Bandits have abducted newlywed couple, Funmilayo Bamidele and her husband, Reverend Abiodun David in-between Kogi and Kwara States border areas of Eruku-Iyemero Road.

The incident occurred along the Iyemero-Eruku Road, where the couple and others were intercepted by armed bandits

The couples were said to be returning from their engagement ceremony in Eruku when they were abducted with four others on Saturday.

According to report, the vehicle conveying them was expected to take the Isanlu Road, but for the driver who chose a back road in order to drop the Best-Man and other members of the group in Iyamoye, Kogi state.

The Kwara State Commissioner of Police (CP), Adekimi Ojo, who confirmed the story said that soldiers are already in the bush to fish out the perpetrators and free the couple.

The police commisioner, who said that the vehicle, in which the couple were travelling, was parked at an abandoned police station in Ayetoro, Ekiti state, added that police operatives in the affected three states are jointly carrying out rescue operation since the crime was committed along border communities in the three states.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, has appealed to the Emir of Zazzau, Amb. Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, CFR, to use his exalted platform to counsel political parties, candidates and their supporters on the imperative of non-violent, issue-based campaigns ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The INEC chairman made the appeal on Sunday during a courtesy visit to the Emir’s palace in Zaria, Kaduna State, as part of the Commission’s nationwide Zonal Readiness Assessment and Interactive Staff Engagement for the 2027 general elections.

“Elections must never be treated as do-or-die affairs, but as a peaceful celebration of civic choice,” Prof. Amupitan said, urging the monarch to “strongly counsel our youth not to allow themselves to be used as tools in the hands of politicians or instruments of political violence and thuggery.”

He further called on the Emir to encourage the people of Zazzau Emirate to actively participate in all stages of the electoral process, from the collection of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) to turning out peacefully to vote on election days, stating that “a vibrant democracy requires an engaged, informed, and participating electorate.”

Amupitan explained that the visit was part of the Commission’s established tradition of deep engagement with traditional rulers, recalling similar consultations with the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti during the Ekiti governorship election, more than 50 Osun monarchs, including the Ooni of Ife and the Ataoja of Osogbo, ahead of the Osun governorship election, and the Oba of Lagos and the White Cap Chiefs during the Commission’s South-West Zonal Assessment tour.

He noted that conducting a national election in “Africa’s largest democracy,” with a national voter register rapidly approaching the 100 million mark, required early planning, operational discipline and deep stakeholder engagement.

He added that the Commission had moved away from last-minute logistics in favour of testing, auditing and strengthening its operational readiness well ahead of time.

He disclosed that the Commission had fixed the statutory dates for the 2027 general elections, with the Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for Saturday, January 16, 2027, and the governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections scheduled for Saturday, February 6, 2027.

He stressed that all administrative, technological and logistical frameworks were being fortified across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The INEC chairman assured the Emirate that under his leadership, “INEC remains unreservedly committed to absolute neutrality, fairness, and transparency,” stating that the Commission had “no candidate, no political party, and no interest other than the sovereign will of the Nigerian people.”

Responding, the Emir of Zazzau, Amb. Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, commended the INEC chairman for leading the Commission’s delegation to the palace and for providing timely information on preparations for the 2027 general elections.

The Emir described the engagement as remarkable and important, noting that the visit had helped the Emirate and its people gain a clearer understanding of the Commission’s preparations and the election calendar.

He identified fairness, justice, a level playing field, security, timely dissemination of information and the prompt release of results as critical elements for a successful electoral process.

The Emir also urged INEC to address concerns arising from previous elections, particularly the late distribution of sensitive and non-sensitive materials and technical challenges associated with election technology.

He called for election equipment to be adequately tested before deployment and for election officials and materials to arrive at polling units on time, saying such measures would strengthen public confidence in the electoral process.

The Emir further appealed to political parties and their supporters to conduct themselves responsibly during the campaign period and minimise hate speech and other actions capable of threatening peace and national cohesion.

He expressed optimism that Nigeria would continue to remain united and sustain democratic governance.

The INEC chairman and his entourage are in Kaduna in continuation of the nationwide readiness assessment and are expected to meet with staff from the North-West states on Monday, September 28, 2026.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 25-year-old newlywed businessman Lovely Chukwulobelu at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport (AIIA), Enugu, for attempting to traffic 72 wraps of cocaine which he ingested, to Portugal where he resides. 

In a statement made available to The Column by Femi Babafemi,

Director, Media and Advocacy

NDLEA,the groom was intercepted by NDLEA officers at the departure hall of the Enugu airport on Thursday 25th September 2026, with cocaine in his gut and wedding ring on his finger, while he attempted to board an Ethiopian Airline flight to Portugal via Addis Ababa.

He was subsequently placed under excretion observation during which he egested a total of 72 wraps of the Class A illicit drug.

The suspect, who claimed he was into car decoration business at the Trade Fair Complex, Ojo area of Lagos before he relocated to Portugal in May 2023, said he returned to Nigeria recently to get married on 13th September 2026. He said he resorted to the criminal trade to offset expenses incurred during his wedding.

At the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) Ikeja Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Tuesday 22nd September 2026 uncovered one of the year’s biggest opioid hauls during a joint examination of three monitored consignments, leading to the seizure of Two Million Five Hundred and Fifty-Five Thousand (2,550,000 ) pills of Tramaking 225mg, Tramaking 250mg, and Royal Tapentadol 250mg, with a combined gross weight of 1,640.55 kilograms.

The consignments, were imported from India and Bangladesh via Qatar Airways, RwandAir, and Ethiopian Airlines.

In Bauchi, NDLEA operatives arrested two suspects: Umar Hamidu, 35, and Abdulkarim Salihu, 45, along the Maiduguri bypass with 300 compressed blocks of skunk, a strain of cannabis weighing 262.5kg, concealed in the false bottom of a truck marked MUB757 YH, while two cannabis farms with a combined estimated yield of 1,360.23kg at Eko Camp, Ilushi, Edo state were destroyed by NDLEA officers supported by soldiers on Wednesday 23rd September.

In Lagos, two female suspects: Odumabo Kehinde, 36, and Obiekwe Chioma, 40, were arrested on Saturday 26th September when NDLEA operatives raided Anifowoshe Street in Mushin where they recovered 3.4kg skunk from them.

In another operation in Lagos same day, NDLEA officers intercepted a 58-year-old man Ugwu Johnson at Ebute-Ero motor park, with large quantities of illicit consignments, including: 5.920kg skunk; 2,400 ampoules of pentazocine injection; 8,400 tablets of nitrazepam; and 40,000 pills of tramadol.

Two Togolese nationas: Yinusa Abdulsamad, 35, and Fatai Baba, 33, were nabbed by NDLEA officers on Saturday 26th September at Iganna-Ilero road, Iganna, Oyo state with 305.6kg of skunk concealed in two pick-up vans used for cross-border trafficking racket, moving Ghanaian-sourced cannabis into Nigeria through the Oyo axis.

At the Seme border in Badagry, Lagos, five suspects were arrested with 420 cartons of nitrous oxide popularly called laughing gas weighing 1,688.4kg, along with two vehicles used in conveying the exhibit from the border into Lagos.

They include: Kingsley John, 40; John Chibuike Okeke, 44; Lamidi Ismaila, 40; Babatunde Samuel, 42; and Afeesu Idowu, 47.

With the same vigour, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week. These include: WADA sensitization lecture to students and staff of Community High School, Saki, Oyo state; Auchi College, Auchi, Edo; Alkali Modibbo Islamic Centre, Dukku, Gombe; and Junior Arabic Secondary School, Kahu, Kibiya LGA, Kano, while the Delta Ports Command of NDLEA paid a WADA advocacy visit to His Royal Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatshe III, the Olu Of Warri, Delta state, among others.

While commending the officers and men of MMIA, AIIA, Lagos, Oyo, Edo, Seme, and Bauchi Commands for the various successful operations, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (rtd) enjoined them and their colleagues across the country to continue with the ongoing balanced approach to the drug control efforts of the Agency.