MBF to FG: Replicate Efforts Adopted in Oyo to Rescue Victims in Borno, Kaduna

• Atiku decries kidnap of Kogi school principal, others 

• Egbe Omo Yoruba seeks stronger security measures 

• 65 battalion troops raid hideout, arrest 24 foreign nationals in Epe

• Police arrest two foreigners over attempted kidnapping plot in Kwara

Chiemelie Ezeobi, Bennett Oghifo in Lagos, Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has challenged the federal government to intensify efforts and operations to free other abducted children and victims still being held by terrorists in Southern Borno and Southern Kaduna.

MBF also criticised what it described as government’s continued investment in rehabilitation programmes for so-called repentant Boko Haram members and bandits while innocent citizens and victims remained in terrorist captivity.

The forum particularly expressed concerns over the “continued silence” of the federal government and the governments of Borno and Kaduna states, stressing that the development risks creating the impression that some Nigerian lives are more valued than others.

It urged the federal government to replicate the efforts invested in the rescue of abducted school pupils and teachers in Oyo State.

A statement by Luka Binniyat, spokesperson of MBF, however, commended the federal government, security agencies, and all those involved in the successful rescue of the Oyo school pupils and teachers abducted on May 15.

Atiku Decries Kidnap of Kogi School Principal, Others

The presidential candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, condemned the abduction of the principal of Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, a National Examinations Council (NECO) ad hoc official, and students, who were writing their NECO examination in Kogi State.

Atiku described the incident as further proof that the Nigerian state had abdicated its most fundamental responsibility, the protection of life, learning, and the future of its children.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said it was both tragic and disgraceful that in today’s Nigeria, children could no longer write public examinations without the terrifying prospect of being marched into the forest by armed criminals.

According to Atiku, “An examination hall should be a sanctuary of hope, not a crime scene. A school principal should be preparing students for the future, not negotiating with kidnappers.

‘’A NECO official should be supervising examinations, not struggling for survival in the hands of bandits. Yet this has become the grim reality under a government that has normalised insecurity.”

Atiku said the latest attack was not an isolated tragedy but part of a dangerous national pattern in which educational institutions had become preferred targets because criminals no longer feared the Nigerian state.

He stated, “It is impossible to separate this attack from the attitude this administration has displayed towards education. A government that has repeatedly made education more expensive through unprecedented increases in WAEC and NECO examination fees, neglected public schools, failed to secure learning environments and reduced education to empty campaign slogans should not be surprised that criminals now see schools as abandoned territories.”

Yoruba Group Seeks Stronger Security Measures

National Association of Yoruba Descendants in North America, popularly known as Egbe Omo Yoruba of North America, called for stronger and sustained security measures across Nigeria following the successful rescue of abducted schoolchildren in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

While commending the federal government and security agencies for securing the safe return of the students and their teachers, the diaspora organisation stressed that the incident highlighted the urgent need for improved protection of schools and vulnerable communities.

In a statement by its National President, Dr. Ayodeji Famuyide, and National General Secretary, Hon. Rotimi Kuteyi, the group said the Ogbomoso abduction should serve as a wake-up call for the authorities to strengthen preventive security frameworks rather than relying solely on rescue operations.

The association urged the federal and state governments to institutionalise regular joint security exercises, improve intelligence-sharing mechanisms, and establish interoperable communication systems among security agencies to ensure faster and more coordinated responses to emergencies.

According to the group, greater emphasis should also be placed on community-based intelligence gathering, protection of informants, and ethical use of data to identify and neutralise threats before they materialise.

65 Battalion Troops Raid Hideout, Arrest 24 Foreign Nationals in Epe

Troops of the Nigerian Army’s 65 Battalion arrested 24 foreign nationals during a raid on a suspected hideout in Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State. The raid was part of ongoing operations to rid the 81 Division Area of Responsibility (AOR) of criminal elements, illegal immigrants, and other security threats.

The operation, carried out in conjunction with members of the Vigilante Group, followed credible intelligence on the presence of undocumented foreign nationals within the Battalion’s AOR.

The troops raided a secluded fenced compound at Imokun in the Odo-Noforija/Poka axis of Epe, where they apprehended 24 foreign nationals comprising 15 males and nine females.

Preliminary profiling identified the suspects as nationals of six West and Central African countries: Cameroon (10); Togo (six); Côte d’Ivoire (three); Republic of Benin (three); Burkina Faso (one); and Guinea-Bissau (one).

According to General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division, Major-General Adebayo Babalola, investigations have commenced to determine the immigration status of the suspects, the purpose of their stay in Nigeria, and whether they were involved in any unlawful activities.

He also said efforts were underway to identify and question the owner of the compound to establish the circumstances surrounding the residence and activities of the foreign nationals.

 The suspects were handed over to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Lagos State Command, on July 16 for further investigation, profiling, and necessary administrative action in line with extant immigration laws and regulations.

Commending the troops for their professionalism and vigilance, the GOC urged personnel to sustain ongoing operations and intensify efforts to deny criminal elements, illegal immigrants, and other security threats freedom of operation within the division’s AOR.

He also reaffirmed the division’s commitment to supporting relevant security agencies in maintaining peace, security, and public safety across its area of responsibility.

Police Arrest Two Foreigners over Attempted Kidnapping Plot in Kwara State

Operatives of Kwara State Police Command arrested two foreigners for allegedly attempting to kidnap one man in Okuta town in Baruten Local Government Area of the state.

A statement issued in Ilorin, yesterday, by the police command, signed by the state’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said the police command had recovered the mobile phone allegedly used in perpetrating the criminal act.

The statement read, “In furtherance of the strategic policing vision of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu,  the Kwara State Police Command has recorded another major operational breakthrough with the successful disruption of a planned kidnapping and extortion scheme, leading to the arrest of two foreign nationals and the recovery of the mobile phone allegedly used in perpetrating the criminal act.

“The operation followed a report received at the Okuta Police Division from one S. Ismaila of Okuta, who reported that he had received a series of threatening telephone calls from an anonymous caller demanding the sum of Twenty-Two Million Naira (N22,000,000.00) to avert his planned abduction.

‎”The suspect further threatened to kidnap the complainant and murder his younger brother, Musa Ismaila, should the demand not be met.

“Upon receipt of the report, police operatives, immediately activated intelligence-driven operational strategies.”

THE statement added, “In collaboration with the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) and leveraging technical support, operatives swiftly tracked and arrested two suspects identified as Yakubu Ismaila (M) and Hadiza Kosia (F), both nationals of the Republic of Togo.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects were directly linked to the criminal conspiracy. During interrogation, both suspects confessed to their involvement in the attempted kidnapping and extortion plot.

“A mobile phone used to issue the threatening calls was recovered from one of the suspects and has been taken into police custody as a critical exhibit.

”The Commissioner of Police, Kwara State Command, CP Ojo Adekimi, psc, mnips, commended the professionalism, prompt response, and coordinated efforts of the operatives whose swift action prevented what could have resulted in a serious security breach.”