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Abductors abuse our deaf, dumb daughters, collected N5.5m ransom – Edo family

Published

2 years ago

April 14, 2024

Edo State Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr Funsho Adegboye

Abductors abuse our deaf, dumb daughters, collected N5.5m ransom – Edo family

The sleepy community known as Oke Old in Sabongida-Ora, Etsako West local government area of Edo State was thrown into mourning and anxiety as kidnappers suspected to be criminal Fulani invaded a feed mill plant for their criminal activity and at the end of their operation, two deaf and dumb girls were abducted but the trainee manager identified as Elisha Udejei was not so lucky as he shot to death at close range. The community has a school and a church.

While Udejei, a young graduate of the University of Ibadan was killed, an eye witness who is also a worker on the farm and identified as Emmanuel Atafo abandoned his motorbike and ran to safety when he heard the gunshot fired at Udejei.
While Udejei was buried a few days after the incident, the kidnapped girls spent eight days in their abductors’, abused and were only released after N5.5m ransom was paid by their parents. They are 33 and 28 years old

The owner of the farm who did not want his name mentioned for security reasons said he took the girls to Lagos where they were trained in a special school in Oyo State before going back to the community to work in the factory after they graduated.

He said the kidnappers used the phones of the girls to contact their parents and negotiated for their release. They were kidnapped in Sabongida-Ora and released somewhere along Afuze road in Owan East local government area.

There is a strong suspicion that an insider may have led the kidnappers to the facility and that from the negotiation with the kidnappers, they claimed that they had sponsors who insisted that they must not collect less than N5 million.

The kidnap

The father of the one of kidnapped girls (name withheld) narrated the situation to Sunday Vanguard “It was on the 1st of April that they were attacked in their place of work and one of them was shot dead then one escaped but two of the females who are physically challenged were abducted by the kidnappers and taken into the bus, they were with them from Monday till Monday, they were calling for ransom, they started by saying that it is N10 million each that is N20m for the two of them then during the negotiation, we begged and they finally agreed on N5m per person but we said we don’t have this money and they finally accepted N5.5m for the two of them and that was the ransom that we finally paid before they were released. You know what it means for two physically challenged people to be in the midst of hardened criminals in the bush for eight days.

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Security

“When this thing happened, one of them that managed to escape got to a place where you have a military checkpoint, he got to them, but he said they didn’t show much concern about the story he was telling them, they were just questioning him here and there so he sad he left them and went to tell the people what happened. The following morning, everybody went there, the soldiers said their Commandant was coming and he never came. We were there as early as 8: am and we were there till 6: pm, there was no effort from them whatsoever even the police did not do anything, they were busy extorting money from the people, go and do this, go and bring that, let us go to the mortuary to go and see the person that you said they killed.
“The annoying part of it is that it was on Friday, this thing happened on Monday that they now said they want to go and comb the bush and it was like, what are you combing, something happened on Monday and it is now Friday that you want to go for bush combing?”

State of the girls

“When they were released after we paid the ransom, we took them to the hospital that very Monday then by Tuesday they were discharged, they are fine just that they were traumatized. We are just trying to console them and anytime they ask after their colleague that was killed we were initially telling them he was fine but we have to let them know that he died and that increased their trauma.

From medical reports, the issue of abuse could not be ruled out. Imagine small beautiful girls though they are physically challenged being in the midst of hardened criminals, drug addicts, for eight days in the bush so that couldn’t be ruled out.”

Release

“That was another funny aspect of the whole thing, one person has to go with the money to go and pay ransom in cash. We searched here and there to raise the money then the person who wanted to go and pay the ransom was told to go to Afuze area, at a time they will tell him go to a particular location, you will see police checkpoint there, they were giving him directives so he finally got to the place where they finally sighted him and directed him to ride the motorcycle into the bush with his bike then they got to a place where he met four of them and then the two girls.

“When they were going to pay the ransom, they instructed that when we are coming with the money, we should come with one pack of predator, one pack of malt and one pack of fearless drink so we bought the three items added to the money for them. They handed over the two girls to the man who went to pay the ransom. It was traumatic.”

Abductors abuse our deaf, dumb daughters, collected N5.5m ransom – Edo family

Vanguard

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Enugu Man Recounts How HIV Argument Allegedly Led to Girlfriend’s Death

Published

8 hours ago

October 2, 2026

Trends Admin

Okpara Chibuike Emmanuel

Enugu Man Recounts How HIV Argument Allegedly Led to Girlfriend’s Death

A 30-year-old man, Okpara Chibuike Emmanuel, has told the Enugu State Police Command how he allegedly killed his 27-year-old girlfriend, Chinyere Rosemary Ugwu, after an argument involving allegations over HIV infection.

Emmanuel gave the account during an interview with the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, in a video released by the command on Friday.

The police identified Ugwu as a Medical Laboratory Science graduate of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, who had recently completed her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme.

According to Emmanuel, the incident occurred around midnight on September 19, 2026, at his residence in Olympic Layout, One-Day area of Enugu.

He said the argument started after he told Ugwu that he could treat people living with hepatitis C, HIV and syphilis. Emmanuel alleged that Ugwu then accused him of infecting her with HIV, leading to a heated argument that escalated into a physical confrontation.

The suspect claimed Ugwu picked up a pestle and began hitting him, after which he said he took the object from her and struck her, causing her to collapse.

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Emmanuel further told the police that he subsequently used a machete to inflict injuries on her wrist, head and neck.

The police said the latest investigation revealed that the suspect’s account went beyond the initial allegation that he had used a pestle. According to the command, he also allegedly used a machete during the incident.

After the alleged killing, Emmanuel said he wrapped Ugwu’s body in a black nylon bag and moved it into the toilet of the apartment. He said he then locked the toilet and the master bedroom before leaving.

The remains were later discovered after neighbours reportedly noticed an offensive odour coming from the apartment. The neighbours forced their way inside and found the decomposing body.

Police had earlier said Emmanuel was apprehended by residents and was subsequently rescued from an angry mob before being re-arrested by officers attached to the Awkunanaw Division.

The remains were evacuated to a mortuary for preservation and autopsy, while the investigation continued. (Premium Times Nigeria)

During the police interview, Emmanuel also admitted damaging Ugwu’s Samsung phone, saying he feared that it could be used to trace him. He said her iPhone had already been switched off after she complained that it was faulty.

The suspect said he first met Ugwu through Facebook in 2023 and that they resumed their relationship after she returned to Enugu in 2026. He claimed that he intended to marry her and had discussed the relationship with her mother.

Emmanuel also suggested that he was not fully aware of his actions at the time of the incident and appealed for forgiveness and mercy.

However, Ugwu’s family has disputed reports that she was killed simply because of an HIV-related disagreement, insisting that the circumstances surrounding her death require a thorough and independent investigation.

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Her immediate elder sister, Kenechi Maryam, said members of the family were present during an interview involving Emmanuel and the Commissioner of Police. She said the suspect’s accounts about the injuries and weapons allegedly used raised questions that the family wanted investigators to resolve.

According to the family, Emmanuel initially spoke about using a pestle but later mentioned a machete when questioned about injuries to Ugwu’s head and neck.

The family has called on the police, medical personnel and other relevant authorities to establish the actual cause of death, the nature of the injuries and what weapon or object caused them.

The family has also urged journalists and members of the public not to treat the alleged HIV dispute as an established motive until investigators have completed their work. (ThisDay.com.ng)

The Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mamman Bitrus Giwa, has assured Ugwu’s parents and siblings that justice would be served. The command said the victim’s family had been identified and interviewed as part of the ongoing investigation.

The commissioner has directed investigators to conclude the case and ensure that the suspect is charged to court after the investigation.

The police have also urged members of the public, particularly young women, to inform trusted relatives or friends of their whereabouts when visiting or spending time with people they know.

The allegations against Emmanuel remain subject to investigation and possible court proceedings, while the circumstances surrounding Ugwu’s death have yet to be fully established.

Enugu Man Recounts How HIV Argument Allegedly Led to Girlfriend’s Death

metro

Court Remands Man Accused of Impersonating JAMB Registrar in Kuje Prison

Published

9 hours ago

October 2, 2026

Trends Admin

Arinze Nwogba

Court Remands Man Accused of Impersonating JAMB Registrar in Kuje Prison

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of Arinze Nwogba in the Kuje Correctional Centre over allegations that he impersonated the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Segun Aina.

Justice Salim Ibrahim ordered that Nwogba remain in custody pending a ruling on his bail application. The court fixed October 7, 2026, for ruling on the bail request and October 19 for the commencement of trial. (Vanguard News)

The case was brought by the Inspector-General of Police in a six-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/612/2026. The charge was dated September 18 and filed on September 21, 2026.

Nwogba, who was arraigned before the court, pleaded not guilty to all six counts.

The police alleged that Nwogba and other suspects still at large fraudulently impersonated the JAMB Registrar in 2026 by using Prof. Aina’s name and photograph on platforms including WhatsApp, Truecaller and LinkedIn.

According to the prosecution, the alleged syndicate used the identity to approach unsuspecting members of the public with purported offers of government and JAMB-related contracts.

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Investigators alleged that the suspects directed prospective victims to communicate through a WhatsApp number and claimed that the Federal Ministry of Education had approved the supply of 200 HP laptops as part of a digitisation programme.

The prosecution further alleged that victims were asked to pay N900,000 as an initial processing or “handshake” fee, with another N3 million allegedly demanded for payments purportedly meant for senior officials in the Ministry of Education.

Police investigations reportedly led to Nwogba’s arrest in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, in August.

The prosecution told the court that Nwogba allegedly operated under the name Dr Stephen Igwe and provided bank details to facilitate the alleged transactions.

Investigators also alleged that an Access Bank account linked to a deceased person was provided for the payment of the requested money. Police said Nwogba told investigators that the account belonged to his late nephew, who died in April 2026 and was buried in July.

The police further alleged that Nwogba admitted forwarding the account details to a cousin identified as Nnabuife Nwekpa, whom investigators described as the alleged principal suspect in the operation.

Nwekpa remains at large, according to the prosecution, while efforts are reportedly ongoing to arrest him.

The case followed a petition by the JAMB Registrar concerning the alleged unauthorised use of his identity and photograph to deceive members of the public.

At Friday’s proceedings, Nwogba’s lawyer, Christian Ejike, urged the court to grant his client bail on liberal terms. The prosecution opposed the application, arguing that there was a risk that the defendant could evade trial if released.

The prosecution also told the court that its witnesses and exhibits were ready and that it was prepared to proceed with the case.

Justice Ibrahim, after hearing arguments from both sides, adjourned the bail ruling to October 7 and fixed October 19 for trial.

The allegations against Nwogba remain before the court, and his plea of not guilty means that the prosecution must prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt.

Court Remands Man Accused of Impersonating JAMB Registrar in Kuje Prison

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Police Identify 27-Year-Old NYSC Graduate Allegedly Killed by Boyfriend

Published

10 hours ago

October 2, 2026

Trends Admin

Enugu State Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa

Police Identify 27-Year-Old NYSC Graduate Allegedly Killed by Boyfriend

The Enugu State Police Command has identified a 27-year-old woman allegedly killed by her boyfriend as Chinyere Rosemary Ugwu, a graduate of Medical Laboratory Science from the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu.

Ugwu, who recently completed her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme, was allegedly killed by her boyfriend, 30-year-old Okpara Chibuike Emmanuel, in Enugu.

The suspect was arrested after the discovery of Ugwu’s remains at his residence in the Olympic Layout, One-Day area of Enugu.

According to the police, the incident allegedly occurred on September 19, 2026. Ugwu’s remains were reportedly discovered after neighbours became suspicious of an offensive odour coming from the suspect’s apartment.

The police said neighbours forced the door open and found the deceased’s remains concealed in the toilet. Emmanuel was reportedly apprehended by residents before police officers arrived and took him into custody.

The command had earlier alleged that an argument between the couple over claims relating to HIV infection preceded the incident. Police said the suspect told investigators that he struck Ugwu on the head with a pestle during the confrontation.

However, the circumstances surrounding the death remain under investigation, and the suspect’s account has not been established as fact by a court.

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Ugwu’s remains were reportedly taken to a mortuary for preservation and autopsy as investigators work to establish the circumstances and cause of her death. The police have not announced the outcome of the autopsy.

In a fresh update, the Enugu police command said investigators had established the identity of the deceased and identified her parents and siblings, who were subsequently interviewed as part of the investigation.

The Commissioner of Police, Mamman Giwa, also met with members of Ugwu’s family and the suspect. The commissioner assured the family that the command would conduct a thorough investigation and pursue justice in accordance with the law.

The family has also reportedly called for a comprehensive investigation, questioning the suggestion that the alleged killing should be attributed solely to an HIV-related disagreement.

The police said Emmanuel has been interviewed by investigators as efforts continue to establish the full circumstances surrounding Ugwu’s death.

The command urged members of the public, particularly women, to remain vigilant in their relationships and when meeting people they know. It advised people to keep trusted relatives or friends informed about their whereabouts and to take warning signs in potentially dangerous situations seriously.

The police said further information would be released as the investigation progresses.