News
MASS KIDNAP: Students, 25 others abducted on Abuja – Nasarawa highway

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
About 30 travellers, including some students of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa were reportedly abducted by suspected kidnappers along the Abuja-Nasarawa Highway on Friday.
PUNCH Metro gathered from a source who pleaded anonymity due to the nature of the incident on Sunday that the kidnappers laid siege to the vehicles conveying the travellers and abducted them into a nearby bush in the Uke area of Nasarawa State.
The source stated further that a student of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa was travelling to her family in Abuja.
Our correspondent further gathered that a driver of one of the buses who escaped the attack called the attention of the police in the area to the incident.
The source said, “Thirty persons were kidnapped between Nasarawa and Abuja on Friday. The passengers were abducted from two buses and taken into the bush around a place called Uke in Nasarawa State.
“One of the passengers abducted in the incidents is an HND student of the Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, in Nasarawa State, who was returning to Abuja to meet her family.
“One of the bus drivers escaped from the incident. When he returned to the vehicle, he picked up some items, including the phone of one of the kidnapped victims, and reported the incident to the police station in Uke.”
When contacted for a reaction on Sunday, the Nasarawa Police Public Relations Officer, Rahman Nansel, confirmed the incident in a telephone conversation with our correspondent, stressing that three victims had been rescued while a search and rescue operation was ongoing.
He, however, said the abducted persons were not up to 30 as claimed but did not confirm the number of the victims.
“The number (30) was exaggerated. An 18-seater bus was recovered at the scene and three people were rescued. A search and rescue operation is still ongoing,” Nansel told our correspondent.
In October 2023 there was an invasion of a community in the Keffi Local Government Area by gunmen where four students of the state’s university were kidnapped and taken to an unknown destination.
Confirming the incident, Nansel explained that the abduction of the students occurred in the early hours at Angwan Ka’are area of the LGA.
(Text, excluding headline: The PUNCH)
News
15 huts razed, one injured in renewed Jukun-Tiv violence

A fresh outbreak of ethnic violence between the Jukun and Tiv communities has erupted in Taraba State, with suspected Jukun militias launching an early-morning attack on Dekeh Village along the Wukari–Kente Road.
According to security sources available to Zagazola Makama, the incident occurred at approximately 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday.
About six armed assailants stormed the village, opening fire indiscriminately and setting 15 huts ablaze. The attack forced residents to flee in panic, leaving behind food items, including yam seedlings, which were destroyed in the blaze.
One resident identified as Mdue Saaondo, sustained gunshot injuries during the assault. He was rescued by a joint team of police and military personnel and transported to the Federal University Teaching Hospital in Wukari for medical treatment.
The Taraba State Police Command has launched an investigation to identify and apprehend those responsible. Authorities have also scheduled a security meeting with the Wukari Local Government Traditional Council as part of efforts to restore peace and encourage dialogue between the Tiv and Jukun communities, who have long-standing disputes over land and territorial claims.
“Patrol and surveillance operations are ongoing to forestall further violence and ensure stability in the area,” police authorities stated.
The incident adds to the growing list of violent clashes that have plagued southern Taraba in recent years, underscoring the urgent need for a sustainable resolution to the communal tensions.
News
2025 U-20 AFCON: Flying Eagles zoom into quarter-final after draw with Kenya

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles booked a place in the quarter-final at the 2025 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations after playing out a 2-2 draw against Kenya.
Aliyu Zubairu’s side finished second in Group B with five points from three games.
The Atlas Cub of Morocco top the group with seven points after beating Tunisia 3-1 at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia.
Kenya started the game strongly, and deservedly took the lead after six minutes.
Nigeria defender Emmanuel Chukwu handled the ball inside the box, and after initially awarding a free kick to Kenya, the centre referee pointed to the spot following consultation with VAR.
Captain Kevin Wangaya Colly slotted the ball past Ebenezer Harcourt to give the Rising Stars the lead.
The Flying Eagles fought back seven minutes later with Lillestrøm striker Kparobo Arierhi netting after he was put on through on goal by Simon Cletus.
Nigeria dominated the game in the second half but failed to test the Kenyan goalkeeper.
Kenya took the lead for the second time in the game through substitute William Nwangi on 68 minutes.
Nwangi lashed home Humphrey Kegengo’s free kick from inside the box.
Daniel Bameyi, however, converted from the spot to hand the Flying Eagles a share of the spoils.
News
Trump announces judicial nominees, accuses US court of obstruction

United States President Donald Trump has announced a fresh slate of judicial nominees in a series of posts on Truth Social on Tuesday.
The president, who has repeatedly expressed frustration over what he sees as judicial obstruction, followed up on Wednesday with a post criticising the judiciary for allegedly preventing him from carrying out the mandate of the American people.
The Republican leader, whose second-term agenda has encountered multiple judicial roadblocks, wrote: “Our Court System is not letting me do the job I was Elected to do.
“Activist judges must let the [Donald] Trump Administration deport murderers, and other criminals who have come into our Country illegally, WITHOUT DELAY!!!”
Trump named Maria Lanahan, Missouri’s Principal Deputy Solicitor General, as a nominee for a judgeship on the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri. He praised her as “a true patriot” in a post on Tuesday.
The 78-year-old also nominated Judge Cristian Stevens to serve on the same court, describing him in another post as “a Great Patriot.”
The announcements came a day after a federal appeals court declined the Trump administration’s request to revoke temporary legal status from hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, Haitians, and Cubans living in the United States.
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