commission’s post-election review, raising questions about the safety of EFCC operatives during election monitoring duties.
The confrontation occurred amid widespread allegations of vote-buying across various parts of the state. According to reports, in Aramoko Ekiti — the hometown of the incumbent governor’s mother — multiple voters openly admitted to receiving cash payments to influence their choices. At least five voters confirmed receiving 10,000 Naira each from party agents to vote for the ruling All Progressives Congress. The EFCC has been actively involved in monitoring elections nationwide as part of efforts to curb financial inducements and other practices that undermine the integrity of the electoral process in Nigeria.
The EFCC is now working to identify and potentially prosecute the individuals involved in the Iyin-Ekiti incident. While the commission has not yet made any arrests, officials insist that the matter is being treated with seriousness and that those identified will face legal consequences. Efforts to get the EFCC’s spokesman, Dele Oyewale, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
EFCC Vows to Arrest Voters Who Chased Operatives From Ekiti Polling Unit
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Fake Agency Director Blew N400m on Cars, Relatives, Luxury Items – Police
Fake Agency Director Blew N400m on Cars, Relatives, Luxury Items – Police
The Nigeria Police Force has uncovered how Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who posed as Director-General of a fictitious Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC) and Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), squandered N400 million on vehicles, family members, and luxury items. The investigation also revealed that he obtained an additional N100 million loan from a microfinance bank to sustain his extravagant lifestyle .
The Nigeria Police Force has conducted a comprehensive investigation into a case of alleged criminal conspiracy, forgery, impersonation, obtaining money under false pretences, theft of public funds, and money laundering , following a petition from the Chief of Staff to the President that exposed the activities of fraudsters operating within government circles. The probe was initiated following a written petition dated October 17, 2025, from Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, addressed to the Director-General of the Department of State Services and copied to the Inspector-General of Police . The petition drew attention to the activities of fraudsters forwarding official appointment letters purportedly from the Chief of Staff’s office, a revelation that prompted immediate security intervention and a comprehensive investigation into the matter.
The Inspector-General of Police directed the IGP-Monitoring Unit to investigate the case, setting in motion a chain of events that would uncover the full extent of the deception . The unit immediately commenced investigation and arrested the principal suspect, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew, who claimed to be Director-General of a fictitious Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC)/Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) , on October 27, 2025 . His statement was obtained under caution, in which he claimed he received the fake appointment letter from one Babatunde Dolapo Tanimola, who is now deceased, a convenient explanation that would later be contradicted by forensic evidence . The suspect was subsequently charged to Court in November 2025 for criminal conspiracy and forgery, but the investigation was far from complete as more evidence continued to emerge. A second petition from the Chief of Staff dated June 29, 2026, was referred to the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre for discreet investigation and report . The investigation team obtained voluntary statements from the complainant and seven witnesses, along with cautionary statements from 22 suspects whose names emerged during the investigation, revealing the extensive network of individuals who had been drawn into the fraudulent scheme . The team also forwarded specimen signatures of the complainant and one Mr. Segun Imohiosen for forensic analysis, a critical step that would prove decisive in establishing the forgery .
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Analysis of the suspect’s World Entrepreneurs Nigeria Ltd, GTBank account No. 0695674387 revealed that the suspect received a total of N380 million in four tranches from Divine Dopacy Nigeria Ltd, a company owned by Oyekunle Gbenga Collins, who was allegedly lured by the suspect to part with the funds under the false pretence of facilitating the award of a N2.8 billion contract for the renovation of an official residence purportedly allocated to the suspect by the EFCC . Collins had been promised a N2.8 billion contract for the renovation of an official residence purportedly allocated to the suspect by the EFCC, a promise that proved entirely fictitious . The payments were made between May and July 2025: N100 million on May 16, another N100 million on May 22, a third N100 million on May 28, and N80 million on June 20, 2025, demonstrating the systematic nature of the fraud . Further analysis on the account revealed that the suspect used the proceeds for the purchase of two personal vehicles and transferred large sums to his personal accounts and family members, revealing the true destination of the funds he had fraudulently obtained . This directly contradicted Adeyemi’s claim that he converted the total N400 million to USD and handed it over to the complainant through the late Babatunde Dolapo Tanimola, exposing his lies about the fate of the money . Analysis conducted on the suspect’s Sunshine Confectionery and Catering Services Access Bank Plc Account No. 1379777557 revealed that the suspect received N20 million from the same Divine Dopacy Nigeria Ltd on July 29, 2025, bringing the total fraudulently obtained funds to N400 million . The suspect also laundered the proceeds through personal expenses and donations, again contradicting his claim about the funds being converted to dollars and proving that he had systematically defrauded his victims . Police investigations revealed that Adeyemi also obtained an N100 million loan from a microfinance bank to sustain his high-end lifestyle, indicating that even the substantial proceeds from his fraudulent activities were insufficient to fund his lavish spending habits .
Response letter from Handwriting Experts dated March 18, 2026, confirmed that the signatures on the disputed documents are not the same as the signature of the complainant, proving the purported letters of appointment were forged and not issued by the Chief of Staff, thereby dismantling Adeyemi’s claims of legitimacy . One Mr. Segun Imohiosen, the former Director, Information and Public Relations, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, confirmed that he did not sign the purported Mandate and Terms of Reference for the pioneering office of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council dated January 6, 2025, further exposing the extent of the forgery and the lengths to which the suspect had gone to create an elaborate web of deception . The police investigation identified five top government officials who played a major role in facilitating the commission of the offences, individuals whose negligence or complicity enabled the fraud to succeed . They have been recommended for trial depending on the opinion of the Director of Public Prosecution, meaning they could face legal consequences for their roles in the scandal . The officials include two directors in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, a Special Assistant in the Budget Office, an Assistant Director with the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, and a seconded staff from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation . The report stated: “Investigation further revealed that some key staff of ministries and agencies played a major role in facilitating the commission of the offences” , confirming that institutional failures had enabled the fraud to persist . The ICPC’s investigation separately identified weaknesses in verification procedures, inter-agency coordination, and internal controls in these MDAs that were exploited by the suspect, pointing to systemic issues that needed to be addressed to prevent similar frauds in the future .
The suspect successfully smuggled forged documents to the Offices of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Head of Service of the Federation, the Accountant-General of the Federation, and the Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation, convincing multiple government agencies of his legitimacy through a combination of forged paperwork and personal charm . Staff in these offices negligently processed and approved all requests made by the suspect, leading to the fictitious agency receiving an Administrative Code, office space at the Federal Secretariat, official vehicles, Authorized Establishment, Administrative Waiver to recruit 300 staff, Secondment of Officers, opening of two accounts with the CBN (USD and GBP), Provisional Self-Accounting Status, and inclusion in the 2026 Appropriation budget . The report noted that staff in these offices failed to conduct due diligence, thereby allowing the forged documents smuggled by the principal suspect to get approvals, a failure that has now been identified as a major weakness in government administrative processes . The ICPC, in its separate investigation ordered by President Bola Tinubu on July 7, 2026, uncovered two additional fictitious government agencies allegedly created by Adeyemi: the FCT Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA) and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency/Public-Private Partnership (FIPA-PPP) . The suspect used fake legislative instruments styled as enabling Acts to facilitate their creation and relied on them to open bank accounts, further demonstrating the scale and sophistication of his fraudulent enterprise .
Fake Agency Director Blew N400m on Cars, Relatives, Luxury Items – Police
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DSS Arrests Three More Suspects Over Nasarawa University Professor’s Kidnap
DSS Arrests Three More Suspects Over Nasarawa University Professor’s Kidnap
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested three additional suspects in connection with the abduction of Professor Samuel Avengbe Okunsebor, Dean of Agriculture at Nasarawa State University. The arrests bring the total number of suspects in custody to five, following intelligence-led operations that also led to the professor’s rescue less than 48 hours after he was taken .
The three suspects were apprehended on Friday night at a local brothel along the Mararraban Akunza axis of the Lafia-Makurdi highway, according to a security source familiar with the operation . The arrests followed sustained intelligence gathering into the kidnapping network responsible for the abduction of the university don. The operation demonstrated the DSS’s commitment to tracking down all members of the criminal syndicate, leaving no stone unturned in the investigation. Security sources have identified the suspects as 25-year-old Yakubu Abubakar (also known as Black or Starboy), who hails from the Doemak community in Plateau State; 37-year-old Usman Abubakar Mairiga, who is Hausa; and 27-year-old Sale Babauro Abubakar, who is Fulani . The suspects are currently in the custody of the DSS Nasarawa State Command for further investigation, with their detention backed by a valid warrant obtained from a magistrate’s court, ensuring that the arrests are legally sound and that the suspects’ rights are respected throughout the legal process.
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Professor Okunsebor was abducted in the early hours of Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at Mile Uku, a border community between Lafia and Nasarawa-Eggon Local Government Areas . Gunmen reportedly stormed the area at midnight and whisked the professor away to an unknown location, sparking immediate concern among the university community and the wider public. Following intelligence-driven operations and sustained surveillance, DSS operatives successfully located and rescued the professor at about 3:00 p.m. on Friday, July 17 – less than 48 hours after his abduction . He was rescued unharmed, a testament to the professionalism and dedication of the security operatives involved in the operation. After the rescue, the DSS formally handed over the professor to his family members in the presence of senior university officials, including the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kitso Ngbargu . Professor Okunsebor was subsequently taken to the Federal University of Lafia Teaching Hospital for medical evaluation and routine checks after his time in captivity, ensuring that he received the necessary medical attention following his ordeal.
Two suspects – a man and a woman – were initially arrested during the operation that led to the professor’s rescue . The latest arrests bring the total number of suspects in custody to five, significantly strengthening the case against the kidnapping network. The management of Nasarawa State University expressed profound appreciation to the DSS for what it described as a swift, professional, and successful rescue operation . A senior university official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated: “The university is greatly indebted to the DSS for working round the clock to ensure the timely rescue of our amiable Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture” . The official added: “Given how the DSS has been meticulously prosecuting suspects in courts, we have little doubt that both suspects will soon have their day in court” , reflecting the university’s confidence in the judicial process and the quality of the investigation.
Security sources have confirmed that investigations are ongoing to dismantle the full kidnapping network and determine the roles played by the arrested suspects . Efforts have been intensified to apprehend other members of the criminal syndicate who remain at large, with the DSS continuing to gather intelligence and track down those responsible for the abduction. The successful rescue and series of arrests have been hailed by residents and members of the university community as a major breakthrough in the fight against kidnapping in Nasarawa State . The swift action by security agencies has been widely praised, reinforcing public confidence in the ability of law enforcement to respond to security threats and protect citizens from criminal activities.
DSS Arrests Three More Suspects Over Nasarawa University Professor’s Kidnap
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I Delivered 10 Babies with My Bare Hands in Captivity — Rescued Kwara Nurse Recounts Ordeal
I Delivered 10 Babies with My Bare Hands in Captivity — Rescued Kwara Nurse Recounts Ordeal
Amirah Salihu, a nurse and daughter of the Woro community chief, has shared the harrowing conditions she and other captives endured during nearly six months in terrorist captivity. She revealed that she helped 10 pregnant women deliver their babies with her bare hands, without gloves or medical equipment, and that the terrorists later attempted to keep her because of her skills .
The Kwara State Government has officially received 176 victims who were abducted during the February 3 terrorist attack on Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area, marking the end of a traumatic chapter for families who had waited nearly six months for the return of their loved ones. The victims regained their freedom on Wednesday, August 5, following a coordinated intelligence-led operation by security forces that demonstrated the government’s commitment to securing the release of abducted citizens. The rescue operation, which also freed 145 captives from neighbouring Niger State, was described by President Bola Tinubu as the largest same-day rescue operation ever carried out by a joint security team, underscoring the scale and complexity of the mission that brought the captives home.
Amirah Salihu, a nurse and the daughter of Umar Salihu, the chief of Woro community, disclosed in an interview aired by Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday that she took delivery of 10 pregnant women with her bare hands while in captivity, a testament to her courage and professional dedication under the most unimaginable circumstances. Salihu described the severe deprivation the captives faced daily, recounting that they were poorly fed and often slept in the open, including near a river, despite heavy rainfall that made their already difficult existence even more unbearable. “The kind of food that they were giving us was bad. The day that we got there, they just dropped guinea corn for us with salt and Maggi. Every day after, they gave us one bag of corn without oil, pepper, nothing. There was a day that they didn’t even give us Maggi again, just salt,” she said, painting a vivid picture of the malnutrition and hunger that plagued the captives throughout their ordeal.
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According to Salihu, the captives were sometimes given kuka, a local food preparation, but the abductors eventually stopped providing it, leaving them with even fewer options for sustenance. The sleeping conditions were equally brutal, as she recounted: “And they kept us inside river. The place that we sleep is inside river. And rain always used to fall, sometimes. If we set fire, they asked us to put off the fire,” describing the constant exposure to the elements and the lack of basic shelter that made their captivity a daily struggle for survival. Salihu said her nursing skills became crucial when the abductors asked whether there was a nurse among the captives as pregnant women began going into labour, a moment that would test her professional abilities in the most challenging environment imaginable. She initially concealed her profession out of caution but eventually stepped forward to help, demonstrating remarkable bravery and compassion. “I helped like 10 women for the delivery, without gloves. I used my hands to help them,” she said, describing the extraordinary lengths she went to in order to save lives without any of the basic medical equipment that nurses would normally rely on.
The terrorists later discovered her skills and wanted her to remain with them, recognizing the value of her medical expertise, but she refused their demand, determined to return to her family and community. “But at last, when they got to know, they wanted to keep me, that I should stay with them, but I said no. I want to come back,” she stated firmly, revealing her resilience and her unwillingness to be separated from her loved ones any longer. Salihu also recounted the motive behind the attack and the personal loss she suffered, providing insight into the terrorists’ ideology and the devastating impact on her family. “They always say that they are working for Allah’s work. That they want us to work with what Allah said. That all what we are doing, we are doing constitution, democracy—that it is not good. That they want us to work with Quran. That’s the reason why they entered our village, killed everybody,” she said, explaining the justification the attackers gave for their violent actions.
She disclosed that two of her brothers were killed during the attack, a loss that has left her family grieving while also trying to rebuild their lives: “They even killed my brothers—my senior brother and my junior brother. And those… they said it’s because of my dad, because my dad did not allow them to come to our village” . According to her, her father had resisted the terrorists’ attempts to enter the community and had brought soldiers to protect the village, demonstrating his commitment to protecting his people, but the attackers struck after the soldiers had left, taking advantage of the temporary gap in security. When asked whether the captives were subjected to rape or sexual assault, Salihu said there was no such incident, offering some relief amid the otherwise grim account: “No, no case of rape or sexual assault, no” .
The Kwara State Government confirmed that 13 children died in captivity, a tragic reminder of the toll that prolonged abduction takes on the most vulnerable, while 12 others remained behind with the terrorists, their fate still uncertain . Nafisat Abdulfatai, another survivor, explained that the children were not released because the abductors threatened that those who tried to leave would become slaves, revealing the psychological manipulation the captives endured. She also recounted that the captives ate only once on most days and survived mainly on “luru” soup prepared with only salt, further detailing the extreme deprivation that characterised their daily existence. Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, received the rescued victims in Ilorin on Friday and commiserated with the families of those who died in captivity, offering the government’s support and condolences to those who had lost loved ones. The governor disclosed that 46 rescued victims were receiving treatment in hospitals, including three women who gave birth in captivity, highlighting the ongoing medical needs of the survivors. He thanked President Bola Tinubu and the military hierarchy for their roles in the rescue operation, noting that the President had approved the establishment of five Army battalions in strategic locations across Kwara State as part of broader efforts to enhance security and prevent future attacks .
I Delivered 10 Babies with My Bare Hands in Captivity — Rescued Kwara Nurse Recounts Ordeal
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