Customs returns stolen luxury vehicles exported to Nigeria to Canada

As part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen international confidence in Nigeria’s anti-smuggling and cargo intelligence system, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has formally handed over intercepted stolen luxury vehicles traced to Canada to the Deputy High Commissioner of Canada to Nigeria, Nasser Salihou.

The vehicles included a 2019 Lexus RX350, 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550, 2023 Land Rover Range Rover, 2019 Lamborghini Huracán, 2021 Rolls-Royce Dawn Convertible.

The others are 2018 Lamborghini Aventador and 2026 Toyota Tundra.

They are all all confirmed to have been stolen and illegally exported before ending up in Nigeria,” NCS spokesperson, Abdullahi Maiwada said in a statement on Sunday.

Maiwada said the vehicles were handed over at the Tin Can Island Port by Frank Onyeka, the Customs Area Controller of the Command.

According to him, the recovery followed months of intelligence sharing and operational collaboration between the NCS and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The spokesperson added that authorities in Canada had traced a number of stolen high-end vehicles believed to have been smuggled into Nigeria through international shipping channels.

“Internal Customs document dated May 5, showed that the intercepted vehicles included a 2019 Lexus RX350, 2019 Mercedes-Benz G550, 2023 Land Rover Range Rover, 2019 Lamborghini Huracán, 2021 Rolls-Royce Dawn Convertible.

“Also, a 2018 Lamborghini Aventador and 2026 Toyota Tundra, all confirmed to have been stolen and illegally exported before ending up in Nigeria,” he said.

Speaking at the handing over, Onyeka said one of the vehicles, a Toyota Tacoma, was initially concealed inside a container carrying other vehicles and had not yet exited Customs control before intelligence from Canadian authorities triggered immediate intervention.

He said once the alert was received and shipping documentation transmitted through official channels, officers of the command moved swiftly to isolate the suspicious consignment.

He said the officers extracted the affected vehicle and placed it under enforcement custody pending diplomatic verification.

“What looked like a routine cargo movement quickly became an international criminal investigation.

“Once intelligence reached us, we placed the consignment under enforcement watch and secured the vehicle pending confirmation from Canadian authorities,” he said.

He explained that the service deliberately delayed the final release until officials of the Canadian government arrived in person to complete identification and recovery procedures.

“We had people who wanted to step in on behalf of others, but this was too sensitive. We insisted the handover must be directly to the Canadian government to preserve the integrity of the process,” he said.

The operation, he said, reinforces the NCS’ commitment to tackling transnational vehicle theft syndicates that exploit global shipping routes to move stolen automobiles across continents.

According to him, the recovery has revealed the ongoing cooperation between Nigeria and Canada in intelligence sharing, cargo profiling, and maritime enforcement.

He said this was particularly in tackling organised cross-border crimes involving stolen assets, illicit trade, and other fraudulent activities.

NAN

Billionaire drug baron arrested as NDLEA dismantles global laundering network

Operatives of a Special Operations Unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), in close coordination with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Lagos Country Office and law enforcement partners from Switzerland, France and Greece, have successfully dismantled a transnational criminal organisation involved in drug money laundering operations worth hundreds of billions of naira across Europe and Nigeria.

The multi-country investigation into the drug money laundering operations culminated in the simultaneous arrest of a billionaire drug baron, Amadi Simon, in Switzerland, and his co-conspirators: 34-year-old Jecinta Amara Ikechi in Anambra State, and 28-year-old Blessing Ngozi Amadi in Agbor, Delta State, on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.

The arrests followed months of intelligence gathering and investigations across multiple jurisdictions linking Amadi to the laundering of hundreds of billions of naira in proceeds from drug trafficking and other financial crimes.

In addition to the arrest of the suspects, the NDLEA, in collaboration with its international law enforcement partners, also traced multi-billion naira assets linked to Amadi’s transnational criminal network in Nigeria and abroad.

His operations in Nigeria involved a complex scheme of front and shell companies, pass-through accounts and proxies, as well as the use of numerous traditional and cryptocurrency accounts to conceal and launder illicit funds.

Properties identified and linked to Amadi Simon as proceeds of illicit drug trafficking include Jovi Hotel, located at 1 Isiayei Street, GRA Phase 1, Asaba, Delta State; Jovi Hotel and Suites, located at 4 Orikeze by Deeper Life Road, Agbor, Delta State; and Jovi Apartment at Jamieson Court, Mabushi, Abuja. Several bank accounts and cryptocurrency addresses allegedly used by the cartel to conceal hundreds of billions of naira in illicit funds have also been identified and blocked.

Speaking on the coordinated efforts of the NDLEA, the United States DEA and other international partners, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Mohammed Buba Marwa, said the success of the multi-country and multi-year operation sends a clear message that the NDLEA maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards crimes that jeopardise the safety of Nigerians, the integrity of the country’s reputation and the stability of the economy.

He expressed gratitude for the support received from the US DEA in dismantling Amadi’s transnational criminal network, adding that the U.S. Mission to Nigeria has continued to partner with the agency in combating narcotics trafficking through training in intelligence, evidence collection, case management and tactical operations, as well as the provision of critical equipment. He assured that the NDLEA would continue to expand its cooperation with the United States and other international partners.

“The NDLEA remains relentless in its pursuit of those involved in narcotics trafficking and associated financial crimes, regardless of where they attempt to hide. Built on a foundation of strategic partnership, unwavering integrity and dedicated professionalism, the NDLEA is committed to ensuring that Nigeria is neither a haven for drug traffickers who profit from illicit substances nor a sanctuary for their criminal proceeds,” Marwa said.

By Bertram Nwannekanma, The Guardian

Related story: Suspected members of Nigeria-linked Black Axe crime gang arrested in Switzerland

Suspected members of Nigeria-linked Black Axe crime gang arrested in Switzerland

Suspected members of the Nigerian-linked Black Axe crime gang have ​been arrested in Switzerland accused of ‌involvement in romance scams and cyberfraud, Europol said on Tuesday.

Black Axe grew out of ​a student fraternity in the late ​1970s called the Neo Black Movement ⁠of Africa, and it has since ​evolved into a structured, violent criminal organisation ​often dealing in financial cybercrime.

"The suspects are accused of numerous crimes. This includes romance scams ​and other cyberfraud offences causing millions ​of Swiss francs in damages, as well as ‌money ⁠laundering," said Europol, which is headquartered in The Hague, in a statement.

The pan-European police body said 10 people - most ​of whom ​are of ⁠Nigerian origin - had been arrested in the operation that ​also involved German police.
The Swiss operation ​against ⁠the Black Axe crime gang follows a similar operation carried out by Spanish ⁠police ​in January, while global ​police body Interpol had also targeted it in ​2023.

Reuters

Gunmen kill at least 29 in northeast Nigeria after targeting young people at football pitch

Gunmen have killed at least 29 people in northeastern Nigeria, a state governor said Monday, with locals saying the attackers targeted young people gathered at a football pitch, the latest bout of deadly unrest in Africa's most populous nation.

The attack on Sunday occurred in Adamawa state, which borders Cameroon and is a hotspot for violence by jihadists and local criminal gangs. Communal violence over land is also rife in the state.

The latest attack comes as Nigeria's security crisis is increasingly under scrutiny – both abroad and at home as general elections are less than a year away.

Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri visited the scene of the Sunday attack and "confirmed that no fewer than 29 people were killed in a deadly attack on Guyaku community in Gombi Local Government Area", his spokesman said in a post on social media.

Locals also gave a similar toll.

Resident Philip Agabus told AFP that the attack occurred when "our people converged at a football pitch in Guyaku community ... [and] were attacked by insurgents who entered with guns and began shooting randomly".

The dead were "youths, including some ladies that were watching football", another local, Joshua Usman, said.

"They also burnt places of worship, houses and motorcycles," added Usman.

The state governor's office wrote that "the attackers operated for several hours, killing dozens of residents, burning places of worship, and destroying property including motorcycles", citing a local community leader, Aggrey Ali.

Local television showed footage of a burned church and several charred motor cycles.

The governor blamed the Boko Haram militants who are active in the northeast of Nigeria.

But a rival group, the Islamic State's West Africa Province (ISWAP) claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it "killed at least 25 ... Christians", and "torched a church and nearly 100 motorcycles", in a statement reported by the SITE monitoring group.

Fintiri condemned the attack, saying "it will not go unpunished" while he vowed "intensifying security operations immediately to restore peace".

Since 2009, the jihadist insurgency in Nigeria, led primarily by Boko Haram and its rival faction, the ISWAP, has left tens of thousands of people dead and millions displaced in the country's northeast, according to the United Nations.

The jihadist conflict has spread to neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

Nigeria is now looking to the United States for technical and training support for its troops fighting the jihadists after a resurgence of violence strained relationships between the two countries.

US President Donald Trump said last October that Christianity was facing an "existential threat" in the West African nation. Security experts say that both Muslim and Christian communities are targeted by armed groups.

A separate attack occurred Sunday in a another district more 100 kilometres away which a local community blamed on communal clashes over farmland disputes in several villages in Lamurde area.

"Lives were lost, properties were also lost," Bulus Daniel, local government council chairman for Lamurde area told AFP.

AFP

Gunmen raid Nigerian orphanage and kidnap children

Eight children are still missing after gunmen raided an unregistered orphanage in Nigeria's north-central Kogi State and kidnapped 23, authorities have said.

Kogi's information commissioner Kingsley Fanwo said 15 children were rescued due to the "prompt and coordinated response" of security agencies.

Sunday's attack also saw the owner of the facility taken, he added.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but security sources say the state has a functional Boko Haram cell, and that there have been several violent attacks in the area.

Nigeria is also grappling with a kidnap crisis in many parts of the country, with criminal gangs abducting people for ransoms. The government has made paying ransoms illegal but this has not prevented the kidnappings.

"The government remains fully committed to ensuring the rescue of all the victims," Fanwo said.

His statement on Monday also highlighted that the orphanage was "operating illegally" in a "bushy environment" without the knowledge of relevant authorities.

Fanwo urged operators of orphanages, schools, and similar institutions to always engage appropriately with the appropriate government agencies "especially in the current security climate".

Mass kidnappings in schools are not uncommon in Nigeria, especially in the country's northern region which is currently plagued by insecurity. This is the first time an orphanage has been targeted.

In November 2025, more than 300 students and their teachers were abducted from one Catholic Secondary School in Niger State, also in the north central region of Nigeria.

They were released in two batches with the last group regaining freedom more than one month after.

The government denied reports that any ransom had been paid, or that two Boko Haram commanders had been freed as part of the deal.

By Chukwunaeme Obiejesi, BBC

NSCDC Uncovers Baby Factory in Lagos, Arrests Suspects

The Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has uncovered a baby factory operation, leading to the arrest of suspects and the rescue of victims linked to the network. Authorities say the discovery forms part of ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking and other illegal activities in the state. News Central’s Israel Eferobor reports.

Related story: Baby factories continue to thrive in Nigeria

Gunmen abduct 15 passengers on Nigerian waterways

The police have confirmed the abduction of 15 passengers on the Calabar-Oron waterways.

Some gunmen, on Friday, ambushed a ferry travelling from Calabar, Cross River State, to Oron, Akwa Ibom State, and abducted the passengers, the News Agency of Nigeria quoted an unnamed naval officer as saying.

The police spokesperson in Cross River, Sunday Eitokpah, confirmed the abduction in a statement to reporters on Monday.

“The command is working in collaboration with the Akwa Ibom Command and the Navy.

“Coordinated search-and-rescue and tactical operations are currently ongoing to ensure the safe recovery of the victims and the swift apprehension of the perpetrators,” Mr Eitokpah, an assistant superintendent of police, said in the statement.

There have been frequent abductions of passengers on Calabar-Oron waterways lately, especially as Nigerians have resorted to travel by water because the Calabar-Itu Federal Highway is dilapidated.

The latest incident occurred seven months after 17 passengers were abducted in September 2025 on the same waterways.

Also, gunmen, in April 2025, abducted 20 passengers who were travelling in a boat from Oron to Calabar.

Abduction for ransom has become a prevalent crime in many Nigerian cities, with just anyone, including students and clerics, as targets.

Premium Times

Related story: Gunmen kidnap students heading to exams in Nigeria

Nigeria begins mass trial of 500 terrorism suspects

Nigeria has begun the prosecution of more than 500 people accused of involvement in militant attacks in one of the country's largest ever terrorism trials.

The suspects face charges linked to aiding and abetting terrorism, particularly in the north-east where an insurgency by the Boko Haram Islamist group began 17 years ago.

Since then insecurity has spread to many other areas of the West African nation, leaving communities, often those in rural areas, at the mercy of mushrooming militant groups and gangs that kidnap for ransom.

The mass trial opened on Tuesday at a high court in the capital, Abuja, where 227 suspects were arraigned before 10 judges, according to the attorney general.

Hundreds of people have lost their lives in bombings and various attacks across Nigeria this year alone.

Very few people are ever prosecuted over terror attacks - and suspects are often detained and spend years in custody without facing trial.

According to the AFP news agency, gunmen killed at least 20 people on Wednesday in the western state of Niger. Residents say the attackers raided villages in Shiroro district, an area where kidnapping gangs and Islamist militants are known to operate.

Security was tight during the court session on Tuesday, with suspects transported in heavily guarded convoys under military, police and intelligence supervision.

International observers, including human rights groups and the Nigerian Bar Association, were also present in court.

The defendants are alleged to have taken part in attacks mainly in northern Nigeria, while others face charges of supporting militants through funding, supplying arms and logistics.

Five of the accused have already been given varying jail terms - from seven to 20 years - after pleading guilty to charges that included selling livestock, supplying food and information to militant groups.

Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi said the scale of the operation showed the government's resolve to deal with the matter.

"The federal government is committed to ensuring that due process is followed while bringing those involved in terrorism to justice," he said.

Security expert Bashir Galma, a retired army major, told the BBC that the trial, which is expected to continue in phases, was a "positive development" and a "significant milestone" in Nigeria's fight against terrorism.

"For years Nigerians have been complaining about why they keep these suspects [in custody] instead of making them face the law for what they are suspected of doing," he said.

"This will bring some level of peace for people whose loved ones were killed or injured."

The trial would also dispelled rumours that suspects were routinely released after arrest "so that they can go back to their terrorism business", the analyst added.

However, he predicted that some of the accused could be released soon, given that they were arrested many years ago - a factor he said the judges would likely take into consideration.

By Mansur Abubakar and Chris Ewokor, BBC

20 Killed, Multiple Abducted in Northwest Nigeria Village Raids

Armed men in Nigeria killed at least 20 people, including ​security guards, and abducted an unknown number ‌after attacking villages in northwestern Niger state, police and residents said late on Tuesday, the ​latest violence plaguing the north of ​the country.

The attack happened in Niger's Shiroro ⁠district, where kidnapping gangs and Islamist ​militants are known to operate.

Niger state police spokesperson ​Wasiu Abiodun said gunmen invaded Bagna and Erena villages on Tuesday and, when security responded, two ​community guards and a driver were killed ​and others injured.

But residents said at least 20 people ‌were ⁠killed and that the attackers, who also destroyed homes, operated for several hours and overwhelmed security personnel in the area.

Some ​villagers fled to ​the ⁠nearby towns of Gwada Zumba and Galadima Kogo, the residents said.

Insecurity ​is Nigeria's biggest problem and President ​Bola ⁠Tinubu is pushing to allow Nigeria's 36 states to establish their own police to ⁠help ​curb the violence.

Reuters

Related story: Dozens killed in Easter attacks in Nigeria

Dozens killed in Easter attacks in Nigeria

Dozens of people have been killed in multiple attacks in Nigeria over the Easter weekend.

France 24

Locals dispute Nigerian army claim of 31 rescued after Easter attack

Residents of a Nigerian community have disputed the army's assertion that it rescued 31 civilians held hostage following a Sunday morning church attack in the north.

The army had said that it freed the civilians seized by gunmen who had raided a church in Ariko, Kaduna state, during Easter celebrations. The authorities said five civilians had been killed, but a local church official put the number of dead at seven.

But the president of the Ariko community association, Joseph Ariko, told the BBC that the captives were still unaccounted for, and asked the army to name the rescued. "As far as we are concerned, all the abducted victims are still with the bandits."

The army has not yet responded.

It had said that soldiers engaged the attackers in a "fierce firefight", forcing them to flee and leave the hostages and the bodies of the dead victims behind.

Attacks and kidnappings for ransom are common occurrences in northern Nigeria, as the country grapples with security threats from jihadist groups and armed gangs, locally known as bandits.

Although the army said it responded swiftly to Sunday's attack, local media report that residents said the gunmen operated for a long time without facing resistance.

On Monday, Rev John Hayab of the Christian Association of Nigeria questioned the rescue claims after speaking with residents.

"Nobody has been rescued… If they are rescued, where did they take them to?" he told the BBC.

As a result of the firefight, officials had said the "fleeing terrorists" had "significant casualties, as evidenced by blood trails along their escape routes".

Troops had also been deployed to hunt the insurgents and reinforce security.

The army urged residents to share information that can support operations against groups fuelling insecurity across the country.

In a separate incident, Nigeria's military killed 65 bandits following an offensive in Zamfara state, the AFP news agency reported on Sunday, days after a large group of bandits abducted residents from villages ‌in the state.

Police had on Saturday confirmed that there had been a mass abduction in villages in the state earlier in the week and a manhunt had been launched.

Late last year, the administration of US President Donald Trump raised concerns about the treatment of Christians in Nigeria - and urged the government to do more to improve security and strengthen protection for Christian communities.

Trump had previously claimed there was a "Christian genocide" under way in Nigeria - an allegation strongly rejected by Nigeria's government, which said Muslims, Christians and people of no faith were victims of attacks.

In February, US troops were deployed to Nigeria to train its forces and help them with intelligence in their fight against Islamist militants and other armed groups.

By Makuochi Okafor and Paul Njie, BBC

Gunmen kill at least 30 in Nigeria's Plateau state attack

Gunmen attacked a university community in Nigeria's central Plateau state on Sunday night, killing ​at least 30 people, residents and local officials said on Monday, ‌the latest bloodshed in a region scarred by deadly farmer-herder conflicts.

Violence in central Nigeria, known as the Middle Belt, is often painted as ethno-religious between ​mainly Muslim Fulani herders and Christian farmers. But many experts ​and politicians say climate change and expanding agriculture stoke ⁠competition for land, leading to conflicts regardless of faith or ethnicity.

Markus ​Audu Kando, a resident and co-chair of Plateau youth interfaith group ​said by phone: "As I speak with you, the figure is now 30 ... There are injured people at the hospital, but I cannot confirm their number."

Residents said ​the gunmen arrived in the Gari Ya Waye community of ​Angwan Rukuba district and shot at people indiscriminately.

The Plateau state government said the gunmen ‌were ⁠unknown and imposed a 48-hour curfew in the district. The University of Jos suspended examinations due to start on Monday.

“People were here in the evening and unfortunately, wicked terrorists came and attacked our ​people. We have ​counted scores ⁠of people who are now dead and then so many others are also in the hospital receiving ​treatment,” Paul Mancha, a resident and chairperson of the ​youth ⁠council in Plateau, said earlier.

U.S. President Donald Trump last November re-designated Nigeria "a country of particular concern" saying Christians were being targeted and authorities ⁠were failing ​to protect them, which the Nigerian ​government denies.

Reuters

Gunmen kill at least 20 in nighttime attack in Nigeria

A night attack on a community in Nigeria ’s north-central region left at least 20 people dead, residents and authorities said.

The attack occurred on Sunday night in Gari Ya Waye community in the Jos North area of Plateau state, Joyce Lohya Ramnap, the state commissioner for information, said in a statement. She did not give the number of casualties, but said there was “loss of lives” and injured.

The state government imposed a 48-hour curfew to prevent further attacks, Ramnap said.

No group has claimed responsibility but residents told The Associated Press that many gunmen on bikes shot sporadically into the community.

Ibukun Falodun, a resident, said that 20 people were confirmed dead.

Attacks in Plateau State are part of a long-running cycle of violence in north-central Nigeria, where disputes over land and grazing between mostly Muslim Fulani herders and largely Christian farming communities frequently escalate into deadly clashes. Criminal gangs are also active.

AP

Northern Nigeria on edge following series of attacks

A renewed wave of attacks in northern Nigeria, including suspected suicide bombings targeting crowded public places, has heightened tensions. At least 20 people have been killed and more than 100 others injured by militia in Borno State. The violence has also raised fresh security concerns ahead of Nigeria’s next general elections, with analysts warning it could depress voter turnout in the northeast, where displacement and fear remain widespread.

CGTN Africa

Nigeria strengthens security after Maiduguri bombings

Nigeria is on high alert after suicide bombings in Maiduguri killed at least 23 people and injured more than 100 on Monday evening. Authorities have deployed additional troops, with Boko Haram insurgents suspected to have carried out the attack, though no group has claimed responsibility.

CGTN Africa

Related story: Nigeria suicide attacks kill 23, wound more than 100

Gunmen kill at least 15 in attacks on two villages in northwestern Nigeria

Gunmen killed at least 15 people on Tuesday during attacks on two villages in northwestern Nigeria, authorities said.

The villages of Falale and Kadobe — neighbouring communities in the Jibia area of Katsina State — were attacked in the early afternoon, according to Nasir Mu’azu, the state’s Commissioner for Home Affairs.

Mu’azu said local security forces had previously killed three gunmen during a firefight in the area. In retaliation, gunmen carried out a reprisal assault on Tuesday that left at least 15 people dead.

“Security forces have since restored order and stabilized the situation,” he said in a statement. “We appeal to residents to remain calm and allow security forces to complete their investigation.”

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Armed groups, known as ‘bandits’, regularly carry out raids and kidnappings for ransom in the northwest and north-central part of Nigeria.

Authorities have said the bandit groups include mostly former herders who took up arms against farming communities after clashes between them over increasingly strained resources.

Alongside attacks by bandits, Nigeria is also plagued by an insurgency fought by the Boko Haram extremist group and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province. Both groups are mostly active in northeastern Nigeria.

On Monday, suspected suicide bombings killed at least 23 people and wounded 108 others in the northeastern city of Maiduguri.

The security crisis in Africa’s most populous country has worsened recently to include other militants from the neighbouring Sahel region, including the Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin, which claimed its first attack on Nigerian soil last year.

Several thousand people in Nigeria have been killed, according to data from the United Nations. Analysts say not enough is being done by the government to protect its citizens.

The U.S. sent troops last month to the West African nation to help advise its military on the fight against insecurity.

By Dyepkazah Shibayan, AP

Nigeria suicide attacks kill 23, wound more than 100

Multiple explosions staged by suspected suicide bombers rocked the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 100 others, police said Tuesday.

The three blasts, which struck on Monday evening, came after an attack on a military post overnight Sunday to Monday, which authorities blamed on suspected militants.

Combined with the attack on the military position the evening prior and a mosque bombing in December, the assaults have wrecked a peaceful stretch in the city, which had become a relative oasis of calm as Nigeria's long-running insurgency was pushed to the rural hinterlands.

Fighters from Boko Haram and rival group Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have recently stepped up attacks in northeastern Nigeria.

Their 16-year campaign to establish a caliphate in the country has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced around two million.

"Preliminary investigation reveals that the incidents were carried out by suspected suicide bombers," police spokesman Nahum Kenneth Daso said in a statement.

"Regrettably, a total of twenty three (23) persons lost their lives, while one hundred and eight (108) others sustained varying degrees of injuries," he added.

An anti-extremist militia member told AFP the death toll from the explosions in the city could be as high as 31.

An AFP reporter at a city hospital on Monday evening saw dozens of wounded people seeking treatment, as well as multiple bodies covered by sheets on the sidewalk outside.

The attackers struck the city's main market, the gate of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and an area around the city's Post Office flyover.

Mala Mohammed, 31, who escaped the market blast said he initially heard two explosions and saw panicked people running.

"At that moment, we were not sure what had happened. But after about two or three minutes, other people who were running along the road started shouting that it was a bomb at the market entrance.

"Many of them ran toward the Post Office area because the market entrance and the Post Office are not far apart. Unfortunately, as they were running towards Post Office, the person who had the explosive device ran into the crowd while people were still trying to escape," said Mohammed.

'Barbaric' attacks

Police said in the early Tuesday morning statement that "normalcy has been fully restored in the affected areas" and that security forces have increased their "presence and surveillance across Maiduguri and its environs to prevent any further occurrences".

Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum called the apparent bombings "barbaric" and said "the recent surge in attacks is not unconnected with intense military operations in the Sambisa forest," a known militant stronghold.

The earlier attack was launched around midnight Sunday into Monday, on a Nigerian military post in Ajilari Cross district, a southwestern suburb of Maiduguri and just a few kilometres (miles) from the city's airport.

That same evening there was an attack in the Damboa local government area, south of Maiduguri.

AFP

How Nigeria spent over N8bn on abducted school children in a decade

Nigeria’s worsening insecurity has continued to place school children among the most vulnerable targets of criminal gangs.

SBM Intelligence reveals a new analysis, showing that Governments in Nigeria have paid nearly N8 billion in ransom linked to school abductions between 2014 and 2025, reinforcing a cycle that continues to make schools attractive targets for armed groups.

The analysis, entitled “Monkey Business: Timeline of Nigeria’s Government Funding of School Abductions (2014–2025)”, tracks publicly reported ransom payments made by federal and state authorities following major school kidnapping incidents across the country.

The timeline shows how ransom payments have gradually become embedded in the response to mass abductions, even though Nigerian law formally prohibits negotiating with kidnappers.

The timeline begins with the 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, after which the federal government reportedly paid N5 billion as part of negotiations.

In 2018, another set of 276 school girls were kidnapped in Yobe, and an undisclosed ransom was paid.

In 2020, 275 school girls were kidnapped in Katsina State and the Government paid N30 million, while in 2021, in Niger State 200 girls were abducted and the government paid N50 million, the same year in Niger State another 42 girls were abducted and a ransom of N15 million was paid.

In Kaduna State 39 school girls were kidnapped in 2021, and the sum of N32 million was paid, and in Zamfara in the same year 279 were kidnapped and N60 million paid.

In 2024, Kaduna State witnessed another school children abduction with 287 kidnapped and a ransom of N1 billion paid and in 2025, 327 school children were abducted in Niger State and the government paid N2 billion.

SB Morgen Intelligence report shows that more than N8 billion has been expended through ransom payments, security operations, negotiations, and emergency responses following a wave of mass school kidnappings that has shaken communities and disrupted education nationwide.

In Febrauary 2026, an AFP investigation report alleged that the Nigerian Government paid a huge ransom estimated at N2 billion or up to $7 million, to secure the release of 230 pupils abducted from St, Mary Catholic School in November 2025.

Intelligence sources told AFP the money was flown by helicopter to Boko Haram commander, Ali Ngulde in Gwoza, with two militant commanders freed as part of the deal.

The Government has strongly denied the claims. However, there is a history, since 2014, Nigerian governments have paid nearly N6 billion ($4.4million) in confirmed ransom payments to armed groups for kidnapped school children.

Federal and State Authorities both participated, despite laws prohibiting such payments. Each ransom funds the next abduction, turning education into a target and ensuring the cycle of violence continues.

Ike Chilaka-Osuagwu, an Educationist, described the scenario as worrisome, and a point to the fact that the government lacks the political will to curb banditry and kidnapping, especially against school children in the country.

Besides, he emphasised that as far as the Government continues to divert resources to pay ransom, economic development will continue to elude the country.

“The Government lacks the political will to end this nonsense. It will continue to affect productivity, and encourage diversion of funds and energy required to improve the economy,” he said.

Abductions are a long-standing pattern in Nigeria. Between July 2023 and June 2024 alone, SBM Intelligence, an Africa-centric security analysis and strategic consulting firm, found that at least 7,568 people were kidnapped in 1,130 cases across the country.

During this period, the kidnappers demanded approximately N11 billion (about $7.5 million) as ransom, and received N1 billion (about $0.65 million).

This is despite the fact that the Nigerian Senate outlawed ransom payments to kidnappers in 2022 and made abduction punishable by death.

According to the report, all these payments illustrate how kidnapping for ransom has evolved into a structured criminal economy targeting schools in the country.

By Charles Ogwo, Business Day 

Attackers kill at least 50, abduct women and children in Nigeria’s Zamfara state

At least 50 people were killed and several women and children abducted after armed men attacked a village in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara state, a state lawmaker told Reuters last weekend.

Hamisu A. Faru, lawmaker representing Bukkuyum south, said the attackers raided Tungan Dutse village from around 5 p.m. on Thursday until about 3:30 a.m. on Friday, burning down buildings and shooting residents who tried to flee.

“They have been moving from one village to another … leaving at least 50 people dead,” Faru told Reuters by phone.

He said the number of abducted victims was yet to be determined. Traditional leaders and local government officials were still accounting for the missing.

A Zamfara state police spokesperson did not respond to calls seeking comment.

Abdullahi Sani, 41, a resident of Tungan Dutse, said three family members were killed in the attack.

“No one slept yesterday, we are all in pain,” he said.

A day earlier, residents contacted security forces and local authority when they saw more than 150 motorcycles carrying armed men. But the warning was ignored, Sani said.

Insecurity is a pressing concern in Nigeria and the government is under mounting pressure to restore stability.

There has been a surge in attacks blamed on “bandits”, who have carried out deadly assaults, abductions for ransom, and displaced communities across northern Nigeria.

Reuters

Desperation pushes communities in Nigeria to seal peace pacts with armed gangs

In northern Nigeria's Katsina state, persistent insecurity has led some communities to take drastic measures. A recent attack in a town occurred despite a local peace agreement with armed groups, highlighting the fragility of such deals. While authorities like the police do not endorse these arrangements, they reflect the extreme steps residents are taking to protect themselves when formal security measures fall short. CGTN explores this complex reality on the ground.

CGTN Africa

Related story: US to deploy 200 troops to train Nigerian forces in fight against terrorists