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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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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned the killing of about 170 people in Kwara State, describing the attack as evidence of a total collapse of security under the Tinubu-led Federal Government.

According to media reports, heavily armed gunmen, who had on Tuesday arrived in large numbers on motorcycles, first converged on a secondary school in the community before launching the coordinated attacks on residents of Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday ordered the deployment of an army battalion to the local government. Despite military presence, the village has since been deserted by residents for fear of further attacks.

Reacting to the sad incident, the opposition party in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, declared that the Tinubu administration is not winning the war against terror, but merely redistributing it.

The party also wondered whether the heightened security activities seen last year in the aftermath of the comments by the U.S. President was merely posturing to earn international approval rather than genuine efforts to end insecurity in the country.

The statement read: “The African Democratic Congress (ADC) condemns in the strongest possible terms the recent gruesome killing of about 170 innocent Nigerians in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.

“This horrific massacre is one of the worst atrocities recorded in recent times and stands as a painful reminder of the complete collapse of security across the country. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to the people of Kwara State, who have once again been abandoned to mourn their dead in a nation that appears incapable of protecting its citizens.

“As many analysts have noted, what makes this tragedy even more troubling are growing concerns that the perpetrators may be part of terrorist elements recently dispersed by the United States Christmas-Day military action in Sokoto State, who are now relocating to other states due to weak internal security coordination. The net summary of this, which has now become self-evident from this industrial scale killings in areas hitherto considered safe, is that the Tinubu administration, whatever it is doing, is not winning the war against terror, it is merely redistributing it.

“Whether it is the mass abductions in Kaduna or the mass killings in Kwara, both highlight the deep structural failures of Nigeria’s internal security system in terms of intelligence gathering, border control, inter-agency collaboration, and emergency response capability.

“Nigerians are therefore compelled to ask serious questions. What happened to the President’s much-publicised declaration of a state of emergency on security announced in November 2025? “Was it a sincere commitment to restoring safety, or was it merely a rhetorical response to rising international and home-grown public anger?

“The ADC also recalls that the Presidency announced a major recruitment drive into the Nigeria Police Force as part of this emergency response. Tens of thousands of new personnel were reportedly approved for recruitment to strengthen internal security nationwide. Nigerians are entitled to know what has become of that promise. Have these recruits been employed, trained, and deployed, or has the exercise quietly stalled? If such measures were genuinely implemented, vulnerable rural communities like those in Kwara State should not be left completely exposed to mass slaughter.

“We are equally disturbed by the pattern of performative security responses witnessed last year, when Nigeria suddenly projected an image of firmness following public comments and tweets by the President of the United States drawing attention to insecurity in the country. That brief display of urgency has since faded, raising legitimate concerns that the initial response was more about impressing foreign observers than about securing the lives of Nigerians.

“The painful truth is that Nigeria’s security crisis has clearly moved beyond the competence and capacity of the Tinubu-led Federal Government. Across the country, killings have become routine, accountability has disappeared, and government response has been reduced to condolences and condemnations in the aftermath of each tragedy, conveniently forgetting that a government that cannot safeguard the lives of its people has failed in its most fundamental duty.

“The African Democratic Congress therefore calls on the Federal Government to immediately come clean with Nigerians on the true state of Nigeria’s national security, to account for the security recruitment it announced, and to explain how it intends to stop the spread and relocation of terrorist groups across states.

“Nigeria cannot continue on this path of denial and inaction. Lives are not statistics, and governance is not public relations. The ADC stands firmly with Nigerians in demanding competent leadership, honest governance, and a security strategy that protects lives rather than reacts after mass graves have been dug.” (Nigerian Tribune)

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President Bola Tinubu on Friday attended the wedding fatiha of the children of the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle.

The ceremony took place at the National Mosque in Abuja and drew many political leaders and notable guests.

The wedding was held on February 6, 2026, and was witnessed by dignitaries from different parts of Nigeria and beyond.

The President of São Tomé and Príncipe, Carlos Vila Nova, was also present at the event alongside President Tinubu.

Other top officials who attended included the Deputy Senate President, Jubril Barau, as well as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Politics and Other Matters, Ibrahim Masari.

Their presence added to the large turnout recorded at the ceremony.

Several state governors were also in attendance.

They included Ahmad Aliyu of Sokoto State, Umar Namadi of Jigawa State, and Nasir Idris of Kebbi State, all of whom joined other guests at the mosque.

The wedding fatiha was carried out according to Islamic traditions, with prayers offered for the couples and goodwill messages shared by guests.

Matawalle described the occasion as a rare and joyful moment in his life as a father, noting that the President’s presence and role added great value to the family celebration.

Bello Matawalle, who previously served as governor of Zamfara State, gave out nine of his children in marriage during the ceremony.