Headlines
‘I Became an Armed Robber after Losing N6m Capital in Betting’
Operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team have smashed a robbery gang which specialised in robbing women of expensive vehicles in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
Three members of the gang arrested by the police were identified as Ego Ike, Obinna Igwe and Adamu Nuhu.
City Round learnt that the suspects usually took the stolen vehicles to Niger Republic, where they sold them.
It was gathered that the police went after the gang members after they allegedly stole a 2016 Toyota Corolla from an official of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, who was on her way home from work.
The suspects were said to have driven the car to Katsina State, from where they took it to Niger Republic.
Nigerien policemen reportedly impounded the vehicle and arrested a member of the gang identified simply as Yellow, while the three others escaped.
Our correspondent learnt that the three fleeing suspects were recently tracked down in their hideout in Abuja after the FIRS official reported the robbery to the IRT.
One of the suspects, Ike, told City Round during the week that he joined the gang after he lost a sum of N6m he had invested in clothing business to gambling.
He said, “I was a spare parts dealer at the Ladipo Market, Lagos, but I moved to Abuja in search of greener pastures. When I couldn’t achieve much, I pressured my father to sell his only land in the village and he used the money to send me to Istanbul, Turkey.
“I worked in Istanbul for three years and saved close to N6m which I used to start a clothing business in Nigeria. In 2016, one of my friends introduced me to online sports betting, and I lost all my money. I met one Linus in Abuja and we became friends. He introduced me to a robbery gang. We stole a Toyota RAV4 from a woman who was driving to her house on Shafar Road, Abuja and we took the car to Kaduna. We sold it to one Mallam Nuhu for N200,000.”
He stated that his gang also carjacked a Toyota Matrix from a woman and sold it in Kaduna for N270,000, adding that they usually targeted women to avoid resistance.
Ike, who hails from Anambra State, also admitted to have participated in the operation in which the FIRS official’s car was stolen.
He said, “We took the car that night to Niger Republic, but at the Katsina border, Linus and I came down from the car while Yellow and a man took the car into Niger Republic. Unfortunately, Nigerien police arrested them. We target wmen because we don’t use guns and women won’t resist us. We go for Toyota vehicles because we easily find buyers for them.”
In his account, Nuhu, a native of Kaduna State, said he took to robbery when he was 17. He said he got a master key he used to steal some cars from one MD in Kaduna.
He said, “The first car I stole with the master key was a Toyota Carina. I stole it in Tuniga Maji, along Kaduna-Abuja Expressway. I took the car to Kaduna and one Garuba bought it from me for N120,000. MD then introduced me to Yellow and asked me to get a vehicle from him. The vehicle had a problem with the engine. We contacted Garuba and he bought it for N180,000.
“I stole three other Toyota Camry cars in Tuniga Maji area and sold them for N420,000 to one Alhaji in Sokoto State. MD also gave me four Toyota Corolla cars to deliver to one Abdul in Niger Republic. Later in September 2018, Yellow introduced me to his own gang, who were operating mainly in Abuja. We were preparing for a robbery operation when the police arrested me.”
Culled from The Punch
Headlines
Nnamdi Kanu: Alleged Order to Bomb US, Uk Embassies, Omotosho’s ‘Manufactured Lie’ – Group
A coalition of rights activists has faulted the verdict delivered by Justice James Omotosho of the Abuja Federal High Court in the trial of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.
Justice Omotosho had on Thursday convicted Kanu on terrorism charges brought against him by the Nigerian government and subsequently sentenced him to life imprisonment.
However, a coalition of rights activists, comprising the American Veterans of Igbo Descent, Ambassadors for Self Determination, and the Rising Sun Foundation, in a joint statement on Thursday evening pointed out what they described as a major flaw in the judgment.
While delivering the judgment, Justice Omotosho described Kanu as an international terrorist, stating that he ordered attacks on the United States and United Kingdom embassies in Nigeria.
Reacting to the judgment, the activists coalition said the allegation that Kanu ordered attacks on the US and UK embassies was never raised in the charges filed against him, and was also not brought up throughout the proceedings of the trial.
Wondering how the judge arrived at the allegation, the activists described the claim as a manufactured lie that collapsed the judgment against Kanu.
Parts of the statement titled ‘Justice Omotosho’s fictional “bomb plot” against US and UK missions’ read, “We address you today on one central, shocking point in the judgment delivered by Justice James Omotosho against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu — the claim that Mazi Nnamdi Kanu planned to bomb the British and United States missions in Nigeria.
“We state openly and without fear of contradiction: This allegation was never charged, never testified to, never tendered in evidence, and never mentioned by any witness in the entire trial. It is a pure invention of the judge, inserted into the judgment to demonise Mazi Nnamdi Kanu before the world and to drive a wedge between him and the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom.”
Stressing that “no witness ever spoke of any bombing plot,” the statement added, “Throughout the proceedings before Justice Omotosho: No charge alleged any plan to bomb US or UK embassies. No prosecution witness testified about any such plot. No document, exhibit, audio, video, or intelligence report was tendered to support such a claim. The defence had no opportunity to cross-examine any witness on this issue, because it never arose in court. Yet, in his judgment, Justice Omotosho casually wrote in this wild story of a supposed plan to bomb the British and American missions. This is not a mistake. It is a fabrication.
“In any criminal justice system worthy of the name, a judge cannot convict an accused person on the basis of stories invented in chambers and not proven in court.”
The activists insisted that the official transcripts of the trial will prove the ‘fabrication.’
The activists added that, to remove any doubt, they have resolved to release to the world the full certified transcripts of everything that transpired in Justice Omotosho’s court.
“Those transcripts will show clearly that no prosecutor, no witness, and no document ever mentioned any threat to US or UK missions. The only people who testified against Mazi Nnamdi Kanu were hired storytellers, and even they did not tell this particular story. The so-called ‘bomb plot’ exists only in the judgment, not in the evidence,” the statement added.
The activists called on the media, members of the diplomatic community, and human rights organisations to read the record themselves “and see how far a Federal High Court judge was prepared to go to justify a conviction without evidence.”
Further faulting the judge’s assertion, the activists noted that the alleged directive to attack the US and UK embassies makes no sense considering Kanu’s pro-US and UK record.
The statement said, “This invented ‘bomb plot’ is not only unsupported, it is absurd on its face. In 2017, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu organised the first and only Trump Solidarity Rally in Igweocha (Port Harcourt), where thousands peacefully marched in open support of the then-US President. In 2020, he personally attended a Trump campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa, openly identifying with the American democratic process. These are not the actions of a man plotting to bomb US or UK missions. They are the actions of a man who, rightly or wrongly, sees the United States and the West as allies in the struggle for justice and self-determination.
“For a Nigerian judge to twist this history into a phantom ‘terror plot’ is not only dishonest; it is dangerous. It sends a message to the world that Nigerian courts are willing to weaponise lies against political defendants.”
The statement declared that the judge’s “fabrication” has destroyed the entire judgment.
“Under the Nigerian Constitution and basic common sense, a person can only be convicted on evidence given in court. The offence must be clearly written in a valid law, and the accused must have a fair chance to challenge any allegation. By importing a serious accusation that was never charged, was never proved, and was never put to the accused, Justice Omotosho violated Mazi Nnamdi Kanu’s right to fair hearing; turned himself from an impartial judge into a prosecution witness and propagandist; built his judgment on facts that do not exist in the record.
“Once a judge bases a criminal conviction on fabricated, extraneous material, the entire judgment is poisoned. It is legally unsafe, morally bankrupt, and constitutionally void. This single act of fabrication is enough, on its own, to nullify the judgment, justify its reversal on appeal, and trigger serious disciplinary action by the National Judicial Council (NJC),” the statement added.
Stating what the alleged fabrication means for the judiciary, the activists noted that when a judge in a criminal trial descends into the arena of fabrication and lies, the judiciary itself is in trouble.
“This is no longer about one man, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. It is about whether any Nigerian can trust that our courts will decide cases on evidence, not on scripts; judges will respect the record, not rewrite it, and the bench will not be used as a tool to destroy political opponents.
“Justice Omotosho’s conduct sends the worst possible signal, both domestically and internationally. It tells the world that Nigeria’s courts can be used to manufacture ‘terrorists’ on paper while ignoring the actual evidence.”
Vowing that they will not allow the matter to pass quietly, the American Veterans of Igbo Descent, Ambassadors for Self Determination, and the Rising Sun Foundation outlined their next steps.
The next steps include “immediate publication of the full transcripts of proceedings before Justice Omotosho, for Nigerians and the international community to read before they falsify it,” and filing of appropriate appeals challenging the judgment on the ground that it is based on fabricated facts not supported by evidence.
They also plan to petition the National Judicial Council and relevant bodies, “asking them to investigate how such a grave falsehood found its way into a Federal High Court judgment,” and direct engagement with US and UK authorities, providing them with the record of proceedings to show that this alleged ‘bomb plot’ exists only in Justice Omotosho’s imagination.
The activists stressed that “the attempt to paint Mazi Nnamdi Kanu as a man who planned to bomb US and UK missions is a fallacy from the pit of propaganda, not from a court of law.”
“It is a stain on the judgment. It is a stain on the court. And unless it is decisively rejected, it will remain a stain on the Nigerian judiciary. We are determined to expose this fabrication in a way Justice Omotosho never imagined possible, with documents, with transcripts, and with the cold, hard truth,” the statement added.
DailyPost
By Eric Elezuo
The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to life imprisonment, having been found guilty and convicted of all the seven count charges of terrorism brought against him by the Federal Government.
Delivering his judgment, the presiding judge, Justice James Omotosho, said the offences for which Kanu was found guilty carry a death sentence, but out of magnanimity, and in carrying out the example of Jesus Christ in showing mercy, he has decided to commute it to life imprisonment.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday has convicted the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, for issuing “sit-at-home” orders that led to the closure of banks, schools, and economic activities across the Southeast, particularly on Mondays.
The court described the actions as “terrorist acts against Nigeria.”
Justice James Omotosho delivered the conviction while reading his judgment in Kanu’s ongoing trial on alleged treasonable felony and terrorism charges brought by the Federal Government.
Recall that Justice Omotosho had earlier dismissed Kanu’s no-case submission, ruling that prima facie (at first sight) evidence had been sufficiently provided by the Department of State Services (DSS), requiring “some explanation” from Kanu. However, Kanu refused to enter a defence and was eventually foreclosed after multiple adjournments.
The Federal Government accused Kanu of issuing threats via broadcasts across Nigeria, warning that anyone who flouted the sit-at-home order in the Southeast would face consequences, allegedly inciting insurrection against the state.
The prosecution further claimed that, due to Kanu’s directives, banks, schools, markets, shopping malls, and petrol stations in the Southeast remained mostly closed on Mondays. Kanu denied the allegations in the original 2015 case, paving the way for trial; however, the case commenced afresh before Justice Omotosho in 2025.
What the Court Said
Justice Omotosho held that since Kanu’s defence had been foreclosed, the court would rely solely on the prosecution’s evidence and several affidavits placed before the court.
The judge stated that anyone involved in acts of terrorism is liable, upon conviction, to life imprisonment.
He described terrorism as actions or threats of violence that create fear, especially when innocent people are targeted.
He noted that, in several broadcasts—including an interview with Sahara TV—Kanu threatened harm against the Federal Government and Nigerians, including members of his “own people.”
The judge quoted Kanu describing Nigeria as a “zoo” and referring to the Southeast as “Biafra.” He added that Kanu was fully aware of his actions, which could be inferred from his conduct.
For Count 2, relating to the sit-at-home directive that shut down banks and schools, the judge cited prosecution evidence showing that Kanu, on May 30, 2021, threatened to shut down the Southeast, including economic and educational sectors.
The court held that every Nigerian citizen is entitled to personal liberty and freedom of movement, noting that the people of the Southeast cannot be compelled to sit at home by Kanu, who holds no constitutional authority.
“The defendant, Kanu, is not the President of Nigeria and therefore lacked the power to impose sit-at-home orders on any part of the country. The act is not only unconstitutional but amounts to terrorist activity,” the judge ruled, convicting him on Count 2.
On Count 3, which relates to Kanu’s leadership of IPOB, the judge convicted him for leading a proscribed organization.
On Counts 4 and 5, which involve incitement of people to commit acts of terrorism against the state—offences liable to a death sentence—the judge agreed with the prosecution that Kanu encouraged attacks on security agents, institutions, and government property, citing instances where he allegedly called for the burning of Murtala Muhammed Airport and other facilities.
The court condemned Kanu’s behaviour, describing it as “evil”, highlighting that such an individual does not deserve to live within society.
He also convicted Kanu for inciting anarchy against Nigeria.
Source: Nairametrics
The court also found Kanu guilty and convicted him on Count 6.
