After notorious bandits leader, Bello Turji vowed to launch attacks in response to the arrest of his relatives, some bandits have abducted passengers and burnt their vehicle in the Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Although it is unclear if this development is related to the threats, the incident occurred at Kwanar Jalab village in Zungeru Ward, Shinkafi LGA, Daily Trust reports.

Quoting a resident of Shinkafi, who asked for anonymity, the bandits ambushed the vehicle around 8am, on Tuesday, while conveying passengers to Shinkafi from Gusau, the state capital.

“The bandits abducted all the passengers on board the vehicle before they set the car ablaze. We are suspecting that the 10 people, including the driver, were abducted.”

“This is a strange method of operation in this area. Before this incident, bandits have never set a car ablaze after abducting its passengers. Of course, they do kidnap people along the road, but they have never burnt vehicles after an operation,” the source lamented.

Earlier the bandits had planted bombs on roads in Dansadau axis, Maru local government.

This resulted in the killing of scores of travellers and injuring others, a situation that calls for urgent government attention.

The development forced travellers to suspend their journeys to Shinkafi from Gusau due to uncertainty.

One of the residents, Sulaiman Shinkafi said, “My mother warned me not to travel to Shinkafi after she heard about the unfortunate incident.

“I was in Gusau when the news of the incident broke, so Hajiya called me on phone and instructed me not to go back to Shinkafi until tomorrow (today).

“I don’t know the actual number of people abducted by the bandits but we are suspecting they were 10 because most times drivers carry 10 people in their Gulf model vehicle as against the usual six.”

“I am sure by tomorrow (today), the exact number of abducted persons will be known. We hope the government will take serious action to check the reoccurrence of the unfortunate incident.”

The development comes as the Nigerian military promises to deal with Bello Turji calling him a dead man walking.

The military threatened to ensure that terrorists are neutralized in the country, citing an instance of wins recorded in 2024 as a sign for successes to be recorded in 2025.

The Oyo State Police Command has confirmed the rescue of a pastor and his wife who were abducted by suspected kidnappers while praying at a remote mountain in the state.

The police disclosed on its X handle on Tuesday that the couple had travelled to the isolated location for prayers when the incident occurred.

However, details of the rescue operation remain undisclosed, while the police have assured residents that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the culprits.

Meanwhile the police paraded some other suspects.

Furthermore, the police cautioned the public to avoid isolated locations due to security risks.

“The command just secured an abducted pastor and his wife at the hinterland while fellowshipping on an isolated mountain, causing fellow worshippers to flee like they were possessed,” the statement read.

A 28-year-old man, Ditebogo Frans Gololo, has been arrested and remanded for impregnating a 13-year-old girl in Polokwane, Limpopo province, South Africa.

Gololo appeared in Seshego Magistrates’ Court on Monday, December 30, 2024, facing charges of statuary r@pe and s3xual grooming of a minor.

The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in a statement said Gololo impregnated the minor in Seshego township.

According to reports, the victim and the suspect met at a shopping complex in Seshego in January 2024 and began communicating until they became intimate in May 2024.

The minor only revealed the incident to her aunt after experiencing complications, and later in November 2024, medical tests confirmed she was eight months pregnant, thus ultimately giving birth to a baby boy on Christmas Day, 25 December 2024.

The police were informed about the incident and the suspect was swiftly arrested by Seshego Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit on Thursday, 26 December 2024.

The docket will be forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions for directives.

The matter was postponed for bail application and further investigations to 08 January 2025, at Seshego Magistrate’s Court.

Gololo was remanded in custody.