Troops of the 6 Brigade, Nigerian Army, under Sector 3 of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), have rescued two kidnap victims abducted by suspected gunmen in Lau Local Government Area of Taraba State following a swift intelligence-led operation.

The acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 6 Brigade, Lt. Umar Muhammad, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday in Jalingo.

According to him, the rescue operation was launched in the early hours of Saturday after troops received credible intelligence on the activities of suspected kidnappers around the Lande Jessi axis of Lau LGA.

“The troops received reports that armed men attacked Tashan Musa and Barkindan Fulani villages, abducting two residents and carting away food items. A search-and-rescue operation was immediately launched, leading to the successful rescue of the victims,” Muhammad said.

The rescued victims, identified as Usman Mohammed and Usman Harusu, had reportedly spent about one week in captivity before regaining their freedom unharmed.

Muhammad noted that security forces were continuing efforts to track down the fleeing suspects and bring them to justice.

The Commander of the 6 Brigade and Sector 3, Operation Whirl Stroke, Brig.-Gen. Chukwuemeka Michael Akaliro, commended the troops for their professionalism and swift response.

“The troops have once again demonstrated professionalism, courage and resilience in responding swiftly to credible intelligence and rescuing the victims. This operation is another demonstration of the military’s resolve to protect lives and property,” Akaliro said.

He added that the operation aligns with the directive of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, to sustain offensive operations against criminal elements across the country.

He also appealed to residents of Taraba State to continue supporting security agencies by providing timely and credible intelligence to strengthen the fight against kidnapping, banditry and other forms of violent crime.

The rescue is part of the Nigerian Army’s intensified intelligence-driven operations across Taraba State aimed at improving security and protecting communities from criminal activities.

Bandits in military uniform have killed at least four and injured several others in an attack on Unguwan Lalle community in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

The incident, which started around 8pm on Sunday, was said to have lasted until 2am on Monday.

The bandits, during the attack, reportedly looted homes and shops and rustled an unspecified number of livestock.

According to Daily Trust, residents said the attackers operated for nearly six hours despite the presence of security personnel in the area earlier in the day.

Residents also disclosed that the assailants equally looted homes and shops and rustled an unspecified number of livestock during the late-night raid, residents said.

They stated that the heavily armed assailants, estimated to be about 200, stormed the community from different directions, initially deceiving residents into believing they were security personnel.

“We thought they were soldiers because they were wearing military uniforms. They surrounded the village, opened fire on anyone trying to escape, ransacked our homes, carted away our livestock and looted goods from our shops,” a resident said.

According to one of the residents, the military had arrived in two armoured vehicles after bandits allegedly killed a farmer earlier in the day.

“The soldiers responded quickly and stayed in the village until about 8 p.m. before returning to their base. Just a few minutes after they left, the bandits came back wearing military uniforms,” he said.

The spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, when contacted, confirmed the killing of a farmer in the area but said he had not been briefed on the reported attack on the community.

“I have received a report confirming the killing of one person in the area on Sunday. However, I have not yet been briefed about the other reported attack on the community,” he said.

A fugitive drug trafficker who spent nearly a decade on the run after jumping bail and a former professional footballer have been sentenced to a combined 24 years imprisonment for cocaine trafficking.

Security analyst, Zagazola Makama reported that Justice Musa Kakaki of the Federal High Court in Lagos convicted the two men after finding them guilty of cocaine trafficking offences.

According to the report, the convicts, Ntoruka Emmanuel Chinedu and former international footballer Segun George Hunkarin, were found guilty of offences linked to the importation of 7.05 kilograms of cocaine into Nigeria.

Makama reported that Chinedu was first arraigned in 2015 for importing 6.25 kilograms of cocaine but absconded after being granted bail, evading arrest for almost 10 years.

He was rearrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, on June 24, 2025, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, while allegedly attempting to smuggle another 800 grams of cocaine into the country aboard an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.

Investigations, according to the report, revealed that Chinedu collected the drug consignment during a stopover in Addis Ababa after travelling from Turkey.

The report added that NDLEA operatives also arrested Hunkarin at the airport car park, where he was allegedly waiting to receive the cocaine shipment.

During interrogation, Hunkarin reportedly admitted he trafficked illicit drugs on two occasions while playing professional football in Brazil.

Justice Kakaki sentenced Chinedu to 20 years imprisonment for the 2015 cocaine importation case and an additional 2 years for conspiring with Hunkarin to import the 800-gram consignment, bringing his total jail term to 22 years.

Hunkarin was sentenced to two years imprisonment without the option of a fine for conspiracy.

Reacting to the judgment, NDLEA Chairman, retired Brigadier General Mohamed Buba Marwa, described the conviction as proof of the agency’s determination to track down fugitives and ensure drug traffickers are brought to justice, regardless of how long they evade arrest.