Bandits abduct Emir’s 4 wives, children, burn vehicles in Kwara

Kwara latest abduction

Armed bandits attacked Yashikira town in Baruten local government area of Kwara State early yesterday around 12 to 1am, abducting four wives and several children of the Emir of Yashikira, Umar Seriki, and setting his vehicles ablaze. According to multiple local sources, the gunmen stormed the community in large numbers at dawn, shooting sporadically into the air to create panic and prevent resistance. The attackers went straight to the Emir’s palace, overpowered local security, and carried out the abductions before fleeing into nearby forests. “As of this time of writing,…

Read More

Ex-Gov.’s aide linked to kidnap syndicate in Katsina 

Katsina ex Gov.'s aide

The Katsina State government has clarified that the former Senior Special Assistant (SSA), to Governor Dikko Umaru Raɗɗa on Community Development, who was recently linked to a kidnapping syndicate, was suspended before the incident unfolded. According to reports, the former SSA was recently accused of masterminding the abduction of an eight-year-old boy in the Katsina metropolis. Reacting to the matter in an issued statement yesterday, the State Commissioner of Information and Culture, Bala Salisu Zango, clarified that Garwa was suspended before the allegation.  The statement claimed Garwa was suspended over…

Read More

“Tinubu’s Govt. lack the guts to fight insecurity” – Primate Ayodele

Primate Ayodele on insecurity

Leader of the INRI evangelical spiritual church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has criticised the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the country’s security situation, alleging that the government lacks the courage to decisively confront insecurity. His remarks come amid ongoing national debates over terrorism, banditry, kidnappings, and other security challenges facing different parts of Nigeria. Ayodele, in a statement issued through his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, claimed that the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government and security agencies were aware of the individuals and networks behind insecurity but had failed to act…

Read More

‘Nigeria records 2.2m kidnappings, ₦2.2tr ransom payments in 1yr’ – Report

Report on 9ja kidnappings

…As ₦65.9tr debt surge raise fresh concerns Nigeria is facing mounting concerns over worsening insecurity and rising public debt, with fresh figures suggesting a deepening strain on both the nation’s economy and social stability. A security expert, Prof. Aremu Oyesoji revealed that the country recorded about 2.2 million kidnapping incidents within a year, with ransom payments estimated at ₦2.2 trillion, describing the development as evidence of an expanding “ransom economy” fuelled by banditry, kidnapping syndicates and insurgent networks. Speaking during a public lecture organised by the Social Sciences Students’ Association…

Read More

Bandits invade Kwara community prayer ground, kill worshippers, abduct scores

Bandits invade Kwara community

Panic and fear have swept through parts of Ekiti local government area of Kwara State, following fresh attacks by suspected armed bandits that left several people dead, many injured and dozens abducted in separate assaults on communities and worshippers. The latest wave of violence has heightened concerns over worsening insecurity across Kwara-South, where residents have faced increasing incidents of kidnappings and deadly attacks in recent months. In one of the attacks, gunmen reportedly stormed a remote prayer ground at Ori-Oke Ajaiye, on the outskirts of Ikiran Village, on Friday night…

Read More

“Northern insecurity worse than many realise” – German University Don 

German University Don

A lecturer of Nigerian extraction at the University of Cologne in Germany, Dr. Muhsin Ibrahim, has raised concern over the worsening security situation in Northern Nigeria, stating that many Nigerians appear more focused on  politics than the growing wave of violence across the region. Dr. Muhsin, who hails from Kano State, made the remarks in a Facebook post yesterday, after reading several reports on insecurity published by an online news platform. According to him, the reports detailed attacks on schools, abductions of travellers and students, as well as ambushes on…

Read More

“Military action alone can’t end banditry, terrorism in North” – Sir. A’Bello Foundation

A'Bello Foundation on insecurity

The Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation (SABMF) says military operations alone cannot sustainably end insecurity in Northern Nigeria without strong grassroots intelligence, data-driven coordination and institutional collaboration. The Foundation made the position known during its ‘May 2026 Monthly Online Mentorship Programme’, which was held on Saturday. The programme, themed: ‘An Evidence-Based Solution to the Northern Insecurity Challenges: For Regional Unity, Peace and Development’, focused on practical strategies for addressing the region’s persistent security challenges. Speaking at the event, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of SABMF, Abubakar Umar, said sustainable…

Read More

12 abducted passengers rescued by Police in Ondo

Police rescue in Ondo

Ondo State Police Command has said it has rescued 12 persons abducted by kidnappers in Isua Akoko, headquarters of Akoko South-East local government area of the state. The Command’s spokesperson, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, disclosed this in a statement yesterday. According to him, the victims were kidnapped in the early hours of yesterday, after two commercial buses travelling from Benue State to Ibadan were intercepted by armed men. He said, “The Command received a distress report at about 01.30hrs that two commercial Hummer buses conveying passengers from Benue State en-route Ibadan…

Read More

Kaduna: Bandits demand ₦1bn, 35 motorcycles to release 37 victims kidnapped from churches – Community

Kaduna bandits demand

Residents of Ariko community in Kachia local government area of Kaduna State have cried out to the federal and state governments to urgently secure the release of 37 worshippers abducted during Easter Sunday attacks on churches in the area. The bandits are demanding N1bn from the affected community before releasing the 37 kidnapped people that have been in captivity since Easter Sunday. President of the Kuturmi Development Association (KUDA), Dr. Joseph David Ariko, told newsmen that the community cannot afford to meet the ₦1 billion ransom and 35 motorcycles demanded…

Read More

Oyo School Attack: “Gunmen are armed criminal networks” – DHQ

DHQ on Oyo school attack

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has issued a fresh update on the recent attack on a school in Oyo State, stating that the armed men responsible are criminal groups operating within forested areas in the South-West, rather than members of any organised terrorist organisation. The military explained that current intelligence and ongoing field operations suggest the attackers are part of loosely connected kidnapping and armed robbery networks that have been exploiting remote forest corridors to carry out attacks on vulnerable communities. The DHQ reaffirmed that joint security operations are ongoing, involving…

Read More