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UPDATE: Kenya Serial Killer Confesses to 42 Murders

Kenyan police said they arrested on Monday a suspected serial killer who confessed to murdering 42 women, including his wife, and discarding their dismembered bodies in a Nairobi rubbish dump.

Since Friday, nine butchered bodies trussed up in plastic bags have been hauled from the site of an abandoned quarry in the Mukuru slum, a gruesome discovery that has horrified the nation.

Acting Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said the 33-year-old suspect, named Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, was arrested at around 3:00 am (0000 GMT) near a Nairobi bar where he had been watching the Euro 2024 football final.

“We are dealing with a serial killer, a psychopathic serial killer who has no respect for human life,” the head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Mohamed Amin told reporters. “We are dealing with a vampire, a psychopath.”

Amin said Khalusha claimed the murders took place between 2022 and July 11 this year.

“The suspect confessed to have lured, killed and disposed of 42 female bodies at the dumping site,” he added.

“Unfortunately, and this is very sad, the suspect alleged that his first victim was his wife… who he strangled to death, before dismembering her body and disposing of it at the same site.”

Police said Khalusha would appear in court on Tuesday.

– ‘Luring another victim’ –

The suspect was tracked down after analysis of one of the victim’s mobile phones, Amin said, in a joint operation by the DCI and the National Police Service.

As officers swooped, “he was in the process of luring another victim”, Amin said.

Khalusha had confessed to having had “carnal knowledge” with some of his victims, he added.

Officers searched his one-room house, located just 100 metres (300 feet) from where the bodies were found, discovering a machete, nylon sacks, rope, a pair of industrial rubber gloves — as well as a “pink female handbag”, and “two female panties”.

The areas will remain “active crime scenes”, Amin said, promising a thorough investigation.

Nine mutilated and dismembered bodies have so far been retrieved from the crime scene, according to police, with Kanja saying autopsies on the victims would be carried out on Monday. Eight have been confirmed to be female.

A second suspect who was caught with a phone belonging to one of the victims has also been arrested, Amin said.

After the discovery of the bodies, Kenya’s State Department For Gender and Affirmative Action on Sunday condemned the “horrific act” and urged more action against gender-based violence.

In 2022 the East African country recorded 725 femicide cases according to a UN report, the highest number since data collection began in 2015.

– Police under the spotlight –

The dumped bodies have thrown yet another spotlight on Kenyan police and added more pressure on President William Ruto, who is struggling to contain a crisis over widespread anti-government protests that saw dozens of demonstrators killed.

Kenya’s police watchdog, the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA), said Friday it was looking into whether there was any police involvement in the bodies found in the dump, noting the dumpsite was just 100 metres from a police station.

IPOA was also investigating if there had been a “failure to act to prevent” the grisly killings.

Kanja told reporters on Sunday that all officers at the nearby police post had been transferred.

Still, tensions ran high at the crime scene over the weekend, as volunteers combed through the vast piles of rubbish in search of more victims with officers briefly firing tear gas to disperse the crowds.

Kenyan police are often accused by rights groups of using excessive force and carrying out unlawful killings or running hit squads, but few have faced justice.

The Mukuru killings follow the so-called “Shakahola Forest Massacre,” when the bodies of some 400 members of a doomsday cult were discovered in mass graves near the coast last year.

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Labour Party Dismisses Allegations of Partnership with Tinubu for 2027 Elections

The Labour Party (LP) has refuted claims circulating on social media that its leadership is collaborating with President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The allegations stem from a video where activist Deji Adeyanju alleged that the LP had entered into a partnership with Tinubu in preparation for the next presidential poll.

In a statement released on Friday, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Mr. Obiora Ifoh, categorically denied the claims, emphasizing that the party remains committed to its role as a leading opposition force in Nigeria.

“The Labour Party has repeatedly and firmly denied any understanding or collaboration with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) regarding the 2027 elections,” Ifoh said.

He highlighted the party’s consistent criticism of the current administration under the leadership of its National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure. “Our chairman has been at the forefront of opposing the government, critiquing its policies, and offering constructive solutions,” Ifoh stated.

The Labour Party, he noted, has undertaken several initiatives to strengthen its position as a credible opposition, including:Establishing an Electoral Reform Committee to advocate for credible, fair, and transparent electoral processes.

Creating a Political Education Committee to reorient citizens towards a more positive and informed approach to politics.

Launching an e-membership registration platform to deepen participatory democracy, which has already attracted thousands of subscribers.

“These efforts are aimed at repositioning the Labour Party as a formidable political force,” Ifoh said, describing the allegations as baseless and damaging.

He challenged Adeyanju and others making similar claims to provide concrete evidence of any alleged collaboration between the Labour Party and Tinubu or the APC.

“It is both irresponsible and absurd to attempt to tarnish the image of a party dedicated to reforming Nigeria’s political landscape,” Ifoh concluded.

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71% of households affected by food price hike – NBS

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says the most prevalent shock affecting households across Nigeria is the price increases on major food items.

The NBS said 71 per cent of households reported this shock.

The NBS disclosed this in its General Household Survey-Panel (GHS-Panel) Wave 5 2023/2024 unveiled in Abuja.

The report said urban households experienced the shock of food price increases at 75.5 per cent more than rural households at 68.9 per cent.

It said the issue was most pronounced in the South-East and South-South zones at 83.6 per cent and 79.3 per cent, respectively.

“In general, the data indicate that price hikes on essential goods are a major concern for households nationwide.”

The report revealed the other top most common economic shocks were increase in price of oil and fuel at 52 per cent, and increase in prices of other fuels at 32.2 per cent.

“This was followed by increase in price of farming/business inputs at 28.8 per cent, floods at 8.8 per cent, droughts at 5.8 per cent, and pest and plant disease at 5.7 per cent.

“Shortage/scarcity of petrol at 5.3 per cent, irregular rains at 4.7 per cent and very high temperatures (>40°C) at 4.7 per cent.”

It said these households dealt with shocks in a variety of ways, but the main coping mechanism was reducing food consumption at 48. 8 per cent.

“To cushion shock effects, some households also received assistance from friends and family at 36.1 per cent and reduced purchased quantities compared to the last at 32.6 per cent.

“In contrast, a significant proportion of households did nothing to deal with the shocks at 28.3 per cent.”

The report revealed that only 4.0 per cent of households nationwide received safety-net assistance, a decline compared to GHS-Panel Wave 4 at 10. 4 per cent.

The report showed that households in the urban areas had a higher coverage of receiving assistance at 5.2 per cent compared to rural areas which has a coverage of 3.5 per cent.

“Also households in the urban areas had a stronger reliance on cash assistance at 60.5 per cent compared to the rural areas at 49.6 per cent.”

The report said at the zonal level, the South-South and North-West zones recorded the highest share of households with safety nets at 6.7 per cent and 5.6 per cent, respectively.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the GHS-Panel is Nigeria’s nationally representative longitudinal household survey which commenced in 2010 and the NBS has implemented five waves of the survey.

The panel nature of the data enables tracking household-level changes in critical areas of welfare, work, and socio-economic outcomes over time, yielding insights for policy. 

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Supreme Court nullifies National Lottery Act

The Supreme Court has nullified the National Lottery Act 2005 enacted by the National Assembly, declaring it unconstitutional.

The apex court in a unanimous decision delivered by a seven-member panel on Friday held that the National Assembly lacks the authority to legislate on matters related to lotteries and games of chance, as such powers reside exclusively with state Houses of Assembly.

Justice Mohammed Idris, who delivered the lead judgement, ordered that the National Lottery Act 2005 should no longer be enforced in any state except the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where the National Assembly is constitutionally empowered to make laws.

This judgement arises from a suit filed in 2008 by Lagos State and several other states, challenging the constitutionality of the Act.

The court’s decision reinforces the federal principle of states’ autonomy over certain legislative matters.

Details later.

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How DSS arrested fake NGO leader

Officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) Thursday in Abuja arrested one Kennedy Tabukoi for allegedly leading an unregistered Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), the Niger Delta Development Initiative (NDDI), to blackmail certain high-profile officials of government.

According to security sources, when such government officials fail to meet Tabukoi’s demands, he resorts to organising other unsuspecting groups to lead protest marches against government officials.

One such protest march was held Thursday morning at the National Assembly gate, where Tabukoi led several groups to protest against what he claimed were moves by the federal lawmakers to stall a probe of the petroleum sector.

The sources confirmed that, unknown to Tabukoi, security operatives had been on his trail after certain officials of government reported the several attempts he made to allegedly blackmail them into parting with huge sums of money and contracts, “or risk being embarrassed.”

A security source said, “That man Tabukoi had been boasting to friends and members of his syndicate that, as a Niger Deltan activist, he would use his NGO to deal with any government official who didn’t do his bidding.

“Unknown to him, it was the same people he had been intimidating with claims of how much he would make from top government officials in Abuja that tipped off the DSS that he had no NGO and that he was merely using impersonation to blackmail such government officials.”

“When we invited Tabukoi, he didn’t waste time in corroborating the claims of his so-called friends. He said he was aware that several Niger Deltans made money from activism, reason he was in the process of raising money to register his own NGO.”

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IPOB disowns Simon Ekpa

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has disowned Simon Ekpa

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Friday disowned Simon Ekpa, the self-acclaimed Prime Minister of Biafra Government in Exile (BRGIE), who was arrested in Finland alongside four others over terror-related activities.

According to the Finnish Police, Ekpa was arrested “on suspicion of public incitement to commit a crime with terrorist intent,” while the four others were arrested “for financing a terrorist crime”.

In a statement released on Friday, IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, accused Ekpa of recruiting violent criminals to destabilize the South East Region.

IPOB also disowned Ekpa, stating that he has never been a registered member of the group.

“Contrary to the deliberate and malicious misinformation from the Neo colonialist news agency, the BBC, that Simon Ekpa is an IPOB leader. Simon Ekpa has never and is not an IPOB member, let alone being a leader in IPOB,” Powerful said.

“IPOB has some family units in Finland, and Simon Ekpa is not a registered member of any IPOB unit in Finland or any other IPOB unit globally. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu established IPOB as a peaceful movement to seek Biafra Independence via a supervised UN referendum.

“IPOB is a peaceful global movement that has never taken to violence or arms struggle in two decades of our self-determination struggle. Even though the various murderous government regimes in Nigeria have provoked us, we have remained resolutely peaceful.

“It was unfortunate that some innocent Biafrans being passionate for the restoration of the stolen sovereignty of the Biafran Nation, thought that Simon Ekpa was genuinely sympathetic to the Biafra course. Sadly, they had to learn the hard way that he was a destructive agent paid to infiltrate and destroy the IPOB peaceful movement for Biafra self-determination.

“He recruited violent criminals to destabilize the South East Region in 2021. He is a self-acclaimed prime minister of a small, criminally minded group called the Biafra Government in Exile (BGIE). The infamous BGIE, led by Simon Ekpa, created a violent group that called itself the Biafra Liberation Army.”

Powerful accused Ekpa’s BRGIE group and the Nigerian Army of being responsible “for many kidnappings, rapes, forceful disappearances, killings, and burning of homes in the South Eastern region.”

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NEC sets up National Electrification Committee to end grid collapse

NEC has set up a National Electrification Committee to end the frequent collapse of Nigeria’s power grid

The National Economic Council (NEC) has in its resolve to end the frequent collapse of Nigeria’s power grid set up a National Electrification Committee.

The Vice President, Kashim Shettima who is the chairman of NEC disclosed this in a post he shared on his official X account on Thursday night.

“The National Economic Council (NEC) has resolved to reinforce implementation of the National Electrification Strategy in a bid to end the collapse of the nation’s power grid,” the post read.

“This is just as Vice President, Kashim Shettima who is the chairman of NEC told members of the council that access to energy is a fundamental right and not a privilege because electricity is the oxygen of economic growth.”

Accordingly, the council has constituted a committee on National Electrification to help address the challenges in the power sector.

The formation of the committee was among decisions taken by NEC at the end of its 146th meeting on Thursday chaired by Shettima at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The committee headed by Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu is to work towards deepening states’ engagements within the Electricity Reform Act 2023 and the National Electrification Strategy and Implementation Plan.

VP Shettima added that the private sector distributed renewable energy generation is vital to increasing electricity access across Nigeria.

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