Bandits Kidnap UNIJOS Student, Circulate Brutal Video, Demand ₦30m

A student of the University of Jos, John Arum Azi, has been abducted by armed bandits along the Jos–Zaria highway while travelling from Plateau State to Kaduna State, with the attackers later demanding a ₦30 million ransom for his release.

The 28-year-old keyboard technician was reportedly kidnapped alongside six other passengers en route to Zaria in Kaduna State. Sources said Azi was travelling after being invited by a client to repair a musical keyboard when the vehicle conveying them was intercepted by armed men.

Eyewitness accounts indicate that the attackers forced all passengers into the bush before moving them to an undisclosed location. A distressing video later circulated on social media showed Azi being violently assaulted by his captors, who used sticks and other objects to beat him while recording the act.

In the viral clip, the kidnappers reportedly forced the victim to kneel and plead with his family to urgently meet their ransom demand. The video was allegedly recorded using the victim’s phone and shared in a WhatsApp group linked to his classmates, further heightening panic among students.

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The kidnappers are demanding ₦30 million for his release, with negotiations said to be ongoing through unspecified channels. The fate of the other abducted passengers remains unclear at this time.

The incident has intensified concerns over rising kidnapping cases along Nigeria’s highways, particularly in the North-West and North-Central corridors, which have witnessed frequent attacks by armed groups in recent years.

As of the time of filing this report, the Kaduna State Police Command had not issued an official statement on the abduction. Security agencies are expected to launch or intensify search-and-rescue operations to track the victims and apprehend the perpetrators.

The case adds to growing calls for improved security along interstate travel routes, especially the busy Jos–Kaduna–Zaria axis, which has become a recurring hotspot for kidnappings.

Bandits Kidnap UNIJOS Student, Circulate Brutal Video, Demand ₦30m

Nigerian Army Hits IPOB/ESN Hideouts in Enugu, Seizes Explosives, ₦2m

Troops of the Nigerian Army have intensified counterinsurgency operations in Enugu State, launching coordinated raids on suspected hideouts of proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra and its armed wing, Eastern Security Network, in a major security operation that led to the recovery of explosives, weapons, and ransom funds.

The operation, conducted under Operation EASTERN SANITY with air support from Operation UDO KA, targeted Ajali Forest in Ezeagu Local Government Area, a location identified by intelligence reports as a suspected operational base for armed criminal elements.

According to the Army, joint troops from Sector 1, supported by the Air Component, carried out a precision strike and clearance operation that forced suspected IPOB/ESN members to flee, abandoning key equipment and explosive devices.

During the raid, troops recovered an anti-tank Improvised Explosive Device (IED), which was immediately secured and neutralised by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team, preventing what officials described as a potential large-scale attack.

Military authorities said the successful strike demonstrated growing pressure on armed groups in the South-East, noting that sustained clearance operations have continued to dismantle suspected IPOB/ESN hideouts in Enugu forests.

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In a separate intelligence-led operation in Adani, Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area, troops of the 82 Division Garrison, acting on information provided by the Department of State Services, tracked financial movements linked to a suspected kidnapping syndicate.

The operation led to the interception of ransom money amounting to ₦2 million, alongside the arrest of a suspected kidnapper. A search of the suspect’s residence also led to the recovery of a pump-action rifle, further linking the suspect to armed criminal activity.

The Army stated that the suspect and recovered items have been handed over to relevant authorities for further investigation aimed at identifying and dismantling wider criminal networks.

“The operations have significantly degraded the operational and financial capabilities of criminal elements in the region,” the Army said, adding that continued pressure is forcing them into retreat and disorganisation.

Officials also confirmed that ongoing clearance missions, supported by intelligence and aerial surveillance, are being sustained across forested areas in Enugu and neighbouring states to prevent regrouping of armed cells.

The military reiterated its commitment to restoring security across Nigeria’s South-East, urging residents to support intelligence sharing and community vigilance as operations continue.

Nigerian Army Hits IPOB/ESN Hideouts in Enugu, Seizes Explosives, ₦2m

Jilli Airstrike: Defence Chief Says Killed Persons Were Terrorist Collaborators

The Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, has defended the controversial Jilli airstrike in Borno State, insisting that individuals killed in the operation were not innocent civilians but persons actively involved in supporting insurgent groups.

Musa made the clarification during an interview on Arise TV Live after a high-level security meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu, where national security issues in the North-East were reviewed.

He said the operation was carried out based on credible intelligence reports that identified Jilli as a major logistics and supply hub for insurgents, stressing that the strike targeted elements linked to both Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province.

“There was no innocent person there. Anybody in that location knew what they were doing. They were there for business with terrorists,” Musa said, defending the military airstrike in Jilli.

According to him, intelligence showed that the area had long functioned as an illegal trading point for terrorist logistics, where supplies such as food, fuel, and materials were exchanged to sustain insurgent operations against Nigerian security forces.

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He explained that the Jilli axis had already been classified as a high-risk zone due to repeated terrorist activity and was under surveillance before the operation was approved.

“We moved based on intelligence, we identified the location, and we hit the target. It was a deliberate operation,” he added.

Musa further stated that some individuals were drawn to the area by financial incentives, noting that goods sold there often fetch extremely high prices due to the risks involved.

“If you take a bag of rice there, you can sell it for as much as ₦150,000. People go there deliberately to make money, fully aware of who they are dealing with,” he said.

The Defence Chief maintained that under international laws of armed conflict and counterinsurgency rules of engagement, anyone knowingly supporting terrorist operations cannot be considered an innocent civilian.

“He who supports a terrorist is one of them,” he said, stressing that such support directly enables insurgent attacks against communities and security forces.

He, however, acknowledged the complexity of asymmetric warfare in Nigeria’s North-East, where insurgents often blend into civilian environments, making precision targeting essential.

The Defence Headquarters reiterated that the Operation Hadin Kai counterinsurgency campaign continues to focus on degrading terrorist infrastructure while minimising civilian harm, even as debates persist over the Jilli incident.

The military maintains that ongoing air and ground operations remain critical to restoring stability across affected parts of the North-East.

Jilli Airstrike: Defence Chief Says Killed Persons Were Terrorist Collaborators