Thirteen passengers abducted along the Ankpechi–Omutele axis of Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State have been rescued after spending eight days in captivity.   The victims were among passengers travelling in an 18-seater commercial bus from Enugu State to Abuja when the vehicle was attacked on the night of August 13, 2026. According to Punch, five passengers were initially rescued, while security operatives continued searching for the remaining 13. The Benue State Police Command spokesperson, Peter Aondongu, confirmed on Friday that the 13 remaining victims were rescued during a night operation at Amla-Cho Forest in Otukpo Local Government Area. Aondongu said the operation, conducted around 2am on August 20, followed several days of search and rescue efforts involving police operatives and local security personnel. He said security operatives encountered the kidnappers during the operation, leading to a gun battle. One suspected kidnapper was reportedly neutralised, while an AK-47 rifle and five rounds of live ammunition were recovered. The suspects reportedly fled under cover of darkness. The rescued passengers were said to be unharmed. Police took them to a medical facility for attention before arranging transportation to their respective destinations. The command said efforts were ongoing to track and arrest the fleeing suspects through intelligence-led operations. The Commissioner of Police in Benue State, Cletus Nwadiogbu, commended the personnel involved in the rescue and assured residents that security agencies would continue operations against criminal elements. Police also urged transport operators to maintain accurate passenger manifests for every journey, saying proper documentation could help security agencies identify and rescue victims more quickly during emergencies.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has asked a United States court to allow it to submit a confidential declaration explaining why it is withholding records linked to allegations concerning President Bola Tinubu.   The request was filed on August 20 at the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The FBI said it could not disclose the full basis for withholding some of the information in public court filings. The agency is seeking permission to submit an ex parte, in camera declaration, meaning the document would be provided privately to the judge and kept from the public record. According to The PUNCH, the FBI said it had relied on several exemptions under the US Freedom of Information Act in response to requests for records relating to Tinubu from 1992 to 1993. The requests include one seeking Tinubu’s entire FBI file and another seeking FBI interview records connected to Case No. 245-IP-71386-UUUUUU during the 1992-1993 period. The FBI cited FOIA exemptions including 6, 7(C), 7(D), 7(E) and 7(F). It said releasing the withheld information could reveal law-enforcement investigative techniques and potentially endanger an individual’s life or physical safety. The agency told the court it could not publicly provide the full basis for its reliance on exemptions 7(E) and 7(F), prompting its request to submit the declaration under seal. The FBI said that, if approved, it would file the confidential declaration by August 28. The case was brought by American businessman Aaron Greenspan, founder of PlainSite. Between 2022 and 2023, Greenspan filed 12 FOIA requests with six US federal agencies seeking records relating to investigations into a Chicago heroin ring that operated in the early 1990s. Greenspan sought records concerning four people he said were connected to the investigation, including Tinubu, Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Adegboyega Akande and Abiodun Agbele. Several agencies initially issued what is known as a Glomar response, refusing to confirm or deny whether the requested records existed. Greenspan subsequently sued, challenging the agencies’ responses. In April 2025, Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration had improperly used the Glomar response and ordered the agencies to lift it. The judge found that the agencies had not established sufficient grounds to justify keeping secret the fact that Tinubu was a subject of a criminal investigation. The latest development follows a separate request by the US Department of Justice for an additional 10 days to respond to a court order concerning the release of records linked to the allegations involving Tinubu. Judge Howell granted only four additional days, setting August 21 as the deadline. Tinubu’s legal team had subsequently joined the DOJ’s request for the longer extension, but the judge declined it. The FBI’s latest application does not itself establish the substance of the withheld records or prove the allegations against Tinubu. It concerns the agency’s request to explain confidentially why portions of the records should remain undisclosed.

The Department of State Services (DSS), Sokoto State Command, has warned of planned attacks by terrorists and bandit groups targeting tertiary institutions across the state.   According to TheCable, the security alert, dated August 18, was addressed to the Sokoto State Government. A DSS source also confirmed the authenticity of the alert. The service said intelligence indicated that criminal groups had shifted their focus from primary and secondary schools to universities and other tertiary institutions. The planned attacks could result in the abduction of students, lecturers, non-academic staff and their family members, the DSS warned. The agency described the development as a serious threat to the education sector, noting that tertiary institutions accommodate large numbers of students and staff. Beyond kidnapping, the DSS said a successful attack could disrupt academic activities, create widespread fear and weaken public confidence in the government’s ability to protect citizens and public institutions. The agency also warned that such attacks could damage Nigeria’s international image and worsen insecurity already affecting education in parts of the country. DSS urges urgent security measures The DSS called for an immediate upgrade of security arrangements around tertiary institutions across Sokoto State. It urged authorities to adopt proactive measures rather than wait for criminal groups to carry out attacks. The agency said relevant security and emergency response agencies had already been alerted and urged them to deploy appropriate countermeasures to protect students, staff and critical educational infrastructure. The DSS also called on the Sokoto State Government to treat the warning as an urgent matter and coordinate efforts to strengthen security around universities and other tertiary institutions.

The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, has warned Nigerian politicians against recruiting or arming young people to carry out political violence ahead of the 2027 general elections.   Disu issued the warning on Thursday in Abuja during the National Youth Leadership and Security Dialogue, organised by the Nigeria Police Force to mark the 2026 International Youth Day. The IGP said the police would protect the integrity of the electoral process but would not tolerate violence, voter intimidation, destruction of property or the possession and use of weapons for electoral purposes. According to TheCable, Disu appealed to political leaders not to recruit, arm or finance young Nigerians to attack their opponents. He also urged politicians not to incite youths or encourage them to commit crimes with promises of protection afterwards. Disu warned that political violence was no longer limited to physical confrontations, saying it could also begin online through misinformation, disinformation, hate speech, cyberbullying, impersonation, deepfakes and coordinated digital attacks. He urged young Nigerians to verify information before sharing or acting on it, stressing the importance of responsible use of social media. The police chief’s warning comes amid concerns over violence linked to recent political activities, including killings and clashes surrounding the Osun governorship election. The two leading parties in Osun, Accord and the All Progressives Congress, recorded losses of members during the period. Dele Ayegbo, nephew of APC campaign director-general Wole Oke, was reportedly shot dead two days before the election. The police, however, have maintained that several of the pre-election clashes and killings were cult-related rather than politically motivated.