Crime & Court
Guber Polls: ‘Over 65 persons’ arrested for alleged voter inducement
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says no fewer than 65 persons have been arrested for alleged voter inducement during the governorship and state house of assembly elections held on Saturday.
According to the commission, the suspects were nabbed across the 28 states where governorship elections were held.
In a statement on Saturday, EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said 20 of the suspects were arrested by its operatives from the Ilorin Zonal Command, while 13 were nabbed at the Kaduna Zonal Command.
“The teams monitoring the polls in the Port Harcourt Zone arrested a total of 12 people for various offences bordering on inducing voters with money to vote their preferred candidates, while the Uyo Zonal Command made four arrests in Calabar,” the statement read.
“The remaining suspects were arrested in Gombe, Sokoto, Kebbi and Niger states. Those arrested in Kaduna consist of 10 males and three females. They were apprehended by operatives working on intelligence or chanced upon them during the monitoring exercise.”
See the full statement below:
Guber Polls: EFCC Arrests Over 65 Persons for Alleged Voter Inducement
No fewer than 65 persons were arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC on Saturday, March 18, 2023, across the 28 states where Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections were conducted, for alleged voter inducement.
Twenty of the suspects were arrested by operatives from the Ilorin Zonal Command while 13 suspects were nabbed by operatives on election monitoring duty at the Kaduna Zonal Command. The teams monitoring the polls in the Port Harcourt Zone arrested a total of 12 people for various offences bordering on inducing voters with money to vote for their preferred candidates, while the Uyo Zonal Command made 4 arrests in Calabar. The remaining suspects were arrested in Gombe, Sokoto, kebbi and Niger states.
Those arrested in Kaduna consist of 10 males and 3 females. They were apprehended by operatives working on intelligence or chanced upon them during the monitoring exercise.
A suspect allegedly involved in vote buying was nabbed at School Road, Unguwan Rimi Kaduna. The suspect who initially resisted arrest, is however in custody, pending the conclusion of the investigation.
Also in Kaduna, the Tẹam led by ACE II Esmond Garba arrested one Buhari Muhammed in PU 002 Dogara Yaro Dagari area. He was arrested with Voter Coupons, which he confessed would be used to trace and pay those who voted for his party.
Furthermore, the team monitoring the voting exercise around LEA Kabala Doki, Kaduna led by CSE Wakilu Omokide also arrested two individuals suspected of vote buying. Upon their arrest, a total sum of N67,500, a list containing names of voters with their PVC numbers and their bank account details amongst others, were recovered from them.
Investigation so far revealed that the major modus operandi of the suspects is to give cash, transfer money, coupons and send recharge cards to eligible voters to induce them to vote for their candidates. A search of their persons and phones revealed that most of them had transferred money into the accounts of some voters on the lists recovered from them.
Some of the items recovered from the suspects include voter cards, monies, and a list containing names and account details of voters. Others are recharge cards.
Officers of the Kaduna Command also arrested two persons in Niger State for alleged vote buying. The first suspect, Umar.B. Ibrahim was arrested at the Peter Sarki Road polling unit based on intelligence. Upon searching his vehicle, an INEC ID tag (domestic election observer) bearing his name and photograph and also a letter of appointment from BOS ( Bago Support Organisation) as Director Liaison, were uncovered. On further enquiry, he disclosed that a certain Mr Usman Mohammed, who belongs to his political party gave him the INEC ID tag.
The second suspect, Isa Salihu Bababida, was arrested at Unguwar Nassarawa with several lists of names, account numbers and BVN.
In Port Harcourt, the election monitoring teams arrested 10 suspects in Port Harcourt alleged to be involved in voter inducement at Moscow Road, Elekahia, Township, Mile 2, Ward 2 polling Unit 2 and 30, Ogbum, Phalga, Port Harcourt. The suspects were arrested with A4 papers that had the names, telephone and account numbers of persons suspected to be voters. Also, two youths who were alleged to be involved in voter inducement were arrested at Ward 2 Polling Unit 2 and 30, Ogbum, PHALGA, Port Harcourt City.
The four persons arrested at different locations in Calabar by the team from Uyo Zonal Command, led by CE Binta A. Rano, are currently volunteering their statements at the Criminal Investigation Department, Cross River State Police Command.
the team arrested one Esther Asuquo Edem, the Woman Leader of one of the political parties for Ward 11, Calabar South, Cross River State and two others, Edet Okon Etim and Asanwana Peter Eyo, for alleged vote buying in Calabar.
The Woman Leader, who had a list of suspected voters, their account numbers and Thousands of Naira in cash was apprehended inside an uncompleted building, beside her Ward in Calabar South, while Etim and Eyo were arrested at Ward 12, Unit 11, at Kings Memorial School by Inyang Street, Abasi Obori, Calabar South.
The duo of Etim and Eyo had with them their lists and money they allegedly used in buying votes.
The 20 suspects arrested by the Ilorin Zonal Command are Adekunle Ademola, Wasiu Raimi, Laaro Rasheed, Alagbe Taiwo, Boniface Victory, Kayode Toba, Adeoye Adetunji, Lawal Favour, Abidoye Victoria Moradeyo, Magaji Iliasu, Abdulkadir Abdulmumini and Musa Lateef Olasunkanmi.
Others are Marudeen Sadiq, Abogunrin Jimoh Oluwasesan, Funmilayo Lawal, Olawuyi Bolarin, Garuba Ismail, Abiola Abogunrin, Amidu Tiamiyu and Usman Abdulazeez.
The suspects, who were arrested at different polling units across the State, were caught with incriminating items including cash of various sums, a notebook containing a list of voters’ names, a POS machine, mobile phones and voter cards, among others.
Upon interrogation, some of the suspects identified themselves as party agents while some admitted to distributing money to induce voters.
In Gombe, the Gombe Zonal Command led by ACE Faruk M. Dogondaji made 10 arrests for alleged voter inducement, and recovered, 43 pieces of wrappers and N 1, 923,900 cash.
Investigations are still ongoing to determine the culpability of each suspect.
Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity
18/03/2023
The Ogun State Magistrate’s Court sitting in Sagamu has adjourned the trial of the driver involved in the road crash that affected former heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, to June 2, 2026.
The court, presided over by Magistrate Olufunilayo Somefun, fixed the new date to allow the prosecution to file fresh charges in the case.
The defendant, Adeniyi Mobolaji, is facing a four-count charge bordering on dangerous and negligent driving resulting in death.
It was gathered that the matter had been adjourned about four times to enable the prosecuting counsel, G. O. Ogunyomi, amend the charges before the court.
Mobolaji was accused of reckless and negligent driving, contrary to Section 6(1) of the relevant law, as well as driving without due care and attention, causing bodily harm, and damage to property under Section 7(1).
He was also alleged to have driven without a valid national driver’s licence, contrary to Section 10(1) of the Federal Highway Act.
Ruling on the prosecution’s application for adjournment, the magistrate granted the request and fixed June 2 for proper hearing. The defence counsel did not oppose the application.
Speaking after the proceedings, counsel to the defendant, Abiodun Olalekan, said the adjournment was necessary to ensure justice for all parties involved.
The 46-year-old defendant was involved in the fatal crash that claimed the lives of Joshua’s personal trainer, Latif Ayodele, and strength and conditioning coach, Sina Ghami, along the Lagos-Ibadan
Expressway on December 29, 2025.
The Lexus SUV conveying the boxer collided with a stationary truck, leaving Joshua and the driver with minor injuries.
Joshua was later discharged from the hospital after being certified clinically stable.
The deaths of Ayodele and Ghami drew widespread reactions within the international boxing community, where both men were regarded as key figures in Joshua’s camp.
Their remains were subsequently repatriated to the United Kingdom, where a funeral prayer was held on January 4, 2026, at the London Central Mosque.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a 58-year-old alleged drug lord, Uzoma Valentine Ilomuanya, who had reportedly been on the agency’s wanted list and that of British authorities for over 15 years.
Ilomuanya was apprehended in Lagos on Monday, February 23, 2026, following what the agency described as a high-level, coordinated operation by officers of its Special Operations Unit.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Wednesday by the Director of Media and Advocacy of the agency, Femi Babafemi.
Babafemi said the suspect’s arrest ended a prolonged manhunt linked to his alleged involvement in drug trafficking activities across Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
According to the statement, Ilomuanya was first arrested in February 2003 in the United Kingdom and convicted for drug trafficking.
He was sentenced to nine years imprisonment but was released after serving two years following a successful appeal.
Babafemi added that the suspect was again arrested in the UK in July 2011 over drug-related offences.
He said, “He was granted administrative bail but jumped jurisdiction and fled to Nigeria.
“Typical of a recidivist, Ilomuanya was in November 2018 arrested in Nigeria by NDLEA operatives following the discovery of two clandestine methamphetamine laboratories in his Obinugwu, Orlu Local Government Area country home in Imo State and at his No. 3 Barrister Declan Uzoma Close, Lagos residence where officers recovered 77.960 kilograms of methamphetamine and extensive production equipment.
“He was subsequently charged before a Federal High Court in Lagos, after which he jumped court bail and has been on the run since then.”
Reacting to the development, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), described the arrest as a major breakthrough in the agency’s ongoing war against drug trafficking networks.
Marwa said the operation demonstrated the agency’s resolve to track down criminal elements regardless of how long they evade the law.
He said, “This arrest serves as a stern warning to those who think they can hide behind borders to escape justice.
“Whether you jump bail in London or set up clandestine labs in your village, the long arm of the NDLEA will eventually catch up with those who choose to undermine the health, security, and future of our nation.
“We remain committed to our international collaborations to ensure that Nigeria is not used as a sanctuary for global drug lords.”
Marwa also commended officers of the Special Operations Unit for their professionalism and persistence in tracking down the suspect.
He added that the agency would continue to strengthen intelligence-driven operations and international cooperation to dismantle drug trafficking networks operating within and beyond Nigeria.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday discharged and acquitted a suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, of a 23-count charge bordering on alleged non-declaration of assets filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
Delivering judgment, Justice James Omotosho held that the prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence to substantiate the allegations against the defendants.
Kyari was arraigned alongside his two brothers, who were accused of swearing to false affidavits in an alleged attempt to conceal the origin of certain properties.
However, the court ruled that the anti-drug agency failed to establish that the properties allegedly not declared by Kyari were actually owned by him.
Justice Omotosho explained that ownership of landed property could be established through traditional history, title documents, acts of possession, or possession by connection.
According to the judge, the prosecution did not present any of these forms of evidence to prove that the properties located at Fountain Estate in Karsana, said to belong to Ramatu Kyari, were owned by the suspended police officer.
The court also held that the prosecution failed to produce material evidence linking Kyari to properties located on Linda Choko Road in Asokoro, Abuja, as well as properties in Maiduguri, Borno State.
In his defence, Kyari maintained that the properties in Borno State belonged to his late father, who bequeathed them to him and his siblings.
The judge held that the prosecution failed to prove otherwise.
Justice Omotosho also faulted the prosecution for charging Kyari’s brothers with conspiracy, describing the allegation as unsubstantiated.
He described the NDLEA’s case as weak and lacking credible evidence, adding that the defendant had served the country well and should not be subjected to persecution.
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