The Federal Capital Territory, FCT Police Command has successfully rescued four persons abducted during a kidnapping attack at the Yellow House area of Mpape, Abuja.

The Police Public Relations Officer of the command, SP Josephine Adeh disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

The PPRO explained that the command received a distress call on July 8, reporting that suspected kidnappers had invaded Yellow House Area in Mpape area of the FCT at about 10:40 pm and kidnapped four residents.

She said upon receipt of the report, the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, CP Ahmed Muhammed Sanusi immediately deployed operatives of the Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Unit, personnel of Katampe and Mpape Police Divisions, and 24 Police Mobile Force Squadron to the scene.

“Upon their arrival, preliminary findings revealed that the assailants had shot two victims before fleeing the scene.

“It was also discovered that the assailants had taken four other victims hostage from a nearby area whom they forcefully marched through Jikoko Hills towards Ushafa Forest.

“The two injured victims were rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention. Sadly, one of the victims, identified only as Mr Babangida, later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead by medical personnel, while the second victim, who sustained a gunshot wound to the leg, is currently responding positively to treatment”, she said.

According to the PPRO, the operatives maintained relentless pursuit of the kidnappers from the night of the incident till Friday, 10th July, 2026, when they located the kidnappers at approximately 12:05 AM around Jikoko Hills heading towards Ushafa Forests with the hostages.

She said that after sighting the advancing operatives, the kidnappers opened fire and engaged the Police team in a fierce exchange of gunfire.

“Demonstrating superior tactical capability, the operatives overwhelmed the suspects, forcing them to abandon the hostages and flee deeper into the surrounding hills and forest in a desperate attempt to evade arrest.

“All four kidnapped victims were rescued unharmed, safely evacuated from the forest, and reunited with their families. While the responding Police teams remain hot on the trail of the fleeing kidnappers”, she added.

The Nigeria Police Force, Airport Command, has arrested two passengers who allegedly smoked cigarettes aboard an Air Peace flight from South Africa to Lagos, an act that triggered the aircraft’s smoke detection and emergency alarm system and caused panic among passengers and crew members.

The suspects, identified as 51-year-old Enaruna Prince Aghama and 43-year-old Tony Ajayi, were handed over to the International Airport Police Division by Aviation Security (AVSEC) personnel after the Air Peace flight landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos, for further investigation.

A statement by the command said the incident occurred at about 7:44 p.m. on July 9, 2026, while the Air Peace aircraft was travelling from South Africa to Lagos.

According to initial investigations, the two suspects allegedly lit and smoked cigarettes inside the aircraft, an action that activated the aircraft’s smoke detection and emergency alarm system, causing panic and anxiety among passengers and members of the cabin crew.

The investigation also revealed that the suspects were in possession of an alcoholic beverage and allegedly became uncooperative and verbally aggressive when cabin crew members attempted to calm the situation and enforce the airline’s safety regulations.

The police said their actions further disrupted the orderly operation of the flight.

Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Airport Command, CP Ogunbode Olufunke, Mnips, PhD, condemned the conduct of the suspects, describing any action capable of threatening aviation safety or disrupting the smooth operation of an aircraft as unacceptable.

“The Airport Police Command remains committed to the strict enforcement of aviation security laws and the protection of the lives of passengers, crew members, and all airport users, in line with the provisions of the relevant aviation regulations and the FAAN By-Laws,” she said.  

The police commissioner also appealed to air travellers to obey all lawful instructions issued by airline operators and aviation personnel.

She stressed that maintaining discipline and orderly conduct on board an aircraft is a shared responsibility that is essential to ensuring safe air travel.

The Airport Police Command said the two suspects will be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction after investigations are concluded.

Troops of Sector 3, Joint Task Force North East, Operation HADIN KAI, OPHK, have intercepted a suspected foreign terrorist drug courier conveying a large consignment of illicit drugs, alcoholic beverages and other prohibited substances.

The army, in a statement posted on X on Friday, stated that the operation occurred on Thursday, noting that the items were believed to be destined for terrorist elements operating within the Lake Chad Islands.

According to the army, the operation was carried out during intensive search operations along the Maiduguri–Monguno axis, where troops intercepted a suspicious vehicle travelling towards Kwatan Doron Baga in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State. 

It reiterated that the suspect, Mrs Rachael Samuel, 48, a Chadian national, was arrested while conveying the prohibited items, stating that preliminary findings indicate that the recovered substances were being moved to locations within the Lake Chad Islands, an area known to harbour terrorist elements.

“Items recovered from the suspect include seven compressed bundles of suspected Cannabis sativa weighing approximately 30 kilogrammes, two 10-litre containers of hydromercuric chloride, popularly known as “Suck and Die,” one carton containing 48 bottles of dry gin, 61 bottles of herbal alcoholic beverages all with a market street value approximately running into millions of Naira. 

“Other items recovered include, one mobile phone, two Automated Teller Machines, ATM, cards, personal effects and cash. The suspect is currently in military custody, while all recovered exhibits have been secured pending handover to the appropriate law enforcement agency for further investigation and prosecution in accordance with extant laws,” the statement said.