Three suspected members of a robbery gang have narrated how they allegedly dispossessed a traditional ruler of his crown and other valuables during an operation along the Ife Expressway in Osun State.

The suspects, who were arrested by the Lagos State Police Command, were also linked to the alleged robbery of motorists and the theft of about five vehicles during separate operations on the highway.

The stolen valuables were estimated at approximately N50 million.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Tijani Fatai, disclosed the arrests, on Wednesday, while briefing journalists on the command’s operations over the past month.

Fatai identified the suspects as Chubuzor Anasihwe, 31; Uchenna Steven, 26; and Ejike Ani, 31.

He said operatives of the command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit, acting on actionable intelligence, traced and arrested the suspects at two locations in Lagos.

According to the commissioner, preliminary investigations linked the suspects to robbery operations allegedly carried out on August 23 and September 30, 2026, along the Ife Expressway.

Fatai said the police recovered a Toyota van with registration number BDJ 180 AJ, Oyo State, which was allegedly used by the gang.

He added that the suspects had made confessional statements and were assisting the police in efforts to recover the remaining stolen vehicles, arrest other gang members and retrieve the weapons allegedly used during the operations.

However, one of the suspects, Ani, claimed that the traditional ruler was not the gang’s intended target.

According to Ani, the gang encountered the monarch while returning to Lagos after carrying out another robbery.

Ani said a friend identified as Obinna invited him to participate in the operation after he complained that he was broke.

“It was one of my friends, Obinna, who invited us for the operation. He told us that we were going to snatch vehicles.

“I told him that I was broke and needed money. That was when he told me about the operation, and I agreed,” he said.

Ani also claimed that the gang did not use real firearms during the operation. Instead, he said, the suspects fashioned sticks to resemble guns and wrapped them in cello tape.

He said they were seated at the back of the vehicle while returning to Lagos when Obinna allegedly spotted the monarch’s vehicle.

“We were sitting at the back of the vehicle when Obinna sighted the monarch’s car.

“He was the one who took everything from him. We did not know that he had collected the crown and other valuables. It was later that the police showed us everything,” he said.

The police said investigations were ongoing to arrest other members of the gang and recover the remaining stolen vehicles and alleged weapons.

Dr Matthew Uwuigbe, a senior lecturer at Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State, has died in a hotel room after reportedly having an encounter with a 21-year-old commercial sex worker.

Uwuigbe, a lecturer in the Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, was said to have died on Monday, October 5, 2026, at a hotel in the Mosco area of Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of the State.

Confirming the incident, spokesperson of the Edo State Police Command, Eno Ikoedem, said the hotel owner, manager and the lady involved in the incident had been arrested and detained for questioning.

Ikoedem disclosed that the command received a report at about 8pm on Monday that the lecturer lodged in the hotel and engaged the services of a 21-year-old woman identified as Angela Defa Jacob.

The police spokesperson added that the lecturer later asked the woman to go out and purchase water for him but came back to find the lifeless body of the lecturer. She said the investigation has commenced.

“The woman returned to the room and discovered Uwuigbe lying lifeless, prompting the report to the police,” the PPRO stated.

Ikoedem further disclosed that the circumstances surrounding the lecturer’s death were being investigated, adding that “the arrests were part of efforts to establish what transpired before his death.”

She disclosed that Uwuigbe’s remains had been deposited at the Oriaifo Memorial Hospital Mortuary for preservation, while the investigation continues.

Also reacting to the incident, the university management distanced the institution from the circumstances surrounding the incident, stressing that the death occurred outside the university environment.

Spokesperson for AAU, Otunba Aladenika, confirmed that Uwuigbe was a staff member of the university, stressing that the incident was unrelated to the institution’s official activities.

Aladenika emphasized that the woman involved was not a student of the university and described the matter as the lecturer’s private affair.

The Oyo State Government has welcomed the release of the 20 prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who were abducted while travelling to their orientation camps in Imo State, but urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts to tackle the persistent wave of kidnapping and banditry across the country.

The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr. Dotun Oyelade, made the call while reacting to the release of the prospective corps members by their abductors on Wednesday, saying the development had brought relief to the state government, the affected families and the people of Oyo State.

Oyelade said, “Oyo State Government is relieved at the release of our children from the bondage of abduction once again.”

He congratulated the Imo and Oyo State Governments, as well as the Federal Government, over the release, while stressing that the development should also serve as a reminder of the need for stronger and more coordinated action against the growing insecurity in the country.

“We congratulate the Imo and Oyo State Governments and the Federal Government too,” he said

The commissioner, however, said the Federal Government, which he described as having the greatest constitutional powers and capacity to address the security challenge, needed to do more to prevent such incidents from recurring.

According to him, “The Federal Government, which has the preponderance of power and capacity to effectively nip this embarrassing development in the bud, must be more proactive and live up to its promise to keep citizens safer across the land.”

Oyelade expressed concern that despite repeated assurances from the Presidency on efforts to improve national security, kidnapping and banditry continued to affect communities and citizens in different parts of the country.

“It is worrisome that large pockets of kidnappings and banditry still dominate the Nigerian landscape, the constant robust assurances from the Presidency notwithstanding,” he said.

He further raised concern over the number of Nigerians who, according to him, remained in captivity in forests across the country, saying the continued abduction of citizens underscored the need for more effective security measures.

“At the last count, not less than 200 Nigerians are still languishing in forests, abducted in circumstances in which government appears to have no clue,” the commissioner said.

The 20 prospective corps members were abducted while travelling to Imo State for the NYSC orientation exercise, causing anxiety among their families and loved ones and prompting efforts to secure their release.

Their release was confirmed on Wednesday by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, who received the information from Imo State Governor, Mr. Hope Uzodinma, during a telephone conversation at about 5pm.

The development was conveyed to the Olubadan by Governor Uzodinma personally, according to a statement by the monarch’s media aide, Adeola Oloko.

The Olubadan, who had closely monitored developments surrounding the abduction, expressed relief following confirmation that the prospective corps members had regained their freedom.