Category Nigeria News

All schoolchildren abducted from St. Mary’s Catholic School have been vowed to return home, according to the governor of Niger State, Kayode Egbetokun, who described the incident as one of the most agonizing security breaches in recent memory.

Egbetokun expressed concern about the security situation in Niger State, calling it a hotspot for attacks, displacement, and growing bravery of criminal organizations, and expressed concern for it as the security situation is getting worse.

The IGP made the warning that Nigeria is currently experiencing “a deeply troubling security moment” while visiting the state, stressing that only a coordinated, united response from the government, security organizations, traditional leaders, and community networks can turn things around.

One of the most heartbreaking tragedies in recent memory was the abduction of students and teachers from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Agwara Local Government Area.

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He praised the escape and reunion of 50 pupils with their families, but he also said the nation’s conscience is weigh “very much” with the responsibility to rescue the remaining victims.

According to Egbetokun, “We have expanded our intelligence platforms, deployed additional tactical assets, and provided all necessary security to ensure the remaining pupils and their teachers are rescued without harm.”

He also expressed his gratitude to Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago, who continues to support the police, and how he sees him as a strong force in the fight against insecurity.

He vowed that the police would block criminal organizations from advanceing their agenda, particularly attacks against schoolchildren, which he described as “acts of terrorism designed to deny children their right to education.”

No Life Must Be Lost, says the statement.

Governor Bago responded by saying that the government of Niger State was still fully committed to supporting security operations.

He noted that it is still unclear how many pupils are missing, but that preparations were being made to gather precise information.

He claims that the Department of State Services (DSS) has set up a registration desk for parents of missing children. Only 14 parents had officially registered as of Sunday, but more are anticipated.

Bago acknowledged conflicting figures from security organizations, the church, the Ministry of Education, and the school, but emphasized that protecting every child is more important than distributing blame.

There are too many missing children, even one. He declared, “We will do everything in our power to recover them.”

He continued, noting that the IGP’s tactical and intelligence units are already progressing and hopeful of additional recoveries. Bago pleaded with Nigerians to put politics aside and fight for the country’s future, calling for unity, prayers, and calm.

Our country’s sovereignty is in danger. He praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his assistance in the state’s security efforts and said, “This is a time to work together and save our country.”

Abduction

On Friday, terrorists descended on Agwara Local Government Area’s St. Mary’s Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, killing more than 300 students.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) reported that 315 people had been abducted, compared to the initial estimates of 227.

Additionally, CAN revealed on Sunday that 50 of the kidnapped children escaped between Friday and Saturday and have since reunited with their families.

President Bola Tinubu has in place a total security cordon over the forests in Kwara State in response to recent attacks and kidnappings.

A budget estimate for the year 2026, which is presented by the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is $4. 2 billion.

The Lagos State House of Assembly approved the 2026 budget on Tuesday, and Sanwo-Olu referred to it as a “bold and forward-looking financial plan” designed to strengthen his administration’s legacy for the duration of its term.

The “Budget of Shared Prosperity,” or “Year 2026 Appropriation Bill,” is a reaffirmation of our shared belief that every resident of Africa’s preferred megacity can continue to rise, lead, and have opportunities for every person.

According to the governor, the budget projects a total revenue of ₦3, 993, 774, 552, 141, supported by Internally Generated Revenue of ₦3, 119, 774, 552, 141 and Federal Transfers of ₦874 billion.

He explained that this revenue projection leaves 243, 332, 457, and 167 without adequate funding.

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Sanwo-Olu told lawmakers that capital expenditure for 2026 is proposed at ₦2, 185, 085, 419, 495, while recurrent expenditure is estimated at ₦2, 052, 021, 589, 812.

He noted that overheads, staffing costs, and debt obligations are included in the recurring component.

He claimed that general overheads, subventions, and dedicated expenditures totaled 1, 084, 245, 843, and 91, which includes all of them.

Personnel costs are estimated at ₦440, 494, 339, 384, recurrent debt charges at ₦143, 876, 701, 943, and debt repayments at ₦383, 404, 705, 394.

The governor also cited the 2026 sectoral allocations. General Public Services is set to receive ₦847, 472, 071, 966, while Public Order and Safety is allocated ₦147, 040, 088, 897. Economic Affairs is the largest beneficiary, with ₦1, 372, 307, 808, 626 earmarked for the sector.

The Environment sector will receive ₦235, 957, 235, 138, and Housing is allocated ₦123, 760, 310, 429. Health is set to get ₦338, 449, 258, 945, while Recreation will receive ₦54, 682, 339, 586.

Education has been allocated ₦249, 132, 921, 287, and Social Protection will receive ₦70, 024, 171, 038.

As his final full year as president, Sanwo-Olu stressed that 2026 holds a special significance because it is his government’s final year, noting that “this period is crucial for consolidating our legacy and ensuring a strong, successful conclusion”

A search-and-rescue operation has been launched for ten abducted people after the Kwara State Police Command confirmed a shooting incident at Isapa on Monday via Obbo-Ile Village.

Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the commissioner of police, signed the statement, noting that the village is still under surveillance while police and neighborhood vigilantes are searching for the abducted victims and suspects.

The command received distressing reports of sporadic gunfire within the Isapa community on November 24, 2025, at about 18:30. Patrol vehicles and tactical teams were quickly dispatched by police.

A group of armed men, suspected of being herders, invaded the village and launched an indiscriminate fire at around 18:05 hrs. A woman was shot in the leg, but she has since been treated and discharged. 10 people were abducted, according to additional investigations.

“A search-and-rescue operation is currently being conducted, which involves local vigilante organizations and police tactical teams.” They are scouting the nearby bushes to find the perpetrators and rescue the victims. The village has experienced normalcy, and the situation is still being closely monitored, according to the statement.

Read more about Abduct 11 Residents, Bandits Strike Kwara Community, and Read More.

According to the statement, CP Adekimi Ojo, the Kwara State Command’s Commissioner of Police, traveled to Isapa for an on-the-spot evaluation.

The CP met with local and youth leaders as well as the Onisapa of Isapa Land, Oba Gbenga Adeyeye, and the Olokesa of Okesa Land, Oba Olu Fagbamila Raphael Olusegun, among others.

He assured the people that more aggressive efforts will be made to secure the victims’ safety and restore security.

In the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, bandits earlier robbed 11 residents of the Isapa community.

More than 20 gunmen stormed the neighborhood on Monday carrying a sizable herd of cattle and fired shots without distinction. A stray bullet reportedly struck the elderly woman during the attack.

Seven of the abducted people belong to the same family, according to a community leader who spoke on condition of anonymity. A pregnant woman, two nursing mothers, and several young children are among the victims.

The abducted people’s names have been identified as: Talatu Kabiru (20 female), Magaji (6 male), Kande (5 female), Hadiza (10 female), Mariam (6 female), Saima (5 female), housewives Fatima Yusufu, Sarah Sunday (22 female), Lami Fidelis (23 female, nursing mother), and Haja Na Allah (nursing mother).

According to witnesses, the attackers fled through some of the town and broke windows and doors.

After the gunmen fled, scattered AK-47 shells were discovered throughout the neighborhood. An official statement regarding the incident is not yet being released by the police.

The most recent attack on Isapa comes a week after gunmen abducted 38 people and reportedly killed several others at a Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) branch in Eruku, in the same LGA.

Prior to the Eruku attack, according to a report from Channels Television, gunmen opened fire on the church, killing three attendees and abducting several others, including the pastor, as a result of the incident.

Residents of Eruku were reportedly escaping through bush paths that connected them to nearby communities, leaving them in a state of fear and confusion.

The 24 schoolgirls who were abducted from Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of the state have been confirmed by Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi State.

The governor claimed that neither the state nor the federal government paid the girls’ release for ransom.

There was no payment for ransom. The Federal Government and the Kebbi State Government both received no pay. The governor claimed that the security agencies’ efforts alone led to the rescue.

On Wednesday, he added, the children will be handed over to their parents.

Governor Idris thanked President Bola Tinubu for his concern and for directing security forces to ensure the girls’ rescue.

Read more about:  24 Abducted Kebbi Schoolgirls Regain Freedom.

Prior to this, Special Counselor to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the release of the schoolgirls was previously announced in a statement.

According to him, Tinubu praised the security forces’ efforts to free all the victims who had been taken away by terrorists.

He directed security agencies to intensify their efforts to free the still-carrying students.

The release of the 24 schoolgirls that were abducted by terrorists in Maga Kebbi last week has been welcomed by President Bola Tinubu.

Moments later, according to reports, a military détachment allegedly left the building after dawn and abducted the girls.

Similar kidnappings occurred in Eruku in Kwara State and Papiri in Niger State as a result of the Kebbi incident.

On Sunday, Eruku’s 38 kidnapped victims were all released. The Christian Association of Nigeria’s Niger State chairman reported that 50 of the missing students from the Catholic School in Niger had been discovered in their parents’ homes the same day.

Read more about:  24 Abducted Kebbi Schoolgirls Regain Freedom.

President Tinubu praised the security forces for their tireless efforts to free all the victims who had been taken away by terrorists in a statement released on Tuesday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

He directed the security personnel to make additional rescue efforts for the still-carrying students.

“I’m relieved that all 24 girls have been found,” she said. To prevent further kidnapping incidents, we must now place more boots on the ground in the most vulnerable areas. President Tinubu stated that his country will provide all the assistance required to accomplish this.

The UN called for “immediate and substantial” international intervention in the Palestinian territory on Tuesday, warning that Israel’s conflict in Gaza has devastated the country’s economy and threatens its very survival.

The UN Trade and Development Agency (UNCTAD) warned that a “unprecedented collapse across the Palestinian economy” had resulted from a new report warning that war and restrictions had caused an “unprecedented collapse across the Palestinian economy” and that reconstruction work would cost more than $70 billion and could take several decades.

According to the statement, “the military operations have significantly undermined every pillar of survival,” from food to shelter to healthcare, and have plunged Gaza into a human-made abyss.

“The continued, systematic destruction leaves a lot of questions about how well-equipped Gaza is to resurrect itself as a place and society,” he said.

1, 221 people were killed when the Palestinian-led Hamas attack in southern Israel in October 2023, sparking a devastating two-year conflict in Gaza.

More than 69 000 people have died as a result of Israel’s retaliatory assault on Gaza, according to UN-reliable health ministry data.

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According to UNCTAD’s report, the magnitude of the destruction wrought on the territory has “unleashed cascading crises, economic, humanitarian, environmental, and social, propelling (it) from de-development to utter ruin.”

Even “in an optimistic scenario of double-digit growth rates supported by a significant level of foreign aid,” it said. “Gaza will take several decades for Gaza to return to pre-October 2023 welfare levels.”

UNCTAD advocated for a “comprehensive recovery plan” that combines “coordinated international assistance, restoration of fiscal transfers, and measures to ease trade, movement, and investment constraints.”

The UN agency also calls for the introduction of a universal emergency basic income, requiring that everyone in Gaza receive a renewable and unrestricted monthly transfer of cash in response to “extreme, multidimensional impoverishment” of the entire population.

According to the report, Gaza’s economy shrank by 87 percent between 2023 and 2024, leaving its GDP per capita at just $161, one of the lowest levels ever.

The West Bank’s situation was worse, but according to the report, “violence, accelerated settlement expansion, and restrictions on worker mobility have decimated the economy there as well,” “resulting in the worst economic decline since UNCTAD began maintaining records in 1972.”