Tension has gripped Jesse community in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State following the abduction of Mr. Francis Amakare, an in-law to Prince Joseph Orhomonokpaye, Senior Special Assistant on Community Newspapers to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.

According to The Guardian, Amakare was reportedly kidnapped on Friday, September 26, while returning home. The abductors, said to have operated swiftly and without resistance, have since contacted his family, demanding ₦10 million for his release.

A family source confirmed the ransom demand and disclosed that the kidnappers warned against involving security agencies, heightening fears among relatives and residents.

As of press time, Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Bright Edafe, said he had not received an official report of the incident.

Meanwhile, local vigilantes and community security outfits in Jesse have launched a manhunt for the abductors.

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Prince Orhomonokpaye, who was visibly distressed, is reportedly working with authorities and community leaders to secure Amakare’s safe release.

The incident has once again highlighted rising insecurity in Delta State and the growing wave of kidnappings across the Niger Delta region.

“We are no longer safe in our homes or on the roads. Every day we hear of kidnappings, yet little seems to change,” a resident lamented.
Negotiations with the kidnappers were reportedly ongoing at the time of filing this report.

Hundreds of residents of Okunran village in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State have deserted their homes following persistent attacks by armed bandits.

A viral video circulating on social media showed the once-bubbling community completely deserted, with houses abandoned and streets empty.

“Okunran, once a bubbling town, is now a ghost town,” a resident said.

The villagers said they fled to escape incessant kidnappings, killings, and ransom demands that have plagued the community.

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“The government has failed us, security agencies have failed us. If we remain here, we will be consumed by bandits. We are tired of paying ransom and contributing money for bandits,” said Akin Samuel, a fleeing resident.

The Guardian learnt that neighbouring communities, including Okoloke and Egbe, are also considering leaving if the attacks persist.

The abduction of the first-class traditional ruler of Okoloke, 90-year-old Pa. Dada James Ogunyanda, in May 2025, deepened the climate of fear in the area. Although he was released after a ransom was paid, the monarch has refused to return to his palace.

A native of Okunran, Auwal Maroof, who now lives in Lokoja, said the decision to flee became inevitable.

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“We have been praying for God’s intervention, but the insecurity persists to the point that fleeing was the only option to stay alive,” he said.

Egbe, the commercial hub of Yagba, is feared to be vulnerable due to its close connection with neighbouring Kwara State, where the bandits are suspected to be coming from.

Local sources report that at least 10 people, including seven police officers and three civilians, were killed by bandits in Yagba within one week this month.

The Chairman of Yagba East Local Government recently imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in a bid to contain the crisis, while the Kogi State government and the senator representing the district have pledged to rid the area of bandits.

Rescuers in Nigeria are searching for dozens of people missing after a boulder crashed onto an illegal mine during heavy rains, killing at least 18 people, local sources told AFP on Saturday.

The rock came crashing down on Thursday on the mine in the northern Zamfara state outside the Kadauri village in the Maru district, they said.

“We have managed to pull out 18 dead bodies from the pit and five other survivors who sustained various degrees of injuries,” Sani Lawwali, a miner who works in unauthorised pits, said from Kadauri.

A dozen other miners were still trapped inside and their fate remained unknown, said Lawwali, who took part in the rescue effort.

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“The process is slow and laborious as we use our bare hands to chisel the end of the boulder to make holes for limited access into the pit,” he said.

Rescuers have asked for a bulldozer being used at a nearby road construction site to be brought in to help, but had not yet received a response from the company using it, Lawwali added.

Abubakar Nabube, a local community leader, confirmed the death toll of 18. He said that 15 of those killed came from the nearby Maikwanugga and Damaga villages.

“If no help comes from emergency agencies soon, none of those trapped would come out alive,” he said.

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Zayyanu Ibrahim, a resident of Kadauri village said the collapse occurred at one of several newly dug sites in the recently established mining site.

“Dozens of miners were working in the pit while it heavily rained outside. A huge boulder at the mouth of the pit collapsed and buried miners inside,” said Ibrahim, who also confirmed the toll.

Sani Abdullahi, a councillor in the area, said it was difficult to say how many people there were in the pit at the time of the accident.

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Officials from the Nigerian emergency agency NEMA did not respond to an AFP enquiry about the accident.

Zamfara, a poor agrarian state, is rich in gold deposits where illegal artisanal mining thrives in the countryside, despite several attempts by authorities to stop the practice.

The authorities have blamed illegal mining for the worsening of bandit violence, with criminal gangs getting money from protection fees they extort from miners.