By David Owei, Bayelsa

Operatives of the Rapid Response Unit of the Bayelsa State Police Command has recovered the corpse of missing Real Estate Magnate, Ekpeboh Richard from the forest between new NDDC road and Otuokpoti in Ogbia Local Government Area of the State.

Police discovered the deceased was shot in the head in an execution manner and dumped in the bush.

Ekpeboh Richard is the Vice Chairman of the Real Estate Consultants Association of Bayelsa and hails from Ammassoma in Southern Ijaw Local Government area of the State. He is married with two kids.

He left home on the 24th of July,2025 and the wife became worried at about 2 am when he failed to return home.

According to family sources, all calls by the worried wife was answered three days later via WhatsApp chat when he purportedly asked her not to mount unnecessary pressure on him and that he was ok.

” Further prompting by the wife that she would reach out to the extended family to ask him why he abandoned the house was met by a promise to send money via POS. A sun of 15,300 was purportedly sent to a POS agent and not her account”

” He also revealed that he is owing two persons N9 million and N3 million within the association.” But it was later discovered that those who abducted and killed him were the ones using his phone to chat with his worried wife.

According to some friends and colleague of the deceased, they later reported the matter to the Police and the men of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) headed by CSP Bishop Elemide.

The RRS operatives, working on intelligence, cooperation of Youths and an eyewitness, discovered that two young men in a blue Coloured Honda Vboot car had dragged the deceased out and took him deep into the forest,” what we heard later were two gun shots. And the two young men scampered I to their car and left.”

They also left with the deceased car, a Toyota Matrix car.

Police investigators discovered that there was a struggle between the deceased and his killers with footwear discovered a few metres from where the body was discovered, ” we, the youths assisted in recovering the body. The place it was dumped was a swamp. His head was blown off by gun shot.”

Our correspondent gathered from sources at the Police Headquarters that the homicide department of the State Criminal Investigation department may take over the case and are already working on two facts.

” We are looking at the fact that it may be a case of business deals gone wrong with members of his Association of Real Estate Consultants or that he may be involved in cyber crime or money laundering deal that went wrong.”

” We will get to the root of the matter and bring the culprits to book. Efforts in on to apprehend ASSAILANTS.”

A Senior Police officer, who confirmed the development, told our correspondent that the Commissioner of Police, Francis Idu is fully aware of the development despite his absence on official duty in Abuja.

By Uthman-Baba Naseer,Minna

The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has described as misleading and malicious a report Published by Sahara reporters alleging that a personnel who took an inmate out of custodial centre for conjugal intimacy with his lover in Afikpo was pardon by the Civil Defence, Correctional Fire and Immigration Board (CDCFIB), while the whistle blower was dismissed.

This was contained in a press Statement signed by the head of Public Relation and Media of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) Umar Abubakar DCC stated that the report is misleading and intended to tarnish the inmates of the Nigerian Correctional Service.

The Service, according to the Press release, wishes to categorically state that this report is misleading and intended to tarnish the image of the Nigerian Correctional Service.

The attention of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has been drawn to a misleading and malicious report published by Sahara Reporters alleging that a personnel who took an inmate out of the custodial centre for conjugal intimacy with his lover in Afikpo was pardoned by the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Board (CDCFIB), while the whistleblower was dismissed.

“The facts of the matter is that the officer in question was dismissed after a thorough investigation by the disciplinary unit of the Service and was found to have committed an act unbecoming of a public officer, specifically for taking unauthorized pictures of an inmate by name Ibuchi Okoro Eze, within the premises of the Barracks of the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC), Afikpo, and uploading same on the internet”.

The dismissed officer, he disclosed,ASC 1 Efe Onakpoya with Service number 57790 also made malicious allegations against the service, including the false claim that an inmate was taken out of the Custodial Centre for conjugal intimacy with his lover.

The Nigerian Correctional Service is committed to maintaining the highest standards of discipline, integrity, and professionalism. The Service will not tolerate any behavior that undermines these values.

The service hereby urges the public to disregard the misleading report by Sahara Reporters and to be aware of the antics of mischief-makers who seek to tarnish the image of our beloved Service.

By Uthman-Baba Naseer,Minna

The Commissioner of Police in Niger State,CP Abdullahi Adamu Elleman,has called upon to as a matter of urgency,order for the arrest of the District head of Ekugi village in Katcha Local government area of Niger State Mallam Abdullahi Kaffa, for masterminding the brutal killing of one Mohammed Baba Mohammed.

Mohammed Baba was said have completed his National Youth Service from far away Enugu state,in May 2025 just returned to the village to the embrace of his Community before his life just cut short on the order of the District head.

In a petition forwarded to the Commissioner of Police by a Minna based legal practitioner Chief Olukunle Oluwole and copied to our correspondent in Minna,alleged that Mallam Abdullahi Kaffa, had on the July, 25th 2025 spearheaded and Personally led over twenty persons to the Ekugi village and shot the deceased severally until he was killed.

According to the petitioner,the Invaders were fully armed to the teeth with dangerous weapons,” such as: Cutlasses,axes,dane guns among other dangerous weapons chanting war songs right in the presence of the Mornach.

” Upon sighting the rampaging Invaders, the villagers consisting of women, children,youths and elderly took to their heels for the safety of their lives and ran Helter Skelter.

” In the process the Invaders also attacked and killed Mohammed Baba Mohammed who just finished serving his Father’s land in Enugu state and members of his family while working in their farm.” the petitioner alleged.

He further alleged that one Alhaji Baba Ali Matu ordered Suleiman Saidu Gbapo to shoot the deceased Mohammed Baba Mohammed at a shot range and was instantly killed adding that,not satisfied that he was dead, his body was further riddled with bullets.

Reiterating that the deceased just completed his NYSC in Enugu state and have just returned to the village only to be killed therefore his life was cut short for committing no crime or offence.

” It is pertinent to state that other Victims who sustained various degree of injuries are Presently receiving medical attention at different health care centers.”he added.

Alleging further, Chief Olukunle Oluwole, insisted that the Invaders numbering over twenty two while still rampaging the villagers carted away with six Bajaj Motorcycles,200 bags of rice, and destroyed the ware house where the rice were stored and carted away the sum of Seven hundred thousand Naira (N700,000) cash being the money collected from rice sellers as revenue generated for the local government.

It was further alleged that the rampaging Invaders stole the sum of N1.5 million belonging to one Hon. Ibrahim Baba Mohammed, an elder brother to the deceased.

” At this juncture,we are inclined to state that despite the loss of lives and properties and unprovoked intimidation from the Invaders,as law abiding Citizens,we have emphasized to our clients the need to maintain the peace and not to make any reprisal attack to avoid blood shed and total breakdown of law and order” he added.

The Invaders, according to the legal practitioner, still go about threatening and boasted that they have the backing and support of people highly placed in the government of Niger State and Abuja nothing will happen to them.

He said since the incident happened, he cautioned his clients to remain calm and law abiding assuring them that the Hudlooms are not above the laws of the land ” and they would be made to face the full wrath of the law if found culpable”

” We are aware quite aware of the current Insecurity prevalent in the state.and in order to avoid blood shed and lost of lives and total breakdown of law and order we implore, as a matter of urgency to intervene in this matter and save our clients lives from being terminated prematurely and be displaced from their ancestral village by these hudlooms” the legal practitioner concluded

Speaking in a telephone interview the District head of Ekugi, Mallam Abdullahi Kaffa he said the petitioners are supposed to report him to the Police Commissioner rather than speaking to the Press.

” I expect them to complain to the Commissioner of Police instead of coming to report me to the Press. I’m waiting for their police invitation because I’m informed that they have filed a petition against me to the Commissioner of Police.

” I don’t want to talk to you Journalists. I expect to hear that the Commissioner of Police will call me not a Journalist please,” he told our Correspondent through his phone number 08039698877.