NEWS

Armed bandits have abducted a woman and her toddler in Ijalu area of Egbe in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, along the Solid Rock School axis.  The gunmen stormed the community on Wednesday evening June 3, 2026.  The victims have been identified as Mrs. Idowu Kemi Titilayo and her young child. Sources within the community confirmed the incident, but the exact number of persons kidnapped during the attack has not yet been established as of the time of filing this report. Community members are calling on security agencies to intensify efforts to secure the release of the victims. 

Fresh details have emerged regarding the circumstances surrounding the alleged unauthorized release of the voter registration records of Nollywood actor and politician, Emeka Ike, by an official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The controversy began after Lere Olayinka, a media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, revealed on social media that Ike had recently transferred his voter registration from Imo State to the FCT. Olayinka's post questioned the actor’s qualification to contest for a House of Representatives seat in Abuja, citing records that allegedly showed his voter registration transfer was initiated on May 15, 2026. Following the disclosure, Ike threatened legal action, describing the release of his personal informa...

The Oyo State House of Assembly has firmly opposed any move by the state government to negotiate with kidnappers responsible for the abduction of pupils and teachers in Ogbomoso, insisting that security agencies should intensify efforts to secure the victims' release. During Wednesday's plenary session, Speaker Adebo Ogundoyin warned that entering into negotiations with kidnappers could embolden criminal elements and encourage further attacks across the state. While acknowledging the anguish being experienced by the families of the victims, Ogundoyin urged residents to remain supportive of ongoing efforts by security agencies and the state government. He stressed that dialogue with armed groups could send the wrong message and further complicate the security challenges facing the sta...

Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have arrested a 24-year-old suspected kidnapper, Haruna Musa, believed to be a member of a seven-man gang responsible for a series of abductions along the Benin-Lagos and Benin-Akure expressways. The suspect was apprehended following a gun battle between members of the gang and officers of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) inside a forest hideout where the syndicate allegedly operated. The VCRU Commander, CSP Osagie Godspower, led journalists and health officials to the forest, where the decomposing bodies of two kidnapping victims abducted from Ekiadolor last month were recovered along the Benin-Lagos Expressway. One of the survivors recounted the harrowing ordeal, revealing that her family was abducted after armed men attacked thei...

The United States government has announced plans to deport 355 individuals from West African countries as part of an intensified immigration enforcement operation. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the affected individuals were identified under its West Africa Operations Watch (WOW) programme, with their names and photographs publicly released. Nigeria tops the list of countries affected, with 110 Nigerians scheduled for deportation. Liberia follows with 94 individuals, while Ghana has 30 citizens on the list. Other affected countries include Senegal (19), Cameroon (15), Ivory Coast (14), Gambia (14), Mauritania (12), Cape Verde (11), Burkina Faso (9), Niger (8), Togo (6), Guinea (6), Mali (5), and Benin and Guinea-Bissau with one person each. DHS sta...

The Nigeria Police Force has begun investigating the alleged unauthorised access and leakage of classified voter information from the database of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The probe has led to the arrest of an INEC official and the interrogation of Lere Olayinka, media aide to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. Senior police sources who spoke with Vanguard said operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team are investigating allegations of database misuse, cyber-related offences and unauthorised disclosure of sensitive INEC documents. As part of the investigation, an INEC electoral officer, whose identity has not been disclosed, has been taken into custody. Olayinka was also question...

The Edo State Police Command has denied reports on social media alleging that students of Green Park Academy, Aduwawa, Benin City, were k!dnapped.  The command in a statement released, said a woman popularly known as “Azawoman,” on Tiktok had raised the false alarm.I In a viral video, the woman claimed someone had left a comment under a post she made saying that students of the school who had gone to write their JSSCE examination, have been abducted.  The command in the statement released, said thorough verification and preliminary investigation established that no k!dnapping incident occurred at the school as alleged.  Findings by the police command revealed that the report is entirely false, lacks any factual basis, and was deliberately disseminated to mis...

Nigerians are among the 18 foreign nationals out of 21 people, who were k!lled ‌in a fire at a hotel in Delhi, India on Wednesday, police and broadcaster CNN-News18 said. Other foreigners included people from Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique and Liberia, the broadcaster said. The victims had travelled to India for medical treatment or to accompany relatives undergoing care, local media reported. The building in the Malviya Nagar area allegedly operated as a bed-and-breakfast catering to patients and relatives of those receiving treatment at a nearby private hospital. Several people had jumped out of the burning building to escape the flames, witnesses said, with residents dragging ⁠mattresses from a nearby store to try to break their fall. "People spread mattresses, and a wom...

Brazilian lawmakers have voted to make it tougher for underage victims of s£xual violence to access abortion, in a lightning vote that followed less than two minutes of debate. The vote moves to dismantle a resolution from the National Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents that mandates prioritising the interests of victims. “It is a historic defeat in the comprehensive protection of girls and adolescents in Brazil,” the state body said in a statement, calling it a “serious setback”. Under the overturned regulation, minors who disagreed with their parents or guardians on their pregnancy could obtain free legal assistance to safeguard their rights, including getting an abortion. Right-wing senator Damares Alves said the regulation “disregards the role and strips awa...

A prominent critic of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed concern over the country's security situation, declaring that Nigeria is no longer safe for its citizens under the current government. The remark comes amid growing concerns about rising cases of kidnapping, banditry, armed attacks, and other violent crimes reported across several parts of the country. According to the critic, the persistent insecurity has left many Nigerians living in fear, with communities increasingly vulnerable to criminal activities. The statement called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts to protect lives and property and restore public confidence in the nation's security architecture. The administration of President Tinubu has repeatedly maintained that it is co...