The Bauchi State Police Command has arrested a 28-year-old Almajiri teacher, Lawal Nasiru, for allegedly assaulting one of his pupils in the Darazo Local Government Area of the state.
The victim, identified as 11-year-old Sa’id Sani, was reportedly tied with a heavy rope and beaten with a stick and thick cable, leaving him with multiple injuries.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakil, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.
He explained that the incident was reported to the Divisional Police Headquarters, Darazo, on September 22, 2025, by one Idris Mohammed, 50, of Gidan Waya, Darazo, who was accompanied by the injured minor.
The statement read, “On the 21st September, 2025, one Lawal Nasiru, aged 28 years, of Unguwar Jarmai, Darazo, criminally used a heavy rope to inhumanely tie the said Sa’id, an Almajiri boy, and further assaulted him with a stick and thick cable, causing various degrees of injuries to his hands and legs.”
“Upon receipt of the complaint, the Divisional Police Officer, SP Auwalu Ilu, led a team of operatives to the scene where the suspect was arrested. The victim was immediately taken to General Hospital, Darazo, for medical examination and treatment.”
Wakil noted that during interrogation, the suspect confessed to the act, claiming that the boy had attempted to flee from the school, and he tied him to prevent him from running away before his parents arrived.
“The minor also narrated how the suspect mercilessly confined him with a thick rope for a prolonged period,” the police spokesman added.
He said the Commissioner of Police, Sani-Omolori Aliyu, has directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Bauchi, for discreet investigation.
Wakil further assured that the suspect would be profiled and charged in court upon completion of investigations.
Nigerian singer and songwriter, Tiwatope Savage, popularly known as Tiwa Savage, has revealed that her 2021 leaked sex tape was circulated as part of a bet, describing the experience as one of the most painful moments of her life. The Afrobeats star also disclosed that she has remained celibate for the past three years.
The revelation was made during an interview with The Breakfast Club, released on Tuesday, where she spoke candidly about how the scandal affected her personal life, career, and mental health.
Savage said she initially coped with humour and by channelling the pain into her songs, but admitted the episode cut deeper. “
When I talked about the sex tape … that’s how I was able to kind of like, try and get through it. But in hindsight, did I really deal with it? I don’t think so. I was hurt… I was a victim,” she said.
She revealed that while her boyfriend at the time claimed the tape was leaked accidentally, she later learned it had been circulated as part of a bet.
“He said he was trying to save it, and then he pressed send by accident… I later on found out that it was a bet with his friends,” she said.
The singer added that many assumed she staged the leak for attention.
“They thought I did it for PR. A lot of people thought, ‘oh, she’s not relevant anymore, and she’s doing this.’ And I’m like, guys, trust me, if I wanted to do that, I would have had better lighting,” she said.
Attempts to pursue the case also failed because of the emotional toll.
“We tried, actually. But yeah, we couldn’t. And me trying was just, it was just too traumatic for me to keep talking about it. I just wanted to move on from it,” she explained.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football club has stated that it stopped over £100,000 black market ticket sales in one match day.
According to BBC Sports on Tuesday, the club said it is taking a firm stand against ticket touting, using cutting-edge technology and a newly appointed investigations officer to stop inflated resale activity and protect loyal fans.
Brighton urged its fans to avoid buying tickets from third-party sellers and buy directly from the club or risk losing their money altogether.
“We have identified hundreds of unauthorised resale tickets today. Based on black market prices, that’s around £100,000 worth of transactions we have stopped from falling into the hands of touts,” the club’s first-ever Tickets Investigation Officer, Joseph Sells said.
During the club’s recent Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur, Brighton blocked 285 tickets that were being resold illegally, with an estimated street value of £100,000.
“One striking example involved a family who unknowingly paid £6,000 for six tickets to see Manchester City only to be turned away at the gate.
“Stories like this underscore the growing risk fans face when buying from unofficial platforms.
“To identify touts, Brighton uses bespoke software that flags suspicious transactions, monitors resale sites, and applies a risk score to each purchase.
“The system is designed to detect red flags such as purchases made with prepaid cards issued in other countries or bulk buying attempts under fake names,” Sells said.
Sells added that fans caught with unauthorised tickets at the stadium are given a letter explaining the situation and advising them to contact their bank to report the purchase as fraud.
“Where possible, the club offers legitimate replacement seats from last-minute availability or hospitality allocations,” he stressed.
The wider Premier League is also moving to combat touting, with new rules requiring encrypted digital barcodes to make unauthorised resale harder.
The Irigwe community of Kamaru Ward in Chawai Chiefdom, Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, has expressed deep appreciation to Governor Uba Sani for promptly settling the medical bills of victims of the recent Angwan Rimi attack.
In an open letter signed and released on Tuesday by community stakeholder Mr. Barnabas Musa and parents’ representative Comrade Raphael Joshua, the residents said the governor’s intervention saved the lives of injured children whose treatment had been halted at Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital over unpaid bills.
The letter, dated September 22, 2025, commended Governor Sani for his “swift and compassionate response,” noting that the confirmation of full payment was received on Sunday through the Chairman of Kauru Local Government Area, Hon. Bashir Tanko Dawaki.
“We write to extend our heartfelt appreciation to Your Excellency for your prompt and compassionate intervention.
“Your swift response has brought renewed hope and comfort to our distressed community,” the letter read.
The community also praised the Commissioner for Health, Hajiya Umma Ahmad, for her professionalism, and Dawaki for carrying out the directive “with dedication and empathy.”
The governor’s action followed an earlier public appeal from the community after the hospital allegedly suspended treatment for injured victims of the attack.
The payment has allowed the continuation of critical care and restored the residents’ confidence in what they described as the governor’s “people-oriented leadership.”
Recall that gunmen suspected to be bandits had invaded Angwan Rimi village in Kauru Local Government Area on September 15, killing two people and leaving several children critically injured.
The victims were rushed to the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital in Kaduna metropolis, but treatment was reportedly suspended after the families failed to settle mounting medical bills, prompting an urgent plea to the governor for assistance.
The letter concluded with prayers for Sani’s success in building a safer and more inclusive Kaduna state.
The Taliban government on Friday announced they had released an elderly British couple held in detention in Afghanistan for almost eight months.
The family of Peter Reynolds, 80, and his wife Barbara, 76, had made repeated pleas about their ailing health after their arrest in February.
”Two British nationals named Peter and Barbara Reynolds, who had violated the laws of Afghanistan, were released from custody today following the judicial process,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said on social media.
He added that the government “does not view the matters of citizens from a political or transactional angle”.
The couple were handed over to the UK’s special representative Richard Lindsay, Balhki said.
A Qatari official, on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, told AFP that the couple were “safely released from detention in Afghanistan following mediation led by Qatar”.
”The Qataris had been engaged with the Afghan authorities for many months, working in close coordination with the British government,” he added.
The couple were married in Kabul in 1970, and have spent almost two decades living in Afghanistan running educational programmes after moving there. They also became official Afghan citizens.
Taliban officials have refused to detail why the couple was arrested in February as they were returning to their home in central Bamiyan province.
Local government chairmen in the Kwara South Senatorial District have ordered the immediate closure of all Kara (cattle) markets in the area over security concerns.
The decision, announced on Thursday, was taken under the aegis of the Forum of Seven Local Government Chairmen in Kwara South after what they described as “extensive stakeholders’ engagement and reviews.”
The chairmen said the shutdown, which takes effect from Friday, September 19, would remain in place until further notice.
They added that all other produce markets in the senatorial district must also close by 6pm on market days.
In a jointly signed statement, the council bosses said the measure was part of efforts to protect lives and property in the zone, which has witnessed a series of violent attacks in recent months.
“While the invading criminals have been operationally decimated in the last few weeks, clean-up operations by the military and hybrid operatives are still ongoing. Therefore, all Kara markets have been ordered to shut down with immediate effect,” the statement read in part.
They acknowledged the economic impact of the closure on residents but maintained that security must come first.
“We’ve chosen to prioritise the safety of lives and property and adhere to long-term coordinated and structured security advisement over and above short-term inconveniences,” the chairman added.
The leaders assured residents that the state government and security agencies were working with local councils to restore peace, urging communities to cooperate with security operatives.
The statement was signed by the executive chairmen of Ifelodun, Isin, Irepodun, Ekiti, Oke-Ero, Offa and Oyun Local Government Areas.
Earlier on Friday, PUNCH Online reported that the National Youth Service Corps has relocated its orientation camp in Kwara State from Yikpata, Edu Local Government Area, to the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, over rising insecurity.
State Coordinator, Mr Onifade Olaoluwa Joshua, confirmed the relocation to our reporter in Ilorin, saying the approval came from the state government after concerns were raised about the safety of corps members.
He said, “We are fully prepared to host the orientation course, and the welfare of participants will be safeguarded. Soldiers and other security personnel will be deployed to guarantee the safety of corps members during the three-week exercise.”
The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in Lagos State, Shamsideen Adio, for allegedly beating a dispatch rider to death in the Tapa Street, Lagos Island area of the state.
PUNCH Metro learnt on Thursday that a scuffle had ensued between Adio and the dispatch rider over allegations that the latter had scratched the former’s vehicle.
A journalist and Facebook user, Chris Nwandu, who shared a video of the incident on Thursday, disclosed that it happened on Wednesday.
According to Nwandu, the situation degenerated when Adio, joined by his colleagues, descended on the dispatch rider and allegedly beat him to a pulp.
He said, “A popular Lagos Island NURTW top official by the name Shamsideen Adio mercilessly beat a dispatch rider to a pulp on Wednesday in Tapa Street, Lagos Island, for obstructing his way while driving on the road.
“He was joined by his other friends and colleagues, battering the poor guy as they liked. We are reliably informed that he’s notorious for beating Marwa (tricycle) operators to a pulp whenever they offend him.
“It was reported that a few days ago, he also dealt deadly blows to a Marwa operator who ended up in the general hospital.”
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, could not be reached for comment on the matter on Thursday as her number was unreachable as of the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, a police officer in the area, privy to the incident, confirmed that the victim died from injuries sustained from the beating.
The source disclosed that the suspect was, however, arrested following the incident.
“The victim died from the injuries and the suspect has been arrested. He is now at the State Criminal Investigation Department,” the source said.
PUNCH Metro reported in February that the Ogun State Police Command arraigned the suspended traditional ruler of Orile Ifo, Oba Abdulsemiu Ogunjobi, before a magistrates’ court sitting in the Ifo area of the state on three counts bordering on conspiracy, assault, and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.
Ogunjobi had become an Internet sensation after he assaulted a 70-year-old chief.
The military has arrested one person and recovered a significant cache of illicit arms and ammunition after bursting an illegal weapons manufacturing factory in Heipang District, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Disclosing this in a statement on Thursday, the spokesman for the military Joint Task Force Operation Enduring Peace, Major Samson Zhakom, said the operation was intelligence-driven and took place on September 17, 2025.
According to him, troops raided the factory, arresting a weapon fabricator while others fled the scene.
Zhakom added that the arrested suspect and recovered items are in custody for further investigation and action, while the military is working to track and arrest the fleeing members of the illegal weapon manufacturing syndicate.
The statement read “In continuation of efforts to mop up illicit arms and ammunition in the Joint Operations Area (JOA), troops of 3 Division/Joint Task Force Operation Enduring Peace raided an illegal arms manufacturing factory at Heipang District in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State on 17 September 2025.
” During the intelligence-based operation, troops arrested a weapon fabricator while others fled the factory before troops arrived in the area.
“A thorough search of the illegal factory led to the recovery of the following items: twelve assorted fabricated weapons; One fabricated pistol; Nineteen round of PKT ammunition; twelve cartridges; ten rounds of 7.62 mm (Special) ammunition; ten rounds of 9 mm ammunition; Four rounds of 7.62 mm (NATO); one round of QJC ammunition; one smoke grenade; two fragmental jackets; One Motorola Hand Held Radio; one Jack knife; one bucket containing different medicines.
“The arrested suspect and recovered items are in custody for further action. Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to track and arrest the fleeing members of the illegal weapon manufacturing syndicate”
The statement urged the public to continue providing timely and credible intelligence to support the ongoing efforts to eradicate illicit arms and ammunition in the joint operation areas in the state and environs
French protesters were on Thursday staging a day of nationwide protests and strikes in a show of anger over President Emmanuel Macron’s austerity policies, causing widespread disruption.
Public transport stalled, schools closed down and tens of thousands of people took to the streets for demonstrations marked by sporadic clashes with the police.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, Macron’s seventh head of government, vowed a break from the past in a bid to defuse a deepening political crisis after taking office last week.
But the appointment of the 39-year-old former defence minister and close Macron ally has failed to calm the anger of unions and many French people.
“Every day the richest get richer and the poor get poorer,” Bruno Cavalier, a 64-year-old protester carrying a placard reading “Smile, you are being taxed”, told AFP in Lyon, France’s third-largest city.
Protesters remain incensed about the draft 44-billion-euro ($52-billion) cost-saving budget of Lecornu’s predecessor, Francois Bayrou, despite the new premier’s pledges to abolish both life-long privileges for ex-prime ministers and a widely detested plan to scrap two public holidays.
More than 80,000 police officers and gendarmes have been deployed, backed by drones, armoured vehicles and water cannons.
Between 600,000 and 900,000 people are expected to take to the streets across France, according to interior ministry estimates ahead of the demonstrations.
As of Thursday noon, more than 76,500 people had taken to the streets, with the rallies so far “less intense than expected,” said Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau.
– ‘We are fed up’ –
With unions calling for strikes in a rare show of unity, around one in six teachers at primary and secondary schools walked out while nine out of 10 pharmacies were shuttered.
Commuters faced severe disruption on the Paris Metro, where only the three driverless automated lines were working normally.
Trade unions said they were pleased with the scale of the protests.
“We have recorded 260 demonstrations across France,” said Sophie Binet, leader of the CGT union. “There are thousands and thousands of strikes in all workplaces.”
Police in Paris and Marseille used tear gas to disperse early, unauthorised demonstrations. In Marseille, an AFPTV reporter filmed a policeman kicking a protester on the ground, though police said they had been confronted by “hostile” demonstrators.
In Lyon, a France TV journalist and a police officer were injured during clashes between police and a group of masked youths at the head of the rally.
On the outskirts of the northern city of Lille, protesters took part in an early morning union-led action to block bus depots.
“The aim is to show the government that we’re here, that we’re fed up with being taxed like crazy, that we’re fed up with having trouble making ends meet,” said Samuel Gaillard, a 58-year-old garbage truck driver.
Even schoolchildren joined the actions, with around 300 pupils blocking access to the Maurice Ravel secondary school in eastern Paris, brandishing slogans such as “block your school against austerity”.
– Macron, ‘source of chaos’ –
Officials said they expected Thursday’s action to be the most widely followed day of union-led protests and strikes since a months-long mobilisation in early 2023 against Macron’s widely reviled raising of the retirement age, which the government rammed through parliament without a vote.
While the day of protest represents an early test of crisis management for Lecornu, anger is crystallising against Macron, who has just one-and-a-half years left in power and is enduring his worst-ever popularity levels.
“The president is the source of chaos, and everything that has happened recently is the result of his actions,” hard-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon declared in Marseille.
Paris Police Chief Laurent Nunez told AFP on Wednesday that he was “very concerned” about the risk that rioters intent on provoking fights and damage would infiltrate the union march in Paris, urging shops in the centre to close for the day.
A more informal day of action held on September 10, despite isolated disruption, did not deliver on its self-declared aim to “block everything”.
The Lagos State Police Command has begun a full-scale investigation into a viral video showing students of Excel College, Ejigbo, Lagos, smoking, drinking and dancing in a school hostel.
The incident, which reportedly took place in April 2025 at the boys’ hostel of the private school, resurfaced online this week, provoking outrage among parents and members of the public who criticised the lack of supervision in schools.
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh, ordered the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, to take over the probe from the Ejigbo Police Division, which had earlier invited the school principal for questioning.
Police spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, in a statement on Thursday, said the principal, who also serves as the proprietor of the school, confirmed that the students in the viral video had already graduated.
Adebisi said, “The Commissioner of Police has directed the SCID to take over the case for a comprehensive investigation. The principal, who is also the proprietor of the school, was invited, and he clarified that the students in the viral video had already graduated. Nonetheless, the school is cooperating fully with investigators to ensure that the circumstances surrounding this incident are properly addressed.”
He noted that the police were treating the matter seriously because of its potential implications for discipline and morality within schools.
“The Command calls on all secondary school authorities, both public and private, as well as parents and guardians, to take proactive steps in properly supervising and guiding their children and wards,” Adebisi added.
The police further warned that school owners must not overlook disciplinary lapses that could degenerate into criminal activities.
“The police will not tolerate negligence on the part of school authorities. Every stakeholder has a responsibility to instil the importance of good behaviour, moral values, and social discipline in young people. Misconducts of this nature, if left unchecked, can snowball into bigger problems that disrupt the peace of society,” the statement said.
While confirming that investigation was ongoing, Adebisi assured that the outcome would be made public.
He said, “The Command remains steadfast in ensuring peace, security, and orderliness across Lagos State. We encourage parents, guardians, and community leaders to work hand in hand with schools and the police to raise responsible youths who will contribute positively to society.”
The police appealed to members of the public to continue reporting suspicious or disturbing activities in schools to the authorities.
