Two men arrested by the Department of State Services, DSS, have been sentenced to death by an Ekiti State High Court following their conviction for the kidnap of a staff member of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC.The convicts, Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar, were convicted by the Ekiti State High Court I, Fajuyi, Ado-Ekiti, in suit number HAD/124C/2022, and are to die by hanging.A third defendant, Usman Abubakar, was however discharged after the Court held that there was insufficient evidence linking him to the crime.The case stemmed from the abduction of Omoboade Adesina, a female staff member of the National Youth Service Corps in Ekiti State, on 22nd April 2022.Following the abduction, the two convicts were arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services and subsequently prosecuted.Delivering judgment, the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, found Ibrahim Abubakar and Abdullahi Abubakar guilty of kidnapping and sentenced both men to death by hanging.The Court, however, discharged and acquitted the third defendant, Usman Abubakar.Justice Ogunmoye commended the diligence and professionalism of the DSS prosecutors for successfully proving the case beyond reasonable doubt.He specifically highlighted the identification parade conducted by the Service, as well as the analysis of Call Data Records during investigation, as critical pieces of evidence that strengthened the prosecution’s case and ultimately secured the conviction.The judgment marks another major courtroom success for the Department of State Services in its sustained efforts to combat violent crimes across the country.The conviction comes on the heels of a death sentence recently handed down by a Sokoto State High Court against three men convicted of terrorism and cross-border arms proliferation.It also follows the successful conviction of a kidnap suspect in Kogi State earlier secured by the Service, among other prosecutions.The secret Police notes that the string of successful prosecutions underscores the increasing reliance on intelligence-led investigations in tackling kidnapping, terrorism, and other violent crimes.It also reinforces the commitment of the Department of State Services to ensuring that perpetrators of kidnapping, terrorism, and related criminal offences are brought to justice and made to face the full weight of the law.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, 23 and Wednesday, 24 June, 2026 presented two prosecution witnesses, PW1, Babatunde Adebayo, and PW2, Paul Olufemi, in the trial of Ifoma Immanuel, who is facing charges an alleged $1.5 million fraud before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja.Investigations revealed that the defendant allegedly induced Adebisi Adebutu of R28 Holdings Limited to invest $1.5 million under the guise of financing projects linked to Chappal Petroleum Development Company Limited, Intermediate Investment Holdings Limited, and Chappal Energies Mauritius Limited.According to investigations , the investment was accompanied by assurances of reimbursement, a development capital fee of $2.25 million, and a 22.4 per cent equity stake in Intermediate Investment Holdings Limited.Following the conclusion of investigations, the EFCC’s Lagos Zonal Directorate 1 arraigned Immanuel and his company, Intermediate Investment Holdings Limited, on March 11, 2026, on a two-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence and forgery involving $1.5 million.The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, PW1, led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Babatunde Sonoiki, told the court how he facilitated the transfer of $500,000 into accounts nominated by the defendant in the United States and Mauritius.Adebayo, a financial adviser, testified that in 2022, Immanuel approached him seeking financial assistance, claiming that he had secured an investor interested in funding a business venture.“The defendant informed me that he had an investor willing to invest in a business. At that time, the exchange rate was about N600 to one US dollar,” he told the court.He further stated that the defendant later sent payment instructions via WhatsApp, including details relating to a total sum of $500,000.According to him, Immanuel provided his personal bank account details in Jersey Island, where $400,000 was to be credited, and directed him to confirm from Sheriff Oluwo and Chikezie Evuluchkwu where the remaining $100,000 should be sent.“He forwarded his personal bank details in Jersey Island, where the sum of $400,000 was to be credited. He also directed me to confirm from Sheriff Oluwo and Chikezie Evuluchkwu where the balance of $100,000 should be sent,” he said.Adebayo added that although the defendant initially requested that the funds be transferred into his personal account, he declined and insisted on a corporate account.“We requested a corporate account, and the defendant nominated Intermediate Investment Holdings Limited. All proof of payment was sent to Ifoma Immanuel. He gave instructions regarding the $400,000 transfer and directed me to contact Sheriff Oluwo and Chikezie Evuluchkwu concerning the balance of $100,000,” he testified.The prosecution also called PW2, Paul Olufemi, a compliance officer with Providus Bank, who testified on Wednesday, June 24, 2026.Olufemi, led in evidence by another prosecuting counsel E. E. Iheanacho, SAN, told the court that he had worked in the bank’s compliance department for about four years and regularly interfaced with law enforcement agencies, including the EFCC.He stated that Providus Bank received a letter from the EFCC on May 30, 2025, requesting account-opening documents and statements of accounts relating to the first defendant.“We received the request and, after scrutinising it, retrieved and printed the account-opening documents and statements of account from our records. We also attached a certificate of identification duly certified by the bank,” he said.The witness identified the EFCC request letter, the bank’s covering letter, the certificate of identification, account-opening documents, and statements of account, and sought to tender them as exhibits.Counsel to the first defendant, Awah Kalu, SAN, raised no objection to the documents being admitted in evidence.However, counsel to the second defendant, C. E. Wilson Okereke, objected to the admissibility of some of the documents, arguing that they were photocopies that had not been duly certified by the EFCC.He further contended that the Certificate of Incorporation of 107 Global Ventures, being a public document, ought to have been properly certified before being tendered.In response, prosecution counsel Iheanacho, SAN, argued that the documents originated from Providus Bank, which had custody of them, and that the witness, being a bank official, was competent to tender them. He further submitted that the documents were original bank records accompanied by the bank’s certification and covering letter.Following the objections, the prosecution opted to withdraw the disputed documents to regularise their status.Justice Dada subsequently granted the application, striking out the EFCC request letter and the Providus Bank response letter from the list of exhibits.The matter was adjourned until June 29, 2026, for the continuation of trial.

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested three suspects in connection with the brutal murder of retired Ogun State Television (OGTV) broadcaster, Madam Olakitan Oyesiku, and her security guard, Pelumi Adetayo, at her residence in Ogun State.The Commissioner of Police, CP Bode Ojajuni, disclosed this on Thursday during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta, revealing that the principal suspect, a former employee of the deceased, confessed that the attack was carried out to “teach her a lesson.”According to the police, the incident was reported on June 21, 2026, after suspicious circumstances were observed at Madam Oyesiku’s residence. Upon arriving at the scene, detectives discovered the lifeless body of 38-year-old security guard, Pelumi Adetayo, inside the security post, while Madam Oyesiku was found in a pool of blood in the living room of the main building.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the deceased’s Lexus RX 330 SUV was missing from the premises, prompting detectives to launch an intensive investigation involving intelligence gathering, technical tracking, and forensic analysis.CP Ojajuni said the stolen vehicle was recovered the following day through technical tracking. Although the suspects had removed the number plates and ignition key in an apparent attempt to conceal its identity, investigators found the registration plate hidden beneath a seat, confirming ownership.A major breakthrough in the investigation came from a handwritten note allegedly left behind at the crime scene. The note was subjected to forensic examination, providing valuable leads that helped investigators identify and track down the suspects.The principal suspect, identified as 22-year-old Sodeinde Olajuwon Philip, was arrested on June 24 at a construction site in Ibara GRA, Abeokuta, where he was working as a labourer. Subsequent operations led to the arrest of two alleged accomplices, Sakirudeen Abdulraheem Ayoola, 27, and Sobu Obafunsho, 36.During interrogation, Philip reportedly confessed to masterminding the attack and recruiting the other two suspects to participate in the crime. He told investigators that he had previously worked as a security guard for Madam Oyesiku and carried out the attack over grievances he held against her.According to the police, the suspects struck on June 20, first overpowering the security guard and using him to gain access to the residence. They allegedly attacked Madam Oyesiku before killing both victims and fleeing with her vehicle.Further searches based on information provided by the suspects led to the recovery of several exhibits, including a broken hammer, a cutlass, a plank, a black pen, and other items believed to be connected to the crime.While noting that the suspects remain entitled to due process under the law, CP Ojajuni said investigations are ongoing to consolidate evidence and ensure diligent prosecution of all persons involved.“The Command remains committed to ensuring that justice is served and that all persons connected with this heinous crime are brought to book,” the police commissioner stated.