Troops of the 6 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, operating under Sector 3 of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), have arrested another suspected notorious kidnap kingpin in Taraba State.

The suspect, identified as Alhaji Abubakar Bawa, was apprehended in the southern part of the state barely 24 hours after troops nabbed another alleged kidnapping mastermind, Umar Musa.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Brigade’s Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, Lt. Umar Muhammad, said Bawa was captured during Operation Zafin Wuta, a clearance mission targeting criminal groups terrorising communities in the region.

According to the statement, troops arrested Bawa on November 23, 2025, while he attempted to flee Wukari Local Government Area.

Security sources described Bawa as a close associate of Umar Musa, who was arrested on November 22.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that both men are linked to a broader criminal network responsible for numerous kidnappings, violent attacks, and organised criminal activities across the region,” the Army said.

Reacting to the development, the Commander of the 6 Brigade, Brigadier General Kingsley Chidiebere Uwa, commended the troops for their professionalism.

He noted that the success of Operation Zafin Wuta underscores the Army’s progress in dismantling criminal syndicates and restoring peace to affected communities.

General Uwa reaffirmed the Army’s commitment to sustaining aggressive clearance operations, stressing that no criminal element would be allowed to escape justice.

He added that troops remain on high alert as investigations into Bawa’s network continue.

The Brigade also urged residents to remain vigilant and provide credible information to support ongoing security efforts.

Yesterday, fifty of the more than 300 children snatched by gunmen from a Catholic school in Nigeria have escaped their captors, a Christian group said in a statement Sunday.

“We have received some good news as fifty pupils escaped and have reunited with their parents,” said the Christian Association of Nigeria in a statement, adding they escaped between Friday and Saturday.

Gunmen on Friday raided St Mary’s co-education school in Niger state, taking 303 children and 12 teachers in one of the largest mass kidnappings in Nigeria.

The abduction came after gunmen had on Monday stormed a secondary school in neighbouring Kebbi state, abducting 25 girls, as security fears mount in Africa’s most populous nation, sparking a wave of school closures across other parts of the country.

The number of boys and girls – aged between eight and 18 years – kidnapped from St Mary’s is almost half of the school’s student population of 629.