At least 72 people d!ed during last week’s mass influx of migrants into Spain’s Ceuta enclave, when tens of thousands of people mostly swam around the border post from Morocco, local officials said on Sunday, August

Most of the estimated 60,000 people who rushed into Spain’s north African territory have returned to Morocco since the territory’s largest mass migrant crossing.

“The latest figure that we have is 72,” the government’s delegate to Ceuta, Miguel Angel Perez Triano, told reporters, when asked about the number of fatalities. The previous toll was 67 de@ths.

Spanish police and troops patrolled the streets of Ceuta on Sunday as the enclave returned to normal after the sudden mass influx of migrants from Morocco.

Only small groups of migrants were still walking around after most who crossed the small border barrier returned voluntarily to Morocco in 48 hours.

The largest migrant rush into the enclave has caused an international crisis for Spain, with European partners criticising Madrid for its immigration policies.

Outside a housing project near Ceuta port, Spanish soldiers detained a group of nine tired-looking migrants who were sitting on the pavement, guarded by troops with an armoured car, an AFP reporter said.

Small inflatable boats from a rescue unit scoured the waters around the border barrier that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, where a new 500-metre (1,640-feet) floating boom reinforced security.

Civil Guard were also taking migrants off a bus to escort them back to the border post to return to Morocco.

Spain has blamed criminal gangs for spreading rumours that a recent Spanish Supreme Court ruling on immigration would allow migrants easier passage.

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A joint military task force has rescued an abducted senior Nigerian Army officer, Lt. Col. Ofor Amobi, and a civilian, Mr. Ikechukwu Onwuanra, after an intensive 10-day search-and-rescue operation across forests and communities in Enugu State.

This is contained in a military operational report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday, August 1, 2026 in Abuja.

The breakthrough came in the early hours of Saturday following sustained operations by troops of Sector 1, Operation UDO KA (OPUK).

The search mission involved personnel of the 82 Division Garrison, 103 Battalion (Rear), the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service (NN SBS), and the 197 Special Forces Battalion, operating under the leadership of the Commander, 82 Division Garrison, with support from the Air Component.

According to the report, between 6:00 p.m. on July 31 and 6:00 a.m. on August 1, the joint troops continued search operations using actionable intelligence across Inyi, Awlaw and Akpugo-Eze forests and adjoining communities in Oji River Local Government Area of Enugu State.

At about 2:00 a.m., the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Inyi Division alerted the troops to the suspected location of the kidnapped victims.

The troops immediately mobilised and launched a fighting patrol into the area, where they discovered Lt. Col. Amobi and Mr. Onwuanra abandoned at the edge of a forest. The civilian was found with a gunshot wound.

The victims were successfully rescued and evacuated to Inyi before being moved to the 82 Division Medical Hospital for medical treatment and comprehensive evaluation.

During preliminary debriefing, the victims disclosed that they had been blindfolded shortly after their abduction and transported to an unknown location.

They said they were later abandoned in a forest around the Enugu–Anambra border as the kidnappers came under sustained operational pressure.

The military attributed the successful rescue to the relentless pressure mounted by the joint force, supported by the Air Component, which maintained continuous dominance of the suspected hideouts and denied the abductors freedom of movement throughout the 10-day operation.

The sustained search-and-rescue mission ultimately forced the kidnappers to abandon the captives and flee.

Further investigations and follow-up operations are ongoing to identify, track and apprehend those responsible for the abduction.

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The Nigerian Army has deployed 86 personnel to the ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ESSMGB), reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to regional peace, security and peacekeeping operations across West Africa.

In a statement released on Saturday, August 1, the army said the troops, deployed as Nigerian Company 5 (NIGCOY 5 ESSMGB), departed the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja aboard a Nigerian Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft and arrived safely in Guinea-Bissau to begin their assignment under the ECOWAS mandate.

Before their departure from the Nigerian Army Peacekeeping Forward Operating Base in Abuja, the Chief of Operations, Major General Mayirenso Saraso, urged the troops to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, discipline and operational excellence throughout the mission.

Represented by the Director of Peace Support Operations, Brigadier General M.M. Idris, Saraso charged the personnel to serve as worthy ambassadors of the Nigerian Army, the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the country by carrying out their mandate responsibly. He also urged them to respect the laws and customs of Guinea-Bissau while maintaining zero tolerance for s3xual exploitation and abuse, substance abuse, indiscipline and the irresponsible use of social media. NigerianBusiness News

The army said the deployment underscores Nigeria’s continued leadership in ECOWAS peace support operations and its longstanding contribution to regional and international peacekeeping missions under ECOWAS, the African Union and the United Nations.

According to the statement, the latest deployment reflects Nigeria’s strategic role in conflict prevention, peacebuilding and post-conflict stabilisation across Africa through the professionalism and resilience of its peacekeepers.

The ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau was established to support security sector reforms and help maintain political stability following years of political crises and repeated military interventions.

The mission succeeded the ECOWAS Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ECOMIB), which was deployed after the 2012 coup, and forms part of ECOWAS efforts to prevent instability in the country from escalating into broader regional security threats.

Nigeria has consistently been one of the largest contributors to ECOWAS peace operations, providing troops, logistics and leadership for missions in countries including Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau.

The latest deployment comes as ECOWAS continues to confront growing security and political challenges across West Africa, including military coups in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, as well as persistent insurgency and jihadist violence in the Sahel.

Although Guinea-Bissau has largely avoided the scale of violence experienced in parts of the region, ECOWAS maintains a stabilisation mission in the country to support constitutional order and deter potential security threats.

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