Nine persons abducted by suspected kidnappers have been rescued during a joint security operation involving Kwara state Forest Guards, the State Security Service (SSS), local hunters and vigilantes in Ekiti local government area of the state.

Three suspected kidnappers were killed during the operation carried out in the Obbo-Aiyegunle, Ejiu-Ora and Osi axis near the Kogi state border, according to local authorities.

The spokesperson of the chairman of Ekiti local government, Sunday Dada, said in a statement that the victims were abducted on a market day in Eju and were being taken through a forest route towards neighbouring Niger state when security operatives intercepted the kidnappers.

The statement said the rescue followed an intelligence-led operation in the forests linking Kwara with neighbouring states.

One of the rescued victims, Umaru Muazu, said armed men seized him and his son during the attack.

“The men came from nowhere and put a gun to my head. Four of them took my son and me. Fear gripped me, and I fell to the ground. They also took my friend’s motorcycle and kidnapped us,” he said.

Another victim, Ibrahim Danga, said the captives had spent only a short period with the kidnappers before security operatives arrived.

A member of the Kwara Forest Guards, Owolabi Adebayo, said three suspected kidnappers were killed during a gun battle.

“We neutralised three of them and rescued nine people. One of the victims is receiving treatment for injuries,” Adebayo said.

He appealed for improved logistics and equipment to strengthen operations against armed groups operating in the forests.

“There is no type of firearm that is not in their hands. We need more equipment such as body armour, binoculars, night-vision goggles, walkie-talkies and more ammunition to confront them,” he said.

The chief security officer of Ekiti local government area, Gabriel Agbemuko, commended the forest guards for their role in the operation. (Premium Times)

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2027: Atiku, Obi, Kwankwaso repeating 2023 mistakes – Lukman 

By Bode Olagoke 

Abuja 

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Salihu Moh Lukman, Thursday, stated that persistent disunity and selfish personal ambitions among key opposition figures will inevitably hand President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) another term in office in 2027.

Lukman also said unless something drastic is done, the forthcoming general elections may witness high voter apathy with less than 10 million votes in the presidential election. 

The former director general of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) said if any opposition candidate surprisingly wins in 2027, “there is nothing to give confidence that we can produce a better government.” 

In a statement in Abuja titled: “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,” Lukman said for now, internal debates and consultations within the opposition towards producing democratic decisions is absent. 

He added that graveyard silence in the midst of high public expectations define activities of the opposition. The question as to whether the country and whatever represents democracy is dmed resonate in the mind of every rational thinking Nigerian. 

Lukman stated that the failure of top opposition leaders, specifically mentioning former Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and Rotimi Amaechi, to subordinate their presidential ambitions to a unified platform poses the single greatest threat to defeating the APC.”

Farmers beg Kefas to investigate disappearance of 8,000 bags of fertiliser 

By Andrew 

 Jalingo 

Farmers in Taraba state Thursday appealed to Taraba state governor,  Agbu Kefas, to urgently set up a  committee to investigate the disappearance of 8, 000 bags of  fertilizer sent to them by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to boost food security in the state.

A farmer, Sansiyi Dadoo, in Jalingo, expressed worries over the whereabouts of the 8,000 bags of fertilizers.

“We beg security agencies, the office of the president and that of the governor, Kefas, to wade into the matter and unravel the source of the missing products,” he said.

He hinted that no fewer than 8,000 bags of fertilizer was  allocated to Taraba state government through the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu fertilizer input support program.

He added that President Tinubu had few weeks ago announced the procurement of 449,000 metric tonnes of fertilizer inputs to boost food security across Nigeria out of which 20,000 bags of the fertilizer was allocated and conveyed to Taraba state in the early days of July, 2026.

The president tagged the distribution as “President Tinubu fertilizer input support program”.

Out of the 20,000 bags of the fertilizer, which comprises of organic NPK and Urea, 12,000 bags were allocated to the All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN) Taraba state chapter, while 8,000 bags were given to the state Ministry of Agriculture.

Our correspondent reliably gathered that 12,000 bags of the fertilizer was allocated to AFAN to distribute to its members while 8,000 bags were given to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for onward distribution to cooperatives and organised farmers across the state.

The director, Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Taraba state, Mr Luka Dabut, when contacted, confirmed receipt of the 8,000 bags of the fertilizer from the federal government to handover to the Taraba state government.

FG urged to reconstruct Kankara – Katsina road 

By Chamba Simeh

Abuja 

The Federal Ministry of Works has been urged to re-award the contract for the reconstruction of Marabar Kankara – Dutsin-ma – Katsina federal highway, to a competent firm.

The chairman, Badumaska Development Association, Alhaji Sani Bawa Dutsin-ma, made the appeal in a press release issued Thursday in Dutsin-ma, Katsina state.

He said the appeal was necessitated by the abandonment of the road, following the revocation of the contract of a substandard construction company about two years ago.

Alhaji Sani Bawa Dutsin-ma said the re-award of the contract for the reconstruction of the road has become necessary in order to alleviate the suffering of the people affected by its deplorable state, including heightening insecurity.

He added that the road, which is the busiest in Katsina state, has been deserted by motorists, given its dilapidation and invasion by bandits and other criminal elements.

The chairman said the Badumaska Development Association, which comprises eight local government areas in the state, namely: Batagarawa, Dutsin-ma, Malumfashi, Safana, Katsina, Kankara, Kurfi, and Danmusa, must not be neglected from the political space in Katsina state.

He said he hoped for the immediate re-award of the contract to a competent construction company.