News
NAPTIP Arraigns Abuja Hospital and Its Four Staff for Organ Harvesting
NAPTIP Arraigns Abuja Hospital and Its Four Staff for Organ Harvesting
By: Michael Mike
An Abuja based private hospital, Alliance Hospital and Service Ltd and four of its staff have been arraigned National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, (NAPTIP) on an 11-count charge bordering on alleged involvement in organ harvesting
They were all charged in contravention of Section 20 (3), of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition), Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015.
Reading their charge at their arraignment on Monday, Justice Keziah Ogbonnaya of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, said that between February and May of 2023, the accused allegedly played a part in the harvesting of the kidneys of three young males including two minors.
In their plea, the defendants, Emmanuel Muyiwa Olorunlaye, Chikaodili Ugochukwu, Dr Christopher Otabor, Dr Aremu Abayomi, and Alliance Hospital pleaded not guilty to the 11-count charge preferred against them.
Upon taking their plea, the trial judge, Keziah Ogbonnaya, granted the defendants bail ahead of commencement of trial on May 6th.
Among the bail conditions is that all four defendants report at the Abuja office of NAPTIP daily from Tuesday 19th March, except on days of hearing of the matter. They are also ordered to deposit their travel documents.
Counsel for NAPTIP and Director Legal and Prosecution, NAPTIP, Hassan Tahir did not opposed the defendants bail application by their counsels, he however, prayed the court for accelerated hearing to lay the matter to rest, a prayer which the judge granted.
Tahir, who later spoke to journalists, said: “Everybody is entitled to bail and it is a bailable offence so we don’t want to waste time opposing bail, it will be unnecessary for us to waste time opposing bail.”
He added that: “We have filed an 11 count charge against the defendants including the hospital and their plea has been taken and the matter has been adjourned to another date which is 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th so we applied for accelerated, hearing and the court graciously granted that application.”
NAPTIP Arraigns Abuja Hospital and Its Four Staff for Organ Harvesting
Police repel bandits, rescue six kidnapped victims on Yankara-Funtua highway in Katsina
By: Zagazola Makama
Police in Katsina State have successfully rescued six kidnapped victims after intercepting an armed bandit attack on Yankara-Funtua highway in Faskari Local Government Area.
Sources said on Jan. 24 at about 1:25 a.m., unidentified armed bandits blocked the highway and abducted six occupants of a green Honda Civic, registration number AAA 518 BC, en route from Funtua to Faskari.
The DPO Faskari, on routine patrol, promptly engaged the hoodlums in a tactical gunfight.
The bandits were overpowered and fled into the bush, abandoning their mission. All six victims, Rabi Hamisu, Safare Musa, Abubakar Samaila, Shehu Umar, Sara’u Yahaya, and Ibrahim Babangida, were rescued unharmed and safely returned to their homes.
Intensive patrols continue in the area, while efforts to apprehend the fleeing suspects are ongoing.
Police repel bandits, rescue six kidnapped victims on Yankara-Funtua highway in Katsina
Suspect arrested for trespassing, attempting robbery at Bauchi Emir’s palace
By: Zagazola Makama
A 20-year-old man, Umar Hamza, was apprehended Wednesday night for trespassing and attempting to steal from the Emir of Bauchi’s residence.
Sources said Hamza entered one of the Emir’s son’s rooms carrying a bunch of keys and tried to commit theft around 8:20 p.m. on January 23.
He was intercepted shortly after the act and taken into the Police custody for questioning.
Police said Preliminary inquiries indicate the suspect intended to steal from the palace.
Suspect arrested for trespassing, attempting robbery at Bauchi Emir’s palace
VP Shettima Returns To Abuja, Says Nigeria Firmly Back On Global Economic Frontline
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima has returned to Abuja after a week-long diplomatic and economic mission to Guinea-Conakry and Switzerland.
This is just as he said Nigeria has reclaimed a frontline seat in global and regional policy conversations.
VP Shettima arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on Saturday after representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the inauguration of Guinea’s President, Mamadi Doumbouya, and leading Nigeria’s delegation to the 56th World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos.
According to the Vice President, the trip is part of Nigeria’s renewed commitment to regional solidarity in West Africa and its determination to reposition the economy under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.
The Vice President had departed Abuja for Conakry, where he attended President Doumbouya’s inauguration, reaffirming Nigeria’s leadership role within ECOWAS, while opening new pathways for bilateral cooperation in agriculture and manufacturing.
From Guinea-Conakry, Senator Shettima proceeded to Davos, Switzerland, where he led the Nigerian delegation at the WEF 2026.
One of the highpoints of his engagements in that country was the commissioning of Nigeria House Davos, the Nigeria’s first-ever sovereign pavilion on the Davos Promenade, designed as a permanent investment hub showcasing opportunities in solid minerals, agriculture and the digital economy.
At a high-level WEF session titled, “When Food Becomes Security,” the Vice President outlined Nigeria’s new national food security framework, describing agriculture as a strategic pillar of national security and macroeconomic stability.
Vice President Shettima also joined former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Minister of Finance, Mr. Wale Edun, to advance the Accra Reset Initiative, a forum advocating African industrialisation driven by domestic capital and value chains rather than foreign aid.
On the economic front, the Vice President told investors that Nigeria’s macroeconomic indicators were stabilising, citing a projected 4.4 per cent GDP growth in 2026 and a decline in inflation to 12.94 per cent.
He also pointed to Nigeria’s imminent transition into a net exporter of refined petroleum products, anchored by the Dangote Refinery, and the growing export of digital talent.
VP Shettima Returns To Abuja, Says Nigeria Firmly Back On Global Economic Frontline
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