metro
Kidnap kingpin arrested, many killed after shoot-out with police in Delta
Kidnap kingpin arrested, many killed after shoot-out with police in Delta
In a major breakthrough in the fight against kidnapping, operatives of the Delta State Police Command have arrested a notorious kidnap kingpin, Abubakar Usman, also known as Shehu. Four of his gang members were gunned down during a fierce exchange of gunfire with the police.
The dramatic arrest took place during a sting operation carried out on Thursday, aimed at dismantling the gang’s criminal operations in the region.
The development was confirmed in a statement released on Monday by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi.
According to the statement, the gang had been on the radar of security operatives for some time due to their involvement in multiple high-profile kidnapping cases and violent crimes across Delta State and beyond.
Adejobi said Usman was caught in Delta State and confessed to being the leader of a deadly kidnapping group.
“The Nigeria Police Force, in its quest to sustain the tempo of the fight against violent crimes such as kidnapping, armed robbery, and banditry, has again recorded significant successes across the country.
“The police operatives attached to Delta State Command, on the 10th of April, 2025, in a sting operation on the activities of kidnappers within the state, arrested one Abubakar Usman ‘m’ AKA Shehu, who was identified as the leader of a deadly kidnapping gang.
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“Upon interrogation, the suspect confessed to multiple crimes, including the kidnapping of a medical doctor at Issele-uku, Delta State, the kidnapping of the wife and daughter of Mr Godwin Anuka at Ogwashi-Uku, and his subsequent murder, and also the kidnapping and murder of Ms Esther Ojoh at Ibusa,” he stated.
He added that Usman later led police officers to the gang’s hideout in a forest along the Asaba/Agbor Expressway.
There, the officers came under heavy gunfire from other gang members.
Adejobi added, “The suspect further led operatives to the gang’s hideout in a forest along Asaba/Agbor Expressway, where the operatives encountered the rest of the gang and came under heavy fire.
“In the ensuing gun duel, the operatives successfully neutralised four members of the gang and recovered three AK-47 rifles and 90 rounds of Live Ammunition.”
In a separate incident in Kano State on the same day, police arrested three suspects, Abdul Sadiq, 43; Ahmad Muazu, 22; and Aliyu Sharif, 40, at Dorayi Babba.
Acting on a tip-off, officers discovered 15 locally made revolver rifles, 102 live cartridges, and six used cartridges.
The police are now working to find the illegal factory producing the weapons and to arrest more suspects.
The police spokesman said, “Further investigation led to the recovery of 15 locally fabricated revolver rifles, 102 live cartridges, and 6 expended cartridges from the suspects. Investigations are being intensified to locate the factory where these illegal arms are being produced and arrest other culprits.”
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, praised the officers for their courage and commitment.
He said, “The Nigeria Police Force is committed to ending violent crimes and ensuring the safety of all Nigerians.”
Kidnap kingpin arrested, many killed after shoot-out with police in Delta
metro
Nigeria’s inflation rate drops again to 23.7%, says NBS report
Nigeria’s inflation rate drops again to 23.7%, says NBS report
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported a decline in Nigeria’s inflation rate, which eased to 23.7 percent in April 2025, down from 24.23 percent recorded in March.
This was disclosed in the April Consumer Price Index (CPI) and inflation data released on Thursday.
According to the report, inflation dropped by 1.86 percent on a month-on-month basis.
The food inflation rate also showed a slowdown, standing at 21.26 percent year-on-year in April.
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“In April 2025, the headline inflation rate eased to 23.71 percent relative to the March 2025 headline inflation rate of 24.23 percent.
The MoM headline inflation rate in April 2025 was 1.86 percent. The food inflation rate was 21.26 percent (YoY),” NBS wrote on its X account on Thursday.
The CPI report comes just days before the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) Monetary Policy Committee meeting scheduled for May 19 and 20, 2025.
Recall that the inflation rate had surged to 24.23 percent in March following the CPI rebase introduced in January. The CBN had paused interest rate hikes in February after inflation appeared to ease.
Nigeria’s inflation rate drops again to 23.7%, says NBS report
Education
UTME: Father of candidate who committed suicide over low score speaks
UTME: Father of candidate who committed suicide over low score speaks
A 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidate committed suicide on account of her low score.
The Lagos candidate, now identified as Faith Opesusi, was said to have scored 146 out of 400 points.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) released the results for its 2025 UTME on May 9.
An analysis revealed that more than 78 per cent of candidates scored less than 200 points out of the 400 maximum obtainable points.
The metrics, believed to have signalled mass failure, spurred protests from candidates who challenged the integrity of the exam.
Oluwafemi Opesusi, Faith’s father, said his distraught daughter took a liquid substance that led to her death after checking her result.
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In an interview with BBC, Oluwafemi said his 19-year-old daughter wanted to study Microbiology but the dream was cut short.
He said JAMB did not release the original result of his late daughter.
Oluwafemi said his daughter was devastated and disappointed after seeing her result.
“She had a high score in 2024 UTME. This year, she was given 146. The pain of it drove her to commit suicide,” he said.
The father said he would have tried to console his daughter if she had opened up about her trauma.
He added that the family was disappointed that her daughter had taken her own life.
On May 14, JAMB admitted that a technical error in Lagos and south-east states compromised UTME results across 157 centres.
A teary-eyed Ishaq Oloyede apologised to the affected candidates and Nigerians in a televised conference on May 14.
The JAMB registrar said the error, caused by one of its service providers, affected nearly 380,000 candidates.
These candidates, he added, will now be made to resit the examination between May 15 and May 19, 2025.
As of this reporting, JAMB has yet to directly address the Faith Opesusi case.
UTME: Father of candidate who committed suicide over low score speaks
metro
Shadow Govt: Nigerians mobilisiing 500 lawyers for me- Utomi
Shadow Govt: Nigerians mobilisiing 500 lawyers for me- Utomi
Renowned political economist and former presidential candidate, Professor Pat Utomi, says a group of Nigerians is mobilising legal support in response to a lawsuit filed against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).
Utomi made the disclosure on Friday via a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“It’s energising (that) some want to put together 500 lawyers to defend me against the DSS,” he stated.
The DSS recently dragged Utomi to the Federal High Court in Abuja, accusing him of attempting to institute what he termed a “shadow government” in Nigeria. The security agency is urging the court to classify the action as unconstitutional.
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In court documents dated May 13 and filed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Akinlolu Kehinde, the DSS argued that Utomi’s initiative was not only improper but posed a serious threat to national stability and the current democratic order.
Utomi, who contested the presidency in 2007 under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), is the sole defendant in the case.
Despite the legal action, he expressed gratitude for the messages of support he has received from around the country.
“I am heartened by messages of solidarity from across Nigeria on this shadowy business of chasing shadows of shadow cabinets. Reminds me of the Nigeria I used to know. I want to thank all,” he wrote.
Shadow Govt: Nigerians mobilisiing 500 lawyers for me- Utomi
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