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 Nasarawa State Police Command says it has recorded significant breakthroughs in its ongoing fight against crime, arresting 35 suspects, rescuing seven kidnapped victims, and recovering 13 firearms in various operations conducted across the state since January 2026.

Commissioner of Police, Shetima Jauro Mohammed, disclosed this while briefing the Coordinating Deputy Inspector-General of Police for the North-Central Geo-Political Zone, DIG Isyaku Mohammed, during an inspection visit to the Command Headquarters in Lafia.

The police commissioner described the DIG’s visit as both timely and strategic, noting that it offered an opportunity to review the state’s security architecture and receive guidance aimed at strengthening policing and service delivery.

Mohammed explained that Nasarawa’s geographical location presents unique security concerns due to its proximity to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and its shared boundaries with Kaduna, Plateau, Niger, Benue and Taraba states.

According to him, the state’s vast forests, difficult terrain and extensive road network, while beneficial to economic activities, also provide opportunities for criminal elements to operate.

He identified kidnapping, armed robbery, cattle rustling, communal conflicts, illegal firearms possession and cross-border criminal activities as some of the major security challenges confronting the state.

The commissioner noted that incidents of kidnapping, particularly along the notorious “Santa Highway” and in isolated rural communities, have reduced considerably as a result of sustained security operations and improved intelligence gathering.

“Through intelligence-led policing, community engagement, enhanced surveillance and coordinated tactical operations, the Command has reviewed and strengthened its crime-fighting strategies to effectively combat criminal activities across the state,” he said.

Mohammed revealed that the Command has intensified security operations in ten identified flashpoints based on crime mapping and threat assessments.

The affected areas include the Gudi axis and surrounding communities, Lafia-Akwanga and Akwanga-Jos road corridors, Doma-Rukubi route, Lafia-Makurdi highway, Inde Hills in Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area, Garaku-Keffi corridor in Kokona LGA, Akwanga Forest axis spanning Obi and Keana LGAs, as well as Ajimaka, Gidanrai, Ambaka and Konfu-Gwaiaka communities.

He stated that the locations continue to receive heightened security attention because of their strategic importance and vulnerability to criminal activities.

To strengthen security presence in the affected areas, the Command has deployed both conventional and tactical policing assets, including stop-and-search checkpoints, mobile police units and special operational teams.

The commissioner further disclosed that tactical formations have been stationed at key locations such as Inde Hills, Akwanga Forest, Garaku-Keffi Road and other identified hotspots to deny criminal elements freedom of operation.

In addition, he said Safer Highway Patrol teams now maintain round-the-clock surveillance on major roads including Doma Road, Makurdi Road, Shendam Road, Akwanga-Jos Road, Gudi-Keffi Road and the Keffi-Abuja highway.

According to him, the patrols are supported by intelligence gathering mechanisms and rapid response units designed to swiftly respond to security threats and emergencies.

Mohammed reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to sustaining aggressive crime-fighting measures and strengthening partnerships with communities to ensure the protection of lives and property across Nasarawa State.