A group of armed bandits, numbering at least 20, launched an attack on the Chikakore community in Kubwa, Abuja, on Sunday night. The assailants abducted five residents, including a family of three and a guest who was visiting. The attack took place around 11 pm when the bandits stormed the Health Centre extension area of Chikakore. Among those taken were Adesiyan Akinropo, his wife, their son, and their visiting guest. Additionally, a neighboring resident was kidnapped, bringing the total number of victims to five. During the attack, a woman was severely injured, sustaining a head wound after being struck with a gun butt. She was rushed to a hospital due to significant bleeding. Police officers from the Byzahin division arrived at the scene, but by the time they reached the location, the bandits had already fled with the victims. Residents of the community expressed their frustration over the delayed police response, noting that law enforcement arrived approximately 90 minutes after the incident had occurred. One resident voiced their concerns, stating, “The bandits have resumed attacks in Chikakore. We need a police division here in our community. We have land and a fully-built five-bedroom apartment ready to accommodate the police, but there has been no deployment yet.” This attack has sparked further anxiety over the security situation in Chikakore, which had already faced violence earlier in January. At that time, fleeing bandits from Katsina State detonated explosives near an Islamic school in Kuchibuyi, Bwari Area Council, claiming two lives. Efforts to reach Josephine Adeh, the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, for comments were unsuccessful, as calls went unanswered. READ ALSO: Follow the LMSINT MEDIA channel on WhatsApp: Join Our WhatsApp Group Hear: Chat on WhatsApp Join our Telegram Chanel.
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), four people have been taken into custody for allegedly breaking into an Abuja bank’s system. On October 29, 2024, the EFCC made this information public on its X page. The accused were named by the Commission as Daminan Ali, Mohammed Bello Mahmud (the managing director of Downstone Ultimate Limited), Effiong Victor Emmanuel, and Chima Anthony Nwigwe (who was allegedly the head of the bank hacking syndicate). READ ALSO EFCC claimsAccording to the EFCC, the suspects planned to make “fraudulent withdrawals of depositors’ funds” and obtain “unauthorized access to banks’ computer systems.” Following actionable intelligence regarding their alleged involvement in hacking and accessing commercial banks’ databases, resulting in fraudulent transfers and withdrawals through a variety of digital channels,” the EFCC continued, omitting the bank’s name. The anti-graft agency said that after the investigations were finished, the suspects will face charges in court. Things you should be aware ofAfter the Commission and the parties involved have made their cases, a court with the necessary authority will decide the suspects’ fate, so the EFCC statement stays in the domain of allegations.This development coincides with an increase in fraudulent activity on Nigerian financial platforms, which caused Nigerian banks to lose N42.6 billion in three months between April and June of this year.The Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC) disclosed this in its recently published Q2 2024 Fraud and Forgeries report in September. According to LMSINT MEDIA, the sum lost in Q2 2024 alone—excluding the Q1 figures—surpassed the total amount lost to bank fraud in 2023.According to an analysis of FITC data from the previous year, banks lost N9.4 billion in total. Compared to the N468.4 million lost in Q1 2024, the Q2 loss represents an 8,993% rise on a quarterly basis. In comparison to the N5.7 billion loss reported in Q2 2023, this also signifies a 637% rise. The results from the nation’s twenty-eight (28) deposit money institutions form the basis of the FITC report. FITC reports that 80 of these refunds were received during the reviewed quarter. Additional investigation reveals that 26 reports were filed in April. whereas in May and June, there were twenty-seven (27) reports.
