Drug Suspect allegedly stabs NDLEA operatives during raid

Two individuals, Musa Usman, 25, and Buhari Ya’u Bashir, 24, were successfully captured by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency’s (NDLEA) Kano State Command during a targeted operation at Rahama Round in the Bebeji Local Government Area.

A variety of illegal substances, including cannabis sativa, diazepam, and Exol pills, were seized as a result of the early-morning investigation.

According to a statement from NDLEA spokesperson Sadiq Muhammad Maigatari, the suspects were found in possession of 1.1 kilograms of cannabis sativa (wrapped), 8 grams of diazepam (38 tablets), and 59 grams of Exol (165 tablets).

The operation took a violent turn when Musa Usman, who was reportedly armed with a dagger, attempted to resist arrest by attacking NDLEA officers. One officer sustained a stab wound during the altercation. The NDLEA condemned the assault, emphasizing its commitment to protecting its personnel and upholding the law.

State Commander of NDLEA, Abubakar Idris Ahmad, strongly condemned the violent actions of the suspects, reaffirming that such attacks would not deter the agency’s efforts to combat drug trafficking and abuse. “Attacks on law enforcement officers in the line of duty will not deter us from carrying out our mandate to rid society of the scourge of drug abuse and trafficking,” he stated.

Both suspects are currently in custody and are expected to face prosecution for drug-related offenses as well as the assault on an officer.

DPO under investigation for allegedly taking teenage girl to his home while in police custody

The International Human Rights Today Initiative (HRTI), a prominent non-governmental organization focused on human rights protection, has filed a formal complaint with the Katsina State Police Headquarters.

The complaint alleges that a Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Dutsinma, CSP Bello Gusau, took a 15-year-old girl, detained at the police station, to his home where she spent the night.

HRTI, led by Comrade Maiyasin, conducted a comprehensive investigation into the incident and gathered evidence confirming the girl’s overnight stay at the DPO’s residence, rather than at the police station as initially claimed.

In an interview with DAILY POST, Maiyasin stated that the Katsina State Commissioner of Police, CP Aliyu Musa, has taken the matter seriously and formed an investigative committee. The DPO has since been suspended pending the investigation’s results.

According to HRTI’s findings, the girl had been missing before being found and taken to the Dutsinma Police Station. Due to the late hour, she was left at the station to stay overnight.

However, CSP Gusau allegedly told the girl’s relatives, who came to pick her up, that he would personally take her home the following morning.

When the relatives returned the next day to bring her food, they were informed that she was no longer at the station. After a tense confrontation with officers, the girl was returned to the station but was found wearing different clothes from the night before.

The organisation claims that the girl confirmed to them she had spent the night at the DPO’s house, and they recorded her testimony. Her father has expressed a firm resolve to seek justice for his daughter through the proper legal channels.

In response to the complaint, DSP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, the spokesperson for the Katsina State Police Command, confirmed that the matter is under investigation, promising that the inquiry would ensure accountability and justice.

As the investigation unfolds, local authorities are working to determine the truth of the allegations and ensure the appropriate measures are taken.

Founder of popular Church sent to 20 years in jail for defiling 12 years old Church member’s Daughter

The Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court sitting at Gudu, presided over by Justice Adebiyi Osolo, has sentenced the founder and Bishop of a popular church in Abuja, Bishop Kenneth Duke, to 20 years’ imprisonment without an option of fine for rape.

The 52-year-old Bishop, an indigene of Cross River State, was dragged to court by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, for allegedly raping a 12-year-old daughter of one of the church members, who was entrusted to the care of his family.

NAPTIP, meanwhile, said it had rescued nine pregnant girls at a suspected baby factory located in one of the sprawling estates in the Ushafa area of Abuja.

The convict was arraigned in court on November 2, 2023, on a two-count charge of rape and intentionally causing emotional and phycological abuse to the victim.

According to the charge, in March 2023, the convict, who lives behind the Dantata Construction Company, Dakwa, Abuja, raped the victim, thereby committing an offence punishable under the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015.

The victim, an indigene of Ondo State, was living in Lagos before she was brought to Abuja to live with her mother.

The charge narrated that on March 5, 2023, the victim’s mother took her to the church located at Dantata Zuba Expressway and that after the service, she was taken to the Bishop’s family house to stay with them to enable the Bishop’s wife take her to where she would learn a skill, following an agreement earlier reached by both families.

However, the following day, being March 6, 2023, the father of five (bishop), according to the charge, sent his children on an errand, leaving him with the victim alone in the house. About 10a.m., the Bishop reportedly gave the victim some Mathematics work to solve, only to allegedly rape her as she was solving it.

The court found the cleric guilty of a one-count charge of rape and sentenced him accordingly, to 20 years imprisonment without an option of fine.

In another development, NAPTIP has rescued nine pregnant girls from a suspected baby factory in the Ushafa area of Abuja.

The victims, according to the agency’s National Public Relations Officer, Vincent Adekoya, “were locked up in a rented apartment inside the estate by a yet-to-be-identified human trafficking agent after recruiting them through an online platform.

“The raid on the facility by operatives of NAPTIP followed a tip-off by a concerned citizen who noticed the unusual situation and movement around the area.”