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Again, Bandits Attack In Benue, Abduct Six Passengers, Demand ₦100 Million Ransom

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5 months ago

February 18, 2026

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Armed bandits have again abducted six travellers along the Makurdi-Naka road in Gwer West Local Government of Benue State.

The development comes barely one week after 23 persons, including nine worshipers, were abducted at separate incidents in Ado and Okpokwu LGs of the state.

According to The Sun, the latest incident happened at the early hours of Tuesday, February 17 2026, at Kula village, about a 20-minute drive to Makurdi, the state capital.

A relative of one of the victims, who didn’t want to be named for fear of attacks, said the victims left Ilorin enroute Makurdi on Monday, “And when it was night, they spent the night in Ankpa, Kogi state due to insecurity along the road.

He said “They were seven in the vehicle and left Ankpa early hours of today (Tuesday) but their vehicle was intercepted at Kula village about 20 minutes drive to Makurdi.

“One of the passengers escaped while the six others, three males and three females were whisked away by the kidnappers.”

The source said the suspected kidnappers have demanded ₦100 million ransom for the release of the six victims.

Confirming the incident, Chairman of Gwer West Local Government, Victor Omnin said the incident happened early hours of Tuesday along Naka/Makurdi road.

The chairman said, “It’s true, I have confirmed the abduction of the people. I was told that the incident happened around 5am this morning, they said the people were going on convoy before they ran into bandits who abducted some of them.

“The incident happened closed to Makurdi but along Naka/Makurdi road. I don’t have the number of people abducted.”

However, Ebonyi State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO)DSP Udeme Edet said the command was yet to receive the report.

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Senator Wadada promises to deepen legislative ties, stop inactivity

Published

2 hours ago

July 9, 2026

EMMANUEL AGAJI

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The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs, Senator Aliyu Wadada has promised to revive the committee’s activities after acknowledging concerns over its prolonged inactivity.

Wadada spoke on Thursday at the end of the committee’s meeting in Abuja.

Specifically, the chairman admitted that the committee had been underutilised, noting that it had met only once in the last three years.

He, however, said issues responsible for the situation had been identified during a closed-door session and would be addressed.

“Of course I feel concerned about it, but when we got into the details in a closed-door meeting, we got to know where the problems are, and they will all be taken care of. The committee will be as active as it should always be,” he said.

Commenting further, the chairman said the committee would focus on its core mandate of promoting and strengthening legislative relations between Nigeria’s National Assembly and parliamentary bodies across the world.

According to him, the committee will deepen engagement with regional and international legislative institutions, including the ECOWAS Parliament, the Pan-African Parliament, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), and other parliamentary organisations.

He disclosed that a new work plan had already been developed to guide the committee’s activities.

He added: “The direction is basically around the responsibilities of the committee, which is to promote and deepen legislative relationship within Nigeria and with other legislative bodies around the world”.

The chairman added that the committee’s first major activity would be a courtesy visit to the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament in Nigeria as part of efforts to strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation.

SINL NIgeria Online reports that Senator Wadada assured that the public would be kept informed of the committee’s activities as the new work plan is implemented.

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Just in: FG jerks up salaries soldiers to N100k monthly

Published

2 hours ago

July 9, 2026

EMMANUEL AGAJI

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The Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, has revealed that the minimum monthly salary of Nigerian soldiers has increased to N100,000 after the Federal Government reviewed their welfare package.

Musa made the disclosure during an interview with News Central ahead of his appearance on the NC Exclusive programme.

He said the adjustment was part of efforts by the government to improve the living conditions of military personnel.

Executive Branch

The former Chief of Defence Staff, however, said the country’s defence sector still requires more funding despite the improvement in soldiers’ earnings and welfare.

He stated that the current defence budget remains inadequate, adding that more resources are needed to effectively support the armed forces and their operations.

Musa explained that soldiers who previously earned about N49,000 monthly now receive at least N100,000 following the salary review carried out by the government.

The minister also called for tougher punishment for kidnappers, saying stronger measures are needed to reduce the increasing cases of abduction across Nigeria.