Pocket News Nigeria

Yet to be unidentified gunmen have abducted nine worshippers of Saint John’s Catholic Church, Ojije, Utonkon District of Ado Local Government Area of Benue State.  The worshippers were reportedly whisked away on Sunday during a vigil in the church premises. A former councillor representing Ukwuenyo Ward in the Ado local government legislative council, Emmanuel Udah, confirmed the incident on Monday. In a telephone conversation with Channels Television, Udah described the abduction as “a targeted and planned crime against the Church, when innocent worshippers were at the most sacred ground, a place of worship, a place for peace, and refuge, only to be abducted, while praying, vulnerable and unarmed”. He explained that people of the area were traumatised by the incident, adding that they no longer feel safe. Udah, therefore, asked the authorities to beef up security and nip the continuous attacks in Benue State in the bud. He lamented what he described as the growing sens...

Barr. John Apollos Maton  9th February 2026  A REBUTTAL TO A SAD JOKE MASQUERADING AS POLITICAL ANALYSIS I don't know who the recent Fulani stooge Cham Faliya Sharon is, but his/her writeup "IS THE CONFUSION OF THE MIDDLE BELT COMING FULL CIRCLE TO BITE THE MIDDLE BELT" is such a ridiculous piece I was ashamed for the writer when it opened with a quote from Thomas Paine. I mean, it takes a special pompous type of clown to not only go through writing this but even have it reshared on public platforms by the Fulani Immigrants Nigeria should be sending packing.  The joke of an article under review is not analysis but performance—an exercise in ideological ventriloquism by a writer who mistakes obedience for insight. It reads like a brief written to order, not a position arrived at through honest inquiry. Like Judas Iscariot, the author appears to have concluded that selling one’s intellectual integrity for proximity to power is a rational transaction. History, ho...

Jihadist groups are increasingly carrying out drone strikes in West Africa, raising alarm that they are building the capacity to wage a "war from the skies". A leading violence monitoring organisation, Acled, has recorded at least 69 drone strikes by an al-Qaeda affiliate in Burkina Faso and Mali since 2023, while two Islamic State (IS) affiliates have carried out around 20 - mostly in Nigeria, which has been battling numerous insurgent groups for almost 25 years. The latest drone attack took place in Nigeria's north-eastern Borno state on 29 January, when jihadists carried out a two-pronged assault - with multiple armed drones and ground fighters - on a military base. The military said nine of its soldiers were killed in the attack by the Islamic State of West Africa Province (Iswap) - identified by Acled as the "most prolific" IS African affiliate in "drone warfare". The jihadists tended to carry out strikes with "commercially availa...

American TV show host Tony Perkins has revealed that First Lady Remi Tinubu approached him to discuss religious freedom issues in Nigeria, but he rejected her request because he does not want his platform used to cover up for happenings in Nigeria. Mr Perkins, who hosts Washington Watch, disclosed this during an edition with U.S. lawmaker Chris Smith on February 4, when religious freedom was discussed. Mr Smith was speaking about President Bola Tinubu’s government denying the killing of Christians in Nigeria and yet hiring American lobbyists to downplay the issue when Mr Perkins revealed Mrs Tinubu approached him to be featured on his platform. “The First Lady of Nigeria was here this week, and in fact, they wanted to come on the programme to talk about religious freedom, and I said, ‘I’m not gonna meet with them or have a meeting with anybody,'” Mr Perkins said. The broadcast journalist added, “I’m not gonna give them a platform to cover up what they’re doing in Nigeri...

By Our Correspondent  There  was applause and appreciation at the Plateau State man of the year Award which held at  the Usiju event centre Apollo Cresent in Jos Nigeria on Sunday 8 February 2026 when the Director Technical Services of the Plateau Energy Service Corporation Engr. Sam Gyang Yakubu was given the prestigious award of " Public Services and Leadership Impact" at the annual showpiece event.  Engr Gyang known for his teamwork and selfless service thanked his colleagues and indeed the entire Plateau State with special mention to the executive Governor of Plateau State Barrister Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang for finding him worthy to serve in the capacity.  He promised to do more as the recognition is a call to further service. Friends and associates describe him as a humble, humane technocrat who is dedicated to serving humanity.

Russian officials said the deputy chief of military intelligence, Vladimir Alekseyev, was targeted by "an unidentified individual." A Russian general was shot at an apartment building in Moscow on Friday and taken to a hospital, Russian officials said. Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement that "an unidentified individual fired several shots" at Vladimir Alekseyev, the deputy chief of military intelligence. The spokesperson did not say who could be behind the shooting, and did not provide immediate information about Alekseyev's condition. A report by Russian business daily Kommersant cited by the Associated Press said the shooter posed as a delivery person and fired at Alekseyev in the stairway of his apartment building, wounding the general in the foot and arm. In an ensuing scuffle, Alekseyev tried to wrestle the gun away and was shot again in the chest before the assailant fled, the report said. A police car is...