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Tragedy struck Sati-Ikov Council Ward in Ushongo Local Government Area of Benue State after armed men reportedly ambushed mourners returning from a burial ceremony, killing three persons and abducting two others.

Residents who spoke on Sunday said the attack occurred on Saturday night when the victims were returning home from a burial event in the community, plunging the area into fear and tension.

One resident, who spoke anonymously for safety reasons, said the attackers laid an ambush close to the community and opened fire on the unsuspecting mourners.

“Some mourners who were returning from a burial were attacked close to our community, Sati-Ikov, on Saturday night by local militias. Three of them were killed, and two others, a male and a female, were kidnapped,” the source said.

The attack has since been confirmed by the lawmaker representing Ushongo Constituency in the Benue State House of Assembly, Simon Gabo, who condemned the recurring violence in the area.

Gabo described the situation as disturbing, noting that the constituency has been experiencing repeated attacks in recent weeks.

“I received a call from my people at about 4 am that they went for a burial and on their way back, they ran into armed men,” he said.

“The armed men shot and killed three of them and collected their bags. They also robbed some residents and kidnapped two people. The victims were all young men.”

He identified the deceased as Bem Msughter of Mbakyombo, Daav-Ikov; Aondo Chia of Mbamegh, Daa-Ikov; and Sunday Terwase of Mbakyor, Daav-Ikov.

The abducted victims were named as Aondongu Amos, a Point-of-Sale (POS) operator, and Mrs Arinze, an Igbo patent medicine dealer in the community.

Gabo, who also serves as Deputy Majority Chief Whip of the Assembly, lamented that his constituency had become a recurring hotspot for violent attacks.

He added that similar incidents had occurred just weeks earlier, leaving several residents dead.

“Apart from that, we have had one or two such incidents every other week,” he said.

The lawmaker alleged that the attackers often cross from neighbouring areas before striking and retreating into forested and mountainous terrain believed to provide cover for criminal activities.

“So they cross from there to our side, attack and return to their side. It is a mountainous area with large forests,” he explained, adding that the suspects were believed to operate from Katsina-Ala Local Government Area.

He further said he had reported the incident to security agencies, noting that police personnel had already been deployed to the area.

However, the Benue State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement on the incident as of the time of filing this report.

The latest attack adds to growing concerns over persistent insecurity in parts of Benue State, where rural communities continue to suffer repeated assaults and abductions.

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Gunmen suspected to be bandits on Wednesday abducted the Head of the Medical Services, General Hospital, New Bussa in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, Dr. Tony Eghagagara.

The spokesman for the state police command, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday in Minna.

Abiodun said Eghagagara was kidnapped at 9:30 p.m. by the hoodlums in his private hospital in Wawa, also in Borgu LGA.

He added that a police tactical team had been mobilised for the rescue operation.

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The Nigeria Police Force on Friday said it has dismantled a notorious armed robbery syndicate in Kaduna State, arresting a dismissed soldier and two other suspects.

The suspects, identified as Abubakar Musa, 36; Hassan Umar, 30; and Joshua Raphael, 20, were apprehended by operatives of the Force Intelligence Department – Special Tactical Squad (FID-STS) on March 16, 2026.

Announcing in a statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Okon Placid, it disclosed that the ringleader, Musa, is a dismissed Army Corporal who had been posing as a serving personnel to facilitate the gang’s criminal operations.

Placid said, “Preliminary investigations revealed that the principal suspect, Abubakar Musa, is a dismissed Corporal of the Nigerian Army who has been impersonating a serving soldier to evade detection while carrying out armed robbery operations with his accomplices.”

According to the police, the syndicate specialized in snatching vehicles and altering their registration details to prevent tracking by the original owners or security agencies.

Items recovered from the suspects include ten vehicles of various brands. Among the recovered fleet are Toyota Hilux trucks, Toyota Corolla cars, a Toyota RAV4 SUV, a Lexus car, a Pontiac Vibe GT, and a Honda vehicle.

The police noted that several of the vehicles were discovered without registration numbers at the time of the recovery.

The Force PRO added that efforts are currently being intensified to arrest other fleeing members of the gang.

“Investigations are ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate and recover additional exhibits,” the statement added.

The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, commended the operatives for the breakthrough and reiterated the Force’s commitment to protecting the lives and property of Nigerians.