The Niger State Police Command has arrested three suspects for allegedly attempting to purchase a six-month-old foetus for ritual purposes.

The suspects, identified as Martha Andrew, James Luka, and Johnson John, all residents of Minna, reportedly offered a pregnant woman N30 million to terminate her pregnancy.

According to police reports, the woman, a resident of Rafin-Yashi, alerted authorities about the offer, leading to the suspects’ arrest near a hotel along Eastern Bye-Pass in Minna on February 17.

Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun revealed that during interrogation, the suspects claimed they were working for an individual identified only as “Gbege,” who remains at large.

Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fugitive, while the arrested suspects will soon be charged in court.

The incident has sparked outrage among residents, with calls for stricter measures against ritual-related crimes. Authorities have urged the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities.

It will be recalled that in 2022, police in Osun State arrested two suspects in Osogbo, the state capital, for allegedly attempting to buy a newborn for ritual purposes. The suspects had approached a woman in a hospital, offering N500,000 for her baby.

Also in Ogun State in 2023, a 29-year-old man was arrested in Abeokuta for allegedly killing his mother for money rituals. The suspect confessed to working with a herbalist who instructed him to use her body parts for wealth rituals.

In Anambra State, security operatives in 2024 arrested a syndicate involved in human trafficking and organ harvesting. The group was reportedly luring pregnant women with false job offers before forcing them to sell their babies.

By Suleiman Ibrahim

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, on Wednesday, said greedy politicians milking the funds of local government won’t be spared.

Olukoyede made this known when he addressed a mixed audience of activists, traditional rulers and LG bosses at the Gombe State Local Government Summit in the North-East state.
According to him, with more monies coming into local governments after the landmark ruling of the Supreme Court that granted autonomy to the third tier of government, local council chairmen in the 774 councils in Nigeria should develop the capacity to manage resources and implement strategic developmental projects for the benefit of their constituents.

“Even though you may have financial autonomy, you must also remember that you don’t have constitutional immunity. And so, the application of your resources will be strictly monitored, not only by anti-corruption agencies but even by the state government because it is going to be to the credit of the state government if it ensures that the resources going to the local government where developmental projects are supposed to take place is responsibly and judiciously appropriated, applied and executed

“So, I am challenging the local government chairmen. You must add value to yourselves and develop yourselves,” he said.
The EFCC chair said to put in place a structure of accountability at the local level; the starting point is getting the leadership of the councils to be in tune with laws and regulations governing public finance at the local level and ensure compliance.
He said that the system of checks and balances in the councils through separation of power must be enthroned. “We discover that most times, the legislative units of the local governments don’t sit, most times, they don’t even work. We’ve seen that in so many areas,” he said.
Olukoyede said, “Without full expression of the autonomy of the branches of government at the local government level, the chairmen of councils will continue to act as sole administrators with concomitant dangers to due process and accountability. You are not sole administrators but local government chairmen.

“Community leaders, even traditional rulers, it is part of your duties as royal fathers to ensure that you monitor the activities of the local government administration within your domain.
“Civil societies also, we are challenging you to do your work and rise to the occasion. We must all take a greater interest in the resources of the councils that are expended through budget tracking and oversight. Where there is evidence of malfeasance, they also have a responsibility to alert the anti-graft agency for immediate intervention.”

Tragedy struck Gwargwada village in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as two residents, Mohammed Danladi and Nasiru Yusuf, were killed by their abductors due to a delay in ransom payment. The victims, along with a herder and a woman, were kidnapped on Wednesday at Gwombe junction along the Gwargwada-Rubochi road.
Family members of the deceased revealed that the kidnappers initially demanded N500,000 for each of the two men. However, the families were only able to gather a total of N500,000. “The kidnappers’ leader called on Friday, and the family members told them that they were only able to raise N500,000, not knowing that they had already killed two of them because the family delayed the ransom,” said Shuaibu Abdullahi, a family member.
Despite the partial payment, the kidnappers proceeded to kill Danladi and Yusuf. The herder and the woman were later released after a separate ransom of N3 million was paid. They were held in a hideout in the Kotonkarfe forest in Kogi State.
Ugbada Alhaji Hussaini Agabi Mam, the traditional ruler of Gwargwada, confirmed the incident, stating that the two deceased men were natives of the village and were abducted while returning from Rubochi. “Unfortunately, the two young men were killed by their abductors simply because of the delay in paying the ransom they demanded,” he lamented.
The bodies of the victims have yet to be recovered. The traditional ruler noted that the chairman of Kotonkarfe has mobilized hunters and vigilantes to search the forest, but their efforts have so far been unsuccessful.
The FCT Police Command could not be reached for immediate comment on the incident.

The United States has responded to claims that US Agency for International Development (USAID) funds terrorist organizations, including Boko Haram. Congressman Scott Perry recently alleged that USAID allocates nearly $697 million annually to groups like ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and Boko Haram, purportedly supporting activities such as terrorist training camps.
The US Mission to Nigeria strongly condemned Boko Haram’s violence and reaffirmed the US government’s dedication to combating terrorism in the region. The Mission highlighted Boko Haram’s designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2013, which allows for measures to freeze assets, disrupt fundraising, and restrict travel. They also emphasized the robust monitoring and evaluation systems in place to ensure US assistance reaches its intended beneficiaries.
These allegations come amidst a broader push for reduced foreign aid, including a temporary suspension implemented by the previous administration. This has fueled calls for increased oversight of USAID’s funding practices. While the US government has refuted the claims, the allegations raise questions about the transparency and accountability of US aid distribution. Further investigation is expected to explore the validity of Congressman Perry’s assertions.