Bandits have murdered at least 32 farmers in a series of attacks on Tugan-Makeri, Konsoko, and Pissa communities in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.

Residents told Daily Trust that the first attack occurred at Tunga-Makeri in Konkoso Ward around 3:00 a.m., during which six people were killed.

They said the bandits later invaded Konsoko and Pissa at about 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, shooting sporadically.

During the dire incident, 26 people were reportedly killed and several buildings, including a police outpost, were set ablaze.

Sources added that the exact number of casualties from the attack on the Pissa community in Kabe/Pissa has yet to be ascertained.

Hassan Abdullahi, a resident of the area, said that the attackers, numbering over 200, operated for several hours.

He said the Saturday attack began around 6:00 a.m. and lasted until about 10:00 a.m., adding that the affected communities are located about 200 kilometres from the Nigerian Air Force Base in New Bussa, the headquarters of Borgu LGA.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said the attack on Tugan-Makeri village occurred around 3:00 a.m. on Saturday.

He confirmed that six people were killed in the community, some houses were set ablaze, and an unspecified number of people were kidnapped.

Abiodun also confirmed that the bandits later moved to Konsoko, but said details of the attack there were still sketchy.

He said: “On 14/2/2026 at about 6:00 a.m., a report was received indicating that at about 3:00 a.m., suspected bandits invaded Tunga-Makeri village via Shafachi District in Borgu LGA. During the attack, six persons lost their lives, some houses were set ablaze, and a yet-to-be-ascertained number of persons were abducted. The terrorists were also reported to have moved to Konkoso village, while other details remain sketchy.

Operatives of the Operation Puff Adder of the Bayelsà State Police Command have arrested a 38 year old man, Iliasu Mohammed over his alleged involvement in the 2022 shooting of a Police Inspector, Ekperi Edwin in the stomach and left for dead in Yenagoa, the State capital.

The Police Inspector was shot on August 21, 2022 by unidentified gunmen along his street at Akenfa, Yenagoa during what police sources described as an alleged armed robbery and attempted assassination.

The police inspector was reported to have sustained life-threatening injuries and underwent emergency surgery, with bullet pellets still reportedly lodged in his body over three years after the incident.

The case however took a new dimension following allegations that a key suspect linked to the crime was released under questionable circumstances after being handed over to the Nigeria Police by the military.

Sources familiar with the incident told our correspondent that a new petition to the State Commissioner of Police, Daniel Iyamah. has been minuted to the Special Tactical and Intelligence Unit of the State Command headed by CSP Chris Nwaogbo.

A suspect connected to the case is currently in police custody and is expected to be arraigned in court, marking the first concrete prosecution step since the incident occurred.

Police sources described the move as part of efforts by the new commissioner of police to ensure a thorough, impartial, and intelligence-led investigation, given the sensitivity of the case and the status of the victim as a serving police officer.

Senior security sources however revealed that the takeover by Operation Puff Adder signals renewed commitment by the Nigeria Police Force to address unresolved violent crimes, especially those involving attacks on its personnel

Police authorities have confirmed that investigations are ongoing and assured that the matter will be investigated thoroughly.

Already, the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) of the State Ministry of Justice has approved the case for prosecution and the Police is awaiting the arraignment of the suspect in the State High Court.

A US Marine who fell overboard from an attack ship in the Caribbean has become the first known American casualty in the Trump administration’s operation targeting drug-trafficking boats.

Nigerian-born Lance Cpl Chukwuemeka E. Oforah, 21, fell from the USS Iwo Jima on 7 February and was lost at sea. He was pronounced dead after a lengthy search, which ended 10 February.

His death was announced on Wednesday and remains under investigation by the military.

The Florida native was assisting Operation Southern Spear, which has carried out 38 lethal strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean since September. It played a key role in the capture of Venezuelan president Nicholas Maduro.

A statement from the US Marines contained no details regarding how he may have fallen from the ship.

“We are all grieving alongside the Oforah family,” said Col Tom Trimble, commanding officer of the Marine Expeditionary Unit known as Special Operations Capable.

“The loss of Lance Cp. Oforah is deeply felt across the entire Navy-Marine Corps team. He will be profoundly missed, and his dedicated service will not be forgotten.”

A news release from the military branch said the sprawling search for Oforah involved five ships and 10 aircraft.

The USS Iwo Jima was used to transport Maduro after his capture in a US raid. Maduro’s capture came after weeks of a military build-up in the region, along with frequent strikes on vessels that the Trump administration said were carrying drugs headed for the US.

The pace of the strikes has notably ebbed since US forces in early January captured Maduro – who has been accused by the Trump administration of working with drug trafficking groups.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has said Operation Southern Spear is aimed at removing “narco-terrorists from our hemisphere” and securing the US from “the drugs that are killing our people”.

But some legal experts have said the strikes could be illegal and violate international law by targeting civilians, with no due process afforded to the suspects.

US officials have faced bipartisan scrutiny over a follow-up strike – or “double-tap” – on 2 September that targeted an alleged Venezuelan drug boat in the Caribbean Sea.

The families of two Trinidadian men killed in the 14 October strike have since filed a lawsuit against the American government, alleging the strike amounted to “lawless killings in cold blood; killings for sport and killings for theatre”. (BBC report)