Metro

A suspected rivalry between two cult groups has claimed the life of a 30-year-old man in the Igbogene community of Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

The deceased, identified simply as Ebi, popularly known as “Npotor,” was said to be from the Amassoma community in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area.

Sources within the community alleged that the killing was linked to an ongoing supremacy battle between two rival cult groups known as the Bobos and the Greenlanders.

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has foiled a suspected armed robbery attempt and arrested one suspect during a swift operation along Abak Road in Uyo.

The incident occurred at about 10:00 p.m. on February 9, 2026, when operatives on pin-down duty at a strategic checkpoint along the busy road observed three young men behaving suspiciously on a motorcycle near a supermarket. Acting on reasonable suspicion and in line with proactive crime prevention measures, the officers moved to apprehend the individuals.

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has dismantled a suspected fraud syndicate operating within Uyo metropolis and its environs, arresting three suspects and rescuing an elderly victim.

According to the command, the operation was carried out on Monday, February 3, 2026, around 3:30 pm., following credible intelligence received from a concerned and public-spirited individual.

The intelligence revealed the activities of a group of fraudsters, locally known as “Utotoh,” who allegedly specialised in deceiving unsuspecting members of the public.

The Federal Government, on Monday, arraigned nine suspects arrested in connection with the killings in Yelwata community, Benue State.

The suspects were brought before Justice Joyce Abdul-Malik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on charges linked to the violent attack on Yelwata in Guma Local Government Area. The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), led the prosecution.

The trial of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello, continued on Friday, 30 January 2026, before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, with a prosecution witness testifying that deposits from Kogi State local governments were paid into multiple private bank accounts in a structured manner to evade regulatory reporting.

The seventh prosecution witness (PW7), Olomotane Egoro, a compliance officer with Access Bank Plc, told the court that the transactions were deliberately broken into amounts below the reporting threshold to avoid Currency Transaction Reports (CTR) to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).

Head, Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, in a statement on Friday, said Bello is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 19-count charge bordering on money laundering involving the sum of ₦80,246,470,088.88.

The Benin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned one Ndubuisi Iheukwumere John before Justice Agbaje Olufunmilola Adetutu of the Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State, over an alleged ₦150 million fraud.

According to the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, in a statement issued on Friday, 30 January 2026, the defendant was arraigned on Monday, 26 January 2026, on a two-count charge bordering on advance fee fraud and obtaining money by false pretence.

One of the charges alleged that Ndubuisi Iheukwumere John conspired with Emmanuel Emifoniye and Salt Adaeze Udoka, both currently at large, in November 2024 in Asaba, Delta State, to commit the offence of obtaining by false pretence, contrary to Section 8(a) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has recorded another operational success with the recovery of firearms and other dangerous weapons following actionable intelligence in Uyo.

On 27 January 2026, at about 3:30 p.m., operatives of the Command, acting on credible information, received reports that suspected members of the Vikings Confraternity were holding a meeting at Ikot Okubo, near a transformer along Abak Road, Uyo.

Upon swift deployment to the location, police operatives stormed the area. The suspects fled on sighting the police, abandoning several dangerous weapons at the scene.

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has arrested three persons over their alleged involvement in violent and disorderly conduct linked to masquerade activities in the Etinan Local Government Area of the state.

According to the command, the arrests followed a distress call received at about 4:45 p.m. on Friday, January 23, 2026, from an anonymous source, reporting a serious breach of public peace at Mbioto II Village, Etinan LGA.

Police operatives were immediately deployed to the scene, where two suspected masquerades and their leader were arrested.