Crime
Gunmen Demand N620 Million In Ransom For Kidnapped Railway Passengers.
....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
Odia stated that the demand was absurd, calling on the authorities to intensify efforts in rescuing the 31 hostages in the custody of the kidnappers.
He also said that the Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo and the Managing Director, Nigeria Railway Corporation, Fidel Okhiria were at Igueben to assess the situation.
Odia said the authorities promised to deploy helicopters on Tuesday to locate where the victims were kept in the bush.
He said, “I can tell you that the kidnappers have demanded N20m, totalling N620m. This is absurd and I don’t know where poor people will be able to raise that amount of money.’’
The Edo state police spokesman, Chidi Nwabuzor could not confirm the veracity of the claim.
However, the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, disclosed that six victims had been rescued, adding that efforts were ongoing to rescue the remaining 26 victims.
The commissioner in a statement noted that Governor Godwin Obaseki had given directives that the criminals should be arrested.
He added that two wanted kidnappers who were not connected to the present case have been arrested and would also help the police in their investigation.
The statement read, “Following the directive from Governor Godwin Obaseki that the kidnappers that attacked the train in Igueben on Saturday be smoked out of their hiding and the persons abducted be rescued, we are happy to announce that six persons have been rescued.
“The six persons are: a 65-year-old man, a nursing mother and her baby, a six-year-old girl and two siblings; aged two and five years old.
“We commend the efforts of the rescue team in the bushes and their support staff that have been working tirelessly since the incident occurred to ensure the kidnapped passengers are rescued and reunited with their families.
“We are confident that the other victims will be rescued soon as the highly motivated security personnel are in high spirits and have doubled down on the hot chase of the kidnappers.’’
“As events unfold in the bushes, be assured that we will keep you posted and we crave the support of all stakeholders, particularly the media, to stay with the facts and avoid sensational reports that could further inflict emotional pain on the families and friends of the victims who are already in distress. Operation Bush Combing continues,” Nehikhare added.
Also, the NRC MD, in an interview with Channels TV on Monday, said the agency had got approval to acquire sophisticated security systems.
On whether lessons were learnt from the attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train, he stated, “We learned a lot from the last attack.
improved our security by increasing the number of personnel; vigilantes, army, police, and some technology but we are not there yet.“We have to continue to improve and make sure that we get the required result.
“On Itakpe-Warri, we have engaged the local community to protect and also support the security architecture we have in place.
On Thursday, the Federal High Court in Abuja handed down death sentences to three individuals following their convictions for terrorism-related crimes. These rulings occurred as part of a broader series of terrorism trials, with the defendants receiving their sentences after entering guilty pleas to charges brought by the Federal Government.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The individuals condemned to death by hanging are Danladi Lawal, Abdullahi Mohammed, and Mohammed Gulama Shaibu.
Case Summaries
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Danladi Lawal (alias Dankawu): Presiding over the case, Justice James Omotosho sentenced the 33-year-old to multiple penalties, including death by hanging, life imprisonment, and additional prison terms, following his guilty plea to a five-count charge. Lawal was accused of abducting an elderly man in Katsina State in 2020 and collecting a portion of the demanded ransom, an act prosecuted under the Terrorism (Prevention Amendment) Act 2013.
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Abdullahi Mohammed and Mohammed Gulama Shaibu: Justice Salim Ibrahim issued death sentences to both men after they pleaded guilty to their respective terrorism charges. In addition to the death penalty, Shaibu received a sentence of life imprisonment.
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Additional Convictions:
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Mohammed Dezami Sherife was sentenced to life imprisonment by Justice Ibrahim across three counts of a ten-count charge.
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Shamsudeen Muhammad Ibrahim (alias Abu Harira) received a life sentence and an additional 35-year term from Justice Omotosho for supporting the ISWAP terrorist group and failing to report information regarding their activities.
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Lawi Abubakar Mohammed was sentenced by Justice Emeka Nwite to a cumulative 40 years in prison—running consecutively—with a mandate that he undergo rehabilitation and deradicalization prior to his eventual release.
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A Kogi State High Court, presided over by Justice Abdul Nicodemus Awulu, has sentenced Jibrin Halilu to death for his role in the kidnapping and murder of Uche Andrew Offo, a hotel owner in Obajana. Halilu was found guilty of conspiracy and kidnapping, in violation of the Kogi State Kidnapping and Other Related Offences Prohibition Law, 2023.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The incident occurred on March 23, 2023, when Halilu and an armed gang abducted Offo from his hotel, the Everready Hotel. Although Offo’s family paid a ₦2.5 million ransom, he was killed after recognizing Halilu—his own neighbour—among his abductors. Halilu was eventually arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) on December 4, 2025, and was also linked to the April 2, 2023, kidnapping of Ibrahim Abdullahi in Lokoja, for which a ₦5 million ransom was paid.
This verdict is part of a series of recent major legal successes for the DSS:
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Owo Church Attack: On June 3, 2026, a Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced four men—Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, and Abdulhaleem Idris—to death for the 2022 terror attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, which resulted in over 40 deaths and 100 injuries.
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Katsina Arms Courier: Just 24 hours prior to the Kogi ruling, a Katsina State High Court sentenced a female arms courier apprehended by the DSS to death.
Security sources stated that these consecutive convictions serve as a strong message that those involved in terrorism, kidnapping, and violent crime will be held accountable and face the full extent of the law.
Peter Obi, the presidential candidate for the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has argued that electoral manipulation persists in Nigeria largely because voters fail to remain at polling units to safeguard their ballots. During a recent trip to Washington, D.C., Obi pledged to do everything in his capacity to protect votes leading up to the 2027 general elections. However, he emphasized that the ultimate responsibility for ensuring electoral integrity lies with the citizens, urging them to actively monitor the counting process rather than leaving immediately after casting their votes. Obi stated that if voters insist on monitoring their polling units, their votes will be counted; he criticized the tendency of some citizens to vote and then rely on prayer instead of taking ownership of the electoral process, asserting that Nigeria’s core challenge is a leadership issue.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi claims that election rigging continues in Nigeria because citizens do not adequately defend their votes at the polling stations. While promising to work toward protecting the ballot for the 2027 elections, Obi noted that true electoral accountability depends on the public’s willingness to stay and ensure that votes are correctly tallied. He suggested that many Nigerians contribute to the problem by leaving their polling units early and expecting supernatural intervention, reaffirming his view that the nation’s primary struggle remains one of leadership.
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