Crime
Nigerian Reacts As N91 Million-Ransom Paid: Leader Of Kidnapped Abuja Music Band Shares Experience (Details)
Adewunmi Samuel Sofomade, the leader of the Abuja-based music band abducted along the Lokoja highway, has revealed the ransom amount paid for their release….CONTINUE READING....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
Nivo News reported that the band leader was kidnapped in December 2023, along with his crew, while returning from a show in Kogi State.
The 13-man group was eventually released after spending a few days in captivity.
However, narrating his harrowing experience in a recent interview with BBC Yoruba, the band leader, also known as Omoba De Jombo Beats, explained that the kidnappers later reduced their initial ransom demand from N10 million to N7 million each before finally releasing them.
“We were a group of 13 that went to perform at a burial ceremony in Itakete Isao, close to Isan-Olu in Kogi State. Since Kogi doesn’t have an airport, we had to travel by road.
“We had departed on Thursday and finished performing around 5:30 pm on Friday. We believed there was still enough time to return to Abuja. The incident occurred just after we passed Dangote Cement.
“We spent six days with the kidnappers in a dense forest, and those six days felt like six years due to the many challenges we faced.
“They initially demanded N10 million each. We pleaded with their leader, explaining that we couldn’t gather such an amount. He later reduced it to N7 million each.
“When we received information that the money had been raised, but there was no cash available during the December period, we started searching for funds. Initially, they agreed to accept the money in dollars, but their leader later changed his mind and insisted on naira.”
An Ogun State Magistrate Court presided over by Magistrate O.L. Oke has sentenced two men, Moruf Okusanya (40) and Babatunde Gafar (33), to seven years in prison each without an option of a fine, following their conviction on a four-count charge.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
Case Background and Prosecution
The convicts were apprehended following a violent cult clash at the Ikenne Town Hall on October 23, 2023, which severely disrupted public peace and local activities.
Prosecuting officer ASP Olaide Rawlings established during the trial that Okusanya belonged to the Eiye Confraternity, while Gafar was affiliated with the Alora Confraternity, alongside other accomplices currently at large. Their actions violated several provisions of the Prohibition of Forcible Entry and Occupation of Landed Properties, Armed Robbery, Cultism, Kidnapping and Other Anti-Violent and Related Offences Law of Ogun State, 2016.
Finding the prosecution’s evidence credible and compelling beyond a reasonable doubt, Magistrate Oke delivered the sentence to serve as a strict deterrent against unlawful secret societies and violent disturbances in the state.
The Nigeria Police Force, operating via the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) in Abuja, successfully apprehended and repatriated Mahadijiria Abdoulaye, a Chadian national wanted by authorities in N’Djamena over the May 3, 2026, murder and torture of Nazik Mahamat Saleh . Following an international arrest warrant issued on June 22, 2026, by the Court of Appeal in N’Djamena for Abdoulaye and her accomplice Fatime Senoussi Mouktar—alongside links to narcotics trafficking—the suspect fled to Nigeria. Intelligence-led operations tracked her down to Railway Quarters in Nasarawa Local Government Area, Kano State, where she was arrested on August 5, 2026. Under established bilateral frameworks and in collaboration with INTERPOL NCB N’Djamena, she was repatriated back to Chad via Lomé, Togo, on August 14, 2026, to face trial. Inspector-General of Police IGP Olatunji Disu lauded the operatives for their exemplary coordination, emphasizing the force’s resolve to dismantle trans-border criminal networks and prevent Nigeria from serving as a safe haven for international fugitives.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has sentenced Sunmonu Olasunkanmi Thaoban to four years in prison for laundering ₦16 million by disguising its illegal origins and converting it into a 2018 black G-Wagon Jeep.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
Court Sentences Man to Four Years for ₦16 Million Money Laundering, Forfeits G-Wagon
A Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has sentenced Sunmonu Olasunkanmi Thaoban to four years in prison for laundering ₦16 million by disguising its illegal origins and converting it into a 2018 black G-Wagon Jeep.
Key Details of the Case
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Guilty Plea & Sentencing: Justice Akintayo Aluko handed down the sentence on Thursday after Thaoban pleaded guilty to a two-count EFCC charge, alongside an alternative fine option of ₦1.8 million.
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The Offense: Prosecutors stated that Thaoban acted as a middleman in 2023, funneling illicit funds to purchase the luxury vehicle, violating the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
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Asset Forfeiture: In addition to the prison term, the judge ordered the permanent forfeiture of both the convict’s G-Wagon and mobile phone to the Federal Government.
Related BDC Convictions
In a separate proceeding, Justice Aluko also convicted four Bureau de Change (BDC) operators—Umar Muhammad Lamido, Yusuf Musa Yusuf, Abdulmuhimin Mahmud, and Muhammed Musa—for conducting unauthorized foreign exchange transactions outside the official market. Following their guilty pleas, each received a 12-month prison sentence with an option of a ₦100,000 fine.
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