The Nigerian Army has announced the rescue of five kidnapped persons in Kogi State after terrorists reportedly abandoned them while escaping from ongoing military operations targeting criminal hideouts in the state.

This is contained in a statement by the Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations for the 12 Brigade, Lieutenant Hassan Abdullahi, on Wednesday.

The operation followed intensified military offensives, including air strikes and ground assaults directed at terrorist camps located in forest areas across Kogi.

Abdullahi said the victims regained their freedom as a result of sustained pressure mounted on criminal elements operating within the area.

He added that troops from the Forward Operating Base in Oshokoshoko were deployed on a blocking mission along the Oshokoshoko-Adankolo route inside the Adankolo Forest following a recent air interdiction mission against a known terrorist enclave.

According to him, during the operation, soldiers encountered five kidnapped victims who had been left behind by their captors while the terrorists fled from advancing military forces.

The Army spokesman pointed out that preliminary investigations indicated that the kidnappers abandoned the victims after their camps came under intense pressure from ongoing military operations.

The development forced members of the criminal group to disperse in different directions in an attempt to evade capture.

A High Court of Kogi State has sentenced to death a man prosecuted by the Department of State Services, DSS, for kidnapping and murdering his neighbour.

This came barely 24 hours after a Katsina State High Court sentenced to death a female arms courier arrested by the DSS. 

The Court, presided by Justice Abdul Nicodemus Awulu, on Tuesday found Jibrin Halilu guilty on the charges of conspiracy and kidnapping, in contravention of Sections 12, 6 (1), and 4 (3)(a) of the Kogi State Kidnapping and Other Related Offences Prohibition Law, 2023. The court subsequently sentenced Halilu to death.

According to the prosecution, on March 23, 2023, Halilu and other members of his armed gang stormed Everready hotel, Angwa-Tiv, in Obajana town, abducting the proprietor, Uche Andrew Offo. Even though Offo’s family handed his abductors the N2.5 million ransom they demanded, they, nonetheless, killed him.

The DSS prosecutor told the court that operatives of the Service arrested Halilu on December 4, 2025.

The court sentenced the quartet of Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, and Abdulhaleem Idris to death by hanging for the attack which resulted in the death of over 40 worshippers and left over 100 persons injured.

The Kogi and Katsina convictions and sentencing come on the heels of a June 3, 2026, landmark verdict by a Federal High Court in Abuja sentencing four men to death for their roles in the June 5, 2022 terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.

The Village Head of Gwande community in Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State has been hospitalised after he was attacked by unidentified assailants along the Daffo–Hotom–Sha road.
This was contained in a post shared on X on Wednesday by security analyst, Zagazola Makama.

According to the post, the incident happened on Tuesday evening when the traditional ruler, Mr. Samuel Usman Alakate, 60, was travelling along the road.

He was reportedly attacked by unknown persons, leaving him with injuries.

Security sources said troops of Operation Enduring Peace, under Sector 5 in Bokkos, responded quickly after receiving a distress call and moved to the scene.

“The injured village head was found by the troops and immediately evacuated to the Cottage Hospital in Bokkos, where he is currently receiving treatment,” Makama wrote.

Following the incident, security operatives have intensified patrols and other operations in the area in order to prevent further attacks and reassure residents.

Authorities also said efforts are ongoing to identify those behind the attack and bring them to justice.