Passengers aboard an Arik Air flight from Lagos to Port Harcourt experienced moments of anxiety on Wednesday morning after the aircraft developed an engine issue mid-air, forcing an emergency diversion to Benin City.

Following established safety procedures, the pilots immediately diverted the flight to the nearest airport as a precaution. The aircraft landed safely at Benin Airport without further complications.

Arik Air said all 80 passengers and crew members onboard disembarked safely, with no injuries recorded. The airline added that arrangements had been made to convey affected passengers to their intended destination in Port Harcourt.

“The safety and wellbeing of passengers is always our priority at Arik Air. We sincerely apologise to the affected Port Harcourt passengers whose journey has been disrupted,” the statement read.

Gunmen have abducted nine worshippers of Saint John’s Catholic Church, Ojije, Utonkon District of Ado Local Government Area in Benue State.

The victims were reportedly whisked away on Sunday during a vigil in the church premises.

A former councilor representing Ukwuenyo Ward in the Ado Local Government Legislative Council, Emmanuel Udah, reportedly confirmed the incident on Monday.

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 traumatized by the incident, adding that they no longer feel safe.

Udah, therefore, urged 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 sense of abandonment by government at all levels, even after many such incidents had been reported across communities in Benue.

“The people of Utonkon are living in fear, families are broken, children are traumatized, farmers, traders, worshippers, are all trapped as no one feels safe anymore in our land.

“This incident is not isolated; it reflects a growing pattern of insecurity that rural communities in Benue State continue to endure in silence and neglect. We are raising our voices because silence will kill us all,” the former councilor stated.

While calling on the government to do all it can to rescue the nine worshippers abducted from Saint John’s Catholic Church, Ojije, Udah urged the Church and international community to rise up in defence of the persecuted.

“Religious bodies, civil society organizations, human-rights groups, and the international community should speak out and stand with us.

“We are not asking for sympathy alone. We are asking for attention, protection, and justice. Let the world know that Utonkon matters,” he added.

Spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, Udeme Edet, confirmed that indeed nine worshippers were abducted.

She noted that the Commissioner of Police, Ifeanyi Emenari, has deployed tactical units working with local vigilantes to track down the abductors and rescue the victims, noting that the police are on the trail of the perpetrators of the attack.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the reopening of the Tsamiya border between Kebbi State and the Republic of Benin to boost socio-economic activities between the two countries.

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, stated this during a stakeholders’ meeting in Kebbi State.

He said the President had approved for the transit of commercial trucks from Kebbi State into the Benin Republic, “without compromising national security.”

Comptroller Adeniyi explained that the reopening would facilitate the movement of goods and support legitimate trade, adding that measures were being put in place to allow the passage of about 2,000 trucks that had been stranded at the border for several months.

The Comptroller-General commended the contributions of retired Director of the Nigeria Customs Service and former Comptroller-General, Abubakar Musa Garkuwan Yauri, a native of Kebbi State, for his distinguished service.

Also speaking, Governor Nasir Idris said the Kebbi State Government would provide social amenities and critical infrastructure at the Tsamiya border to ensure smooth trade flow between Nigeria and the Benin Republic.

He praised President Tinubu for reopening the Tsamiya–Sagbana border crossing, describing the move as a major boost to economic and commercial activities.

“Kebbi State thanks President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for reopening the Tsamiya border and making it functional. The President keeps his promises and has demonstrated sincerity by authorising this reopening for the economic prosperity of both nations,” Governor Idris said.

He assured that the state government would fulfil its responsibilities to ensure efficient border operations and provide the necessary infrastructure after consultations.

Governor Idris also commended the Comptroller-General for transforming the Nigeria Customs Service, adding that Kebbi State would remain a customs-friendly state and continue to value its serving and retired customs officers.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, said President Tinubu’s economic reforms were beginning to improve the national economy, with benefits expected to reach grassroots communities.

The meeting was attended by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu; a representative of the National Security Adviser; heads of security agencies; senior officers of the Benin Republic Customs Service; and the Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris.