A lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Dr. Osita Chinedu, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Monday night in the Aroma area of Awka, Anambra State.

The attackers also stole his vehicle.

According to eyewitness accounts, the gunmen flagged down Dr. Chinedu’s car, demanded his keys, and shot him.

One eyewitness remarked, “Someone was shot dead this evening. They say he was a lecturer from UNIZIK. Please, everyone, stay safe this yuletide. If someone demands your car, hand it over; our lives are more important.”

A colleague at UNIZIK, who preferred to remain anonymous, expressed sorrow over the tragic loss, stating, “A fellow sports enthusiast and colleague was shot dead last night. This is no longer funny. We and our children are no longer safe in this state, not even in the capital city.”

The Anambra State Police Command confirmed the murder.

SP Ikenga Tochukwu, the police spokesperson, stated that the murder occurred at 10:10 PM at Aroma Junction, and the assailants fled with the victim’s 2006 ash-colored Toyota Corolla, which had an Enugu license plate.

The police have launched an investigation into the incident and urged anyone with information about the crime or the stolen vehicle to contact local authorities or call the police control room at 07039194332 or SP Ikenga Tochukwu at 08039334002.

The police also expressed condolences to Dr. Chinedu’s family and friends.

Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has reinstated two parcels of land to the family of the late General Sani Abacha, two years after they were revoked by the former governor, Nasir el-Rufai.

The lands, which had been seized in 2022, are located at No. 9 Abakpa GRA and No. 1 Degel Road, Ungwan Rimi, GRA, in Kaduna city.

The properties, which measure 2,284 square meters and 3,705 square meters respectively, were originally covered by Kaduna State Certificates of Occupancy.

In 2022, the state government, under el-Rufai, revoked several land titles in Kaduna, citing violations of the terms of Right of Occupancy.

The Abacha family’s lands were among those affected, with Sani Abacha’s name listed among the 34 titles revoked.

Following the revocation, the family’s lawyer, Reuben Atabo (SAN), filed a legal challenge, seeking redress for what he described as a public embarrassment.

The family sought the return of the properties through legal proceedings, which included suits filed in the Kaduna State High Court.

In a move to resolve the matter, Governor Sani issued two letters on December 10, 2024, reinstating the titles to the two pieces of land.

The letters, sent on behalf of the Kaduna Geographic Information Service (KADGIS), informed the Abacha family that their titles were reinstated, with the condition of settling any outstanding fees or charges related to the properties.

The letters were addressed to Mohammed Sani Abacha, via the family’s lawyer.

Gunmen, believed to be terrorists, have abducted at least 25 people, mostly women and children, in Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

The incident occurred late Sunday night in the Ajasa community, where several homes were also looted by the attackers.

A local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, reported that the gunmen arrived in large numbers and fired indiscriminately into the air to announce their presence.

While no one was killed, the assailants took the 25 victims and transported them into the forest.

The resident also noted that the attackers faced no resistance as security forces did not arrive in the area until hours after the gunmen had left.

Concerns were raised about the well-being of the abducted individuals, particularly the children and infants, who would likely suffer in the cold harmattan conditions in the forest.

The gunmen have yet to make contact with the community regarding the victims, a pattern consistent with previous abductions in the region.

The source called for increased security in the area, as communities have been frequently targeted by such attacks.

He pointed out a similar incident that occurred just days earlier, when gunmen attacked a neighboring village, killing one person and injuring another during the day while farmers were harvesting crops.

The police spokesperson for the state, ASP Abubakar Aliyu, confirmed that inquiries would be made into the incident.

As at the time of this report, no further details have been released.

A significant portion of murder cases in Nigeria remains unreported, with over 28% of such incidents not being brought to the attention of the police, according to a recent report from the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The report, titled Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey 2024, was released on Tuesday and covers the period from March 2023 to April 2024.

The survey reveals that only 0.7% of the 614,937 murder cases in the country were reported to law enforcement, with many victims’ families opting to report the crime to other authorities or handle the matter privately.

The primary reason for this is a lack of confidence in the police, as many believe the authorities would not take adequate action.

Another 27.5% of cases went unreported because victims’ families lacked evidence to identify the perpetrators or feared that the police would not act on the information.

According to the report, 39.9% of murder cases were reported to other agencies, while 15.8% were not reported out of fear of retaliation from the perpetrators.

Notably, no cases were resolved by the families of the victims, the report states.

The survey also highlighted that the North-West region recorded the highest number of murders, with over 206,000 cases, while the South-West had the lowest at 15,693.

The NBS noted that, nationwide, more than 51.8 million crime incidents were reported by households during the period.

The North-West also experienced the highest number of overall crime incidents (14.4 million), followed by the North-Central (8.8 million), while the South-East reported the least (6.2 million).

Furthermore, the report indicated that rural areas had higher crime rates (26.5 million incidents) compared to urban areas (25.4 million incidents).

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has mandated a comprehensive investigation into the deaths of two Okuama community leaders who allegedly died while in Army custody.

Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, Director of Defence Information, made the announcement during the Strategic Communications Interagency Committee (SCIPC) end-of-year briefing in Abuja, organized by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

The deceased individuals, Pa James Oghoroko, the President General of Okuama Community, and Pa Denis Okugbaye, the community’s 81-year-old treasurer, reportedly died six days apart while detained by the military.

The two were among six individuals detained in August in connection with the deaths of 17 military personnel on March 14, during a peace mission to mediate a dispute between the Okuama and Okoloba communities.

In response to inquiries, Gusau confirmed that the CDS had instructed the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army, based in Port Harcourt, to conduct a thorough investigation into the deaths and submit its findings by December 16.

In other news, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters has dismissed claims of the presence of any foreign military base in the country.

This comes in response to reports suggesting the establishment of a French military base in northeastern Nigeria. Major General Edward Buba, spokesman for the Defence Media Operations (DMO), refuted these reports, calling them “false, misleading, and the work of mischief-makers.”

The Defence Headquarters reiterated that the Armed Forces of Nigeria remains focused on fulfilling its constitutional duties and safeguarding the nation’s territorial integrity, urging the public to disregard the rumors.