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FBI – We’re doing everything to find Kirk’s killer

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The gunman who shot dead US right-wing youth leader Charlie Kirk in a targeted killing remained at large Thursday, but authorities said they have video images of the suspect and have recovered a “high-powered” rifle.

Kirk, a 31-year-old superstar on the Republican right who was credited with helping Donald Trump return to the presidency last year, was shot while addressing a large crowd at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

The killing, described by the FBI as a “targeted event” — shocked a nation already reeling from political tensions half a year into Trump’s second term.

Authorities acknowledged the gunman remained at large after having escaped into the woodland.

“We’re doing everything we can to find him, and we’re not sure how far he has gone yet, but we will do our best,” FBI Special Agent Robert Bohls told a media briefing.

Authorities said they had secured quality images of the killer, who was of university age.

“We do have good video footage of this individual. We are not going to release that at this time,” said Beau Mason, commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety.

Bohls said the presumed murder weapon had also been found.

“It is a high powered bolt action rifle. That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled,” the FBI agent said.

Two people initially detained for questioning were released after officials determined they had no connection to the shooting.

– ‘Dark moment’ –

Reflecting the intensely political nature of the incident, it was Trump, rather than law enforcement authorities, who first announced to Americans that Kirk had died from his wound.

Trump then addressed the nation in a video address on social media in which he cited a “dark moment for America.”

Despite no public information about the shooter’s identity or motive, the president went on to suggest that the left wing was responsible — and to pledge a wide-reaching response.

“For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals,” he said. “This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing.”

“My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity,” Trump said.

– Shot in neck –

Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking to the crowd and collapsed in his chair.

Students at the university described the ensuing panic — and their broader fears as political divisions deepen across the country.

“It makes me feel like I should be very careful about expressing my political ideas,” said Samuel Kimball, a software engineering student, told AFP.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, called the killing a “political assassination.”

Kirk, who supporters have hailed as a “martyr” for conservative ideals, had an outsized influence in US politics.

He co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to drive conservative viewpoints among young people, his natural showmanship making him a go-to spokesman on television networks.

Kirk used his enormous audiences on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to build support for anti-immigration policies, outspoken Christianity and gun ownership, and to spread carefully edited clips of his interactions during debates at his many college events.

Three months ago, a Minnesota man shot dead a Democratic lawmaker and her husband in their home, and Trump survived an assassination attempt during his election campaign in July 2024.

Vice President JD Vance was due to travel to Utah to meet Kirk’s family on Thursday, a source familiar with the plans said, after he cancelled a trip to New York to mark the 9/11 attacks anniversary.

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Gunmen invade ex-Ogun LG chairman’s residence

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An armed gang on Thursday morning invaded the residence of former Ijebu-Ode Local Government Chairman, Alhaji Emilola Gazal, carting away valuables, cash, and his vehicle.

Gazal, who is also the publisher of The Roots Magazine, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with our correspondent.

“The three armed men broke into my residence at Ijebu-Ode GRA at about 2 a.m. They collected all the cash with me after which they forced me to open my bank apps on my phone and transfer everything there to an account they provided. They left only N5,000 in my account.

“They also made away with my wife’s trinkets and with my ash-colour car. They actually told me they would be going away with my car. I am just going to report the incident to the police at Igbeba and Obalende, Ijebu-Ode”, Gazal told our correspondent.

PUNCH Online reports that this incident comes amid a spate of violent robberies and home invasions reported across Ogun State, particularly in the Ijebu area.

For example, earlier this year, the Ogun State Police Command killed a suspected armed robber in a gun duel along the Sagamu–Ijebu Ode Expressway.

The command, on September 12, 2025, also recently arrested a man linked to a burglary and armed robbery in Ayetoro, amounting to about N1.5 million in stolen goods.

Meanwhile, the regional security network, Amotekun Corps, has in past operations engaged criminal gangs in shootouts, neutralising suspects in Ogun’s border zones.

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How my father got me trafficked with fake job at Baghdad supermarket — Victim

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Following a six-hour raid by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, which led to the rescue of 24 suspected victims of human trafficking, one of the victims has vowed to sue her father for deceiving her into being trafficked.

The victim claimed that she was told by her father that his friend had a job for her at a supermarket in Baghdad, and was totally convinced she was going to better her life until her rescue by NAPTIP.

“My father told me that his friend has a job for me at a supermarket in Baghdad. He did not tell me that it is in Iraq.

“I know that Iraq is not a good place to work for now due to the crisis there, but I did not know that Baghdad is in Iraq. I thank the DG and her officers for rescuing me,” the victim said.

Director-General of NAPTIP, Binta Bello, who led a high-powered special operation team to the airport following a tip-off, revealed that among the suspected human traffickers arrested was a retired senior uniformed officer with one of the foremost law enforcement agencies in Nigeria, who is alleged to be a prominent member of the trafficking syndicate operating within the South West region of Nigeria.

In a statement by the National Press Officer of the agency on Wednesday, Bello said: “We observed that the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport is becoming a comfort zone for these traffickers, and that is why we have decided to shift attention to this airport.

“We will sustain this raid until they stop this unpatriotic and illicit trade in human beings.”

Expressing confidence in her team following the operation, she said: “We were able to arrest five suspected members of the trafficking gang who have been recruiting and trafficking our citizens to various tension-soaked countries, especially in the Middle East, for exploitation,” the DG said.

Bello explained that the victims, whose ages range between 15 and 26 years, were recruited from Kano, Katsina, Oyo, Ondo, and Rivers States, and were heading to Iraq, Sudan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Afghanistan.

The DG pointed out that a good number of the victims could not communicate in any other language apart from their local dialect, and most did not even know the location of their intended country of destination.

“They told my mother that they were taking me to Europe, where I would work and earn dollars. My parents were happy and they allowed me to follow them,” another victim narrated after the DG explained, with facts, what awaited them at their final destinations after being successfully trafficked.

Speaking further on the development, Bello expressed sadness over the activities of suspected human traffickers and unregistered labour recruiters, who have continued to deceive, recruit, and traffic Nigerians for various forms of exploitation.

“I was amazed that a father, who is a retired law enforcement officer of senior cadre, deceived his daughter and packaged her to be trafficked to Iraq for exploitation.

“This is incredibly unbelievable. All of them will be thoroughly investigated, and they will face the law.”

The NAPTIP boss commended the support of sister agencies at the airport, including the Director-General of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Manager, among others.

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Crime

Soldiers foil terrorists attack in Taraba, kill two suspects

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Troops of 6 Brigade Nigerian Army/ Sector 3, Operation Whirl Stroke, have successfully foiled a terrorist attack and neutralised two suspected terrorists in Taraba.

This is contained in a statement released on Wednesday by Lt. Umar Muhammad, Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 6 Brigade Nigerian Army, Jalingo.

“Acting on credible intelligence, troops on  October 1, 2025, advanced to Tor-Ikyeghgba village where bandits were reported to be converging.

“On arrival at the general area, the troops made contact with the terrorists along the powerline axis and immediately engaged them with superior firepower, resulting in the neutralisation of two.

“During the operation, the following items were recovered; one locally fabricated pistol, two dane guns, three rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition, one Baofeng radio, one motorcycle and other items,” it stated.

He quoted Brig. Gen. Kingsley Uwa, Commander of the brigade, commended the troops for their swift response, resilience, and professionalism.

Muhammad also quoted the Commander, as urging the troops to maintain the momentum,  assuring residents of the state that the brigade remained fully committed to ensuring their safety.

He therefore, called on members of the public to continue to support the ongoing operation ‘Lafiya na kowa’  by providing timely and credible information that would aid in the fight against criminality.

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