Category Nigeria News

A wanted kidnapping suspect has been detained by members of the 6 Brigade Nigerian Army’s Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) in Taraba State’s Wukari Local Government Area.

The arrest is a result of successful operations under the recently launched Operation Zafin Wata.

One Umar Musa Geyi was apprehended by the troops at Jandei-Kulamu in Wukari LGA based on reliable information.

The suspect, who has been wanted by security agencies, is alleged to be a key member of a kidnapping syndicate that has terrorized a number of local communities.

Read more about Military Defense’s Plan to Forcefully Require Young Nigerians

According to a statement from the Brigade’s Public Relations Officer, Lieutenant Umar Muhammad, preliminary investigations have linked the suspect to the kidnapping of Fulani resident Alhaji Jano, who was abducted on November 13, 2025, and is still being held in captivity.

After being intercepted by troops during a phone call where he stated that the victim was still being detained and demanded a ransom of at least $20 million for his release, the suspect was arrested.

The suspect is currently being held in custody, undergoing further questioning to help him get to where he’s been safely saved.

Brigadier General Kingsley Chidiebere Uwa, the commander of the 6th Brigade, expressed his gratitude to the troops for their prompt action and stated that the Brigade is still fully committed to destroying criminal networks, bringing victims to justice, and restoring peace and security throughout Taraba State.

On Saturday, a large crowd of people gathered in Marseille to pay tribute to the brother of a drug-trafficking activist who was killed in France’s second-largest city.

Before observing a minute of silence at the roundabout where Mehdi Kessaci, 20, was fatally shot by a gunman in his parked car on November 13th, demonstrators chanted “Justice for Mehdi.”

Authorities are still looking into the murder, but the death is regarded as a “warning crime” in relation to his brother Amine Kessaci’s, 22, anti-drug activism, who was greeted with cheers as he joined the crowd on Saturday.

Amine Kessaci, who is currently living in a police-protected area, witnessed a significant police presence in the southern port city, which is a major drug trafficking hotspot.

After his half-brother Brahim was killed in a drug-trafficking fight in 2020, the young anti-drug and environmental activist launched a campaign.

“I want Mehdi’s justice.” My other brother, Brahim, was also murdered, and I want justice. I want all victims to be compensated. Due to security concerns, Amine reaffirmed his family’s need for safety at the gathering until the last minute.

The activist claimed that the “mothers of the neighbourhoods (hit by drug crime) who deserve a decoration for their courage, their dignity, and their daily struggle” should be given France’s highest order of merit, the Legion of Honor.

“We have been speaking out for years and have been raising the alarm because silence kills,” said one activist. He claimed on Saturday in a recorded message that was played to the crowd that every institution’s retreat has aided in the spread of drug trafficking.

READ ALSO: France Assures NDLEA Of More Support and Collaboration In Tackling Drug Trafficking

More than a dozen people have been killed since the start of the year in turf wars and other issues related to cocaine and cannabis dealing, in Marseille’s struggle against drug crime.

Mayor of Marseilles Benoit Payan remarked, “Fear cannot defeat us.”

He continued, calling for unity and opposing the label of Marseille as a “narco-city” and saying, “We must resist and fight them, wage a war against those who kill for money.”

 ‘Scourge’

Mehdi’s passing having sparked a national focus on drug crime, with initiatives planned for other 25 towns and cities, along with politicians from all political parties, at the gathering.

Mehdi, who aspired to work as a police officer, was killed there by numerous white rosebushes.

President Emmanuel Macron urged France to intensify its actions and adopt the same strategy it has used against “terrorism” as the interior minister Laurent Nunez described the crime as a “turning point.”

Mehdi Kessaci’s murder shocked Marseille, despite drug-related homicides that are frequently covered in front-page news.

More than 6,200 people, including some who carried white flowers and wore white shirts, were present in the crowd.

The gathering would be a time of reflection for 72-year-old activist Anne-Marie Tagawa, who also wants to let us know that we don’t like what is going on.

She referred to disadvantaged neighborhoods as “fertile ground that has been abandoned by institutions, the State,” leaving those who would create “systems of violence” and “places where crime thrives” there.

Ouassila Benhamdi, Mehdi’s and Brahim’s mother, stepped up to the gathering and donned a completely white outfit.

My heart is ripped apart, I say. I have no control. No mother wants to have her children pass away before her, she declared in a speech that a friend finished reading for her as she struggled to cope with grief.

She continued, “I am urging the government to understand the gravity of what is happening.”

For all the families who have been impacted by this pang, “this must stop.”

A total of 25 victims have been saved from armed bandits thanks to the Zamfara State Police Command in Gusau, which has thwarted an abduction attempt.

The Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Yazid Abubakar, said in a statement on Saturday that it received a distress call on Friday, November 21, 2025, at around 21:45 hours about a group of armed bandits who frequently opened fire on Kuraje village in the Damba area of Gusau LGA.

The Command claimed that the attackers kidnapped 10 women and 15 children, both of whom were community members, during the assault.

Joint Police patrol teams from the Damba Division and the Department of Operations, Gusau quickly arrived on the scene after receiving the distress report working closely with the Community Protection Guards (CPG). The team followed the bandits as they fled, confirmed the incident, and carried out a coordinated and tactical operation on them.

All twenty-five (25) abducted victims were successfully rescued unharmed thanks to the professionalism, gallantry, and swift response of the operatives. For safety and proper profiling, they were immediately relocated to Sabongari Damba.

Since then, the rescued women and children have reconnected with their families.

Niger Attack: Number of Abducted Students, Teachers Rises To 315 CAN BE READ ALSO: [UPDATED]

The officers involved in the operation were commended for their bravery and commitment, according to Zamfara State Command’s Commissioner of Police, CP Ibrahim Balarabe Maikaba.

Following the abduction of some students and staff from St. Mary’s Private (Catholic) Secondary School in the Agwara Local Government Area, Governor of Nigeria Umaru Bago has mandated the closure of schools across the state. &nbsp,

He also assured the Nigerlites of the state’s unwavering commitment to ensuring the abductees’ safe return.

The Governor addressed reporters on Saturday at the Government House in Minna after holding an emergency meeting with service chiefs and key stakeholders. He said the state had woken up to news that shouldn’t have happened.

According to Governor Bago, “We woke up yesterday to a very sad and unfortunate incident involving the kidnapping of children from a missionary school in Agwara Local Government.” This is not the right time to assign blame, even though this could have been avoided. Our top priority is to immediately ensure that these children and everyone they have been abducted are safely saved.

The governor urged all security organizations, civil society organizations, labor unions, religious leaders, and community stakeholders to unite and bolster their support of the rescue operation.

“Niger State is our home, and Nigeria is our only nation.” We will continue to do everything in our power as a government to safeguard the lives and property of our citizens, he continued.

Governor Bago announced the closure of all private primary and secondary schools in the state of Niger, including missionary and Islamic schools, after discussions with stakeholders and security officials.

He made it clear that the Federal Government had already shut down Federal Government College, Minna, and other unity schools. Any additional schools that are located in high-risk or vulnerable areas will be closed by the state.

Additionally, all of the state’s schools have been closed until further notice, effectively bringing the state’s students and pupils’ Christmas break an earlier one.

Niger Attack: Number of Abducted Students, Teachers Rises To 315 CAN BE READ ALSO: [UPDATED]

A comprehensive headcount of the abducted students must be conducted by security agencies. We should have a confirmed figure by the end of today, the governor said.

Governor Bago made a press briefing and a press briefing before heading to the Ahmed Bola Tinubu International Airport in Minna to meet and show his solidarity with the Emir of Borgu.

Seriake Dickson, the senator for Bayelsa West, has explained why he left the Senate committee looking into Timipre Sylva, the former minister of petroleum resources, for an alleged $14. Fund diversion of $8 million.

He was forced to leave because the investigation was “selective” and not as thorough as he had anticipated, according to a post on his official Meta account on Saturday.

Sylva was wanted on November 10th, according to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over an alleged conspiracy and dishonesty involving a $ 14 transaction. The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has a budget of $8 million.

I had a reason to recuse myself yesterday when I learned that there was a summons for an investigation hearing to look into allegations of $14 being diverted at the Senate Committee on Local Content. Chief Timipre Sylva, the former minister of state for petroleum resources, has received $8 million.

I attended because I believed it to be a lively discussion with the Executive Secretary and his team, as I explained. I made objections when I learned that the hearing had been set aside specifically for that purpose; first, I argued against the lack of a selective inquiry. that if there were only one transaction to be investigated, the entire fund’s management, perhaps from its inception.

Although the committee has the authority to decide what to investigate, I believe this approach is too selective, especially given that the EFCC already has steps taken, or at least has reached a certain level. Despite having the authority to do so, I believed the Committee should not look into that particular transaction.

I recused myself because the person impacted was my predecessor in office’s former governor, and I have a policy of not joining to fight or down anyone. I am not like other politicians in my area or the typical Nigerian politicians who celebrate the victory of opponents and those in opposition. Since 2011, the person involved and I have been at different ends of political battles in my state.

We haven’t been in a similar party since 2011 and we haven’t spoken or discussed any common political issues. I don’t engage in politics that involves causing people’s problems or dissention. I have always had a limited political contest in elections, where I outplan, out-campaign, strategize, and win them both on the ground and through legal processes, but never by trying to derail the candidate after the election.

In keeping with this policy, I have reassured all federally engaged businesses regardless of political or partisan differences, knowing that if political interests diverge before elections, these issues will be resolved at the polls.

We are a small group, as I have always said to our people; Everyone is crucial. Leave someone alone and don’t harm them if you can’t help them. That is my practice and method of instruction for a number of years.

I “build, raise, develop, and defend,” as I have always said, “I am in politics for service to God and man.” I don’t destroy or fall.

I am aware of how they treat me. To the glory of God, they have not succeeded so far, and God is still on His throne. When they are in a position to bring me down, they don’t spare anything to accomplish that goal.

I am aware that these are very difficult times, especially for those who have been affected, and I have no plans to worsen anyone’s situation. God has always fought my battles and made sure that my adversaries haven’t been defeated by my tendency to use federal power or might, blackmail or propaganda, or incitements despite all of them.

“My politics is achored on God and the support and prayers of men, not on violence, destruction, and pulling people down, or celebrating their misfortune and downfall,” says one politician who supports me when all the major political figures band together against me, supported by federal might and greater resources.

I explained my position to my committee colleagues, who saw reason with me, and I left because of this.

I feel like I have a lifelong obligation to support and treat all Bayelsans in my capacity as a former governor; which is why I have defended, supported, and encouraged all Nigerians, regardless of party, on all of the issues that have been brought before me.

As the committee moves forward with the investigative hearing, which they have the authority to conduct, I would like the public to know my position as it progresses, Dickson wrote.

Abductions: The Northern Christian Association tries its “Safe Schools Initiative” for more than $20 million in security donations.

Despite receiving more than $ 20 million in reportedly funding for schools, the Safe Schools Initiative (SSI) has been criticized by the Northern Christian Youth Professionals (NCYP) for its “weak visibility and poor impact.”

The organization made its point in a statement released on Friday that Isaac Abrak, its chairman, signed.

The NCYP claimed that the recent spate of school shootings in northern Nigeria rekindled concerns about the SSI’s ability to protect less-vulnerable communities.

The “Northern Christian Youth Professionals (NCYP) expresses concern about the recent wave of attacks on schools in northern Nigeria, which have led to tragic killings and widespread kidnapping of innocent students.

“$20 million raised, schools still retaliate. The Safe Schools Initiative (SSI) and its partnership with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) are at risk due to these heartbreaking events, the statement read partially.

READ MORE: Abduction: School Counters Niger Govt., Denies Claim Of Prior Warning.

The group recalled Bola Tinubu’s request to recruit forest-side community members into the Forest Guard to protect schools following the abduction of more than 200 students from Kuriga, Kaduna State’s government primary and secondary schools in 2024.

The NCYP accepted the SSI’s announcement to work with the NSCDC, which it later disputed despite its initial proposal.

The group claimed that urgent questions were raised by the ongoing attacks.

What part did the partnership between the Safe Schools Initiative and NSCDC play in protecting the attacked schools? “the association inquired.

In a Maga, Kebbi State, gunmen kidnapped 26 schoolgirls on Monday during an attack. In another of the biggest school kidnappings in recent years, gunmen stormed St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School in the Niger State on Friday, abducting 315 students and staff.

In response, NCYP also enquired about the preventive or reactive measures being put in place in the recent tragic kidnappings at St. Mary’s School in Agwara Local Government Area and the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State.

Demand for transparency

NCYP raised questions about how funds have been handled since the SSI was founded following the 2014 Chibok abduction.

The statement included contributions from the following publicly reported sources:   Private sector/business leaders: $10 million pledged as seed funding;   Federal Government of Nigeria: About $10 million; additional FEC-approved support: $4.2 million;   United States Government (USAID/Embassy): $2 million; and   Qatar Government: $2 million.

The group claimed that although these contributions exceeded $20 million, “they did not have a visible impact on educational institutions.”

It demanded that the SSI release a detailed report outlining its activities, spending, implementing partners, emergency response plans, and impact assessments.

Transparency will reassure potential donors, spur investment in safer schools, and make interventions to protect girls in northern areas where cultural and security barriers make education fragile.

The Safe Schools Initiative must provide answers, demonstrate accountability for how much money is being used and how effective it is, and reevaluate its approach to accomplish its goals, according to the organization.

Implement Forest Guard . , p.

The group reaffirmed its call for President Tinubu to put the Forest Guard program into full effect and ensure that residents’ input is used to guide its operation.

There is no substitute for the vigilance, courage, and determination of parents protecting their children, according to the statement that community members were the most trustworthy defenders of their schools.

The group urged the president to “avoid establishing a bureaucratic institution” that was isolated from the communities it was supposed to protect.

The United States should support Nigeria’s community-based security efforts, NCYP urged.

The NCYP argued that terrorist attacks could not continue to harm children in Nigeria.