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Suspected bandits have abducted scores of farmers in separate incidents in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State, with the chairman of the local government putting the number of victims at 47 and saying the abductors are demanding ₦2 million for each victim.

The victims were reportedly abducted while harvesting groundnuts at Tungan Rimi in Ma’undu-Beri Ward of Mariga Local Government Area.

The incident reportedly occurred on Saturday afternoon, with the attackers also taking some men working on nearby farms.

The Chairman of Mariga Local Government Area, Alhaji Aliyu Bagga Muhamadu, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview, saying reports reaching him indicated that one of the abducted women had given birth while in captivity.

According to him, the abductors have contacted some relatives and are demanding a ransom of ₦2 million for each of the victims before their release.

The council chairman added that security personnel, alongside local vigilantes, had been mobilised to rescue the victims.

He said the joint security team had engaged the suspected bandits around Alibani village after passing through Kasuwan Garba and Biri, during which a vigilante sustained injuries.

Sources further said the armed men were sighted moving through areas between Mangoro and Wamba after allegedly emerging from the Dogon Dawa axis.

The attackers were also said to have moved into the Bariki Forest, also known as Ma’undu, where the abducted persons are suspected to be held.

Some relatives of the victims said they had yet to establish direct contact with their loved ones or receive definite information about their whereabouts, although available reports suggest they may be in the Ma’undu Forest.

However, the Niger State Police Command gave a different figure, confirming the abduction of more than 20 persons at Mukura village in the Kasuwan-Garba District of Mariga Local Government Area.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said in a statement that the incident was reported on September 28, adding that the victims were abducted at about 3 p.m. on September 27.

He said, “Joint security rescue efforts are ongoing.”

While the Mariga council chairman said 47 people were abducted in the groundnut-farm incident, the police statement put the number at more than 20 persons.

The discrepancy in the figures could not immediately be reconciled, while security agencies continue efforts to rescue the victims.

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A United States court has sentenced two Nigerian-born former members of the US Air Force over their involvement in a cyber-fraud scheme that resulted in approximately US$1.68 million in losses.

The case involved the use of electronic communications and fraudulent representations to obtain money from victims, with investigators tracing financial transactions connected to the proceeds of the scheme.

The two men were identified in the report as Oluwaseun Adebayo and Abdulahi Abubakar. Both had previously served in the United States Air Force before becoming involved in the criminal case.

Prosecutors presented evidence linking the former service members to the fraudulent activities and the movement of funds associated with the scheme.

Following the investigation, the men were prosecuted in the United States and subsequently convicted of offences connected to the cyber-fraud operation.

The court imposed prison sentences after finding them responsible for their respective roles in the scheme.

The case highlights the continued efforts by US law-enforcement authorities to investigate cyber-enabled financial crimes, particularly schemes in which victims are deceived through electronic communications and money is transferred through financial accounts.

Investigators also examined financial transactions as part of efforts to establish how the proceeds of the alleged fraud were received and handled.

The US authorities have increasingly pursued individuals involved in sophisticated fraud schemes, regardless of their previous employment or professional backgrounds.

In this case, the fact that the two accused had served in the US Air Force did not prevent their prosecution once investigators established evidence linking them to the financial offences.

The convictions followed a wider investigation into the activities that generated the reported US$1.68 million in losses.

Court proceedings ultimately resulted in prison sentences for both men, bringing a legal conclusion to the prosecution while underscoring the consequences associated with large-scale cyber-enabled fraud.

The case also demonstrates how financial records and electronic communications can form an important part of investigations into online fraud.

Authorities continue to encourage members of the public to exercise caution when dealing with unsolicited online communications and financial requests, as cyber-fraud schemes can target victims through different forms of electronic interaction.

The sentencing of Adebayo and Abubakar marks the latest development in a case that involved former US military personnel and a substantial amount of money allegedly obtained through fraudulent activities.

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The Mwaghavul Development Association, MDA, has denied allegations that it owns or operates a militia group or collaborates with the Department of State Services, DSS, or any other security agency to attack Fulani communities in Plateau State.

The association described the allegation as false, alleging that it was part of an emerging media campaign intended to discredit security agencies working to contain violence and restore peace in troubled communities in the state.
In a statement signed by its Director of Public Affairs, Friday Derwam, the MDA particularly commended the DSS for what it described as the sincerity and fair-mindedness with which its personnel have approached security operations in the state.

The association said it had become concerned about what it described as changing tactics by groups responsible for violence in Plateau, alleging that social media was increasingly being deployed to circulate inflammatory claims against security personnel.

According to the MDA, one such narrative alleged that Mwaghavul youths were working with the DSS and personnel of Operation Rainbow to attack Fulani residents in their communities.

The association rejected the allegation.

“The media campaign by the terror groups attempting to sell the narrative that Mwaghavul youths, in collaboration with the Directorate of State Services, DSS, and Operation Rainbow joint forces, attack Fulanis in their abodes is just but a fallacy,” the statement said.

The MDA stressed that it neither maintains a militia nor has any arrangement with the DSS, Operation Rainbow or other security organisations to conduct operations against any ethnic community.

Rather, it said security agencies operating in the affected areas had acted in accordance with their constitutional responsibilities and rules of engagement.

The association said the approach adopted by the security personnel had helped protect vulnerable communities and restrict the activities of those responsible for attacks.

It alleged that the effectiveness of recent security operations had prompted attempts to undermine the agencies through what it called “brutal fabrication of baseless and malicious lies.”

According to the association, those behind the campaign were seeking to generate national sympathy and possibly induce the Federal Government to take decisions based on what it described as misleading information.

The MDA further claimed it had received reports that groups it accused of involvement in terrorism were planning media engagements to advance allegations against the security agencies. It did not provide evidence for the claim in its statement.

It therefore urged journalists and media organisations to carefully verify allegations emanating from the Plateau conflict before publication, arguing that the media should contribute to peacebuilding rather than become an unwitting vehicle for inflammatory narratives.

“MDA condemns in totality such intentions and draws the attention of the media to be partners in the quest for lasting peace in Plateau State and not pencils in the hands of terrorists,” Derwam said.

The association argued that developmental journalism should promote initiatives capable of advancing society while subjecting potentially divisive claims to proper scrutiny.

It consequently called on the Federal Government, relevant authorities and Nigerians to support legitimate efforts by security agencies to stabilise affected communities and restore peace across Plateau State.

The MDA’s statement comes against the background of persistent security concerns and competing narratives surrounding attacks in parts of Plateau. The association’s allegations against unnamed groups remain its claims, while its denial addresses accusations it says are being circulated against Mwaghavul youths and security agencies.

The Mwaghavul are one of Plateau State’s major indigenous ethnic groups and are predominantly concentrated in Mangu Local Government Area, including Mangu, Panyam, Kerang, Pushit and surrounding districts.