By Merciful Omoba

Suspected bandits on Sunday stormed a Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Ejiba, Yagba West LGA of Kogi State, abducting the pastor, his wife and several worshippers during a service.

Witnesses told journalists that the attackers struck suddenly, triggering panic as worshippers fled amid heavy gunfire.

The pastor, popularly known as Orlando, was taken alongside his wife and others, leaving the community in shock.

Confirming the incident, Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, said security agencies and local vigilantes had launched a manhunt for the kidnappers.

“The authorities of Yagba West and security operatives are working to ensure those kidnapped are rescued alive,” he said, adding that Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo is coordinating the operation.

By Olokuta Rofiat

Senator Orji Uzor Kalu says more than 30,000 people have died and countless businesses destroyed as a result of Nnamdi Kanu’s separatist agitation in the South-East.

Kalu made the claim on November 23, urging a political solution to the crisis.

He warned that the human and economic toll of the agitation has been “enormous,” noting that many traders lost their shops and livelihoods.

“Do you know that over 30,000 Igbos were killed? People who have shops lost their businesses,” he said.

The senator cautioned against politicising Kanu’s detention, stressing that resolving the issue requires sober reflection and strategic dialogue, not emotional outbursts.

He also shared stories of affected victims, including an elderly rice trader whose shop was looted, leaving her bankrupt.

Kalu said he has been working quietly with the federal government to pursue a political settlement, arguing that compromise, not confrontation is the path to lasting peace.

He further defended Justice James Omotosho, who recently convicted Kanu on terrorism charges, insisting that court judgments must be respected.

Kalu’s remarks follow Kanu’s conviction on seven terrorism counts by a Federal High Court in Abuja, with several carrying life sentences.

By Merciful Omoba

The Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), on terrorism charges, ruling that his broadcasts and sit-at-home threats in the South-east constituted acts of terrorism.

Justice James Omotosho, delivering judgment on Wednesday, found Kanu guilty on three counts of the seven-count charge brought by the Department of State Services (DSS).

The court held that Kanu’s threats of violence, including declarations of sit-at-home orders, satisfied the legal definition of terrorism. The judgment is ongoing.

The conviction comes after a series of legal developments. In October, the Court of Appeal discharged Kanu of terrorism charges, citing procedural irregularities in his extraordinary rendition back to Nigeria, and questioned the trial court’s jurisdiction.

However, the federal government filed amended seven-count charges against Kanu and secured a stay of the appellate judgment pending its appeal at the Supreme Court.

The amended charges allege that between 2015 and 2021, Kanu issued deadly threats via broadcasts that caused businesses and public services across South-eastern states to shut down, incited violence against security personnel and their families, and imported a radio transmitter used to coordinate operations.

The government also accused him of directing IPOB members to manufacture explosives.

Kanu, representing himself in court, refused to open a defence, challenging the legality of the terrorism charges.

He argued that no Nigerian law underpins the prosecution’s case and demanded either immediate release or bail.

The case continues to attract national attention, reflecting ongoing tensions over security and governance in the South-east region of Nigeria.