₦airaland Forum

Residents of Utonkon District in the Ado Local Government Area of Benue State have been left broken and traumatised following the abduction of nine worshippers from Saint John’s Catholic Church, Ojije.

The worshippers were abducted on Sunday night when gunmen stormed the church premises during a vigil, an incident that has deepened fear and despair across the community.

A former councillor who represented Ukwuenyo Ward in the Ado local government legislative council, Emmanuel Udah, confirmed the incident on Monday, according to Channels TV.

He described the situation as a devastating blow to an already traumatised population.

Udah was quoted as saying the attack was “a targeted and planned crime against the Church, when innocent worshippers were at the most sacred ground, a place of worship, a place for peace, and refuge, only to be abducted, while praying, vulnerable and unarmed”.

According to him, the abduction has shattered the sense of security in Utonkon, leaving families devastated and residents living in constant fear.

“The people of Utonkon are living in fear, families are broken, children are traumatised, farmers, traders, worshippers, are all trapped as no one feels safe anymore in our land,” Udah said.

He noted that beyond the immediate victims, the entire community is suffering psychological and emotional distress, as daily activities have been disrupted by fear of further attacks.

Udah lamented what he described as continued neglect of rural communities in Benue State, despite repeated reports of violence and abductions.

“This incident is not isolated; it reflects a growing pattern of insecurity that rural communities in Benue State continue to endure in silence and neglect. We are raising our voices because silence will kill us all,” he stated.

Calling for urgent intervention, the former councillor urged authorities to strengthen security in the area and take decisive steps to prevent further trauma to residents.

He also appealed for the immediate rescue of the nine worshippers abducted from the church and called on religious bodies and the international community to intervene.

“Religious bodies, civil society organisations, human-rights groups, and the international community should speak out and stand with us.

“We are not asking for sympathy alone. We are asking for attention, protection, and justice. Let the world know that Utonkon matters,” he added.

Confirming the abduction, the spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, Udeme Edet, said nine worshippers were taken during the attack.

She disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, had deployed tactical units in collaboration with local vigilantes to track down the abductors and rescue the victims, adding that the police were on the trail of the perpetrators.

At least 17 people, including a Mobile Police officer, have been reportedly killed following an attack by armed invaders at a rural market in Abande settlement of Mbaikyor Ward, Turan district, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State.

Locals told our correspondent on the telephone that the attack, which occurred on Tuesday, was carried out during the Abande market day, when residents were buying and selling goods. A former Supervisory Councillor in Kwande LGA, Akerigba Lawrence, also said the attackers opened fire on traders and residents, killing several people on the spot. He said shops were also looted, with traders alleging that cash and goods worth more than N150 million were taken before the entire market was set ablaze.

Lawrence explained that as of about 11:55pm on Tuesday, bodies of some of the victims had been evacuated to Jato-Aka by personnel of the Mobile Police Force stationed in the area.

He listed those confirmed dead to include Iornunbe Agba, Chia Kile, Terseer Shenge, Mker Ugbe, Emmanuel Agba Ortswen, Gbinde, and a Mobile Police officer who was the unit commander on duty at the time of the attack, among others.

The former local government official noted that several other residents were still missing as of press time.

Lawrence added that the latest attack has heightened fears among residents of Turan and neighbouring communities over what he described as worsening insecurity in the area.
The affected Abande community is close to Anwase, another community where more than 28 people were reportedly killed during attacks on Christmas Day in 2024.

Residents further alleged that since the beginning of the year, repeated attacks in the area have claimed more than 76 lives, including those of security personnel.

The residents said the Abande community and surrounding settlements, which lie close to the Nigeria–Cameroon border, have little visible presence of Nigerian security forces.

Meanwhile, the Police Spokesperson for the Benue State Command, DSP Udeme Edet, has confirmed four deaths in the attack.

“On 3rd February, 2026, at about 5:30pm, the Divisional Police Officer, Jato-Aka, received a distress call that suspected armed herder bandits, in large numbers, had attacked police personnel stationed at Abande Community as well as members of the community.

“During the ensuing confrontation while police operatives were responding to the distress call, one Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) attached to 13 Police Mobile Force (PMF), Makurdi, who was on special duty at Abande Community, was fatally injured.

“Regrettably, four members of the community also lost their lives as a result of the attack by the bandits.

“Following the incident, combined teams of police operatives and other security agencies have been mobilised to the area to secure the community, conduct a thorough search, and forestall further breakdown of law and order. The deceased persons have been recovered and deposited at the mortuary,” she said.

Edet added that in response to the attack, the Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, CP Ifeanyi Emenari, has directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations to immediately proceed to Jato-Aka with additional Mobile Force personnel and Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) to coordinate intensive operations, track the perpetrators, and effect their arrest.

Although normal commercial activities resumed on Monday at the Onitsha Main Market, the Indigenous People of Biafra’s Monday sit-at-home order left empty streets in parts of Anambra, with banks, schools, motor parks, and filling stations closed and roads deserted.

The traders at the Onitsha Main Market resumed business activities after a one-week shutdown, following directives from Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo.

The market has been inactive on Mondays since the Indigenous People of Biafra-directed sit-at-home order began in August 2021. Soludo ordered the closure of the market last Monday after traders failed to comply with the state government’s directive to disregard the Monday sit-at-home order.

However, our correspondent observed that major roads in Onitsha, such as Onitsha-Owerri Road, Upper-Iweka, Onitsha-Awka-Enugu Road, and Onitsha-Oba-Nnewi roads, remained deserted on Monday.

The roads leading to the Ochanja market were also deserted, as residents stayed off the roads, while some gathered at various locations to discuss matters of interest. This was unlike other days, when the roads would be very busy, and trading and other activities would be taking place.

Powerful said, “The Indigenous People of Biafra confirms total and overwhelming compliance with the sit-at-home directive issued across Biafraland. This historic show of unity has once again demonstrated that the deep love, loyalty, and resolve of the Biafran people toward Mazi Nnamdi Kanu cannot be broken by threats, intimidation, or state-sponsored coercion.

“From Omambala to Onitsha and across the South-East, the people have spoken with one voice. The land of Eri, Nri, Igbo-Ukwu, and Uzo-Igbo has reaffirmed its historic role as the conscience and backbone of the Igbo nation. Our people are born free—and will not submit to fear.

“This peaceful but firm compliance is a clear message: the Biafran people will not be forced to abandon their leader or betray their collective will. The love for Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is not a weakness to be envied or attacked—it is a strength that binds our people and fuels our lawful demand for justice and freedom.

“IPOB remains committed to order, discipline, and respect for institutions, but we will resist every attempt to intimidate, humiliate, or enslave our people. The continued illegal detention of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu only reinforces the legitimacy of this resistance.”

Kushites:
I've never seen where a governor rules a state for nearly a decade, completes his term, and flees from the state to live in another state. In this case, Lagos.

It's extraordinary.

My question is this: Is it that Obi is not happy or satisfied with the work he did as governor, such that the idea of living there feels degrading to him?

Or is there something I'm missing?

Why is he running away from his kinsmen?

helinues:
It seems majority of the Igbo's who are insisting on sit at home are mostly abroad based.

Would they also be observing sit at home in their respective foreign countries including those who work with big companies?

I am just curious to know. Because if people did not sit at home, what would happen?

How many mass burials need to be had? How many caskets should be lowered into their graves? How many families need to weep at the hands of pure evil? It is past due time that action is taken. God Bless and God help Nigeria.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Tuesday held “Trump Solidarity Rallies” across parts of the South-East, with demonstrators renewing calls for the immediate and unconditional release of its detained leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

In a press release issued by its Media and Publicity Directorate, IPOB stated that the rallies and peaceful marches took place simultaneously in Abia, Anambra and Ebonyi states, drawing participation from youths, women and elders.

According to the group, the rallies were organised both in solidarity and in remembrance of ‘Biafrans’ (southeasterners) who were killed nine years ago during protests held on the day of former United States President Donald Trump’s first inauguration.

“Youths, women, and elders came out in large numbers to peacefully demonstrate in solidarity and in remembrance of our people who were brutally killed exactly nine years ago during the first inauguration of President Donald Trump,” the statement said. IPOB alleged that the killings occurred when Nigerian soldiers opened fire on unarmed demonstrators.

“Nigerian soldiers, acting under the directives of the then ruling APC-led government, opened fire on unarmed Biafran demonstrators,” the group said.

Despite what it described as persistent insecurity and repression in the region, IPOB said ‘Biafrans’ remained undeterred.

“Despite the ongoing and relentless pogrom in Biafraland, and the atmosphere of intimidation, persecution and insecurity deliberately imposed on the South-East, Biafrans continue to defy fear and oppression,” the statement read. “A people determined to be free cannot be permanently subdued.”

The group said protesters carried placards, banners and photographs of Nnamdi Kanu, whom they described as central to the current tensions in the region.

“Participants renewed their demand for his immediate and unconditional release, insisting that his continued detention remains a major catalyst for tension and instability,” IPOB stated.

The rallying crowd also reportedly called for broader accountability over past and present security issues in the South-East.

“The rallying crowd called for an independent inquiry into the Port Harcourt killings and the wider, worsening insecurity ravaging the South-East,” the statement said, adding that “truth, accountability and justice are indispensable to peace.”

IPOB maintained that its activities are non-violent and lawful, while appealing to security agencies and the international community.

“IPOB reiterates that all our activities remain peaceful and lawful,” the group said.

“We urge the security agencies to respect the fundamental rights of citizens to peaceful assembly.”

The organisation also called on foreign governments and human rights bodies to intervene.

“We call on the international community to take urgent interest in the deteriorating human rights situation in the South-East of Nigeria,” the statement added.

RealEstatePlus:
Repentant terrorists ??
I laugh in 3D

The Katsina State Government has defended the release of 70 suspected bandits from custody, saying the decision was part of a broader peace initiative and hostage-swap agreement designed to restore stability in conflict-affected communities.

The State Commissioner for Information, Salisu Bala, said the move followed appeals from traditional rulers and community leaders who were directly involved in negotiating a peace accord with repentant bandit groups operating in frontline local government areas.

An earlier official letter indicating that courts had been directed to approve the release of the detainees sparked widespread public criticism, with many Nigerians questioning why suspects accused of grave offences, including killings, rape and destruction of property, were being freed.

However, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Nasir Muazu, had previously clarified that the releases were tied to conditions agreed under the peace deal, including the exchange of captives held by the bandits.

Bala disclosed that, in line with the agreement, more than 1,000 hostages were released from several local government areas, including Safana, Kurfi, Faskari, Sabuwa, Danmusa, Malumfashi, Musawa, Matazu, Jibia, Bakori and Dutsinma.

He explained that following the release of the hostages, traditional rulers and community representatives formally approached the state government to facilitate the release of detained bandits to fulfil the communities’ obligations under the accord.

The government, he said, reviewed legal and judicial processes before approving the request.

According to Bala, the peace initiative has already yielded tangible improvements in security and economic activity across affected areas.

Farming has resumed, markets in Danmusa and Batsari have reopened, and displaced residents are returning to their communities to harvest crops.

He urged the public to support the peace process and avoid politicising the matter, noting that similar exchange arrangements are common in conflict resolution efforts.

He argued that no one would oppose a deal capable of securing the release of loved ones held in captivity.

Bala reaffirmed that the administration of Governor Dikko Umaru Radda remains committed to ending banditry and kidnapping in Katsina State through lawful, community-driven strategies aimed at achieving lasting peace.

No fewer than 42 people, including women and children, were killed by the terrorists in the latest attack, which saw blood flowing freely and has thrown the entire communities into mourning.

A source close to Kasuwa Daji and Kaima communities, where the attack took place on Saturday, said an unspecified number of villagers were whisked away into Kainji National Park, including some students of Papiri missionary school who had recently regained their freedom.

The attack came barely five days after a group of fleeing bandits from a military operation in Kwara State invaded Gebe and Goro communities, in the same Agwara Local Government Area, slaughtered two people, and burnt down over 15 houses after looting valuables.

Also, a week ago, a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps checkpoint within the axis, this time in Wawa community, Borgu Local Government Area, was invaded by the gunmen, who carted away arms and ammunition as the personnel fled for safety.

The terrorists, according to a reliable source, have occupied Kainji National Park, from where they launch constant attacks on communities within the axis.

According to the source, “They killed 37 people in Kasuwa Daji near Papiri, another five people in Kaima village and abducted many people, including children and some of the students who had earlier been released.

“The government and security agencies should come to our rescue. We have a serious crisis across the River Rofia, from where they cross over from Kebbi State to launch attacks.

“They came out of the forest about a week ago, wreaking havoc in the villages. Just yesterday (Saturday) alone, they burnt one particular market and abducted so many people, including children,” our source said.

The Director of Communications, Catholic Church of Kontagora Diocese, Rev Father Stephen Kabirat, who confirmed the incident, disclosed that the terrorists had killed over 40 people and taken an unspecified number of people into captivity.

“Our parish priest narrowly escaped abduction when the terrorists visited our mission house three days ago. They destroyed some religious items in the church, carted away two motorbikes and cash worth over two hundred thousand naira (N200,000).

“They were looking for the priest, but luckily, he escaped, but they abducted some villagers, including children.”

Another villager, while appealing to the relevant authorities, said, “As I am talking to you, some of the villages where the abducted schoolchildren come from have been sleeping in the bushes since their return because of the activities of the terrorists.”

Confirming the attacks, the Public Relations Officer of the Niger State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said that at about 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, the police received reports that suspected bandits attacked and killed over 30 persons and abducted an unconfirmed number of people.

In a statement, Wasiu said, “At about 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, suspected bandits from the National Park forest along Kebe District invaded Kasuwan Daji located at Demo Village via Kebe village and killed over 30 persons, burnt the market and looted shops and carted away food items.

“A joint security team has visited the scene, and efforts are ongoing to rescue the victims. Further development will be communicated, please.”

A Caracas native, Rodriguez was born on May 18, 1969. She is the daughter of left-wing rebel fighter Jorge Antonio Rodriguez, who founded the Socialist League party in the 1970s. Her father was killed while tortured in police custody in 1976, a crime that shook many activists of the era, including a young Maduro.

Rodriguez’s brother, also named Jorge, also holds a key role in government as the head of the National Assembly.

She is an attorney who graduated from the Central University of Venezuela and rose rapidly through the political ranks in the past decade. Rodriguez has a long history of representing on the world stage what late President Hugo Chavez called his socialist “revolution” with those carrying on his legacy referred to as Chavistas.

She served as communication and information minister from 2013 to 2014, foreign minister from 2014 to 2017 and as the head of a pro-government Constituent Assembly, which expanded Maduro’s powers, in 2017.

Despite being perceived as more moderate, Maduro has called Rodriguez a “tiger” for her die-hard defence of his socialist government.

When she was named vice president in June 2018, Maduro described her as “a young woman, brave, seasoned, daughter of a martyr, revolutionary and tested in a thousand battles”.

After Maduro’s abduction on Saturday, Rodriguez demanded the US government provide proof of life for Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and minced no words in denouncing the US actions.

“We call on the peoples of the great homeland to remain united because what was done to Venezuela can be done to anyone. That brutal use of force to bend the will of the people can be carried out against any country,” she said in an address broadcast by the state television channel VTV.

Thugs Allegedly Acting For Benin Traditional Council Assault, Strip, Haul Actor Don Pedro Obaseki To Palace Over ‘Disrespect’ Claims

Thugs claiming to be acting on behalf of the Benin Traditional Council have seized, stripped, and assaulted a Nigerian actor, Dr Don Pedro Obaseki, accusing him of being an “Oghionoba”, a term translated as an enemy of the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II.

Pedro Obaseki was dragged to the Benin Kingdom Palace by a group of Benin youths over claims of recent activities and remarks they described as disrespectful to the Oba.

Sources said the incident followed Pedro Obaseki’s recent attendance at a meet-and-greet event in London organised in honour of his cousin, former Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, who they also labelled “Oghionoba.”

In a viral video seen by SaharaReporters, the actor was stripped to his boxers, forced to kneel, and made to walk on his knees within the palace premises.

He was subsequently taken before individuals dressed in white attire and adorned with beads, believed to be palace chiefs or officials, who escorted him into the palace while the mob remained outside.

The rift between former Governor Obaseki and the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, is a complex dispute involving cultural heritage, administrative power, and a deep-seated historical family rivalry.

The conflict gained significant public attention around 2021 and escalated until the end of Obaseki's tenure in 2024.

The most public flashpoint was the repatriation of thousands of artifacts (the Benin Bronzes) looted by British forces in 1897.

The Oba maintained that the artifacts were stolen from the Palace and should return to the Palace. He advocated for a Benin Royal Museum to be built within the Palace grounds.

However, the then-governor proposed the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA), managed by a private entity called the Legacy Restoration Trust. He envisioned this as part of a broader cultural district to boost tourism.

In 2023, the Federal Government of Nigeria stepped in and officially recognized the Oba of Benin as the legal owner and custodian of all repatriated artifacts, effectively siding with the Palace and dealing a blow to Obaseki’s plan.

Also, a major administrative clash occurred when several Enigie (traditional dukes) in Edo South requested the state government to create new, independent traditional councils.

The Palace saw this as a "divide and rule" tactic by Obaseki to "balkanize" the Benin Kingdom and weaken the Oba's central authority.

Igbo Community In Sokoto Marks Christmas With Nnamdi Kanu, Other Inmates In Prison

The Igbo community in Sokoto State marked Christmas Day with detained Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu at the Nigerian Correctional Centre.

The community described the humanitarian gesture inspired by the disposition of the detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu

During the visit, the community shared meals with the inmates at the Sokoto Correctional Centre.

In a statement signed by Nze A. C. Madu and made available to journalists, the leadership of the Sokoto Igbo community said the outreach was driven by compassion, communal responsibility and the spirit of the Christmas season.

According to the statement, members of the community spent Christmas with inmates at the correctional facility, sharing food and fellowship as part of the visit.

The group said its decision was influenced by what it described as Kanu’s reported preference not to dine alone during the festive season.

“Understanding his (Kanu’s) reported preference not to dine alone, especially during the festive season of Christmas, the community made a decisive and inclusive choice,” the statement said.

“Rather than limiting their generosity to a single individual, they elected to provide festive meals for the entire inmate population of the facility.”

The community said the gesture ensured that all inmates benefited from the celebration.

“This benevolent act ensured that all approximately 1,300 inmates shared in the spirit of the season,” the statement added.

Describing the outreach as deeply rooted in Igbo values, the leadership said the initiative reflected the cultural principle of being one another’s keeper, as well as universal ideals of charity and fellowship.

“It was performed as a humanitarian service to all, irrespective of origin or circumstance,” the statement read. “It underscores a commitment to humanity and shared goodwill, offering a moment of comfort and inclusivity during the holiday period.”

The Sokoto Igbo community expressed hope that the Christmas outreach would foster peace, unity and mutual understanding beyond the festive season.


Kanu is currently being held at the Sokoto Correctional Centre following his transfer after Justice James Omotosho sentenced him to life imprisonment in November 2025 over terrorism counts one, two, four, five and six.

The court also handed him a 20-year jail term on count three and a five-year jail term on count seven, both without an option of fine.

Justice Omotosho delivered the judgment after convicting the IPOB leader on all seven counts of terrorism-related offences.

Although the judgment has attracted widespread condemnation, Kanu has indicated his intention to challenge the conviction and sentence at the appellate court