The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has strongly denied reports linking it to the alleged kidnapping of a 12-year-old girl in Rivers state, describing the claims as false, malicious, and a figment of the writer’s imagination.

In a statement issued by the Service’s Public Relations Officer, Umar Abubakar, the NCoS said the allegation was aimed at misleading the public and tarnishing the image of the Service.

Abubakar stated that a thorough check of available records showed no inmate named “Chi Boy” is in custody at any facility under the Enugu State Command.

He added that the failure to provide the full names of the alleged inmate or the kidnapped victim further undermines the credibility of the report.

He emphasized that the NCoS is unaware of any kidnapping incident linked to its facilities in Rivers State or any other command, as claimed in a circulating press statement and viral video.

Abubakar also clarified that no investigative agency has tracked any suspected kidnapper to any correctional facility in either Enugu or Delta State Commands.

“Therefore, the Service is not in the position to confirm payment of ransom or whatsoever transaction as alleged in the fictitious report and video.

“The Service has no role in the said kidnap story, and as a security organization, it does not operate in isolation; rather, it partners with sister agencies to ensure adequate security. The Service will never turn down requests for investigation activities from sister agencies,” Umar said.

Benjamin Netanyahu has said he has instructed Israel’s military to intensify pressure on Hamas after the Palestinian militant group rejected a temporary truce proposal.

In a televised address, the Israeli prime minister said that while war came with a heavy price, Israel had “no choice but to continue fighting for our very existence, until victory”.

On Thursday, Hamas rejected an Israeli proposal for a temporary pause in fighting, describing the offer as demanding “impossible conditions”.

Hamas currently holds 59 hostages, with 24 of them believed to be alive. It says it will only return them in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and a lasting truce, as called for in the now-defunct ceasefire agreement reached earlier this year.

Netanyahu’s remarks came after the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said Israeli strikes had killed more than 90 people in 48 hours.

Women and children were among 15 people who were killed overnight on Friday in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to hospital staff.

At least 11 of those who were killed were sheltering in a tent in the designated humanitarian zone of al Mawasi, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are living, the hospital workers said.

A further four people were killed in separate strikes on the city of Rafah, including a mother and her daughter, according to Gaza’s European Hospital, where the bodies were taken.

Israel says its latest campaign is to put pressure on Hamas to release more hostages and ultimately agree to disarm and leave the territory.

For weeks, Israeli troops have also blockaded Gaza, barring the entry of food and other goods.

Last month, 15 aid workers were killed and buried in a shallow grave after being fired upon by Israeli troops.

Hamas’s armed wing said the fate of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander was unknown after a guard who was holding him was found killed.

On Tuesday, Hamas said it had lost contact with a group of militants holding Mr Alexander in Gaza.

A violent gun battle between local vigilantes and bandits in Kware town, Sokoto State, on Saturday night left one person dead and caused significant destruction.

According to eyewitnesses, the bandits, believed to have been targeting the area for theft, invaded Kware, the headquarters of Kware Local Government Area, under the cover of darkness.

The assailants successfully stole a large sum of money from a prominent businessman, Dan Balgore, after targeting his unattended car.

Bello Mai Maciji, a member of the local vigilante group, shared that the attackers seemed to have prior knowledge of Balgore’s movements, knowing he was carrying cash in his vehicle.

Tragically, during the exchange of gunfire, a young man, known for selling oil and residing in Alhaji Muddaha’s compound, was struck and killed by gunfire.

Despite being outgunned, the vigilantes successfully repelled the bandits, forcing them to retreat.

However, before fleeing, the assailants set fire to a shop in the local market, although the fire was quickly controlled and did not spread further.

The attackers then moved towards the town’s outskirts along Tangaza road, where they set fire to a water borehole near a cemetery, further damaging the area.

The heavily armed bandits, who arrived on motorcycles in large numbers, are suspected to have come from the Bararrahe area under the Tangaza Local Government.

The community remains on edge, with local security groups continuing to monitor the situation.

Attempts to reach the spokesman for the Nigerian Police Force, Sokoto State Command, were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.