Crime & Court
Ex-Bayelsa Security Adviser raped me inside office, cashier tells court
The victim in the alleged rape trial of Chief Perekeme Kpodo, a former Security Adviser to former Bayelsa State Governor, Timipre Sylva, has testified before a Bayelsa High Court, giving vivid accounts of how she was raped by her boss (Kpodo).
The 26-year-old lady (name withheld) on Friday testified along with her uncle and a medical doctor who examined her on June 9, 2018, a day after she was allegedly abused sexually.
In her testimony at the court, the victim said that she was invited by the accused (her boss) to his office in the hotel about 8pm on the fateful day where he locked the doors and forcefully overpowered her and raped her.
She said Kpodo had threatened her that he was the brain behind the Famou Tangbe (a dreadful security outfit’ under ex-governor Sylva and advised her to yield to his demand in her own interest.
The victim, who narrated her experience before the court, broke down in tears and subsequently forced the judge to suspend the hearing twice to enable her to regain composure.
She said that the accused person had been making indecent sexual approaches to her before the incident.
The victim stated, “I was employed as a cashier by Kpodo, the owner of the hotel. Whenever I went to submit cash to him, he usually touched me. I did not like the way he used to touch me. So, I reported it to the employment agency that helped me secure the job, and they advised me to talk to him to stop it.
“I talked to him that it was a sin and that I did not like the way he used to touch me any time I went to his off. After my protest, he stopped for some time. But after some time, he started again. That fateful day, he locked up the door and raped me. I shouted and also pleaded and he said he would not leave me until he was satisfied with me.
“So, when he finished, he asked me to clean myself and to bring his food. He did not use a condom and I was injured. He removed my pair of trousers and I kept struggling with him until he finished.
“I called my uncle who is a policeman and he came and took me home. The next day, we went to report to the incident to the Police and they gave me a medical report form which I took to a hospital.
“The hospital conducted tests, including HIV test on me and thereafter prescribed some drugs which I have been taking.”
Recall that Kpodo was on July 31, 2018, arraigned for alleged rape at State High Court 7 in Yenagoa.
Kpodo was charged with two counts of unlawful detention and rape of the victim, a 26-year-old female cashier at the hotel owned and run by the accused person.
At the resumed trial of the case, the trial judge, Justice E. Eradiri, listened to the testimony of a medical practitioner, Dr. Ikenna Nwanna, who examined the victim after she was allegedly raped.
Nwanna, a medical practitioner from the Diete Koko Memorial Hospital, Opolo, Yenagoa, told the court that the patient complained of pains in her pubic area and walked with difficulty when she came to the clinic on June 9, 2018.
The doctor said, “The patient complained that she was raped by her boss and I examined her in the presence of a female nurse. There were bruises in her vulva and due to the pains she did not allow me to touch her vaginal area.
“There were also whitish discharge which I suspect to be semen, although I did not conduct any further tests, the observations tallied with her complaint of violent sexual assault.”
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has uncovered and dismantled a large methamphetamine production facility concealed inside a forest in Oyo State, arresting a suspected Mexican drug expert and four Nigerians in what officials described as a major breakthrough against an international drug trafficking syndicate.
The industrial-scale laboratory was discovered at Tapa Village in Ibarapa North Local Government Area during an operation conducted by NDLEA operatives on June 17.
Among those arrested was a 56-year-old Mexican national, Jose Villa Ochoa, who was allegedly recruited to provide technical expertise for the large-scale production of methamphetamine.
Four Nigerians identified as Maxwell Uche Nevoh, Olatunji Yusuf, Bankole Akeem Owolabi and Ganiu Monsiu were also apprehended during the raid.
The Chairman of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), said the clandestine facility was equipped with substantial quantities of precursor chemicals and industrial processing equipment used in the manufacture of methamphetamine.
According to the agency, forensic analyses conducted at the site confirmed the presence of methamphetamine, while all recovered substances, chemicals and equipment had been secured as exhibits for further investigation and prosecution.
The discovery came barely four weeks after NDLEA operatives dismantled another large methamphetamine laboratory hidden in a forest in neighbouring Ogun State, heightening concerns over attempts by drug cartels to turn the South-West into a hub for synthetic drug production.
Marwa said the latest operation underscored the agency’s determination to dismantle transnational drug trafficking networks operating within Nigeria.
He warned both local and foreign drug syndicates against viewing the country as a safe destination for illicit drug activities.
“Let the message go out clearly to all drug cartels, domestic and international, that Nigeria is not, and will never be, a safe haven for your illicit trade,” Marwa said.
“We will find you in the cities, we will track you into the forests, and we will dismantle your infrastructure of death.
They thought hiding in dense forests would shield them from the long arm of the law. They were wrong.”
The NDLEA described the operation as another significant blow against organised drug trafficking networks and commended the officers involved in the raid for their professionalism, resilience and courage.
Operatives of the Gombe State Police Command have recovered a Toyota Highlander reported stolen in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, five years ago.
The vehicle was recovered on June 8, 2026, during a routine verification exercise conducted by detectives attached to the State Intelligence Department in collaboration with officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps at the Gombe State Internal Revenue Service vehicle licensing office.
The spokesperson for the command, DSP Buhari Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday, saying the vehicle was flagged as suspicious during the process of uploading and verifying vehicle records.
According to him, the joint team identified the Toyota Highlander bearing registration number FH823PHC and subjected it to further scrutiny, which revealed that it had been declared stolen on September 17, 2021.
Preliminary findings showed that the vehicle belonged to one Cecilia A. Duru of Akwaka Lane, Rumuodumaya, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Abdullahi said investigators subsequently uncovered a transnational movement of the vehicle, establishing that it was taken to the Niger Republic in 2023 before returning to Nigeria through Illela Local Government Area of Sokoto State on October 17, 2025.
He added that the sport utility vehicle was later sold in Kaduna State and eventually brought to Gombe for re-registration, where it was detected and recovered by security operatives.
“Investigation is ongoing, as efforts are being intensified to identify and apprehend those involved,” the police spokesperson stated.
He urged members of the public to exercise caution when purchasing vehicles, advising intending buyers to verify ownership documents and authenticate vehicle records through the appropriate authorities before concluding any transaction.
The command reaffirmed its commitment to combating vehicle theft and other trans-border crimes, assuring residents that efforts were underway to arrest all those linked to the theft and illegal trafficking of the recovered vehicle.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced two women linked to a slain suspected terrorist kingpin, Kachallah Ibrahim Battujo, to a total of 40 years imprisonment for offences bordering on terrorism and aiding criminal activities.
The convicted women — Safiya Salihu and Halima Abdullahi — who are said to be the mother and sister of the late bandit leader, were handed the sentence on Wednesday by Justice Hauwa Yilwa after they pleaded guilty to parts of a five-count terrorism charge filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Battujo, described by security operatives as a notorious bandit kingpin, was earlier eliminated by security forces on June 10, 2026, during an operation in a forest near Iluke in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
During proceedings, the court heard that the defendants were implicated in aiding and abetting the activities of the deceased, including passing information through telephone communications and concealing aspects of his criminal operations.
According to the prosecution, both women admitted guilt to count two of the charge, which bordered on supporting and facilitating the activities of a known bandit leader in violation of Section 26 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Halima Abdullahi was further convicted on count four, which involved concealing information regarding illegal firearms allegedly acquired by her brother after she reportedly visited his forest hideout.
Safiya Salihu, on her part, also pleaded guilty to count five, which accused her of withholding information about terrorist activities linked to her son.
Although the charges also included allegations of receiving ₦490,300 suspected to be proceeds of terrorism and sponsorship of pilgrimage using illicit funds, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, urged the court to discount those counts while proceeding with conviction on others.
Justice Yilwa, in her judgment, imposed 20 years imprisonment on each of the counts, but ordered that the sentences should run concurrently, effectively making the total jail term 40 years for each convict.
The court further directed that after serving their jail terms, the convicts should undergo rehabilitation, underscoring the judiciary’s position on balancing punishment with reintegration.
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