Like the storyline goes in the popular British historical TV series, Merlin (which explores the life and rule of Britain agelong monarch, King Arthur and his servant/wizard, Merlin), the reappearance of the dreaded vigilante group, Bakassi Boys, maybe the much-needed salvation the people of the South East have been calling out for.
Before the latest developments, the southeastern region of Nigeria has tried to have an effective security apparatus – something that mirrors the Western Nigeria Security Network popularly known as Operation Amotekun.
This has led to the creation of regional security outfits such as the Eastern Security Network (ESN) created by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Ebubeage security outfit championed by the South Eastern governors.
However, the impact of both organizations has not been felt and some could argue that the effort has been counterproductive – to say the least.
This may have led to the reappearance of the disbanded matchet-wielding security group – the Bakassi Boys – whose modus operandi is jungle justice. The latter fact is the reason their return may not go down well with a lot of people as it is a touch-and-go kind of situation.
They have been seen in vans on the streets of Awka, Anambra State, chanting war songs and no one can tell why they have suddenly reappeared or who is behind them at this time.
The police seem to be powerless at the moment, however, although he denied knowledge of the fact, the Police Public Relations Officer for the state, Ikenga Tochukwu, has said the command is willing to partner with other stakeholders in combating crimes in the state as the spate of insecurity continue to rise unabated.
It would be recalled that the reign of the group in Nigeria started in 1998 as the crime rate in the commercial city of Aba, Abia state reached astronomical heights. With the blessings of the then governor, Ori Uzor Kalu, they achieved success in terms of crime reduction in the city.
They would further gain national popularity when they moved to Anambra State at the behest of the then governor, Chinwoke Mbadinuju, and saw to the capture and killing of the popular occultic prophet, Eddy Nawgu.
Meanwhile, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has denounced efforts made by some private individuals and stakeholders to turn over the management of the Eastern security outfit, Ebubeagu, to them.
In a statement released by the secretary-general of the apex-Igbo organization, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, said it would be illegal to so as the constitution does not require that they carry out such responsibility. The statement sent to POLITICS NIGERIA on Thursday, June 17, 2021, read:
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has rejected the calls from well-meaning Igbos to take over Ebubeagu Southeast Security Outfit, saying that there were no consultative meetings and people’s approval or authorization for the outfit before its formation.
“Southeast governors should be encouraged to sufficiently provide necessary logistics and reinstate the chairman of southeast Governors Security Committee who resigned based on logistics deficiencies in operation.
“Unlike the Amotekun, where the southwest Governors provided adequate facilities and logistics, Ebubeagu was built on emotional ground and sentiments.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo are not saddled with the Constitutional rights of protection of lives and properties in the Southeast, and we are independently funded through communal support of Ndigbo without any governments consent, it will be horrible to compound the responsibility of Ebubeagu on us, Southeast Governors are capable of providing logistics and we are in full support of them.”
Gunmen abduct Kwara APC chairman’s wife, daughter in midnight raid
Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted the wife and daughter of Alhaji Muhammad Swasun, Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The victims, identified as Hajiya Fatima and her daughter Amina, were seized on Sunday, September 7, at night when a five-man armed gang stormed the party chairman’s residence in Sakpefu.
Eyewitness accounts revealed that the attackers scaled the compound fence and opened fire indiscriminately to terrify residents before breaking into one of the rooms.
“They entered into one of the rooms where they found his wife and daughter and took them away, shooting into the air,” a party executive told reporters, adding that the chairman narrowly escaped being kidnapped himself.
Another APC member confirmed that the gunmen operated for several minutes before whisking the women to an undisclosed location.
“The bandits abducted his wife, Hajiya Fatima, and his daughter, Amina, and took them to an unknown destination,” the source explained, according to Vanguard.
The latest abduction has heightened anxiety in Patigi, a region already grappling with recurring cases of kidnapping.
Residents have repeatedly urged the government and security operatives in recent months to intensify efforts to curb the menace.
Ace Comedian Ali Baba evicted from Victoria Island property over legal dispute
Veteran Nigerian comedian Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, popularly known as Ali Baba, has been evicted from his luxurious, multi-million-naira property located in Victoria Island due to a court dispute.
The property, which was purchased for ₦220 million by Ali Baba, is the subject of an ownership dispute at the Federal High Court.
Amid the legal dispute, Ali Baba and his company, XQZMOI TV, were evicted from the property located at 324A Akin Ogunlewe Street.
The eviction was carried out by bailiffs of the Federal High Court following a writ of possession signed on August 15, 2025.
The property in question was initially sold to Ali Baba by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) in 2021 for ₦220 million.
At the time, AMCON claimed it was recovering debts allegedly owed by Harold Expansion Industries Nigeria Limited.
But Harold Expansion disputed the debt and counterclaimed that they had already made repayments. Their lawyer, Benjamin Olayiwola Sadibo, insisted that the property was sold wrongfully.
On July 31, 2025, Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court delivered a verdict that changed everything as he dismissed AMCON’s case, ruling that the corporation had failed to provide convincing evidence of the alleged debt.
The Justice stressed that AMCON did not even present a statement of account to back its claims a fatal omission for a creditor. Worse still, AMCON did not file a defence against Harold Expansion’s counterclaim, leaving the court with no choice but to side with the company.
In addition to ordering the property to be returned to the family of its original owner, the judge also imposed ₦500 million in damages on AMCON.
Ali Baba’s culpability in the case came as a result of the timing of the purchase. Records show that he purchased the property while the case was still in court, despite an existing preservation order.
He was said to have been a tenant of the property’s original owner before AMCON evicted the family and sold it.
Police summon El-Rufai, other Kaduna ADC chieftains over alleged criminal conspiracy
The Kaduna Command of the Nigerian Police has summoned former Governor of the state, Malam Nasiru El-Rufai, and other top chieftains of the African Democratic Congress (ADC). In the summons letter dated September 4, 2025, the ADC members were invited for questioning over alleged incitement of public disturbance, criminal conspiracy, mischief, and causing grievous hurt.
Signed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Uzainu Abdullahi, the letter said the invited individuals are required to come and clarify the allegations against them.
“This Department is currently investigating the above-mentioned case involving the following members of your party. You are requested to come along with them to SCID to clarify allegations reported against them by the complainants on 8th September, 2025.
“Mal. Nasir El-Rufa’i, Bashir Sa’idu, Jafaru Sani, Ubaidullah Mohammed, aka 30, Nasiru Maikano, Aminu Abita, and Ahmed Rufa’i Hussaini, aka Mikiya,” the letter reads.
Sani, one of the invited members and ADC North-West Vice Chairman, told Daily Trust that he learned of the invitation through social media.
“Yes, most of us only saw the statement on social media,” he said, declining further comments.
The development followed the heated exchanges between the Kaduna State government and El-Rufai over the violence that rocked an ADC meeting in the state last week.
The government accused the former Governor of plotting to cause destabilisation in the state through provocative actions and inflammatory statements.
In a statement signed by Dr. Suleiman Shuaibu, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, the government said it wouldn’t sit idle and watch El-Rufai plunge the state back into violence, division, and insecurity.
“This Government will not fold its arms and allow a discredited former leader, who left the state in ruins, to ignite chaos and plunge the state into another era of ethno-religious tension, insecurity, and economic stagnation,” the statement read.
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