Troops of the Nigerian Army, and operatives of the Department of State Services have rescued a lecturer at Taraba State University, Joshua Saleh.
The lecturer was abducted on July 31 along the Chinkai–Kente–Wukari Road in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State.
The rescue followed a joint operation based on actionable intelligence across several locations including Kente, Sondi, Yaku, and Warawa.
A statement on Sunday by the acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 6 Brigade, Lieutenant Umar Muhammad, said during the operation, troops engaged the kidnappers in a gunfight, forcing them to abandon the victim.
He said Saleh was recovered unhurt.
The statement read, “In a daring and well-coordinated operation, troops of 6 Brigade, NA/Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke, in collaboration with operatives of the Department of State Services, have successfully rescued Engineer Joshua Saleh, a lecturer at Taraba State University.
“Acting on credible and actionable intelligence, the troops, alongside DSS operatives, launched a targeted search and rescue operation across key locations, including Kente, Sondi 1 and 2, Yaku, and the Warawa general area. During the operation, troops encountered the kidnappers and engaged them in a fierce gun battle. Overwhelmed by the superior firepower and pressure, the criminals fled the scene, abandoning the victim. Engineer Saleh was found unharmed and promptly rescued.”
The Commander of the 6 Brigade, Brigadier General Kingsley Chidiebere Uwa, commended the troops for their swift response and urged the public to remain vigilant and continue supporting security agencies with useful information.
The Imo State Police Command has dismantled a cult gang that specialised in phone theft, burglary, and altering the tracking device of phones in Eziobodo, in the Owerri West Local Government Area.
This is even as the Command has arrested several people linked to various phone robberies within the Owerri federal constituency.
Police spokesperson for Imo State command, DSP Henry Okoye, made the disclosure on Saturday morning.
Okoye disclosed that following a complaint by a phone dealer whose shop was burgled on July 11th, 2025, within Eziobodo, operatives of the Anti-Vice commenced an investigation that led to the arrest of a suspect with four brand new but stolen phones.
Intense investigation led the Police to the principal burglar behind the robbery and another accomplice who specialised in altering phone IMEI, which blocks the tracking of such phones.
Okoye said, “Following a complaint by a phone dealer whose shop in Eziobodo was burgled on 11th July 2025, operatives of the Anti-Vice Unit arrested a suspect in possession of four brand-new stolen phones. Investigations led to the arrest of the principal burglar and another accomplice who specialised in altering phone IMEI numbers to evade tracking”.
He disclosed that all the suspects arrested are currently in custody, while efforts have been intensified to apprehend other members of the syndicate.
Okoye said in another development, operatives of the Orji Police Station on July 31st, 2025, at about 9pm (2100hrs) arrested one Ernest Nweke ‘m’ at Bishop’s Court roundabout, in the Owerri North LGA, following a distress call from concerned citizens.
The suspect, who is a native of Umuoji in the Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State but resident in the World Bank area of Owerri, was arrested with a locally fabricated pistol after he and three others allegedly robbed one Emmanuel FearGod ‘m’ of Fountain of Knowledge Hostel.
Okoye said, “Nweke, who confessed to being a member of the Vikings cult group, was identified by the victim and arrested while the others fled. Based on his confession, four other suspects: Chamberlain Prince, Akujuobi Godwin, Ugwuelu Joseph, and Frederick Chigozie were arrested the next morning and also confessed to the crime. All suspects are currently undergoing investigation and will be duly prosecuted in court”.
Meanwhile, the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, has commended the officers for their swift action and reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to fight crime.
The Police boss urged residents to report suspicious activities to the nearest Police Station or through 0803 477 3600.
The Anambra State Police Command has arrested a suspected kidnapper, John Chinagorom, who is said to have been on the Command’s wanted list.
A statement released on Saturday by the Anambra State Police spokesman, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the suspect was arrested in Zaria, Kaduna State, with the assistance of the Kaduna State Police Command.
Ikenga said his arrest followed a credible intelligence received by operatives of the Ozubulu Police Division on August 1, that the suspect, who is linked to a kidnapping case in Anambra, was sighted at PZ Park Road, Zaria, Kaduna State.
The statement read in part, “The Anambra State Police Command wishes to inform the public that its officers, with the assistance of the Kaduna State Police Command, have arrested John Chinagorom ‘M’, a suspected kidnapper, who has been on the Command’s wanted list.
“This follows a credible intelligence received by operatives of the Ozubulu Police Division at noon of 1st August 2025, that the suspect, John Chinagorom, who is linked to a kidnapping Case reported on 15th April 2025, was sighted at PZ Park Road, Zaria, Kaduna State.
“Acting swiftly on the information, a team of Police detectives from the Division was dispatched, and they successfully apprehended the suspect at his hideout in Zaria, with the assistance of officers of the Kaduna State Police Command.
“The suspect is currently in custody and is assisting the Police in the ongoing investigation.”
He urged the general public to remain calm, assuring them that the security situation in the state is under control as joint security patrols and other crime prevention operations are ongoing.
“Meanwhile, the general security situation across other parts of the State remains calm, as counter-terrorism and other crime prevention operations continue.
“Further developments will be communicated in due course,” he added.
The National Emergency Management Agency said no fewer than 165 persons have died, 82 missing and 119,791 persons have been affected by this year’s flooding.
NEMA revealed this in its data dashboard on Friday.
The agency also stated that 138 persons sustained various degrees of injuries, 43,936 displaced, 8,594 houses affected and 8,278 farmlands destroyed across 43 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in 19 States.
According to the agency, children and women were mostly affected.
It said, “53,314 children , 36,573 women, 24,600 men, 5,304 elderly, 1,863 disabled persons have so far been affected by this year flood.”
The states with the highest number of affected persons are Imo, Rivers, Abia, Borno and Kaduna States.
Meanwhile, the 19 states affected are; Abia, FCT, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bayelsa, Borno, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Ondo, Rivers and Sokoto States.
The Nigeria Customs Service has announced December 31, 2025, as the deadline for the migration from the current Fast Track Scheme to the globally recognised Authorised Economic Operator Programme.
Announcing this in a statement on Friday, the National Public Relations Officer of the service, Abdullahi Maiwada, stressed that the move is in furtherance of its commitment to align Nigeria’s trade facilitation procedures with international best practices.
Maiwada explained that the strategic move is grounded in the World Customs Organisation’s SAFE Framework of Standards and backed by Sections 108 to 111 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.
According to Maiwada, the AEO Programme is a structured initiative that offers trusted traders who meet specified compliance, financial, and security criteria a certain level of priority treatment in customs processes, including pre-arrival clearance, minimal inspection, expedited release, and possible mutual recognition with other customs administrations.
The NCS spokesperson reiterated that the scheme is also designed to build trust, ensure cargo integrity, and enhance the predictability and transparency of Nigeria’s import-export operations.
“Consequently, the current Fast Track Scheme will be officially decommissioned effective December 31, 2025. All beneficiaries currently enrolled in the Fast Track Scheme are mandated to initiate their migration to the AEO Compliance Programme by submitting their applications through the dedicated portal. Only companies approved under the AEO Programme will continue to enjoy trade facilitation privileges previously accorded under the Fast Track scheme,” he stated.
He highlighted that as part of the rollout and stakeholder education process, the NCS will be hosting a stakeholders’ engagement forum.
“This forum will bring together importers, exporters, terminal operators, logistics providers, and licensed customs agents for a sensitisation program on the objectives, benefits, eligibility requirements, and application procedures for the AEO Programme. Participants will also have the opportunity to interact with NCS officers overseeing the AEO implementation process,” Maiwada added.
He encouraged all eligible operators to embrace this transition and participate actively in the programme to sustain their competitive advantage while contributing to a more secure, transparent, and efficient trade environment in Nigeria.
“While the service continues to prioritise compliance-driven facilitation, secure trade practices, and the modernisation of customs procedures in line with global trends, it remains committed to improving Nigeria’s ranking on the global trade index, securing supply chains, and fostering a transparent and efficient cargo clearance ecosystem that benefits both government and legitimate businesses,” he said.
Seven farmers who were kidnapped last Saturday while working on their farmland in Itaogbolu, Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, have regained their freedom.
The victims were released on Wednesday night after spending five days in captivity, a relative of one of the abductees told the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday.
The relative, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “I’m happy to tell you that the kidnappers released all seven farmers on Wednesday night. They are back with their families.
“I want to let you know that when the kidnappers demanded ransom, which was N100 million initially before it was reduced to N20 million, we were only able to raise N5 million.
“They were released in Ikere-Ekiti, Ekiti, on Wednesday night after collecting the N5 million and food items.
“The victims are now in the hospital for medical attention.”
Efforts by NAN to speak with the state Commander of Amotekun Corps, Mr Adetunji Adeleye, were unsuccessful as calls to his cell phone were not answered.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Olushola Ayanlade, simply said, “I’m not aware of their release.”
The National Association of Nigerian Students on Monday raised the alarm over what they described as the “nefarious and atrocious” activities of members of Dragon Squad, a police unit that has been terrorising residents of Ogun State, particularly students.
According to a statement signed by the National President of NANS, Ladoja Olushola, on Monday, in Abuja, the squad claimed to be established by the Office of the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos State, has continued to harass and intimidate residents and students of Abeokuta, on the pretext of going after “Yahoo Boys”.
Olushola added that the squad, being led by one DSP has its office in the Laderin Estate in the state capital, where several innocent people were being detained.
He said that the DSP, who was part of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (
and Zonal Intervention Squad located in Obada-Oko Area of the state, has continued to lead his team to terrorise, extort, detain and raid the homes of residents illegally.
The NANS National President further stated that the squad, apart from arresting and detaining Ogun residents who are mainly youths and students, has been acting as security backing to suspected land grabbers who invaded part of Ita Oshin and Oke Ata communities in Abeokuta, to unleash mayhem and wreak havoc.
He noted that despite several complaints made by the residents to the office of the Commissioner of Police in Ogun State, the “heinous activities of the Dragon Squad have continued unchecked”, calling on the Inspector General of Police to urgently intervene and rein in the terrors of the DSP and his team.
Olushola disclosed that the senior police officer claimed that his squad was sent by the AIG in charge of the Zone 2, Onikan to Ogun, hence, the Commissioner of Police in the state cannot interfere with his operations.
He maintained that the excesses of the police squad have spread fear in the hearts of Ogun residents, particularly students and their parents who had either been detained or forced to cough up an exorbitant sum of money.
Olushola observed that the Gestapo style of operations of the squad, is gradually bringing back the inglorious era of SARS’s brutality and inhumane treatment meted out to the people.
While reiterating NANS’s call to the IGP to order the AIG in charge of Zone 2 in Lagos, to disband the Dragon Squad in Ogun, Olushola declared that the student body will mobilize students and stage a massive protest against the “nefarious and illicit activities” of the squad.
He further expressed dismay that that a police officer whose notorious and obnoxious activities in Ogun State largely contributed to the disbandment of the defunct SARS and ZIS, could be assigned by the AIG to surreptitiously revive SARS modus operandi in the state.
The statement reads further: “NANS has viewed with dismay and unpleasantness, the nefarious and atrocious activities of members of a police unit, dubbed Dragon Squad in Ogun State. The squad being led by one DSP Akeem Adeyemi, has not only been terrorizing residents of Abeokuta, especially students, who have fallen victim, but it has also become a ready-made tool of oppression in the hands of land grabbers in the state.
“The office in Laderin Estate in Abeokuta has a holding cell where innocent people are being detained for up to a month without being charged to court. No victim has come out of the detention without tales of horror, extortion and intimidation. On the pretext of going after Yahoo Boys, several students have been arrested, detained and extorted. Their parents are not spared.
“These policemen have turned Ogun, Abeokuta specifically, to their workshop. They carry out dirty jobs and extort the youths and students. In fact, NANS was reliably informed that a sum of N1.5m was collected from a male victim last week.
“While NANS will not condone or support crimes in any guise, even from our members, the student will stand against and resist any violation of rights of our members, harassment and intimidation from any security agency, particularly the ones that engage in activities not backed by the Nigerian Constitution”.
“We, however, call on the Inspector General of Police not to allow DSP Adeyemi and his cohorts in the Dragon Squad, constituting himself into a terror and above-the-law personality, in the state of origin of the IGP. The AIG in charge of the Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos, whom Adeyemi claimed birthed Dragon Squad, should also be called to order.
“To this end, NANS will mobilize massively and storm the office of AIG, Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos State, on Wednesday, to protest the nefarious, obnoxious and notorious activities of the police Dragon Squad in Ogun State
“By next week Monday, NANS will mobilize and march in protest to the office of the Inspector General of Police in Abuja; the National Assembly and the Office of the Secretary of Government of the Federation (SGF) and the Police Service Commission office, in order to call their attention to the aberration and siege on the innocent people of Ogun, courtesy DSP Adeyemi and his team.”
Several persons were feared dead on Friday night after a trailer lost control and rammed into them along the Chisco Park Junction in Amichi, Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State.
It was gathered that the fatal accident occurred around 9:30pm when the driver of the trailer experienced brake failure and crashed into pedestrians on the roadside, resulting in multiple fatalities.
The incident which was also captured on the Amichi City-wide CCTV system, showed some of the knocked-down victims lying on the ground, while some residents and other road users were seen bemoaning the incident and offering rescue assistance to the victims.
Some eyewitnesses near the scene told our correspondent said the accident occurred within a short period of time as the victims who were mostly doing their usual night business did not see the incoming trailer towards them.
One of the eyewitnesses, who gave his name simply as Uche, said, “The crash, which occurred at about 9:30pm yesterday(Friday) came as a shock given the short period within which everything happened.
“The people were doing their usual night business and engaging in their usual activities while some passengers were waiting to board vehicles when the trailer uncontrollably rammed into them, knocking many down, including motorcyclists, a little girl, bystanders, and some petty traders.
“Some road users who saw the trailer on time as it was dangerously approaching the area were able to escape the tragedy. Several persons who were knocked were mostly those waiting to board vehicles and some people doing business near the park.
“The bodies of the victims lay on the ground before the rescue operations from pedestrians and the arrival of security operatives.”
When contacted on the development on Saturday, the Spokesperson for the Federal Road Safety Corps, Anambra sector, Margaret Onabe, confirmed the incident, but could not give the actual casualty figure.
“Yes, we received the accident of the accident, but information about the crash and the casualty rate is still being gathered, we will issue a statement soon,” Onabe said.
Russia struck several regions of Ukraine overnight, officials said Saturday, reporting one person killed in Dnipro, while Moscow said two people died after a Ukrainian drone attack in the Rostov region.
Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov said one person was killed in a high-rise apartment complex.
Across the border, Russia’s acting governor of Rostov said a car caught fire following a drone strike.
“Tragically, two people died,” Yuri Sliusar posted on Telegram.
Ukrainian officials in Dnipro, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia all reported coming under Russian fire overnight.
In Dnipro, Filatov urged people to take precautions during Russian attacks.
“I understand that there aren’t enough shelters, but I must say: during shelling, it is absolutely not advisable to stay on the upper floors, especially when there is an underground parking area available,” he posted on Telegram.
Kharkiv Mayor Igor Terekhov said that his city had come under sustained bombardment “for almost three hours”.
“The enemy used several types of weapons simultaneously: guided bombs, ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones,” he added.
In Zaporizhzhia, Governor Ivan Fedorov said several fires broke out following Russian drone attacks, one of which hit a residential building while another damaged a farm warehouse.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pushing for a meeting with counterpart Vladimir Putin to end the war, with Kyiv proposing talks by the end of August.
But the Kremlin on Thursday downplayed the likelihood any such meeting was imminent.
Both sides have radically different positions at the negotiating table, and Ukraine has accused Russia of sending only low-level officials with no decision-making power.
Russia has called on Ukraine to effectively cede four regions that Moscow claims to have annexed, a demand Kyiv has called unacceptable.
Ukraine meanwhile has been pleading with its Western backers to send more weapons for its troops to withstand daily Russian attacks.
The Ogun State police command on Saturday said that its Anti-Cultism Unit in collaboration with other tactical squads have arrested two soldiers and 20 others suspected to be cultists during a midnight raid on Hilton Hotel, Osiele, Abeokuta.
The Spokesperson of the state police command, CSP Omolola Odutola, disclosed this in a statement sent to journalists on Saturday.
Odutola said, “Acting on credible intelligence, a joint team comprising operatives from Odeda Division, Aregbe Division, the Anti-Cultism Unit, and SWAT, led by SP Adejoh Israel, stormed the location at about 2020hrs on 25th July, 2025.
“The operation was targeted at suspected members of the Aiye confraternity gathered at the hotel.
“In the course of the operation, twenty-two (22) suspects were arrested, including two (2) soldiers, nineteen (19) male suspects, and three (3) females.
“Recovered from the suspects were one cut-to-size locally made gun, one UTC axe, and several blue beret caps associated with the cult group”
She stated that the suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Anti-Cultism Unit, Eleweran, for further investigation and that no casualty recorded during the operation.
Odutola disclosed that the state police command remains resolute in its fight against cultism and other violent crimes and urges residents to continue providing useful information to aid ongoing operations.
