The Rivers State Police command has confirmed the arrest of four persons over their alleged role in the ritual killing of two children in Rukpokwu community, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.

The incident, which was reported at Rumuokoro Special Area, was said to have happened on Monday.

It was gathered that the prime suspect had sent the two children on errand, and when they returned, he took them to an uncompleted building, drugged them and later killed them.

It was also learned that the suspect had cut off some vital parts of the two children and scooped their blood into a bottle.

It was further learned that the corpses of the victims were recovered and sent to the mortuary, while police have commenced an investigation.

Yesterday in Port Harcourt, the Public Relations Officer of the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said four people have been arrested in connection to the killing. Iringe-Koko narrated that four people, a native doctor, the prime suspect, his girlfriend, and another accomplice, have been arrested and detained.

She said: “The Rivers State Police Command wishes to inform the public of the arrest of suspects involved in a horrific case of ritual killing of two children, Chizaram Onuche and Chidinma Onuche, both 7-year-old. This follows a report transferred from the Special Area Division, prompting operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit to take swift action.

“On March 23, 2025, at approximately 9 a.m., operatives arrested a native doctor and other individuals involved in the heinous crime. During the operation, law enforcement officers recovered key evidence, including a bottle containing the drained blood of the victims.

“Aniekan Uko (male, 27 years), A native of Akwa Ibom, residing at 2nd Pipeline, Rukpokwu. He lured victims to his location, drugged them using a drink known as Black Bullet as a sedative, and subsequently slaughtered them, collecting their blood in a bottle.

“Luis Uwelemele (female, 19 years), a native of Cross River State, residing at Omuike, Aluu. She is the girlfriend of the first suspect. Aniekan is linked to the crime.

“Kingsley Opurum (male, 43 years), a native of Etche, Rivers State, residing at 3rd Pipeline, Eneka. He has been implicated as the native doctor accomplice in the murder of the deceased. Friday Silas (male, 47 years), a native of Plateau State, residing at 2nd Pipeline, Rukpokwu. The first suspect claimed that he allowed him to stay at the uncompleted building where the killings took place.

“Aniekan confessed that he became involved in the ritual killing after visiting the native doctor and witnessing him perform similar rituals for others in exchange for wealth. The native doctor instructed him to provide fresh human remains and blood for ritualistic purposes.”

Iringe-Koko disclosed that police during the arrest recovered blood of the victims in bottle and can of the substance used in drugging the victim

She said: “Law enforcement officials visited the scene of the crime, documented evidence with photographs, and recovered additional exhibits. The following items were retrieved: A kitchen knife identified as the murder weapon. A bottle filled with the victims’ blood, scooped by the suspect. An empty can of Black Bullet, used to drug the victims before the act.

A spoon, used to collect the victims’ blood. The deceased victims’ bodies have been deposited at the mortuary for preservation and autopsy.”

The police spokesperson stressed the Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju’s vow to ensure justice in the matter.

The Federal Government has described the presence of about 26,000 children in custodial centres across the federation as a violation of laws while demanding their placement in borstal institutions.

In a statement issued Wednesday in Abuja, the Director, Press and Public Relations in the Ministry of Interior, Mr Ozoya Imohimi disclosed that the Interior minister, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo stated this at a high-level inter-agency meeting held in Abuja on Tuesday to address the urgent issue of children deprived of liberty in correctional facilities

The minister acknowledged the lack of adequate facilities and called for urgent action and penalties to address these legal and institutional gaps.

Dr Tunji-Ojo reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing pressing issues within the nation’s correctional system, with a specific focus on the alarming number of children in correctional centres and the broader goal of reforming Nigeria’s justice system.

The Minister emphasized the need for a paradigm shift in governance. He said;
“Reality, as I always say, is not about losing ourselves in the past but focusing on the present to shape the future. The future is now, and we are determined to operate with a ‘business unusual’ mindset to drive real change.”

He, however, acknowledged the lack of adequate facilities and called for urgent action and penalties to address these legal and institutional gaps.

Dr. Tunji-Ojo outlined key reforms to transform correctional centres into centres for reformation and rehabilitation.

He announced the establishment of a Nigerian Paramilitary Academy to train officers in empathy and correctional principles.

According to Dr. Tunji-Ojo, emphasis will also be placed on non-custodial measures for non-violent offenders to reduce pre-trial detentions.

The Minister highlighted the importance of inter-ministerial collaboration to tackle juvenile detention and called for active participation from state governments, as correctional services require a federation-wide approach.

The Minister reiterated the administration’s focus on delivering results under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He stressed that excuses would not be acceptable, urging all stakeholders to focus on action and measurable outcomes.

“The future is now. We are committed to building a system that generations yet to come will be proud to call their own. Correctional services are not about condemnation but correction, and this is the path we must follow,” the Minister stated.

Dr. Tunji-Ojo further explained that the 2024 report on children and young adults deprived of liberty presents a sobering reality: an alarming 26,000 children have been held annually in Correctional facilities over the past five years.

He said this figure represents over 30% of the total inmate population, raising serious concerns about violations of child protection laws.

Dr. Tunji-Ojo highlighted the urgency of the issue, declaring that the government will investigate the breaches and hold institutions accountable. “The law is clear, children should not be in adult correctional centres. We will not tolerate violations of this law. There will be consequences for agencies that fail to uphold the law,” he asserted.

The Minister said mobilizing political will and resources to drive systemic reforms and end arbitrary child detention is the best thing for our society
“It takes a whole village to raise a child. Our nation cannot afford to fail its children. This administration will ensure that by 2027, we talk about achievements, not promises,” Dr. Tunji-Ojo affirmed.

Earlier in her remarks, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Dr. Magdalene Ajani said that, the 2024 report on children and young adults deprived of liberty paints a sobering reality. Between 2018 and 2022, an average of 26,000 children and young adults were held in custodial centres annually. These statistics are not just numbers, they represent vulnerable lives in urgent need of intervention

“The opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is enough.” — Dr. Wess Stafford, president emeritus of Compassion International

A dispute between two brothers over harvesting mango on a farm in Benishiekh, Kaga local government area of Borno State, led to the death of one of one even as the other brother was hospitalised after the fight.

Sources said that the incident occurred on Tuesday at about 9 am when 40-year-old Kajdi Kachalla and his younger brother, Baba Goni Kachalla, 28, engaged in a physical fight at their mango plantation in Ajari Area,

During the fight, both men inflicted serious head and mouth injuries on each other, using wooden sticks.

Police operatives responded swiftly and evacuated the duo to the General Hospital in Benishiekh.

However, the elderly brother, Kajdi, was pronounced dead, while Baba Goni remains under medical care.

The deceased’s body was later released to his family for burial according to Islamic rites.

A Nigerian woman, Chioma Akwuobi, has narrated how her husband allegedly walked out of their marriage with all the household items, including the bed, mattress, clothes and even pots.

The mother of five told her story while reacting to the tale of another Nigerian woman, Mercy Kalu Ebe, who claimed she was dumped by her husband after years of supporting him financially and funding his lifestyle. 

“Man carried fridge Una dey complain. Mine carried my whole bed and mattress plus everything in the house down to pots! Till today I never still buy bed or chairs,” she wrote.

While my kids sleep on mat, I lay on the floor! Every gaddem night For 5 years and counting because I will rather pay school fees than spend 85k to buy mattress.

Some of you are doubting that story because you married angels, wait till the devil prepares one of his sons for you.

Most of you knew when I reconnected my house, dude tore out all electric cables which meant I had to rewire the entire house from scratch.

I put my story here as I progress because you were part of it from the beginning and while some of you think I tell these stories to get pity, I want you to know that it has been one of my coping mechanisms otherwise I wouldn’t have survived this.

I started from scratch, from zero…..one of the reasons I can’t post my pots, I have just two! We cook, pour out and start again….dude went with everything including clothes! Umu Ejima thought I had uniform not knowing that was all I had.

Same Chioma that had all utensils and pot sets? Same me! Went back to ground zero and had those I have fed kick and toss me about.

Single mothers don’t tell their stories enough. Right now, my concern is to mop up funds so Ada M’s admission won’t be a problem when the time comes, not even mattress and the eediot is somewhere sleeping in comfort while I dread the dark because I will have to lay on the cold floor.

I believe Mercy’s story , my only worry is if she has sorted the victims of the food thrift scam. I am still that proud #motherof5nations

Few weeks after we got back from the village, who born me to use gas, as I’m coming back from supplying Peanuts and sugar, I am gathering wood and putting inside Bagco. I bath with detergent, see my hair na, my daughter hasn’t started learning so where did I see money to make hair?

David took this shot and when he showed me, I cried because I couldn’t recognize myself again.

Press Release

The Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF) strongly condemns the appalling conduct of Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi during the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions hearing on Tuesday, where he verbally attacked and insulted a former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili.

It is unacceptable that in a democratic institution, like the National Assembly, which is meant to represent the people and uphold the principles of justice, a distinguished Senator can hurl insults at a national treasure and rights advocate like Dr. Ezekwesili. She was subjected to outright verbal abuse by Senator Nwaebonyi whose use of derogatory language, including calling her “a fool” and an “insult to womanhood,” reflects not only a deep-seated disregard for women’s voices in governance but also an increasing troubling pattern of hostility towards those who demand accountability.

The NWTF views this incident as part of a broader culture of misogyny and silencing of women in political and public spaces. Women have every right to participate in national discourse, demand justice, and hold public officials accountable without fear of intimidation or attack. Senator Nwaebonyi’s behavior is a stark reminder of the systemic barriers women continue to face in leadership and governance. Verbal abuse does constitute violence against a person under the VAPP Act, 2015. This act is reprehensible and in poor taste.

We stand in full solidarity with Dr. Ezekwesili and all women who courageously speak truth to power. We urge Senator Nwaebonyi to issue an unreserved apology to Dr. Ezekwesili for his unethical and unprofessional conduct. The Nigerian Senate must set a precedent that ensures respect, civility, and gender equity in all its proceedings.

Furthermore, we urge all stakeholders—including civil society organizations, women’s rights groups, and concerned Nigerians—to remain vigilant and push back against any attempt to normalize such disgraceful behavior in our society.

Brenda Anugwom
CEO,
Nigerian Women Trust Fund

• Odinkalu says it is unprecedented for Justice Abang’s panel, “a panel this junior to be constituted to sit upon a decision of a much more senior panel of the Court of Appeal”

The Court of Appeal Abuja division on Tuesday stayed actions earlier delivered against the reinstatement of Muhammadu Sanusi II as the 16th Emir of Kano.

In a unanimous ruling delivered by a three-member panel of justices, presided over by Hon. Justice Biobele Abraham Georgewill, the court agreed to the withdrawal of the application filed by the Kano State Government after the transmission of the record of appeal to the Supreme Court.

While resuming the hearing to rule on the enforcement of its earlier orders, counsel to the Kano State Government, Barrister Ibrahim Wangida, informed the court of a notice of appeal against the stay of execution granted on Friday, March 14, 2025.

Barrister Wangida told the court that all necessary legal actions had been completed, including the transmission of the record to the Supreme Court.

The transmission of the record of appeal to the Supreme Court, by implication and judicial precedent, operates as a stay of any action on the ruling of the Court of Appeal delivered on March 14, 2025.

Recall that Justice Abang, on Friday, March 14, 2025, ordered a stay of execution of an earlier judgment of the court that validated the reinstatement of Muhammadu Sanusi II as the 16th Emir of Kano.

The judge also ordered all parties to maintain the status quo ante bellum, as well as the sheriff of the court and the trial court, as it was before the trial court’s judgment delivered on June 13, 2024, in suit no. FHC/KN/CS/182/2024.

Dissatisfied with Justice Abang’s verdict, counsel to the Kano State Government, Mr. Wangida, faulted the March 14 ruling, arguing that it constituted a gross error in interpreting constitutional provisions. He noted that an appeal had already been filed before the apex court.

Responding to the notice of the application, counsel to the appellant, Abdul Fagge (SAN), who did not object to the notice, told the court that the respondent acted within constitutional provisions.

The Kano State Government had reinstated Muhammadu Sanusi II as the 16th Emir of Kano pursuant to the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Law 2024. The same law deposed Aminu Ado Bayero as the 15th Emir, along with four first-class emirs appointed by former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

Bayero, however, has forcefully returned and occupied the Nasarawa mini palace in Kano under heavy security cover while challenging his removal by the state government.

In a statement issued on 25 March 2025, a Professor of Law and ex-chair of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) queried why a Justice Abang who became a justice of appeal in 2023 sat in judgment over the decision of Justice Gabriel Kolawole, a Justice of Appeal since 22 June, 2018 on the same matter.

“On 14 March, 2025, a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja in Appeal No., CA/KN/27/M/2025, Alhaji Aliyu Babba Dan Sarki Dawaki Babba vs. Kano State House of Assembly & 7 Ors, granted a “Mandatory Injunction” (not a stay of execution) arresting the enforcement of the judgment of the same Court of Appeal on 10 January 2025 in Appeal No. CA/KN/126/2024, Kano State House of Assembly & Anor vs. Alhaji Aminu Babba Dan Agundi & Ors.

“The earlier judgment of the Court was delivered by a panel led by Justice Gabriel Kolawole, a Justice of Appeal since 22 June, 2018. The latter decision arresting that judgment was given by a panel led by Justice Okon Abang, a Justice of the Court of Appeal since 20 September 2023. Other members of the latter panel were Justice Eberechi Suzette Nyesom-Wike (Justice of the Court of Appeal since 10 July 2024) and Justice Oyejoju Oyewumi (Justice of the Court of Appeal since 10 July 2024). This panel of the Court of Appeal included the wife of the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike.

“In terms of seniority in the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal, Justice Okon Abang is no. 6 out of 10; Justice Nyesom-Wike is No. 9; and Justice Oyewumi is the last. It is unprecedented for a panel this junior to be constituted to sit upon a decision of a much more senior panel of the Court of Appeal. It is equally notable that the President of the Court of Appeal has unilaterally moved this case to Abuja from Kano.

 “The subject matter of this appeal is a fundamental rights claim by a disaffected king-maker in respect of the stool of the Kano Emirate from which  Aminu Ado Bayero was deposed. The Court of Appeal in Kano had denied that claim, holding that the Federal High Court had no jurisdiction over essentially chieftaincy matters.

“Following this decision, Aminu Ado Bayero, who is not a named party in the case, notified the security services in Kano of his intention to hold an Eid-El-Fitr Durbar at the end of the holy month of Ramadhan. I am reliably informed by sources within the Court of Appeal of plans by some people to procure an order of the same Court of Appeal on Tuesday, 25 March 2025 to enjoin the security authorities in Kano to ensure co-operation with and protection for the Durbar proposed by Aminu Ado Bayero.

“Meanwhile, on Monday, 24 March 2025, the Supreme Court entered an appeal against the ruling of the Okon Abang-led Court of Appeal panel as Appeal No SC/CV/279/2025. This should ordinarily preclude the Court of Appeal from further engagement with the subject matter but these are no ordinary times and no one can say what could happen.”

PRE- ACTION NOTICE AGAINST AREA COUNCILS IN FCT TO CEASE AND DESIST FROM UNLAWFUL AND ILLEGAL ENFORCEMENT OF TAXATION AND COLLECTION OF RATES CONTAINED IN A NOTICE TITLED “HARMONIZED DEMAND NOTICE”

By a letter signed by Human Rights Lawyer Maduabuchi O.Idam on behalf of Grassroots Accountability Foundation and League for Social Justice, we as Civil Societies have issued a Pre- Action Notice against; Abuja Municipal Area Council, Gwagwalada Area Council, Kuje and Bwari Area Councils together with their consultant otherwise known as technical partners, directing them to cease and desist from the illegal and unlawful enforcement and collection of taxes, rates and charges listed and described in a notice christened “Harmonized Demand Notice”, from residents of the FCT.

By the Pre-Action Notice, we insist that in the enforcement or collection of the outrageous taxes and rates outlined in the said “Harmonized Demand Notice”, the Councils are acting and have acted unlawfully, illegally and unconstitutionally. All rates and taxes which the Area Councils are empowered to collect under the law must be one that Councils are empowered by the Constitution to collect, and same must have been domesticated in Councils bye- Laws, having the amount also specially provided thereto.

It is our resolution that failure to yield to the demand made in our letter, we shall be constrained to approach the court against the Area Councils in order to seek redress.

No one must take undue advantage over another under any guise in the society.

M.O.Idam.