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Abia, Anambra Police commands disagree over kidnap of Brotherhood of the Cross and Star Archbishop, two family members, three other priests with him
A sharp disagreement has risen between Abia State Police Command and its Anambra state counterpart over the kidnap of the Archbishop of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, Bishop Uka Uka Osim, his wife, son and three other priests in his entourage.
While the Anambra Police Command denied knowledge of the incident, its Abia State counterpart confirmed said the kidnap actually took place, adding that the incident occurred in Anambra State.
It was gathered that the Archbishop and those in his entourage were kidnapped while traveling from Abia to Awka, Anambra State.
The Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Tochukwu Ikenga in a statement on Saturday said, “Anambra State Police Command wishes to inform members of the public that from inquiries made on the above news from our respective Area Commands, Police Divisional Headquarters, and otherwise, there is no such record of any incident as mentioned in the state.
“The Command has been relatively calm as police and other security agencies are strategically positioned in many areas of the state, while some operatives are on crime prevention patrol aimed to address any untoward situations.
“Given the above, the Command calls on members of the public to assist us with information regarding the above-mentioned incident if such happened, this will enable us to embark on the investigation, please.”
But the Abia State Police Command on Sunday clarified that the abduction of the Archbishop and those in his entourage occurred in Anambra State, not Abia as earlier reported by some sections of the media.
The spokesman of the command, ASP Maureen Chinaka, who spoke in reaction to the incident, revealed that one of the Aba’s Bishops confirmed the abduction.
She said however, the precise location or area in Anambra where the priests were kidnapped was not revealed.
The Abia PPRO said, “Based on our findings, the alleged kidnap of the Archbishop of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star occurred in Anambra State.
“This was confirmed by one of the Bishops of the church in Aba.”
The abductors of the Archbishop and members of his entourage are yet to make any contact with members of their families and the church since May 1 when they embarked on the evangelical journey from Abia to Anambra state.
The development has thrown both members of the church and their immediate families into confusion and anxiety even as prayers have been intensified to seek God’s intervention for them.
The legal team of suspended Kogi Central Senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, say they are ready with factil evidence to defend her in court.
The team received a formal summons in the case filed against her by the Federal Government at the Federal Capital Territory High Court last week.
On Friday, May 16, 2025, the Federal Government filed the suit, marked CR/297/25, over alleged defamatory remarks made during a live appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on April 3, 2025.
The government accused the senator of “making imputation knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm the reputation of a person”, citing Section 391 of the Penal Code, cap 89, Laws of the Federation, 1990.
Among the witnesses listed to testify during the trial were Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and a former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
Others include Asuquo Ekpenyong, a senator; Sandra Duru; Maya Iliya, investigating police officers; and Abdulhafiz Garba, investigating police officers.
However, in a statement issued Friday night by Dr. Ehiogie West-Idahosa (SAN) on behalf of the legal team, Akpoti-Uduaghan’s lawyers confirmed receipt of the formal summons and pledged to prepare all “factual and statutory defences” available to the lawmaker during trial.
“At about 2:30pm on Friday, May 23, 2025, within the premises of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, we received the information filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, containing three counts alleging that our client, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi Central, made imputations she had reason to believe would harm the reputation of Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the 10th Senate,” the statement read.
“We received the said information on her behalf through a letter of authority duly issued and filed in the court’s registry.
“The legal team will fully prepare and present all factual and statutory defences available to our client during the trial.”
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will on Tuesday next week begin the take over of 4,794 properties in Abuja, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) headquarters, due to unpaid ground rent.
The PDP headquarters, currently under construction in Abuja’s Central Business District, is among the affected properties, having been revoked in March for several years of unpaid ground rent. The FCTA disclosed that 4,794 titles had been revoked for failure to pay ground rent, with some defaults dating back 43 years.
The affected properties are located in various districts, including Central Area, Garki I and II, Wuse I and II, Asokoro, Maitama, and Guzape.
The defaulters owe over N6.96 billion in ground rent. The FCTA had given a 21-day grace period for owners with debts under 10 years, which has now expired.
The FCTA officials announced that the takeover would begin on Monday, May 26, 2025, with the sealing off and restriction of access to the affected properties.
The Director of Land Administration, Chijioke Nwankwoeze emphasized that the revocations were carried out under Section 28(5)(a)(b) of the Land Use Act, which empowers the government to reclaim land when the terms of occupancy are violated.
Two people sustained serious injuries when a training aircraft crash-landed at the Ilorin International Airport on Friday.
Director of Public Affairs and Family Assistance, NSIB, Mrs Bimbo Oladeji, who disclosed this in a statement, said the incident occurred at 17:28 local time on May 23, 2025, during a simulated instrument approach on Runway 05 at Ilorin International Airport.
Oladeji said the aircraft veered off the runway and came to a stop on the grass verge, leaving the two occupants on board injured.
She stated: “Both sustained serious injuries and were swiftly evacuated to a medical facility, coordinated by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, NAMA.
“In response, the NSIB Go-Team is currently preparing to depart from Abuja to Ilorin to conduct on-site investigations. The team will secure the site, collect physical evidence, interview witnesses, and retrieve operational data to establish the cause and contributing factors of the incident.”
Quoting the Director General of the NSIB, Captain Alex Badeh Jr., she said “Our thoughts are with the injured, and we commend the swift medical and emergency response. Now, our focus is on understanding exactly what went wrong. Every investigation is an opportunity to improve safety. We are deploying our team to Ilorin to ensure that no detail is overlooked.”
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