The Oyo State Police Command on Sunday revealed it had apprehended 19 individuals, including 14 men and five women, all young Ghanaian nationals, over trafficking activities in the state.

In a statement issued by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso, in Ibadan, the suspects were arrested at Kajorepo community in the Akinyele Local Government Area.

He explained that the arrests followed credible intelligence about suspicious activity at a building where the victims were housed.

Osifeso stated that in line with standard procedures, the victims had been transferred to the Nigerian Immigration Service for further investigation.

“The state command proudly announces the successful completion of a targeted operation on July 2, 2025, based on credible intelligence related to suspicious activities at a building in the Kajorepo area of Akinyele Local Government Area.

“Around 5:30 pm, the state Intelligence Department, with the invaluable support of tactical command teams, executed a search warrant at the site, which had been securely locked from the outside.

“This operation led to the arrest of 19 individuals, comprised of 14 men and five women, all young nationals from Ghana.

“During the investigation, it became clear that these individuals had been lured to Nigeria with false promises of job opportunities, falling prey to a manipulative scheme by unknown perpetrators who exploited them for financial gain.

“The victims provided critical information about their ordeals, significantly aiding the ongoing investigations. The victims have since been handed over to the Nigerian Immigration Service for further investigations and to possibly reunite them with loved ones back in their country.”

He emphasized that the command remained focused on identifying those responsible for the trafficking network and would continue gathering intelligence to track down the perpetrators.

Osifeso assured the public of the police command’s commitment to maintaining safety and security for all residents and encouraged citizens to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activities directly to the authorities.

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has said coalition leaders are only focused on “rescuing their stomach” rather than Nigerians.

Speaking on Sunday at St. James Anglican Church in Asokoro, Abuja, during a thanksgiving service for the “successful completion of inaugurated projects” in the FCT, Wike cautioned the congregation against “propaganda and blackmail” from politicians and appealed for their patience and continued prayers for the Bola Tinubu-led administration.

He criticised many of the coalition leaders, stating they had failed to deliver meaningful results while in positions of power, and argued their current moves showed they could not cope with staying out of power for long.

“In 1999, you were at this party. In 2006, you were in another party. In 2014, you moved to another party. In 2019, you came back to another party. Now, in 2025, you have moved to another party,” Wike said.

“To rescue who? You want to rescue your stomach. It’s not Nigerians you want to rescue.

“Some of you have sympathy for somebody you don’t know. You say Peter Obi will be president. President where?

“For eight years, he was governor; he never conducted local government elections. That is what you describe as democracy. Only you were the governor and chairman of the local governments.

“I was a senate president for eight years, for example, and I cannot provide a road to my local government, Otukpo, and I will fly a helicopter to Otukpo—eight years! It is now, and you say you want to rescue Nigeria. Which Nigeria do you want to rescue?

“Somebody was speaker for eight years, governor, eight years, minister, eight years; he didn’t know that Nigerians were angry. It’s just these two years he left office; you’re telling Nigerians that Nigerians are angry.”

Last Wednesday, opposition politicians adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as their platform to challenge President Tinubu in 2027.

Several politicians across different parties are members of the coalition.

They include former Senate President David Mark, Rauf Aregbesola, ex-minister of interior, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, and Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in 2023.

Others are Aminu Tambuwal, former governor of Sokoto; Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation; Solomon Dalung, former minister of sports; and Odigie Oyegun, former national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi central, says she will return to her legislative responsibilities in the red chamber on Tuesday.

On March 6, Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended by the senate for six months over allegations of gross misconduct.

The suspension followed the adoption of a report by the committee on ethics, privileges and public petitions after the Kogi senator had an altercation with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Akpoti-Uduaghan challenged the suspension in a suit filed before the Abuja federal high court.

Delivering judgment on Friday, Binta Nyako, the presiding judge, upheld the senate’s authority to suspend members who violate rules, including Akpoti-Uduaghan.

However, the court criticised the six-month suspension, calling it “overreaching” and “excessive”.

The judge explained that the senate’s relevant laws did not specify the maximum period for suspending a serving lawmaker.

She noted that since lawmakers are constitutionally required to sit for 181 days in each legislative session, the six-month suspension practically denied Akpoti-Uduaghan the chance to fulfil her legislative obligations for almost the entire session.

According to the judge, this amounted to depriving her constituents of their right to representation.

“A senator is expected to represent her people,” the judge stated.

“I am of the view that the senate has the power to amend that rule,” Nyako added, saying the senate “can and should” consider reinstating the plaintiff.

The court also imposed a N5 million fine on the senator for violating a previous court order by posting a satirical apology to Akpabio on her Facebook page.

Reacting to the ruling, Akpoti-Uduaghan described it as a victory.

“I thank you for your support. I am glad we are victorious today. We shall resume in the Senate on Tuesday by the grace of God,” she told her supporters.