Three others escape with gunshot injuries…..

Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), the military and the police have arrested five suspected members of a criminal gang allegedly responsible for the abduction of 20 National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members in Imo State.

The suspects were apprehended during a series of intelligence-led operations carried out between October 10 and 14 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State. Three other suspects escaped during the raids with varying degrees of gunshot injuries.

The 20 corps members were abducted by armed men along the Owerri–Onitsha Expressway in Imo State on October 1, 2026 — Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day — while travelling to their orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states. They were rescued on October 7 during a joint security operation at Amakohia Ubi Village.

Security sources described the latest arrests as a major breakthrough in the effort to dismantle the network behind the abduction and bring the perpetrators to justice.

“This is a huge sigh of relief. Security agencies have been on a sustained manhunt for the abductors, and we are elated that they have been captured. We strongly believe they will be charged to court by the DSS and the corps members will get justice,” a security source said.

A commander of the Nigeria Police Force Intelligence Response Team (IRT) has cautioned churchgoers against publicly disclosing details of their personal lives and achievements during church services.

The commander gave the warning during an IRT briefing on TV Platinum on Thursday, particularly cautioning worshippers attending evening services at churches on the outskirts of towns.

He said publicly sharing personal achievements before a congregation whose intentions were unknown could make worshippers vulnerable to criminal attacks, particularly when returning home after night services.

“After closing from evening service, such act that they plan will be implemented. You can’t go to a church located on the outskirts, and you go to evening prayer, and close in the evening, coming down to your home, after making testimony of what you have achieved in life,” he said.

The commander cautioned against assuming that everyone attending church had good intentions, urging worshippers to exercise discretion when sharing sensitive personal information in public gatherings.

“It doesn’t conform with common sense and rationality in the midst of gathering of people watching you, thinking that they are all men of God. No. Everybody has his own motive of going to the church,” he said.

The commander further called on churches that hold evening services to strengthen their security arrangements, particularly by monitoring access routes and exits to protect congregants before and after worship.

A commercial tricycle driver has been killed in a fatal one-way crash in the Meiran area of Lagos State.

According to preliminary reports, the incident occurred when a vehicle travelling against the designated flow of traffic on a one-way road collided head-on with the tricycle.

The impact left the tricycle driver with severe injuries, and he was confirmed dead at the scene by emergency responders.

Officials from the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the Nigeria Police Force were quickly mobilised to the location. The crash site was secured, and traffic was temporarily disrupted as recovery operations got underway. The body of the deceased has been evacuated to a nearby mortuary pending formal identification and further investigations.

Authorities say the exact circumstances surrounding the crash, including the identity of the tricycle driver and details of the other vehicle involved, are still being established. Police have launched a probe into the incident, with particular focus on the alleged one-way driving that led to the collision.

Road safety officials have once again cautioned motorists against driving against traffic, describing the practice as a major contributor to fatal accidents on Lagos roads. Further updates are expected as the investigation progresses.