The Kaduna State Police Command has rescued 75 travellers who were allegedly abducted by suspected bandits and held in a cave near Folwaya Village in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area.

The victims, including men, women and children, were travelling in commercial vehicles when they were intercepted by armed men and taken into the forest.

Police spokesperson, DSP Mansir Hassan, said the rescue followed information provided by the Birnin Gwari branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

The incident occurred at about 5:30 pm on Wednesday, August 19, 2026.

Hassan said police officers from the Birnin Gwari Area Command were quickly deployed to the area after receiving the report.

“The Kaduna State Police Command received credible information from the NURTW, Birnin Gwari Branch, that some Fulani men, women, and children travelling in commercial buses were abducted by unknown armed men wielding AK-47 rifles and other sophisticated weapons at Folwaya Village, near Birnin Gwari,” he said.

“On sighting the well-armed police operatives, the abductors fled, abandoning their captives, who were successfully rescued unharmed,” Hassan added.

The Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Muhammad, praised the NURTW branch for providing “timely and vital information” that helped the police respond quickly.

He also commended the Birnin Gwari Area Commander and his team for their “swift and professional response” to the incident.

The police urged residents to remain vigilant and share useful information with security agencies to help prevent kidnappings and other attacks in the state.

The Benue State Police Command has rescued the 13 remaining passengers abducted along the Otukpo–Adoka Road while travelling from Enugu to Abuja.

The victims were among passengers kidnapped on August 14, 2026, after gunmen intercepted their vehicle along the road and whisked them into the bush.

Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Orchia Peter Aondongu, confirmed the rescue in a statement on Friday.

According to the Command, the victims were rescued at about 2:00 am on August 20 at Amla-Cho Forest in Otukpo Local Government Area following about five days of sustained search and rescue operations.

The operation was carried out by police operatives in collaboration with local security personnel after intelligence reportedly led them to the location where the victims were being held.

Police said the operatives encountered the kidnappers during the night operation, but the suspects fled under the cover of darkness.

All 13 victims were rescued unhurt.

The Command also disclosed that one of the suspected kidnappers had earlier been killed during an encounter with security operatives.

According to the statement, operatives searching for the abducted passengers encountered the kidnappers at about 6:00pm on August 16, leading to a fierce gun battle.

One of the suspects was neutralised during the exchange, while an AK-47 rifle and five rounds of live ammunition were recovered.

Following their rescue, the victims were taken to a medical facility for examination and treatment before being transported to their respective destinations in a chartered bus.

The police also clarified discrepancies surrounding the actual number of passengers kidnapped during the incident.

According to the Command, the initial passenger manifest showed that nine persons were still in captivity following the earlier rescue of five victims.

Further verification, however, revealed that four additional passengers were not captured on the manifest, bringing the number rescued in the latest operation to 13.

The development prompted the Command to caution transport operators on the importance of maintaining accurate passenger manifests.

The Commissioner of Police in Benue State, CP Cletus C.N. Nwadiogbu, commended the operatives involved in the operation for their courage and resilience.

Nwadiogbu assured residents that efforts were being intensified to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects.

He also urged residents, particularly those in affected communities, to remain vigilant and provide credible information that could assist security agencies in apprehending the suspects and preventing further attacks.

The Command advised transport operators to maintain accurate and complete passenger manifests for every journey, noting that proper documentation could facilitate the identification and rescue of passengers during emergencies.

The Special Committee on the Museum of West African Art, MOWAA, led by former Edo State Governor and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has recommended that the museum project be returned to the Oba of Benin for management.

DAILY POST reports that Oshiomhole disclosed this on Thursday, August 20, 2026, while presenting the committee’s report to Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, in Benin City.

The six-member committee was constituted by Governor Okpebholo on November 8, 2025 to investigate the operations, ownership and governance structure of the museum project.

Other members of the committee are Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu; Lucky Imasuen, former Deputy Governor of Edo State; Gen. Cecil Esekhaigbe (rtd); Prof. Roland Otaru; the Edo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice; and Barr. Iryn Omorogiuwa, who served as secretary.

Presenting the report, Oshiomhole said the committee recommended that the project be returned to the Oba of Benin, stressing that political administrations were temporary while the Benin monarchy remained a permanent institution.

According to him, the museum would be better protected and managed by the institution that owns the cultural heritage it is intended to preserve.

He also recommended that the existing facility should not be demolished but retained and given a name that reflects its ownership.

“The museum is allowed to stay and the facility is given a proper name that will reflect the true ownership.

“The name be changed to Benin Royal Museum of African Art. The governor can use the same instrument of government to revert the name. This will attract artefacts from across the globe,” he said.

Oshiomhole alleged that the administration of former Governor Godwin Obaseki spent N3.8 billion in public funds on the project, while the name of the proposed museum was changed several times.

He said the Oba of Benin’s sustained campaign for the return of stolen Benin artefacts generated renewed discussions about the establishment of a royal museum to preserve and display the returned artefacts.

According to him, the Obaseki administration initially agreed to fund the construction of the Benin Royal Museum on land provided by the Oba of Benin.

He said the project was subsequently altered, including the demolition of the Central Hospital site, while its original name was changed from the proposed Benin Royal Museum to Edo Museum of West Africa Art, EMOWA, to the Museum of West African Art, MOWAA.

Oshiomhole said the Edo State Government provided N800 million as seed funding for the project, while additional donations were received from other sources.

He disclosed that the German government donated four million euros, while the Leventis Foundation contributed $1.5 million, among other donations.

The former governor further disclosed that five days before the expiration of the Obaseki administration, another N1 billion was approved and released for the project, bringing the state’s total expenditure to N3.8 billion.

Oshiomhole also questioned claims by the MOWAA management that it had received more than $18 million, allegedly spent on land acquisition and archaeological excavation.

He said some of the claims did not correspond with the committee’s findings.

The committee further recommended that the existing facility should not be demolished, arguing that it could still be retained and appropriately repurposed.

Responding, Governor Okpebholo commended the committee for what he described as an extensive and thorough investigation.

The governor said the quality of the report demonstrated the committee’s commitment to fairness and due process.

He disclosed that his administration would constitute another committee to prepare a white paper on the recommendations.

“At this point, I will set up another committee to enable us to have a white paper on the issue, and the committee will liaise with the Ministry of Justice so that the recommendation will be turned into a white paper,” he said.

The governor recalled a video in which former Governor Obaseki had reportedly promised to establish a royal museum in honour of the Oba of Benin before the project was subsequently transformed into MOWAA.

“You have done a great job and our ancestors will bless you all,” he added.