The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora has confirmed that children and staff abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic Schools, Papiri in Niger State have been rescued and reunited with their families. Catholic Diocese of Kontagora and Properitor of St. Mary Catholic Private Primary and Secondary School, Rev. Bulus Ýohanna, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday. He…
Olle community in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi has come under attack following an invasion by suspected bandits on friday killing two and abducted several people along farm routes in the area. According to report, the bandits struck residents on their way to their farms, killing at least two people during the assault. The…
The federal government, through the Attorney-General of the Federation and minister of justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has opposed a proposal by the Senate to amend Nigeria’s anti-terrorism law to impose the death penalty for kidnapping-related offences. Fagbemi warned that the proposal could undermine Nigeria’s cooperation with international partners in counter-terrorism efforts. He said countries that oppose…
Suspected bandits have killed a former Vice Chairman of Bukkuyyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Hon. Mu’azu Muhammad Gwashi, despite collecting a ₦15 million ransom from his family. The Guardian gathered that Gwashi was abducted about five months ago and held in captivity until he was murdered last weekend. Confirming the incident in a…
An Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced four men to death by hanging for the kidnapping of a 62-year-old retired ExxonMobil staff member, Idongesit Demas Udom, and the amputation of his hand after collecting a ₦5 million ransom. The convicts—Chinatu Iwe Abraham, 38, from Isiala Ngwa, Abia State; William ThankGod Sunday,…
Islamic cleric Sheikh Gumi has described the kidnapping of schoolchildren as a “lesser evil” compared to killing soldiers, insisting that Nigeria must negotiate with bandits to prevent greater bloodshed. Speaking in an interview with the BBC shared on Tuesday, Gumi said that while the abduction of minors is “evil,” it remains less grievous than murder…
The police have killed two members of an interstate kidnapping syndicate and arrested seven others in Gombe state. The arrest of the members of the syndicate was announced in a statement by the spokesman of Gombe command, DSP Buhari Abdullahi, on Friday. Abdullahi said operatives of the command on Nov. 23, detained a 40-year-old suspect…
Two Chinese nationals working on a major road construction project in Kwara State have been abducted by gunmen, authorities confirmed on Friday. The incident occurred on Monday at the Bode Saadu–Kaiama–Kosubosu road project site in Ejidongari, Moro Local Government Area. Witnesses said the attackers, masked and heavily armed, stormed the area and fired multiple rounds…
Former Senate leader and 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo, Teslim Folarin, on Thursday, expressed concern over the abduction of Hon. Adewale Oriade, a member of the party in Ibadan. Mr Folarin, in a Facebook post, described Mr Oriade’s abduction as an “unacceptable and a painful reminder of the growing insecurity…
The Senate on Tuesday passed for second reading a landmark bill seeking to designate kidnapping and hostage-taking as acts of terrorism, impose the death penalty on offenders, and empower security agencies to trace and forfeit assets linked to the crime. The bill, titled Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, 2025 (SB.969), was sponsored by Senate…