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After one week in captivity, bandits have established contact with the families of the abducted farmers from Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State, demanding ₦94 million for their release.

The Chairman of Mariga Local Government Area, Alhaji Aliyu Bagga Muhamadu, who disclosed the latest development, said the kidnappers had contacted relatives of some of the victims, and they are demanding ₦2 million for each of the victims.

The victims, who were mostly women, were reportedly abducted from farms around Tungan Rimi in Ma’undu-Beri Ward of the council area on 26th September while harvesting groundnut.

They were engaged by a farmer under “harvest and get your share” arrangements when the incident occurred.

The chairman also disclosed that information reaching the council indicates that one of the abducted women had given birth while in captivity.

He said security personnel, supported by local vigilantes, had been mobilised to rescue the victims.

However, the Niger State Police Command gave a lower preliminary figure, saying only 20 people were abducted at Mukura village, Kasuwan-Garba district, on September 26, 2026, and that joint security rescue efforts were ongoing.

However, no member of the victims’ families could be reached for their reaction at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, since the incident occurred a week ago, there has not been any official statement from the state government.

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Chuks Nwanne, general manager of The Guardian’s Abuja operations and former Saturday editor, has died.

Eniola Daniel, senior multimedia reporter at The Guardian, announced Nwanne’s death in an X post on Saturday.

TheCable understands that Nwanne died on Saturday after a protracted illness.

Daniel described Nwanne as a “prolific entertainment writer” and his teacher, saying he would be deeply missed.

Finally, Daniel expressed condolences to Nwanne’s family, describing his death as a loss to Ogbunike, Anambra, the music and entertainment industry, and journalism.

Below are a few things about the late journalist;

Nwanne, a native of Ogbunike in Oyi LGA of Anambra State, joined The Guardian in 2008 as an entertainment reporter.

He later became editorial assistant at The Guardian Life Magazine, the newspaper’s weekly lifestyle publication.

He also served as assistant editor, entertainment and lifestyle, while overseeing The Guardian’s youth, travel, and tourism sections on Saturdays.

Nwanne had a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, and a master’s degree in communication studies from Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Lagos.

He attended several training programmes and conferences in Nigeria and abroad.

Beyond journalism, Nwanne was the founder and creative director of the Ogbunike Cave Carnival, an annual three-day cultural festival established to promote the Ogbunike Cave, a major tourist attraction in Nigeria.

He was married and had three children.

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The Osun State Government has said it has filed an application before the Federal High Court in Lagos seeking to set aside the ex parte order restricting transactions on accounts operated by the state government over a $13.9 million arbitration award in favour of Gamji Nigeria Company Limited.

The government also assured the public that it had commenced necessary legal steps to vacate the order and protect the state’s interests through a judicial review of the arbitration award.

In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, the government described the order as having been obtained through what it called non-disclosure of material facts to the court.

According to the statement, the arbitration award Gamji sought to enforce was also allegedly affected by several irregularities, prompting the state government’s legal team to approach the Lagos State High Court to challenge the award.

The government said the ex parte order of September 9, 2026 referenced an alleged arbitral award, but maintained that no such award was made against the state government in July 2024.

It clarified that the only arbitral award against the state government was issued in July 2026 and that the award was already being challenged by the government before the Lagos State High Court.

The government traced the dispute to a 2017 contract awarded during the administration of former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola. It said the administration rejected a variation request by Gamji, particularly over the company’s claim that the state was indebted to it in the sum of $15,982,638.22.

The matter subsequently proceeded to arbitration, which the state government alleged was improperly handled in favour of Gamji, while the state was denied a fair hearing and full participation in the process.

The government said its legal team had already filed a suit at the Lagos State High Court on September 1, 2026, seeking to set aside the arbitral award before Gamji approached the Federal High Court.

It added that a motion on notice seeking to suspend enforcement of the award pending the determination of the suit was also filed and served on Gamji and its counsel.

According to the state government, Gamji was therefore aware that the award was being challenged before a competent court when it approached the Federal High Court to seek enforcement.

The government further alleged that Gamji failed to disclose to the Federal High Court that the validity of the award was already being challenged before the Lagos State High Court and that the company had been served with an application seeking to suspend enforcement pending the determination of the case.

The state government disclosed that it had also filed a motion on notice seeking to set aside the September 9 order and informed the Federal High Court of the circumstances surrounding the arbitration proceedings and the pending challenge.

It, however, said it would refrain from making further comments on the merits of the case because the matter remains sub judice.