True Crime with Reni

She made history as Nigeria’s first female Speaker. Four months later, she resigned in scandal. ₦628 million for houses and cars shook the country… but officially, she was never found guilty. Was Patricia Etteh corrupt, or a scapegoat?”

Nigeria’s history is filled with coups. Some were bloody, some were quiet, some never even happened but shook the nation all the same. From the first coup in 1966 to the shadowy plots under Abacha, and even rumours in the 2000s, this is the full story of every coup Nigeria has survived. Seven successful coups. Several failed attempts. Countless rumours. Who were the heroes? Who were the villains?...

Was Sani Abacha Nigeria’s most feared dictator… or a leader who brought stability? He ruled with fear, built with force, and left behind billions in stolen money. Some Nigerians still call him a hero. Others will never forgive him. What do you think?

They called him Kashimawo — ‘let us wait and see’ — because nobody thought he would survive. But he rose from selling firewood in Abeokuta to winning the freest and fairest election in Nigeria’s history. His mandate was stolen, he died behind bars, and yet his name still stands as the price Nigeria paid for democracy. This is the story of MKO Abiola — the president Nigeria never had.

From oil wells to Chanel handbags, she was Nigeria’s oil queen. The first female Petroleum Minister and even President of OPEC. But behind the designer life, investigators say billions of oil money vanished. Yachts, New York penthouses, jewellery worth $40 million, even a dramatic flight with Buhari… this story has it all. And now, with her London trial set for 2026, the world is watching. What do...

She was arrested 16 times. Flogged in public. Humiliated. Even lost her womb after brutal torture. But every time she came out, she went straight back to the streets to speak again. This was Gambo Sawaba — the Lioness of the North. A woman who refused to be silent when everyone told her to stay in the kitchen.

He had every opportunity in life: wealth, education, privilege. But on Christmas Day 2009, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to bring down a plane with a bomb sewn into his underwear. This is the story of the Nigerian ‘Underwear Bomber’… and how he ended up in America’s toughest prison. Music: purple planet

Cannibalism is one of the darkest parts of human history, but it hasn’t always meant the same thing. For some, it was survival, like the Andes crash survivors and Ethiopia’s famine. For others, it was about power and fear, from Liberian warlords such as General Butt Naked to the rebels in Sierra Leone and Congo. In some cases, it was ritual, including Clifford Orji in Lagos, the Ugep killers, Sout...

They shot at her car. Burnt down her labs. Left charms at her office door. But Dora Akunyili refused to stop. After losing her sister to fake insulin, she made it her life’s mission to fight counterfeit drugs in Nigeria. As head of NAFDAC, she took on some of the most dangerous cartels in the country, survived assassination attempts, and cut fake medicines by nearly 90%. Her courage saved countles...

He ruled Zaire for more than 30 years, building palaces in the jungle, enforcing the “Authenticité” campaign, and turning himself into a living symbol of power. Supporters saw him as a unifier. Critics saw him as a corrupt dictator. This is the rise and fall of Mobutu Sese Seko.

On July 28, 2018, a boat capsized in Rivers State. In the chaos, Joseph Blankson dove into the river again and again, rescuing 13 people. But on his 14th attempt, exhaustion claimed him…making him the only casualty of that accident. This is the story of a husband, a father, and a national hero whose courage lives on through the foundation created in his name.

December 2001. Nigeria’s Minister of Justice, Bola Ige, was shot dead in his own home… a killing that shocked the nation and left more questions than answers. Was it political enemies? A palace feud? Or powerful interests silencing him forever? This episode dives into the suspects, the confessions, and the unanswered mysteries surrounding Bola Ige’s death.

October 1986. A journalist receives a parcel at his home in Lagos. Minutes later, an explosion shakes the country. Dele Giwa’s assassination with a parcel bomb remains one of Nigeria’s greatest mysteries; with fingers pointed at powerful figures, conspiracy theories, and a truth that’s never been fully uncovered. In this episode, we piece together the facts and the rumours, and ask: who really kil...