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Gunmen suspected to be cultists have killed a young man identified as Chigozie Oluwu and abducted the President of Omoku Youth Federation, Ifeanyi Azuazu, in Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) of Rivers State.

The Incident occurred at a popular bar along Ogolo Street, off Palace Road in Omoku, headquarters of ONELGA on Thursday, at about 6:00 pm.

It was gathered that the gunmen, numbering about seven, came in two vehicles and upon sighting the youth president, pointed gun at him and ordered him to enter the car.

According to sources, Oluwu, who was Azuazu’s personal aide, intervened and was shot dead by the gunmen, who succeeded in abducting the youth president and whisked him to an unknown destination.

The incident resulted to pandemonium as passersby and residents scampered for safety while some business owners hurriedly closed their shops for the day.

Meanwhile the ONELGA Security and Planning Advisory Committee (OSPAC) has recovered the beheaded body of the youth president in a forest in Elieta community on Friday afternoon.

The spokesperson for OSPAC in ONELGA, Godnews Nkem, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with a reporter.

Nkem said Oluwu was shot dead at the youth president’s house while the lifeless body of the president, Azuazu, was found in a forest on Friday by OSPAC hours after his abduction by gunmen.

He advised residents of Omoku to remain calm and allow the Police, Department of State Security (DSS) and other relevant security agencies to carry out their investigation with a view to arresting the culprits.

The State Police Command is yet to make an official statement on the attack.

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Suspected gunmen on Friday afternoon launched an attack on Anwase Market in Mbaikyor, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, abducting several women and setting the market on fire.

Eyewitnesses said the assailants emerged from a nearby mountain and began shooting sporadically to instil fear among residents before torching market stalls and seizing women traders.

According to reports, the attackers fled with the abducted victims towards the mountainous terrain before security operatives could reach the area.

An eyewitness stated that by the time residents attempted to mobilise a response, the market had already been consumed by flames, forcing many traders to flee in different directions to escape the assault.

Efforts to reach the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer for comments as of the time of filing this report were unsuccessful, as calls and messages were not returned.

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Kidnappers who abducted two residents of Ora-Igbomina, a border community in Ifedayo Local Government Area of Osun State, have demanded a N100 million ransom for their release.

The Nation learnt that the victims, Tayese Adeyeye and Sunday Adewumi, were abducted around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday when gunmen invaded a private residence along the Aran–Orin Road in the Papa area of the town.

Confirming the development on Thursday, the Ora-Igbomina Youth Front, led by Comrade Omololu Abidoye, said the kidnappers had contacted the community to demand N100 million for the release of the abducted residents.

Abidoye lamented that the latest incident followed the abduction of a retired Customs officer in the community on December 15, 2025, describing the situation as increasingly disturbing.

“It is becoming worrisome. These repeated attacks have thrown our community into disarray, creating chronic fear and immeasurable tension among residents,” he said.

He also criticised Governor Ademola Adeleke, accusing the state government of failing to take decisive steps to prevent the recurring incidents of kidnapping in the area.

“Today, in less than two months after the first ever community invasion and kidnapping recorded in our town, another has happened on Sunday, February 1st, 2026. Leaving two sons of the soil whisked away. Unarguably, the inability of security agencies to bring to book, the perpetrators involved in the first case has created a convenient avenue for evil doers who specialized in kidnapping-for-ransom to strike again.”

He disclosed that “The kidnappers have contacted us to demand for N100million ransom, where do we get that from?, We are farmers who love peace above all things.”

Abidoye on behalf of the community demanded that Osun Government should put physical security barriers in place to define and demarcate the State boundary which will prevent unauthorized entry into the state through the Ora border.

“We demand Human and Operational Security be put in place for effective surveillance and community watch solely for territorial gatekeeping. We demand a Military checkpoint in Ora to enable a comprehensive security posture, against organized crime in volatile border area like our community.”