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BREAKING: How Bandits Negotiator Spent Ransom Share On Luxury Cars, Trips – DSS

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A Federal High Court in Abuja was on Wednesday told that alleged ransom negotiator, Tukur Mamu, purchased vehicles and funded overseas trips for himself and relatives after purportedly earning proceeds from illegal negotiations with bandits.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

Testifying behind a protective screen, the sixth prosecution witness, simply identified in court records as PW-6, said the defendant began living “far above his means” during the negotiations linked to the 2022 Abuja–Kaduna train attack.

“During the course of the negotiations, the defendant’s lifestyle suddenly changed and he was living way above his means,” the witness stated in open court under examination-in-chief conducted by counsel to the Department of State Services (DSS), David Kaswe.

Under cross-examination by the lead defence lawyer, Johnson Usman (SAN), PW-6 said Mamu was arrested in Egypt while travelling with four family members he personally sponsored. He also confirmed that the defendant acquired two cars within the ransom-talk window.

When asked by Usman to specify the lifestyle changes observed, the witness replied, “The defendant was arrested in company of four of his family members whom he sponsored on a trip. The defendant also bought two cars during the period of the negotiations.”

But the defence countered that the witness had no knowledge of Mamu’s pre-attack earnings or net worth.

“Confirm to My Lord that before 28 March 2022, you have never had a personal encounter with the defendant,” Usman queried.

The witness responded, “Yes, My Lord.”

Usman further pressed, “Since you did not have personal encounter with the defendant, you did not know his net worth.”

PW-6 agreed: “That’s correct.”

The defence counsel further argued that Mamu had three cars: a Toyota Venza, a Mercedes Benz E350, and a Hyundai salon car. Of the three, he said the defendant owned two before the train attack.

The defence counsel also argued that Mamu had been travelling abroad with family members for Hajj, Umrah and others before the train attack incident in 2022.

The defence noted that Mamu had travelled abroad with relatives for Hajj and Umrah well before the train attack year.

However, PW-6 also told the court that the Federal Government never assigned Mamu to negotiate with terrorists or ransom takers over the attack.

Reading directly from DSS findings, the witness stated: “He acted on his own for his benefit… He benefitted from ransom paid by families of the victims… He collected ransom on behalf of the terrorists, confirmed the amount and facilitated delivery illegally. He was in possession of illegal firearms. He provided information to terrorists on how to create a website. The cash recovered from his Kaduna residence was above the legal threshold. During negotiations, his lifestyle suddenly changed and he was living way above his means.”

Prosecutors said Mamu inserted himself into negotiations between victims’ families and the attackers for personal gain.

Middle-week testimony further revealed that Mamu was reportedly offered N50 Million reward by the leader of the terrorist faction.

PW-6 said an audio recording, extracted from the defendant’s devices, a Samsung tablet and two mobile phones seized by Egyptian authorities, captured conversations involving the terrorist kingpin known as “Shugaba.”

In the audio clip played in court, the man said to be Shugaba allegedly praised Mamu and ordered him to “remove N50m” from a delivered ransom for himself.

When pressured on whether travel details were verified, PW-6 admitted he did not examine Mamu’s passport, even as he insisted he was a diligent investigator.

He said opening the passport was unnecessary because he relied on a preliminary report, though he acknowledged that Mamu’s passport was in DSS custody.

Responding to another defence argument, Usman said victims proposed multiple names to liaise with the kidnappers, an assertion conceded by the witness.

The court heard that while names were indeed introduced by victims, only Mamu accepted to lead talks, even though he was not part of the Chief of Defence Staff Committee earlier set up to secure hostage release.

Usman argued that only one abducted passenger had been released before Mamu got involved, contradicting claims that he was central to early recoveries.

The witness maintained that Mamu’s role was neither authorised nor formal, stressing again that he was not part of any licensed government negotiation track.

Justice Mohammed Garba Umar adjourned further cross-examination of the anti-terror probe witness to January 29, 2026.

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Oyo police intercepts truck conveuing explosives in Saki

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The Oyo State Police Command has announced an operational success recorded following an intelligence-led operation.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

Acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the Command intercepted a truck conveying materials suspected to be explosive devices during a stop-and-search operation in Saki, Oyo State. The truck and the suspected materials were promptly secured and are currently in police custody.

Upon receiving a briefing on the development, the Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, CP Femi Haruna, immediately ordered a comprehensive investigation into the matter.

Consequently, specialised personnel of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit and the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Unit were deployed to safely secure the items for safekeeping and forensic examination. Detailed forensic analysis has since commenced, alongside a thorough and robust investigation to determine the exact nature of the items and their intended use.

The truck driver has been taken into custody and is cooperating fully with investigators as efforts continue to unravel all the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The Commissioner of Police commended the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, for his unwavering support, strategic leadership, and continued provision of operational guidance that enhance proactive, intelligence-driven policing across the country.

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Benue: Armed bandits kill motorcyclist, injure woman in Apa LGA

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One person has died and another sustained injuries following an assault by suspected armed bandits in Apa Local Government Area of Benue State.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

According to sources, the attack took place on January 24 around 4:00 p.m. along the Amoke–Odugbo road in Ukpogo Village, Edikwu Ward.

The victims, identified as Mr Joseph Okoh and Miss Aneh Sunday, both from Ogodumo, Adoka in Otukpo LGA, were reportedly riding a motorcycle when the assailants struck.

“They were rushed to the Comprehensive Health Centre, Ugbokpo, where Mr Okoh was confirmed dead while receiving treatment. Miss Sunday is currently admitted and responding to treatment,” the source stated.

Nigerian troops were quickly deployed to the area, and a search operation in the surrounding bushes is ongoing to apprehend the attackers.

“The Criminal Investigation Department has commenced an investigation into the incident,” the source added.

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Art & Commercial students don’t fail JAMB because they’re dull. They fail because they’re taught like Science students. Science students calculate — JAMB rewards that. Art students explain — JAMB doesn’t. So you read hard, attend lessons, yet your score disappoints you. This online class fixes that. No theory overload. No confusion. Just real JAMB questions, clear breakdowns, and winning strategies. 📌 JAMB is not hard — you were just taught the wrong way.Click The Link To Reach Us Now 👉 https://wa.me/2349063958940

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2026 UTME: JAMB scraps special privileges for albino candidates over malpractices

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The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has scrapped special concessions and registration procedures previously granted to candidates with albinism for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, citing abuse of the privilege to perpetrate examination malpractice.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING

The Board also warned faith-based tertiary institutions to clearly declare their religious status at the point of admission, saying it is deceptive to present as secular and later impose religious rules on students.

As reported by Vanguard, these decisions were taken on Saturday at a meeting between JAMB management, led by its Registrar, Prof. Isaq Oloyede, and Commissioners for Education from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, held in Ikeja, Lagos.

Oloyede said the meeting was convened to review and assess previous admission exercises.

He noted that despite safeguards introduced by the Board, some individuals remained determined to circumvent the system.

“We have stopped some concessions we gave albino candidates. This is because some are using artificial intelligence to manipulate the registration process to look like they are albinos because of the consideration we gave them.

“Last year alone, over 7,000 claimed to be albinos. We have stopped special registration procedures for albinos,” he said.

Addressing complaints from candidates admitted into some private institutions over compulsory religious instruction, Oloyede urged faith-based schools to be transparent.

“Faith-based institutions should declare from the onset what they are, so that whoever applies there will know what he is going to meet there. But some don’t do that. They will pretend to be secular, but once students are admitted, trouble will begin over religious instruction and injunctions.

“If you are a faith-based institution, say so. The law allows you to set up faith-based schools,” he said.

On last year’s UTME, where the highest-scoring candidate was later found to be a 300-level university student, the JAMB registrar said investigations showed that some undergraduates sit for the examination to change courses or assist others to secure admission.

“Students who are already in school but want to change courses and are applying again must declare and disclose their status.

“We have found that some candidates already in school are writing the examination for other candidates. Last year, the candidate who scored the highest was found to be a 300-level student in the university.

“Henceforth, any candidate found engaging in such an act, and who fails to disclose that he is already in school but wants to change course, will be disqualified and will also lose his current admission,” he said.

On admission criteria, Oloyede explained that federal government-owned institutions allocate 45 per cent on merit, 20 per cent on catchment area, 20 per cent to educationally disadvantaged states, while the remaining slots are allocated to other considerations.

“Each owner or state has the right to decide what its admission criteria will be. But for states, we encourage them to allocate at least 10 per cent to merit, regardless of where the candidates come from.

“This is to diversify the student population and admit eggheads from different communities,” he said.

He criticised some states for establishing new universities despite not fully utilising their admission quotas in existing federal institutions.

On underage candidates, Oloyede said 16 years remained the minimum admission age, noting that an attestation process was in place for exceptional cases.

“Last year, about 42,000 claimed to be underage. After evaluation, only 78 met the criteria and were admitted. We are not saying there are no talented candidates, but the figure looks outlandish,” he said.

The issue of how to engage underage candidates during a gap year divided opinions at the meeting, but a majority voted for JAMB to continue its special assessment process.

The meeting also observed that parental pressure on children to complete their education too quickly was a major contributor to the problem.

On efforts to curb examination malpractice, Oloyede said JAMB had stopped the movement of computers between Computer-Based Test centres.

“A computer registered in a particular centre will remain there and is not transferable to another centre. Some people borrow computers to get accredited and later move them around,” he said.

He dismissed claims that candidates were posted to towns they did not choose, saying personal data used for registration were drawn directly from the National Identification Number submitted by candidates.

Providing an update on the 2025 UTME, Oloyede said 974,855 candidates had so far been admitted out of about 1.95 million who sat for the examination.

He added that over N2.4 billion had been disbursed to institutions that consistently complied with JAMB’s rules over the past 10 years, and that the meeting agreed that schools producing the best candidates should be compensated.

On accreditation of CBT centres, Oloyede said the process involved teams comprising university vice-chancellors, rectors and provosts in each state.

He warned state governments against agreements with private promoters who might use centres to facilitate malpractice.

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