Bauchi Police Arrest 26-Year-Old Man Over Rape Of 50-Year-Old Woman

The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested a 26-year-old man, identified as Lukman Alhaji Nasiru, over the alleged rape of a 50-year-old woman described as living with mental health challenges.

The arrest followed a report received by the police concerning the alleged sexual assault of the woman, with detectives subsequently taking the suspect into custody for investigation.

According to the report, the police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the alleged incident and gathering evidence as part of the process that could determine the next legal steps in the case.

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The victim’s vulnerability has heightened concerns about the protection of people living with mental health conditions from sexual abuse and other forms of exploitation. Cases involving vulnerable adults can present additional challenges in reporting, investigation and access to justice.

The arrest is not a determination of guilt, and the suspect remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.

The police are expected to continue their investigation before deciding whether to charge the suspect to court.

The case also adds to the wider concern over gender-based violence and sexual abuse in Nigeria, where law-enforcement agencies and other institutions continue to face calls for prompt investigation and effective protection of survivors and other vulnerable people.

Authorities routinely urge members of the public to report suspected cases of rape and sexual violence to the police or other appropriate authorities so that investigations can be initiated and victims can receive necessary support.

Bauchi Police Arrest 26-Year-Old Man Over Rape Of 50-Year-Old Woman

$155m Left Behind, $750m Liabilities: Anambra Govt Opens Fresh Obi Files

The Anambra State Government has acknowledged that former Governor Peter Obi left about $155 million in foreign-currency investments when he handed over power in 2014, while maintaining that his administration also left substantial financial commitments, including liabilities associated with road projects.

The fresh disclosure has deepened the continuing disagreement between Obi and the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo over the financial position of Anambra State when Obi left office.

The dispute centres on how the state’s assets, debts, development financing and outstanding project commitments should be calculated and attributed.

The Anambra Government recently released details of eight external financing facilities linked to development projects undertaken during the Obi administration.

According to the figures cited by the government, the facilities had a combined contracted value of about $123.77 million, with approximately $92.35 million outstanding as of June 30, 2026.

Obi has disputed the description of the facilities as conventional loans incurred by his administration.

The former governor has maintained that he did not borrow commercially or issue bonds during his tenure and that several of the facilities were concessionary development programmes arranged through the Federal Government and international development institutions.

Obi has also repeatedly pointed to the $155 million in foreign investments he said he left for his successor.

He argued that the funds constituted a significant financial asset of the state and should be considered when assessing the financial position of Anambra at the end of his administration.

According to Obi, the investments could also have generated substantial returns if they had remained invested.

The former governor has therefore challenged the presentation of the outstanding financing facilities as simply “debts left by Peter Obi”, insisting that the distinction between approved facilities, actual drawdowns and outstanding balances must be properly established.

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The Anambra Government, however, says the financial commitments inherited from the Obi administration went beyond the external financing facilities.

It has put the value of liabilities associated with road contracts and other project commitments at about $750 million.

The figure includes obligations connected to road projects awarded during the period, with the government maintaining that subsequent administrations had to contend with unpaid commitments arising from projects initiated under Obi.

The issue of inherited road liabilities has featured in previous exchanges between former Anambra governors.

Former Governor Willie Obiano, who succeeded Obi in 2014, had previously alleged that he inherited 101 road projects from the Obi administration and substantial financial obligations attached to them.

Obiano said at the time that his administration subsequently completed a number of the projects.

The latest dispute has, however, brought the issue back into focus as the Soludo administration seeks to establish its own account of the state’s financial position over successive administrations.

The controversy is complicated by the distinction between cash and investments held by the state and liabilities arising from projects and financing arrangements.

While Obi’s supporters have pointed to the foreign investments as evidence of the assets he left behind, the current administration has argued that the existence of those investments does not eliminate outstanding contractual or financing obligations.

The government has also released records relating to inherited salary arrears involving workers, pensioners and other beneficiaries of the defunct Anambra State Water Corporation and the Anambra State Environmental Protection Agency (ANSEPA).

The records reportedly show an obligation of about N363.38 million, with the state government saying it had been addressing the arrears under an agreement reached with the affected workers.

Obi has consistently maintained that his administration left office after settling salaries, pensions and other verified obligations that were due and certified.

He has also challenged successive administrations to provide documentary evidence for liabilities being attributed to his tenure and to clearly distinguish between obligations that were incurred, amounts actually paid and balances that remained outstanding.

At the centre of the disagreement is therefore not simply whether Anambra had assets or liabilities when Obi left office, but how those assets and obligations should be valued and classified.

The state government’s figures and Obi’s account present different interpretations of the financial records from the period, making the documentation surrounding the $155 million investments, the $123.77 million external financing facilities and the alleged $750 million project liabilities central to resolving the dispute.

The latest development is expected to keep the debate over Peter Obi’s administration, Anambra State’s debt profile and inherited liabilities alive as both sides continue to rely on financial records and handover documents to support their positions.

$155m Left Behind, $750m Liabilities: Anambra Govt Opens Fresh Obi Files

Unexplained Wealth: Obasanjo, Osinbajo, Others for Shittu’s Book Launch

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo will chair the public presentation of a three-volume legal work by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr Wahab Kunle Shittu, focusing on unexplained wealth, asset recovery and anti-corruption enforcement in Nigeria.

The trilogy, titled “Unexplained Wealth in Nigeria,” is scheduled for public presentation on Monday, September 28, 2026, at the Oriental Hotel in Victoria Island, Lagos.

The 54-chapter work examines the legal, institutional and societal dimensions of unexplained wealth while proposing reforms aimed at strengthening accountability and asset recovery and protecting the rights of individuals whose legitimately acquired wealth comes under official scrutiny.

Obasanjo accepted the invitation to chair the event and described the project as relevant to issues of transparency, rule of law and institutional reform.

The first volume, titled “Law, Prosecution and the Recovery of Illicit Assets,” examines the constitutional and international foundations of unexplained wealth enforcement. It also addresses prosecution, asset recovery and the evidential challenges involved in establishing whether wealth was acquired unlawfully.

The second volume, “Sectoral Manifestations, Governance and Reform,” examines the issue across several areas of Nigeria’s economy and public sector, including foreign exchange, capital markets, taxation, healthcare, elections, terrorist financing, public institutions, the power sector and the petroleum industry.

It also considers broader economic and governance issues associated with unexplained wealth, including capital flight, public debt, currency reforms and fuel subsidy removal, as well as the relationship between wealth accumulation, election integrity and public accountability.

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The third volume, “Explained Wealth in the Age of Suspicion: Legal Accountability in Theory and Practice,” shifts attention to people whose assets come under official investigation.

The volume examines how individuals can establish that their wealth was legitimately acquired while balancing anti-corruption enforcement, constitutional rights, economic freedom and due process.

One of the major proposals in the trilogy is a Three-Tier Test for Explained Wealth, based on the lawful source of wealth, documentary coherence and proportionality.

The work also proposes an Anti-Weaponisation Framework, which is intended to address concerns about the possible misuse of anti-corruption mechanisms against individuals.

According to details of the publication, the author argues for a balance between effective enforcement against illicit wealth and protection for citizens whose assets were lawfully acquired.

The trilogy contains proposed legislative interventions, including a draft Nigeria Antigraft Commission (Establishment) Bill, a draft law on Unexplained Wealth Orders and an executive summary proposing a Presidential Committee on Lifestyle Audit.

Shittu’s work on the subject was partly informed by his professional engagements with Nigeria’s anti-corruption institutions.

He delivered a paper on the prosecution of unexplained wealth at an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)/National Judicial Institute capacity-building workshop for judges in 2023.

He subsequently presented another paper on asset seizure and forfeiture under Nigeria’s anti-corruption laws at an Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) workshop for judges.

Shittu said the trilogy developed from those professional engagements, combined with further research and his experience in financial crime litigation. (NPO Reports)

The September 28 event is expected to bring together personalities from Nigeria’s legal, political, academic and traditional institutions.

Former Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo is scheduled to deliver the reflective remarks, while Professor Olanrewaju Fagbohun, former Vice-Chancellor of Lagos State University and SAN, is billed as the book reviewer.

The Olofa of Offa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye II, is listed as the Royal Father of the Day, while Channels Television presenters Seun Okinbaloye and Shola Soleye are expected to anchor the event.

The presentation comes at a time of renewed public discussion about corruption, illicit wealth, asset recovery and accountability in Nigeria.

Recent investigations have also continued to draw attention to the movement of wealth allegedly linked to politically exposed persons into foreign assets. A September 2026 investigation by the Platform to Protect Whistleblowers in Africa and the Anti-Corruption Data Collective, for instance, identified 284 United States properties valued at nearly $271 million as linked to 61 current and former Nigerian politically exposed persons, their relatives, associates and affiliated entities. The report said its findings were not a verdict of wrongdoing against the individuals identified.

Against this background, Shittu’s trilogy is positioned as a legal and policy contribution to the debate over how Nigeria can strengthen financial crime enforcement and asset recovery while preserving due process and property rights.

The September 28 presentation is therefore expected to provide a forum for legal practitioners, policymakers, judges, academics and anti-corruption stakeholders to examine the proposals contained in the three-volume work.

Unexplained Wealth: Obasanjo, Osinbajo, Others for Shittu’s Book Launch