Godwin Emmanuel, a 23-year-old armed robbery suspect, confessed to stealing a police officer’s phone while being transported to the Osun State Police Command.

He admitted taking the phone from the patrol van, removing the SIM card to contact his family, and hiding it in his cell.

Emmanuel, paraded alongside two others, Olajide Kareem (28) and Mike Emmanuel (33), is accused of robbing residents and sexually assaulting a 65-year-old woman on the Ilesa-Osu Expressway. Police spokesperson Yemisi Opalola revealed the suspects also shot a bus driver during one of their attacks.

Pleading for leniency, Emmanuel said, “I didn’t realize it was a police phone. Please forgive me; I won’t do it again.”

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has conferred the national honor of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) posthumously on the late Chief of Army Staff, General Taoreed Lagbaja.

The honor was presented during his funeral at the National Cemetery in Mogadishu, Abuja, on Friday, November 15.

In his tribute, President Tinubu praised General Lagbaja as a trusted advisor and a leader who prioritized the nation and his troops. “His legacy of service will be cherished forever,” Tinubu said, adding that Lagbaja was one of his finest appointments.

The president urged Nigerians to emulate the late general’s principles, highlighting his courage and dedication to Nigeria’s constitutional democracy.

“For his sacrifice and leadership, General Lagbaja will forever reside in the pantheon of military greats,” he concluded.

Mike Ejiofor, a former Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), has revealed that the insurgent group Lakurawa, recently flagged for attacks in Nigeria’s North-West, has existed for years with roots in Niger Republic and Mali.

Speaking on Sunrise Daily by Channels Television, Ejiofor refuted claims of the group being new, tracing its origins to a vigilante initiative under Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara, the former military Head of State of Niger Republic.

Following Maïnassara’s death, neglect by the Nigerien government led to the group scattering and evolving into a threat.

He added that the group was invited into Sokoto State for security assistance but later exploited the situation, prompting efforts to expel them by 2018.

Ejiofor emphasized that unlike Boko Haram, Lakurawa remains localized, offering an opportunity for the government and military to neutralize the group and tackle escalating insecurity in the region.