‘I Needed Money for Wedding’ – Police Arrest Three Over N21m Kidnap Ransom in Lagos

They came from Agadagba community in Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State. Not to trade. Not to visit. They came to Lagos to kidnap. And as you read this piece, the Lagos State Police Command has apprehended three members of a cross-state kidnapping syndicate that abducted a businesswoman in the Ijedodo area of Lagos State, collected N21 million as ransom before her release. The suspects—Semi Buawe, 35; Oluwatomi Obosi, 37; and Bamure Telemowei—were traced to their hideout in Agadagba community, Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State, by operatives of the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit. The gang’s leader, identified only as ID, was said to still be at large and alleged to be connected to kidnapping incidents across multiple states, police sources said.

According to police investigations, the gang planned its operations in Ondo State, travelled to Lagos for the abduction in April 2026, and returned to the same Ondo community immediately after collecting the ransom. Police said this pattern highlights the increasingly cross-border nature of kidnapping in the South-West. The victim, whose identity has been withheld, was held captive for three days in a bush in the Ijedodo area before her family paid the ransom. The ransom package was unusual: the family paid N21 million in cash, along with a bottle of Eagle Schnapps, a power bank, and one kilogramme of frozen turkey. When the gang ran out of food during captivity, they allegedly used the victim’s phone to transfer N150,000 to a POS operator around Ijedodo and collected it in cash. Buawe told investigators that the victim initially refused to eat any food provided by her captors. “On the third day, she agreed to eat biscuit and that was the only thing she ate in three days”. The victim’s family initially offered N16 million as ransom, but the gang leader, ID, rejected it and continued negotiations until N21 million was agreed upon. The ransom was reportedly collected in dollars.

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Speaking after his arrest, 35-year-old Buawe, a sawmill worker by trade, admitted participating in the abduction. He revealed that he had been involved in kidnapping since 2010 but had attempted to leave the trade. “I am an indigene of Agadagba in the Ese-Odo Local Government area of Ondo State. I worked at a saw mill in Ondo State. I was staying in Lagos before but I returned to my hometown to be doing business there”. “I have been into kidnapping since 2010 but ID and I were not in the same gang. He came to me in April that he had a job in Lagos and that he wanted me to be part of the operation. Initially, I declined because I had decided that I wanted to quit kidnapping. He kept calling and begging me. Later he brought some of his friends to beg me and I agreed to join them. They said they needed my experience of the knowledge of Lagos, since I have lived in Lagos”.

The gang had no specific target when they arrived in Lagos. ID instructed them to go to Ijedodo to look for any rich man. “We were walking, when ID suddenly stopped in front of a very beautiful duplex. He concluded that the owner of the house must be very rich. He went inside the house with one other member of the gang, Alfred, while Oluwatomi and I watched over the environment. Later he came out with a woman and we headed straight into the bush in the same area”. When the woman started shouting for help, a passerby tried to intervene, but ID brought out a gun and shot into the air, forcing the man to retreat. Buawe admitted that he was almost running away but ID cautioned him. Buawe said he received N1.5 million from the ransom and collected one of the victim’s two phones. “I did not even use the money for any tangible thing because the amount was small”. He later fell out with the gang leader after they returned to Ondo State. He gave the victim’s phone to a Hausa bureau de change operator who is yet to pay him, he said in regret.

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For the second suspect, Oluwatomi Obosi, his descent into the underworld began not with a gun, but with a mother’s prayer and a grandfather’s advice—a desperate quest for love that led him straight into a kidnapper’s den. With a voice heavy with regret, 37-year-old Tommy, as he is fondly called, said his mother advised him to be serious with relationships and marry. His grandfather reinforced the message, urging him to return to their hometown in Agadagba, Ondo State, to look for a decent girl and raise money for a proper marriage. In Agadagba, Tommy found a lady and proposed, but she insisted he must first secure the consent of her elder sister—a condition that would prove catastrophic. “It was in the process that I was introduced to ID, who was the leader of our gang. He was the husband of my girlfriend’s sister. When ID discovered I lived in Lagos, he told me about the kidnapping plan. He said he wanted me to be translating Yoruba language to other members of the gang, whenever the gang abducted a Yoruba victim. I only agreed to follow them for the operation because I needed money to marry as soon as possible”. Obosi received N2.5 million, which he believed was enough to start his new life. However, ID later collected N200,000 from each gang member after they returned to Agadagba. Today, the man who only wanted to make his mother proud and honour his grandfather’s wish sits in a police cell, his dreams of marriage shattered and his future uncertain.

Confirming the arrests, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said the command had intensified efforts to apprehend the fleeing gang leader. The suspects, she added, were currently in police custody and would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations. The police urged members of the public with useful information about the fleeing gang leader, ID, to report to the nearest police station. “There will be no hiding space for criminals in Lagos State,” Adebisi said.

‘I Needed Money for Wedding’ – Police Arrest Three Over N21m Kidnap Ransom in Lagos

NSCDC Rescues 15 Trafficked Minors Sold for ₦2m Each by Fake NGO Official

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has announced the rescue of 15 minors who were allegedly trafficked and sold for ₦2 million each by a fake official of a civil society organisation, the National Council of Child Rights Advocate . The victims, taken from communities in Nasarawa State, were recovered across multiple states in a coordinated intelligence-led operation that also led to the recovery of stolen rifles and vandalised telecommunications equipment .

The NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Babawale Afolabi, disclosed this at a news briefing on Friday at the corps’ headquarters in Abuja . He said the rescue was carried out during a major crackdown on criminal syndicates involved in human trafficking, vandalism and other forms of criminality . The Corps also said stolen rifles and vandalised telecommunications equipment were recovered during the operation .

According to Afolabi, a member of the syndicate represented himself as an official of the National Council of Child Rights Advocate and deceived parents into handing over their children . The suspect operated under the guise of running an NGO and orphanage programme called the Back to School Project, using promises of free education to lure vulnerable, less privileged parents into releasing their children .

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“Under the guise of operating an NGO and orphanage programme called the Back to School Project, he lured willing, less privileged parents into releasing their children with promises of free education,” Afolabi said .

He added that the operation was carried out by the Commandant General’s Special Intelligence Squad (CG’s SIS) , headed by Commander Dandaura Appollos . Afolabi said the investigation followed a petition regarding missing children in Kokona Local Government Area of Nasarawa State and uncovered a syndicate allegedly headed by one Anderson Archibong .

The suspect allegedly took 16 children from Kama Madaki and Gudindi Mada communities in Kokona LGA in January 2026 and sold them to buyers in different parts of the country for ₦2 million each . Through advanced field tracking, technical intelligence and multi-state tactical sweeps, operatives tracked down the buyers who were from different locations in the country .

According to Afolabi, three of the victims were rescued separately in Anambra, Imo and Enugu states, while 12 others were recovered through coordinated operations along eastern transit routes . Efforts are ongoing to locate the remaining child and apprehend other members of the syndicate .

Afolabi further disclosed that three suspected buyers had been arrested in connection with the case . The suspects were identified as Joy Julius, Ngozi, and Eze Lazarus—comprising one man and two women—and they have allegedly confessed to their involvement in the trafficking operation .

The NSCDC spokesperson said that the Corps maintains a zero-tolerance policy against human trafficking and other forms of criminality . Upon completion of the corps’ investigation, all suspects found culpable will be prosecuted in courts of competent jurisdiction . The NSCDC Directorate of Legal Services has been directed to immediately initiate prosecution against all arrested suspects .

The Commandant General of the NSCDC, Professor Ahmed Abubakar Audi, commended the CG’s SIS for what he described as tactical coordination and operational efficiency .

The development has exposed how promises of education and better opportunities can allegedly be used to gain the trust of struggling parents before children are transferred to traffickers or buyers . The Corps has urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspected cases of child trafficking to security agencies .

In a related development, the CG’s SIS also dismantled a syndicate allegedly involved in the vandalism and theft of telecommunications infrastructure across Delta and Kano states, and recovered three stolen service rifles as part of separate operations targeting illegal arms diversion and internal corruption .

NSCDC Rescues 15 Trafficked Minors Sold for ₦2m Each by Fake NGO Official

How Celestial Church Pastor Killed Wife, Died by Suicide in Ogun Over Alleged Infidelity

Two heaps of fresh sand behind a three-bedroom bungalow in the Ogooluwa community, Akiode Ibogun, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, are all that remain of a tragedy that has left residents struggling to make sense of what happened. Placed side by side behind the house, the heaps mark the graves of a husband and wife whose lives ended within hours of each other following a reported domestic dispute that spiralled into violence and death. The house, built beside the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC), Iri Orun Parish—owned by the couple—was deserted when our correspondent visited the community on Thursday. The church was also quiet, and the stillness of the air in the environment was a stark pointer to the horror that had recently visited the neighborhood. But for residents, the silence has not erased the terror of Monday, August 31, 2026, when Bidemi Odukoya (also referred to as Evangelist Abidemi Odukoya), the Shepherd of Iri Orun Parish of the CCC, allegedly macheted his wife to death during a midnight domestic dispute before reportedly taking his own life.

The incident reportedly occurred around 2 am, though some early accounts suggest cries for help were heard as early as 1 am. According to the Baale of the community, Chief Taiwo Akiode, residents knocked on his door around 3 am to inform him that the Shepherd had allegedly killed his wife. The residents had first informed the police and were later instructed to alert him. “I was told that the Shepherd had killed his wife, that he macheted her. I could not believe my ears until we got to their residence and met the woman in a pool of her blood,” Akiode recounted. “There was a wound that looked like a machete cut, and there was also a stool which we also heard that the man smashed on his wife’s head. The police later came around and took photographs of the scene. All this while, the Shepherd was nowhere to be found. The thought was that he had taken to his heels, having realised the weight of his grievous actions.” The victim, whose name has been identified by neighbours as Adenike Odukoya (affectionately called “Mummy Daniel”), sustained fatal head injuries from the attack. She was reportedly struck repeatedly with both a machete and a wooden stool.

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A neighbour, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Oseni, gave a harrowing account of how the tragedy unfolded. She recalled that it was Daniel, the couple’s 14-year-old first child, who woke her around 2 am after he realised that his father had attacked his mother. “By the time myself and one other neighbour got to the residence of the couple, we discovered the lifeless body of Mummy Daniel with a broken head, all covered in blood, on the floor,” Oseni said, barely holding back her tears. “We later got to hear that the Shepherd used a machete and wooden stool to smash the head of his wife. We also saw Daddy Daniel with a cutlass in his hand. As I was asking him why he would go to the extent of killing his wife, he calmly said that he too was as good as gone. But because he was holding the cutlass, we could not move closer.” Oseni said Odukoya later went inside the house, but the neighbours did not realise that he had left the community that midnight to take his own life. The couple had three children together, including Daniel and a seven-year-old last born. The children are now orphaned and have been left in the care of extended family members, according to community sources.

After allegedly attacking his wife, Odukoya fled the community and headed for the Coker junction, Ifo section of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, about a 20-minute drive away from the Akiode community. Around 7 am, reports emerged that he had allegedly jumped in front of a moving truck, resulting in his instant death. According to the Baale, eyewitnesses at Ifo described the pastor’s final moments: “Some people at Ifo told us that when the deceased got to the expressway, he was crossing the expressway back and forth repeatedly. He later sat on the divider, after which he saw an oncoming truck and jumped before it and died.” Traffic was reportedly disrupted on the busy Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway following the incident, as motorists and pedestrians gathered at the scene. The truck driver, whose identity has not been disclosed, was taken into police custody for questioning but was later released, according to sources.

In a surreal turn of events, both husband and wife were buried beside their home on Monday evening—the same day they died. The Baale explained the timeline: “The wife was buried around 5 pm, while the husband’s remains were returned to the community later in the evening. The corpse of the husband, which was brought back to the community very late, maybe because of documentation and other things, was buried beside his wife past seven in the evening.” The side-by-side graves behind the couple’s bungalow now serve as a permanent reminder of the tragedy that unfolded in the quiet community. The graves were reportedly dug by community members who were still in shock over the events of that day.

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The youth leader of the community, Seun Adelana, alleged that the crisis that claimed the lives of the couple was rooted in infidelity. “Allegations of infidelity from both the husband and wife were said to have been the major reason responsible for this sad event,” Adelana told journalists. “The husband was said to have been alleging that the wife was dating another man, and some people also said that the shepherd was dating another woman. So, this is what we gathered led to the altercation, which made the husband kill the woman.” However, the Asiwaju of Ibogun Akiode, Chief Oluwasegun Adeboye (76), offered additional context. According to him, the couple’s marital issues had escalated to the point where they had taken their case to court prior to the tragedy. “We even heard that they have already taken their case to court and they were asked to go back home and see if they could amicably resolve their differences, after which they return to the court for the next course of action,” Adeboye stated. “According to what we heard, they were supposed to have returned to court again on Wednesday, but everything has ended on Monday, two days earlier.”

The tragedy has brought to light contradictory accounts of the couple’s relationship, with some neighbours expressing shock while others revealed a history of domestic violence. Mrs. Oluwatoyin Oseni, who lived close to the couple, gave a more troubling picture: “Sincerely, Mummy Daniel and her husband, who we fondly called Iri Orun, have always engaged in domestic fights. Recently, I had to help take care of the wife after their usual fight. There was even police involvement, after which we thought that the misunderstanding had been settled. It was after the tragedy of Monday, August 31, that we got to understand that both husband and wife had reportedly not been on speaking terms since June as a fallout of their regular squabble.” Oseni lamented that she had repeatedly advised the late woman to seek peace in her marriage: “I have particularly been weeping since this incident occurred because I have always told Mummy Daniel to try and be patient and give peace a chance because I am always troubled by the couple’s persistent fight. But she would always tell me that she can’t leave her children behind, particularly her last born, who is seven years old. But sadly, everything has ended this terrible and painful way.”

The Baale of the community, Chief Taiwo Akiode, described the incident as a tragedy of monumental proportions that no one saw coming. “This unfortunate incident is the first of its kind in this environment. It is a tragedy of monumental proportion that no one saw coming. It is something that you only come across in Nollywood films, those ones we watch on television. Nobody ever believes that such a sad incident could happen just at our backyard,” he said. “It is even more puzzling and very disturbing with the kind of personalities involved, I mean the Shepherd and his wife. Both of them were very jovial and respectful. They behaved so responsibly and greeted me cheerfully whenever they were passing by. Since over nine or 10 years that they have been living with us, you don’t get to hear that the couple are troublesome or quarrelsome. So I find it difficult to believe that it is these same set of people that could be involved in such a brutal domestic fight that claimed their souls in a very disturbing manner, leaving everyone behind to wallow in wild bewilderment.” Chief Akiode added that it was only after the tragedy that he heard claims that the couple frequently fought: “It is after their death that some people were saying that the couple were fond of fighting, but like I said earlier, I never heard anything like that. These people were quite nice. You will even think that they were siblings. They cut a picture of a loving couple that I would never have, in my wildest imagination, thought could cause all of this anguish.” Chief Oluwasegun Adeboye, the Asiwaju of Ibogun Akiode, also expressed sadness: “Some of us also believe that what happened might not be unconnected with some diabolical powers; it goes beyond the ordinary. We are only praying that the devil will not have a foothold in our homes.”

The Ogun State Police Command has confirmed the incident and is investigating the circumstances surrounding both deaths. ASP Opeyemi Oluborode, the Deputy Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, provided an official statement: “The command is very much aware of the case. The case file is currently being transferred to the SCID [State Criminal Investigation Department] for diligent investigation into knowing the actual facts surrounding the sad incidents.” Police sources confirmed that photographs were taken at the scene of the wife’s murder, and the truck driver involved in the pastor’s death was initially detained for questioning. The case has now been moved to the SCID in Abeokuta for further investigation. The police have not yet made any official determination on the cause of death for either party, pending the outcome of the investigation.

The community leader, Chief Akiode, used the tragedy as an opportunity to call for greater tolerance and patience in marriages. “It is worrisome that this could happen between husband and wife. It calls for lots of sober reflection. We should know that even if we disagree as couples, it should not be to the extent that life will be lost. We should see ourselves as partners and we must build our relationship on genuine love. We should also not wait for things to degenerate if we are having challenges with our marriage. We should seek help and counselling before things get out of hand.” The tragedy has also sparked conversations about mental health, as the pastor’s behaviour in his final moments—crossing the expressway repeatedly before throwing himself in front of a truck—suggests a state of severe distress or mental instability. Experts argue that such cases highlight the need for better mental health awareness and accessible counselling services in Nigerian communities. Key takeaways from this tragedy include the importance of seeking professional help when faced with marital challenges, recognising that domestic violence is never an acceptable response to conflict, understanding that infidelity—whether real or perceived—does not justify murder, acknowledging that children are the ones who suffer most in such tragedies, and the need for community vigilance and early intervention to help prevent such incidents.

How Celestial Church Pastor Killed Wife, Died by Suicide in Ogun Over Alleged Infidelity