Metro
SAD! Bandits abduct nine Catholic worshippers during vigil
Gunmen have abducted nine worshippers of Saint John’s Catholic Church, Ojije, Utonkon District of Ado Local Government Area, Benue State.
The victims were reportedly whisked away on Sunday during a vigil in the church premises.
A former councillor representing Ukwuenyo Ward in the Ado local government legislative council, Emmanuel Udah, confirmed the incident on Monday.
In a telephone conversation with Channels Television, Udah described the abduction as “a targeted and planned crime against the Church, when innocent worshippers were at the most sacred ground, a place of worship, a place for peace, and refuge, only to be abducted, while praying, vulnerable and unarmed”.
He explained that people of the area were traumatised by the incident, adding that they no longer feel safe.
Udah, therefore, asked the authorities to beef up security and nip the continuous attacks in Benue State in the bud.
He lamented what he described as the growing sense of abandonment by government at all levels, even after many such incidents had been reported across communities in Benue.
“The people of Utonkon are living in fear, families are broken, children are traumatised, farmers, traders, worshippers, are all trapped as no one feels safe anymore in our land.
“This incident is not isolated; it reflects a growing pattern of insecurity that rural communities in Benue State continue to endure in silence and neglect. We are raising our voices because silence will kill us all,” the former councillor stated.
While calling on the government to do all it can to rescue the Nine worshippers abducted from Saint John’s Catholic Church, Ojije, Udah urged the Church and international community to rise up in defence of the persecuted.
“Religious bodies, civil society organizations, human-rights groups, and the international community should speak out and stand with us.
“We are not asking for sympathy alone. We are asking for attention, protection, and justice. Let the world know that Utonkon matters,” he added.
Confirming the abduction, spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, Udeme Edet, said nine worshippers were abducted.
She noted that the state Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, had deployed tactical units working with local vigilantes to track down the abductors and rescue the victims, noting that the police are on the trail of the perpetrators of the attack.
The traditional ruler of Mbajiir in Tongov, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State, has been abducted and murdered by armed men.
According to Vanguard, the deceased, Zaki Sughter Agamber, was abducted on March 6, 2026, by suspected gunmen at Kam Village in Tongov, an incident that left residents of the community in shock and fear.
Sources in the area said the traditional ruler was taken away from his home in the presence of his family by the armed men.
The monarch’s lifeless body was later discovered the following day in a nearby bush, sparking anger and grief among residents and traditional institutions in the area.
The source stated that “no group has so far claimed responsibility for the killing, while the motive behind the attack remains unclear.”
The development has drawn widespread condemnation, including the Benue State House of Assembly, which strongly condemned the abduction and subsequent killing of the Kindred Head, describing the incident as barbaric and unacceptable.
The House described the murder as a grave threat to traditional institutions and community leadership.
The Assembly reached the resolution during plenary presided over by the Speaker, Alfred Emberga.
The lawmakers called on security agencies, including the Nigeria Police, Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), to intensify efforts to track down those behind the crime.
Metro
Court Remands Four Police Officers in Kirikiri Over Alleged Killing of Traders in Lagos Market
An Ebute Metta Chief Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday ordered the remand of four officers of the Nigeria Police Force accused of shooting and killing traders at the Owode Onirin International Spare Parts Market in Lagos.
The defendants Manu Bala, Jibrin Samaila, Ibrahim Garuba, and Ibrahim Kashimu were ordered to be held at the Kirikiri Custodial Centre pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
The four officers are facing a seven-count charge that includes conspiracy and murder.
During the court proceedings, the police prosecutor, O. W. Ologun, told the court that the alleged offences occurred on August 27, 2025, at about 9 a.m. at the bustling spare parts market in Owode Onirin.
According to the prosecutor, the defendants allegedly conspired with other suspects who are still at large to carry out the attack on traders at the market.
Ologun further alleged that the suspects used AK-47 rifles to open fire on several traders at the market, resulting in multiple deaths.
“The defendants and others at large conspired and shot several traders to death with AK-47 rifles,” the prosecutor told the court.
The charge sheet filed by the Nigeria Police Force, through the Commissioner of Police, listed six victims who were allegedly killed during the incident. They were identified as Bamidele Dare Mufutau, Adebayo Adewale Mathew, Adeoye Taiye, Abraham Idowu Temilola, Akinboye Oluwaseyi Olamilekan, and Akeem Aderemi Adeoye.
The prosecutor informed the court that the alleged offences contravened Sections 223 and 233 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
He explained that the suspects were brought before the court primarily to obtain a remand order while awaiting legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions, which will determine whether sufficient evidence exists to establish a prima facie case against them.
“The advice will determine whether a prima facie case has been established against them,” Ologun added.
However, defence counsel Azuri Ejiofor urged the court to reject the prosecution’s request for remand. He argued that the accused officers had already spent more than five months in detention before their arraignment.
Despite the objection, the court ruled that the defendants should remain in custody at the Kirikiri Custodial Centre pending further legal advice from the DPP.
Jihadi extremist groups, including Boko Haram and one of its factions, have been blamed for intensified attacks on military bases in Nigeria’s north-east in the past week.
At least two officers and several soldiers have been killed in the attacks across parts of the region, as security analysts say the assaults demonstrate a remarkable level of coordination by the insurgents.
Over the weekend, Islamic extremists launched at least six attacks in Borno and Yobe states and across the wider Lake Chad region.
According to security reports, the attackers carted away trucks and military hardware from the targeted bases.
The Nigerian military said the attacks between Sunday and Monday were an attempt by terrorists to overwhelm troop positions.
Maj-Gen Sani Uba, military spokesperson, said the troops lost an unspecified number of soldiers and a military officer during the assaults.
Uba said the casualties add to the deaths of several soldiers and at least one officer recorded earlier in the week.
Security analysts estimate that at least four military officers have been killed in the attacks within the period.
The latest attacks have triggered public anger, with some Nigerians accusing the administration of President Bola Tinubu of focusing on political considerations ahead of the next presidential election.
Observers say although ISWAP has increased attacks on military positions in recent months, the recent wave marks one of the first times the group has carried out simultaneous assaults on such a scale in the region.
Videos released by ISWAP showed weapons, ammunition, motorcycles and vehicles which the group claimed were seized during the raids.
Taiwo Adebayo, analyst at the Institute for Security Studies, said insurgents often target military camps to replenish their weapons stock.
He said: “When they hit those camps, they strip the base of weapons, burn it down and retreat into the forests.”
Malik Samuel, Nigerian security researcher with Good Governance Africa, said the vulnerability of military bases has enabled insurgents to restock their weapons.
He said: “As long as military bases remain vulnerable to being overrun, ISWAP does not need to spend money buying arms.”
The attacks are occurring despite increased security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States.
At least 100 US troops have been deployed to assist the Nigerian military with training and logistics under a new security partnership.
Adebayo said the insurgents benefit from the limited presence of security forces and government institutions in many conflict-prone areas.
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