The Jigawa State Government has confirmed the recovery of six bodies following a boat mishap in Malamawar Yan Dutse community, Ringim Local Government Area of the state.

The State Commissioner for Special Duties and Humanitarian Affairs, Auwalu Sankara, confirmed the incident during a visit to the community.

Sankara said that the accident happened at about 1pm on Sunday when a canoe carrying between 30 and 40 passengers capsized while crossing the river.

He attributed the accident to overloading, saying the number of passengers exceeded the canoe’s capacity.

Search and rescue operations are still ongoing to locate the remaining missing passengers, while the recovered victims would be buried in accordance with Islamic rites.

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A Federal High Court has sentenced Mahmud Usman and Abubakar Abba commanders of Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group, to d life Imprisonments for terrorism. ‎‎

Both men arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) were handed the sentence after pleading guilty to the 32-count terrorism charge brought against them by the agency on behalf of the federal government. ‎‎

The two convicts were sentenced to life in prison in counts 30 and 31 while they were sentenced to 20 years in the rest of the charges. ‎‎

The Judge ordered that the jail term on the other counts should commence from the date of their arrest.

‎‎Usman (1st defendant) had previously pleaded guilty to one count of illegal mining used to fund terrorism and arms procurement. He was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment but pleaded not guilty to the remaining 31 counts.

Abba (2nd defendant) pleaded not guilty to all 32 counts.‎‎

The case stalled the last time the matter came up on July 9 as the 2nd defendant Abba expressed willingness first to change his plea to admit guilt but later expressed reservations about taking that road.

‎‎They both eventually admitted guilt on all counts with a sentence of life behind bars being the consequence. ‎‎

The convicts were arrested in separate operations between May and July 2025 by the DSS.

‎‎The charges against them include acts of terrorism, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining to fund terrorism, fabrication of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), terrorism financing, and other related offences. ‎‎

They are also accused of coordinating sleeper cells, multiple attacks, and maintaining operational ties with terrorist groups across the Sahel and Maghreb regions.‎‎

Image credit : THE WHISTLER

The father of a two-year-old boy abducted by bandits from a primary school in Oyo State has narrated that his two years old son is still showing signs of psychological trauma weeks after he regained freedom.

The child was among 39 pupils and six teachers kidnapped when armed bandits attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, L.A. Primary School and Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esienle, in Oriire Local Government Area on May 15, 2026.

The victims were released on July 10 after spending 56 days in captivity.

They were later taken to the LAUTECH Teaching Hospital for medical evaluation and psychological assessment before reuniting with their families.

In a chat with THE WHISTLER, the boy’s father, Sikiru Abiodun, said his son had not been the same since he returned home.

“My son is showing some strange behaviours.

Before he was abducted, if he wanted to sleep, he would just go and sleep by himself. But since he came back, anytime he wants to sleep, he starts crying and won’t stop until we hug or carry him,”Abiodun said in Yoruba.

The farmer also said the child now becomes unusually distressed whenever he is scolded.

“Anytime he’s doing something or wants something and we shout at him, he starts crying. He was not like that before,” he said.

Despite the changes in his son’s behaviour, Abiodun said the family remained grateful that the boy returned alive.