Banditry persisted across several Nigerian states despite intensified military operations, with 20 people abducted in Kwara and Kano between Monday night and Tuesday morning. This occurred shortly after 38 worshippers kidnapped from a church in Eruku, Kwara State, were freed through a non-kinetic operation involving the DSS and military, which the Presidency said did not involve ransom payment. In Kebbi State, 24 abducted schoolgirls regained freedom after federal intervention. However, a new attack in Isapa, Kwara, saw about 10–11 residents including a pregnant woman, nursing mothers and children kidnapped by heavily armed bandits who fired indiscriminately through the community. President Bola Tinubu ordered a comprehensive security cordon and expanded Air Force surveillance across forests in Kwara, Kebbi and Niger. Police and local vigilantes have launched search-and-rescue operations as fear spreads across affected communities. Similar overnight attacks in Kano saw 10 villagers abducted, while a church crusade in Nasarawa was disrupted by bandits.
Index to Nigerian Newspapers
