Crime & Court
Abductors of clerics are swindling God – Anglican Bishop, Egbe
The Bishop of Anglican Communion, Diocese of Calabar, Most. Rev Nneoyi Egbe has said that kidnappers who go after men of God and collect ransoms from them are unwittingly swindling God.
He said the kidnappers were also attempting to impoverish the church.
He said those attacking men of God were cursed.
He spoke during an interview at his Church’s headquarters in Calabar.
In the last three months, a good number of church leaders have been abducted and ransoms running into millions of Naira have been paid to secure their release.
Egbe said, “it has been very regrettable that in recent times, abductors are preferring to go after Bishops and church leaders as a way of extorting huge sums of money from them.
“Church vicars don’t have money. They are attempting to embarrass God, which they cannot. Their attacks on men of God will attract heavier punishment from God.
“Don’t they know that they are swindling God? Since church leaders don’t have such ransom they demand it is the church members that, out of their sweats and savings, contribute, denying themselves, children and dependants welfare, to raise the ransoms they demand.
“I tell you that they are cursed. Their generations are cursed. God will strike them for looting the church, directly swindling God.”
As a way of checking kidnapping of clerics and insecurity generally, the church leader called on the Federal Government to strengthen security apparatus.
He disagreed that with a minister that said the country was now well secured.
“People are not able to travel across the country freely nor are they able to sleep in their houses with two eyes closed. People are still being kidnapped for outrageous ransoms, harassed and traumatized.
“We need State police. Denying Nigerians this is evidence of government’s insincerity in securing the Nigerian environment against elements that are pursuing their evil agenda,” he added.
Justice Maryanne Anenih of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory has issued a public summons for former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello to appear in court to respond to a fresh 16-count indictment.
The summons requires Bello to attend court on October 24 for his arraignment, alongside co-defendants Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu.
The public summons was ordered following an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
In her ruling, Justice Anenih directed the EFCC to publish the summons in a widely circulated newspaper to ensure proper notification.
Also, the court instructed the EFCC to post copies of the public summons at Bello’s last known address and in conspicuous locations within the court premises.
The EFCC has reported difficulties in serving the charges, which were filed on September 24, alleging that Bello and the two co-defendants committed a criminal breach of trust involving a staggering ₦110.4 billion.
A Police Inspector, Mohammed Bulama, attached to the Police Mobile Force (PMF) 41 in Yobe State, has been arrested for allegedly killing a 39-year-old civilian, Abdulmalik Dauda, during a confrontation in Damaturu, the state capital.
The incident, which occurred on September 29, 2024, was sparked by a heated argument between Bulama and Dauda over “uncleared transactions” in the Zango area of Damaturu. The argument escalated, leading Bulama to fatally stab Dauda in the chest.
In a statement, the Yobe State Police spokesperson, Dungus Abdulkarim, confirmed Bulama’s arrest and announced that an investigation into the homicide case had been launched.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Garba Ahmed, has ordered an immediate and thorough investigation into the incident involving Inspector Mohammed Bulama,” Abdulkarim said.
He further disclosed that the officer has been placed in custody, pending internal disciplinary action and prosecution.
CP Ahmed condemned the actions of the officer, extending his condolences to the family of the victim.
He also assured the public that justice would be served swiftly in accordance with the law.
The Lagos State Police Command has summoned three officers accused of extorting N1 million from members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the Surulere area of Lagos.
Footage of the incident, which went viral on social media late Friday, shows the officers confronting the corps members, reportedly over the absence of a physical copy of a driver’s license. The video was shared by social media user Oluyemi Fasipe, who claimed that the officers threatened the corps members with firearms and forcibly took them to the Kafaru Oluwole Tinubu House, the Area C Command of the Lagos State Police, where they allegedly extorted the sum of N1 million.
“Dear @BenHundeyin, Your officers today in Surulere extorted 1 million naira from three corps members,” Fasipe wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “They were threatened with firearms, kidnapped, and taken to the KAFARU OLUWOLE TINUBU HOUSE AREA C POLICE COMMAND of the @LagosPoliceNG where they were robbed.”
Fasipe added that the entire incident stemmed from the corps members’ inability to present a physical copy of a driver’s license, a situation he described as “evil.”
In one of the videos, the officers are seen inspecting the vehicle’s documents, with the situation escalating as additional officers arrived. One officer can be seen entering the car and demanding that the corps members stop recording the incident, while also prohibiting them from contacting their families.
In response, the spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that the officers involved have been summoned, and an investigation is underway.
“The men have been summoned, and their trial has commenced,” Hundeyin wrote on X. “We urge the complainants to visit the Complaint Response Unit at the State Headquarters to testify at the ongoing trial.”
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