Nigeria Police Arrest 12 Kidnapping Suspects and Informants in Kaduna

Police in Nigeria, Ghana, Iran and Vietnam have announced arrests, an execution and indictments in separate major crime cases ranging from kidnapping to fraud, assault and terrorism support.

Nigeria Police Arrest 12 in Kaduna Kidnapping Crackdown

The Kaduna State Police Command has arrested 12 suspects, comprising eight suspected kidnappers and four alleged informants, and recovered AK-47 rifles during intensified security operations in Millennium City and Maraban Rido. [1] The command also disclosed that the Kaduna State Government had released three additional Armoured Personnel Carriers to strengthen police operations and tackle kidnapping and other criminal activities in the affected communities. [1] The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, noting that the operations were being conducted in collaboration with other security agencies through clearance exercises, targeted raids and patrols. [1] Hassan said the command had intensified its operations in response to recent security challenges in the affected communities, adding that efforts were underway to dismantle criminal networks and apprehend those suspected of supporting their activities. [1] The eight suspected kidnappers were identified as Dauda Murna, Usman Abdullahi, Abubakar Sulaiman, Saleh Abdullahi, Usman Muhammed, Mathias Moses, Makama John and Tafarki Audu. [1] The four suspected informants were identified as Shuaibu Sabiu, Audu Makama, Simon Moses and Amadu Mathew. [1] Preliminary investigations indicate that two of the suspects allegedly confessed to leaking information about police operations to criminal elements, thereby undermining security efforts and endangering the lives of security personnel and residents. [1] The command expressed concern over the alleged activities of individuals suspected of supplying kidnappers with intelligence on security movements and operations, describing such information leaks as a serious threat to efforts to combat crime. [1] In a related development, the command said the state government had released three additional APCs to boost security operations in Millennium City and surrounding communities. [1] The police said the additional equipment would support ongoing efforts to tackle criminal activities and assured residents that clearance operations targeting suspected criminal hideouts would continue. [1] The command assures the residents that clearance operations of criminal hideouts will be sustained to dismantle criminal networks, disrupt their activities, and facilitate the rescue of kidnapped victims. [1] The police also disclosed that a government delegation led by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Malam Sani Kila, alongside other security chiefs, met with traditional rulers, community members and other stakeholders in the affected areas on October 10 to discuss the security situation. [1] During the engagement, Kila reportedly emphasised the need for collective action to maintain peace and public safety. [1] He reiterated that security is a collective responsibility and urged residents, community leaders, landlords, and youth groups to promptly report individuals suspected of aiding or abetting criminal activities and to continue supporting security agencies in their efforts to maintain peace and public safety. [1] The commissioner appealed to residents to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies by providing credible and timely information to assist efforts to combat kidnapping and other criminal activities. [1]

Iran Hangs Man Convicted of Aiding Deadly Police Station Attack

Iran has executed a man after convicting him of aiding a deadly assault on a police station and other attacks, the judiciary said on Monday. [3] Omar Dorostaran, who provided support for the 2024 attack on a police station in Rask, in Iran's southeast, that killed 11 security personnel, was hanged on Sunday. [3] Dorostaran, a member of the Jaish al-Zolm (al-Adl) terrorist group, was hanged after his arrest, following legal proceedings and the Supreme Court's confirmation of his sentence. [3] He provided logistical support, including helping militants enter Iran, arranging accommodation and transporting them to carry out attacks. [3] He was also accused of supporting attacks on Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan. [3] Other charges laid against Dorostaran included armed rebellion, membership of Jaish al-Zolm (al-Adl) and complicity in an armed uprising. [3] On Sunday, the Revolutionary Guards said they had arrested three members and associates of the group during a raid on a safe house in Sistan-Baluchistan. [3] The province, one of Iran's poorest, has long seen clashes between security forces and armed groups, including Sunni militants and members of the ethnic Baloch minority. [3] Clashes between the armed groups and Iranian security forces in the region have flared again in recent weeks. [3] On Monday, foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran had no doubt that destabilising our country's borders is part of the nefarious plan of the Zionist regime (Israel) and the United States. [3]

Vietnam Re-indicts English School Owner Over $327 Million Fraud

Nguyen Ngoc Thuy, who ran English language school Apax Leaders, has been indicted for a second time, accused of fraudulently appropriating VND8.459 trillion (US$327 million) from 10,123 people, 60 more than in his first indictment. [2] The Supreme People's Procuracy indicted Thuy, who led Egroup Education Group JSC as chairman and CEO, on charges of fraud to appropriate property and giving bribes. [2] The procuracy first indicted him in December 2025, then sent the case back to Ministry of Public Security investigators, who began a supplementary investigation on July 27. [2] In the same case, Tong Thi Kim Lien, chairwoman and finance director of Nhat Tran Company, is accused of receiving bribes. [2] The indictment alleges she had her staff draw up 12 contracts and issue invoices that created VND2.327 trillion in fake revenue for Egroup, in exchange for money from Thuy. [2] 27 others, including accountants and sales managers at Egame Investment and Distribution JSC, which Thuy also chaired, were indicted for fraud. [2] The case will be tried by the Hanoi People's Court. [2] Compared with the first indictment, the amount Thuy is accused of appropriating has grown from VND7.677 trillion to more than VND8.459 trillion. [2] The alleged bribe is unchanged at nearly VND32 billion. [2] According to the indictment, Thuy began directing staff in 2014 to inflate Egroup's charter capital so he could repay debts, fund personal spending and keep the Egroup ecosystem running. [2] He then had fictitious shares transferred to investors. [2] On his instructions, finance director Nguyen Manh Phu and chief accountant Pham Thi Thanh Tho inflated Egroup's charter capital from VND32 billion to VND962.5 billion. [2] They also booked fake revenue equal to about 70% of annual revenue to make Egroup look like a large company. [2] Once investors were drawn in, Thuy would sell them shares at VND38,000 each and pledge to buy them back a year later at VND42,000, in return for the investors authorizing him to exercise all their rights and obligations as shareholders. [2] From 2021 to 2023, however, the group's Apax Leaders English centers and its kindergartens closed, and incoming cash could no longer cover expenses and maturing contracts. [2] Thuy then let 23 managers and team leaders, who oversaw 341 sales staff, use 70% of the money raised from new clients to repay earlier clients still owed money, with the remaining 30% going to the company. [2] From 2015 to 2023, Thuy and his accomplices appropriated VND8.459 trillion from 10,123 victims, the indictment alleges. [2]

Ghana Court Jails 87-Year-Old for Defiling Child

An 87-year-old man, Yaw Gahornu, has been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment with hard labour for defiling a nine-year-old girl at Ofankor, a suburb of Accra. [4] The sentence was secured by the Tesano Divisional Police Command following investigations into the case, according to a statement issued by the Accra Regional Police Command on October 12, 2026. [4] The Police said preliminary investigations indicated that on August 29, 2026, the girl’s mother returned from work and noticed bloodstains on her daughter’s clothing. [4] When questioned, the child disclosed that Mr Gahornu had allegedly subjected her to repeated sexual abuse between July and August 2026. [4] Further investigations indicated that the accused allegedly lured the girl to his sleeping quarters and threatened to kill her if she reported the abuse to her mother. [4] The Police said the alleged abuse was witnessed by the accused’s granddaughter on August 31, 2026. [4] She subsequently informed family members, including the girl’s mother, leading to a report to the Police. [4] Mr Gahornu was charged and arraigned before the Gender-Based Violence Court at the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) Headquarters, where he was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment with hard labour for defilement. [4] The Accra Regional Police Command welcomed the outcome of the case and reaffirmed its commitment to protecting children and other vulnerable persons. [4] It urged the public to promptly report suspected cases of child abuse to the Police for investigation and appropriate action. [4]

Eight Arrested in Ghana for Assault During Internet Fraud Initiation

Ghana police arrest eight suspects over the alleged beating of a 21-year-old man during an internet fraud initiation in the Bono Region. [5] The Ghana Police Service has arrested eight suspects for allegedly beating a 21-year-old man during his initiation into an internet fraud operation at Kotokrom in the Sunyani West Municipality of the Bono Region. [5] The Bono Regional Police Command disclosed this in a statement dated October 9, following a distress call received by its Regional Operations Unit on October 4, 2026, over an alleged attack on a man in the community. [5] The command said officers who responded to the call found the victim, identified as Godstime Umukoro, with multiple marks of assault on his body and arrested the suspects at the scene. [5] The Regional Operations Unit has arrested eight (8) suspects involved in fraudulent acts and assaulting one Godstime Umukoro, aged 21, at Kotokrom, a suburb in Sunyani West Municipality of the Bono Region. [5] On 4th October 2026, at about 4:30 p.m., the patrol team received a distress call that a group of people was attacking a person at Kotokrom. [5] The suspects were identified as Peter Mbam, 24; Godwin Moses, 26; Humble Oweifah, 18; Osas Ogbemudia, 30; Samuel Aisosa, 22; Ashile Godbess, 24; Alexander Uyuo, 30; and Patrick Romans, 25. [5] During interrogation, the suspects stated that they subjected the victim to severe beating as part of his initiation into the Internet fraud business, a process they claimed they had also undergone. [5] The command said preliminary investigations indicated that the suspects were brought to Ghana by a man identified as Nwachukwu King Augustine, whom it described as their chairman. [5] They lure innocent victims using downloaded images of foreign military men and start chatting with them under the pretext that they are at war front in Yemen. When they succeed in collecting the victims’ money, it is then paid into their boss’s account. [5] The Bono Regional Police Command commended members of the public for their intervention and reaffirmed its commitment to working with residents to combat crime in the region. [5]

Investigations and Community Appeals Continue

The command stressed that credible information from residents was vital to identifying suspected collaborators of criminal gangs and preventing further attacks. [1] It also acknowledged the geographical challenges facing security operations in Millennium City, noting that the community was largely surrounded by forested areas on the outskirts of Kaduna metropolis. [1] The commissioner appealed to residents to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies by providing credible and timely information to assist efforts to combat kidnapping and other criminal activities. [1] The command reiterated its commitment to protecting lives and property across the state, assuring residents that security operations would be sustained. [1] It urged members of the public to remain vigilant and support efforts to apprehend suspected criminals and their alleged collaborators. [1] The Accra Regional Police Command welcomed the outcome of the case and reaffirmed its commitment to protecting children and other vulnerable persons. [4] It urged the public to promptly report suspected cases of child abuse to the Police for investigation and appropriate action. [4] The Bono Regional Police Command commended members of the public for their intervention and reaffirmed its commitment to working with residents to combat crime in the region. [5] The Revolutionary Guards said they had arrested three members and associates of the group during a raid on a safe house in Sistan-Baluchistan. [3]

What to watch next: clearance operations of criminal hideouts will be sustained to dismantle criminal networks, disrupt their activities, and facilitate the rescue of kidnapped victims, while the public is urged to promptly report suspected cases of child abuse and other crimes to the police.