Two women were kidnapped in Nasarawa State on Sunday night, with their captors demanding N50 million for their release. Among the victims is a pastor’s wife, a nursing mother of a three-month-old baby, who has been in distress since her abduction.
Family sources said she has been forced to endure long treks in the forest and harsh conditions despite her post-natal state. Her separation from her infant has left her emotionally broken, while relatives continue to plead for help as the kidnappers insist on ransom payment.
The victims’ families revealed that the nursing mother has been crying over her condition and the fate of her baby. Sympathisers who gathered at their residence urged the government and security agencies to intervene. The state police command did not give an official response to the abduction, as efforts to reach the spokesperson proved unsuccessful.
In a related incident, the Special Assistant on Humanitarian Service to Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, Dr. Muhammed Egye Osolafia, who was kidnapped the same night, was later released by his abductors.
Meanwhile, gunmen also struck in Plateau State on Monday night, abducting Laven Jacob, the lawmaker representing Pankshin South constituency in the state House of Assembly. He was taken from his home in Angwan Kaji, Jos North, while entering his residence. Police confirmed the attack, noting that officers from the anti-kidnapping unit and patrol teams have been deployed to search for him. The abductors have not yet contacted his family.
In Abuja, a military court sentenced four soldiers for aiding terrorists through illegal arms deals. The trial, which took place in the North-East, exposed how the soldiers conspired with police officers and other accomplices to steal weapons and sell them to criminal groups. Three of them — Sergeant Raphael Ameh, Sergeant Ejiga Musa, and Lance Corporal Patrick Ocheje — received life sentences, while Corporal Omitoye Rufus was jailed for 15 years.
Investigations revealed that the soldiers smuggled ammunition using food bags, stole rifles from armouries, and carried out multiple illegal transactions between 2022 and 2024. Bank records showed Ameh received hundreds of transfers from proceeds of the illicit trade, while Musa and Ocheje also sold weapons and ammunition during communal clashes and to armed groups. Rufus was convicted for selling 40 rounds of live ammunition to a police officer.
The court ruled that their actions endangered troops and strengthened criminal groups operating in conflict zones. It described their conduct as a betrayal of military trust and a breach of discipline. The Nigerian Army stressed its zero tolerance for misconduct and reaffirmed its resolve to enforce accountability and professionalism within its ranks.