Crime & Court
How my daughter was killed for ritual – Ex-Ondo deputy governor
Alhaji Lasisi Oluboyo, the bereaved father of the Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko final year student, Khadijah, who was allegedly murdered for ritual purpose, has resigned to fate over the death of his first child.
The deceased was murdered under mysterious circumstances by her Abuja-based boyfriend, Adeyemi Alao, in Oke-Aro area of Akure metropolis.
Oluboyo, who confirmed to journalists that her daughter was killed for ritual purpose on Monday, disclosed that the family discovered she was missing on Monday, July 2, 2018.
“Somebody called us that she was missing. We started looking for her. We got in touch with her friends in the school. The closest friend told us that they finished lecture on Thursday. They took the same motorcycle to their houses.
“On Friday, they had no lecture, when the friend got to the lecture room on Monday and did not see her, she started calling her numbers.”
The father, who is the immediate past Deputy Governor of the state, revealed he sent “the money for her feeding on Friday, the usual thing is that when she got bank alert, she would call me back to thank me.
“But this day, I did not get a response from her. I told her mother and she started calling her. The phones were switched off. On Monday, we started calling her number and it did not get through. Later the phone rang, they picked it and we were hearing an underground sound.
“The phone switched off again. Later we got a text that the mouthpiece of the phone is not good and that she would call when she changed the sim card to another phone. With that, we thought that everything was settled. We were waiting anxiously for the call.”
He noted that Khadijah’s friend even contacted the family that she too had been calling her number to no avail, adding that “the same person sent a message to that her friend that she was on her way coming.”
Establishing the relationship between late Khadijat and Alao, the father said, “It was then I got to know that she came to Akure to meet that boy. From what the father told us, there is no doubt that they were once boy and girlfriend.
“They met each other at College of Education, Ondo. When we started looking for the girl, the father called me, he said he is the father of Adeyemi, he said my daughter came to their house on Thursday and left on Friday morning.
“He said she used to come in the past but stopped suddenly, that she was the type he wants his son to marry. I said we were not talking of marriage and that we were looking for her. The man called and started praying. When we called, the boy said she came on Thursday and left on Friday.”
While exposing the ruse kidnap scenario to cover up for her six days disappearance, the ex-Deputy Governor recounted that “my daughter had four numbers. She had two handsets, one with two sims, one with one sim.
“The old number she was using was kept in her bag. What happened was that when we tracked the first number, it went off immediately after Roadblock at Owo. The second number went off after Oba-Akoko.
“That gave us the impression that she was travelling and that she was going back to school. We got it on good authority that she came to Akure. That gave us belief that she was going back.
“When they sent a message that we should wait for negotiation team, we discovered it was one of the numbers in her bag that they used to send the message to us. It was a perfect arrangement to buy time.”
Revealing how the mysterious disappearance which led to the death of her daughter was unravelled, he narrated that “when we tried our best, we organized prayers. When we finished with the prayers, he got the hint and said he cannot continue.
“He rushed out and confessed to his immediate sister. He said this is what I did; I cannot cope, go and help me carry sack. The sister rushed to the father and narrated the story.”
Contrary to widespread speculations that Alao just dumped the decomposing body of the victim under his bed, Oluboyo affirmed that “the boy dug a grave in his room, buried her and put his foam on the grave and was sleeping on the grave. She was not found under the bed, the boy has no bed.
“The boy killed her for ritual purposes. It is not that the girl was not well-fed. The lady did not go there on her own volition. To me, I don’t want anything. God’s judgment is more than all the human’s verdict. The danger is that if you allow him to go scot-free, he would do it again.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has rearrested Friday Audu, the alleged mastermind of a massive cryptocurrency investment fraud and romance scam, just moments after he was granted bail by a Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos.
In a dramatic turn of events, EFCC operatives intercepted Audu as he stepped out of the court premises on Thursday. The anti-graft officers swiftly bundled him into a waiting white van and whisked him away, while his co-defendants were led off by correctional officers.
Audu, alongside two Chinese nationals, Huang Haoyu and An Hongxu, as well as their company, Genting International Ltd, is facing a 12-count charge bordering on cybercrime. The trio was arraigned before Justice Daniel Osiagor on Monday, March 17, and returned to court on March 20 for their bail hearing.
Despite being granted bail, Audu’s troubles deepened as EFCC officials moved in swiftly. The court had granted him bail in the sum of N50 million, with two sureties—one being a serving director in Nigeria, and the other a Lagos-based property owner willing to surrender title documents to the court. Until these conditions are met, Audu was to remain in correctional custody.
However, his alleged accomplice, Huang Haoyu, was not as fortunate. The court denied his bail application, ruling that his residence status in Nigeria was unclear and that he posed a flight risk. The third defendant, An Hongxu, did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody.
Justice Osiagor adjourned the trial to May 2, 2025.
How It All Started
The EFCC’s case against Audu and his co-defendants stems from a December 2024 sting operation that led to the arrest of 193 foreigners and several Nigerians linked to a sophisticated cyber-fraud network.
According to the prosecution, Audu allegedly spearheaded the recruitment of young Nigerians into the syndicate, which engaged in cyber fraud, cryptocurrency scams, and illicit financial dealings. The EFCC further alleged that the group conspired with one Dualiang Pan (still at large) to access computer systems designed to destabilize Nigeria’s economic and social structure.
The defendants were accused of using young Nigerians to impersonate foreign nationals in online scams, defrauding unsuspecting victims of millions of dollars. Investigators also linked them to a staggering ₦3.4 billion fraud, with proceeds traced to the Union Bank account of Genting International Ltd.
Other fraudulent transactions flagged in the case include:
- The illegal retention of $1.2 million in a crypto wallet by one Chukwuemeka Okeke.
- A similar retention of $1.3 million by Alhassan Garba and Ifesinachi Jacobs.
- Suspicious transfers of ₦106 million and ₦913 million to an account controlled by Dualiang Pan.
- Unofficial foreign exchange dealings worth over ₦2 billion, allegedly conducted outside the Central Bank of Nigeria’s approved system.
The EFCC maintained that these activities violated multiple provisions of the Cybercrime (Prohibition) Act 2015, the Money Laundering Act 2021, and the Foreign Exchange Monitoring Act 2004.
Battle for Bail
During Thursday’s proceedings, EFCC prosecutor Bilikisu Buhari-Bala opposed bail for the defendants, arguing that they were flight risks and key players in an extensive cybercrime syndicate. She pressed for an accelerated trial instead.
Defense counsels, however, pleaded for leniency. Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Emeka Okpoko, representing the first defendant, urged the court to grant his client bail on “liberal terms.” Similarly, Clement Onwuenwunor (SAN), who represented Audu, pushed for his client’s release under favorable conditions.
Despite the court’s decision to grant Audu bail, his freedom was short-lived as EFCC officials quickly stepped in to rearrest him, a move that hints at fresh charges or an ongoing investigation.
With the case now set for trial on May 2, all eyes remain on the EFCC and the fate of the alleged crypto fraud syndicate.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested the Accountant General of Bauchi State, Sirajo Jaja, over an alleged ₦70 billion fraud.
Jaja was apprehended in Abuja on Wednesday, 19 March 2025, alongside Aliyu Abubakar, an operator of Jasfad Resources Enterprise—an unlicensed bureau de change (BDC)—and Sunusi Ibrahim Sambo, a Point of Sale (PoS) operator.
Their arrests form part of an ongoing EFCC investigation into allegations of money laundering, diversion of public funds, and misappropriation involving the staggering sum.
The Commission is also probing the Governor of Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed, in connection with the matter.
According to the EFCC, preliminary findings indicate that a total of ₦59 billion was withdrawn in cash through various bank accounts managed by the Accountant General on behalf of the state government. The funds were allegedly transferred to Abubakar and Sambo, who then made cash payments to political party agents and associates of the governor.
Notably, Abubakar, the BDC operator, had previously absconded while on bail but has now been rearrested.
EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, confirmed the arrests, stating that investigations are ongoing to unravel the full extent of the financial misconduct.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a shipment of cocaine ingeniously concealed within prayer beads and locally made shoes, foiling an attempt to traffic the illicit substance.
NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, revealing that some suspects have been arrested in connection with the smuggling attempt.
Babafemi, who shared images of the seized contraband on X (formerly Twitter), condemned the act, especially in the holy month when religious devotion takes precedence.
“In this holy month, when people are consecrating themselves and making supplications to their God, some persons were preoccupied with concealing cocaine in prayer beads and locally made shoes to desecrate the precincts of the holy land in the holy month,” he stated.
He further noted that vigilant NDLEA operatives intercepted the illicit shipment, preventing the traffickers from executing their plan.
The anti-narcotics agency has intensified its crackdown on drug trafficking, especially methods that exploit religious items and sacred periods to evade detection.
As investigations continue, the NDLEA reaffirmed its commitment to curbing drug-related crimes and ensuring that traffickers face the full weight of the law.
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