kidnapped

Kevin Rideout, a pilot with the evangelical missionary agency SIM International, was abducted in the capital, Niamey, on October 21, 2025.

An American missionary kidnapped in Niger last year has been released after more than nine months in captivity and is now in the care of United States officials, according to his organisation.

Kevin Rideout, a pilot with the evangelical missionary agency SIM International, was abducted in the capital, Niamey, on October 21 by three armed men while heading towards the airport.

“We are grateful to confirm that our good friend and brother in Christ, Kevin Rideout, has been released after over nine months in captivity,” SIM said on Friday, adding that he was in good health and would soon be reunited with his family.

The Reuters news agency, citing The New York Times, reported that Rideout was travelling to the US accompanied by FBI officials. Details of how and where Rideout was released remain unclear, as does the identity of the group that held him during the final stages of his captivity.

After his abduction, the kidnappers were believed to have travelled towards Niger’s western Tillaberi region, where armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) operate. Reuters reported in March that Rideout was believed to be held in neighbouring Mali by al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM).

Niger and its neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso have struggled with armed groups across the Sahel for years.

The US withdrew its troops from Niger after the military seized power in a 2023 coup, while Niger’s authorities have since strengthened security and diplomatic ties with Russia.

Kidnapping for ransom by armed groups and bandits has become a major crisis in Nigeria.

More than 300 people who had been kidnapped across Nigeria have been freed in an intelligence and security operation, the government has announced.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu warmly welcomes the successful rescue of 308 Nigerian citizens who were abducted in different attacks in Niger and Kwara states,” Bayo Onanuga, a special adviser to Nigeria’s president, said in a statement.

The statement said that 163 of those rescued were abducted from the Woro Community in Kaiama Local Government Area in Kwara State, and 145 were taken from Niger State.

“The victims were rescued from the Kainji Lake National Park Forest in New Bussa Local Government Area of Niger State”, according to the statement, as a result of a “coordinated, intelligence-driven operation”. The operation was carried out by the country’s National Counter Terrorism Centre, involving members of the armed forces, the police force and the Department of State Services.

“It was the largest rescue operation ever carried out on the same day by Nigeria’s joint security team,” the statement added.

The government in Kwara State, near the border with Benin, welcomed the rescue in a social media post, local channel Arise News reported.

“Kudos to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, security forces, and everyone who played a role in this huge feat. We are grateful!”, said the Kwara government statement, announcing the release of those abducted during the February 3 attack on local communities in Kaiama.

At least 200 people were killed in the attack, when suspected Boko Haram-linked fighters launched a coordinated assault that lasted several hours, according to the Nigeria-based Punch website.

Kidnapping for ransom by criminal groups, Boko Haram-linked fighters and gangs known as bandits has become a major crisis in Nigeria, especially in areas with little state presence.

Soft targets, including schools, churches and mosques, particularly in vulnerable rural communities with limited state security, have been particularly at risk.

On January 18, 177 people were abducted from three churches in the village of Kurmin Wali in Kaduna State.

Last month, security services freed at least 40 students and teachers kidnapped in May from the southern state of Oyo.

In June, the president announced that the military had “neutralised” more than 13,000 “terrorists” in the past year. The army also said it had rescued 360 people abducted by Boko Haram, which has spread across parts of the country from Borno State, once considered the centre of its operations.

“The successful execution of this intelligence-led operation demonstrates the growing efficiency and collaboration among our security services. I commend our gallant men and women in uniform for their bravery and unwavering commitment to safeguarding Nigerian lives,” the president said in his latest statement.

Mexican journalist Roxana Guzman’s disappearance for more than two weeks has renewed concerns over escalating violence against journalists in Mexico, where attacks on the press continue with near-total impunity.

LEE Andrews has shared wild new claims about his gunpoint arrest as he insisted it was the “most horrific place” he ever seen.

Katie Price’s husband claimed earlier this week that he had been “captured at gunpoint” and “slapped around” during his ordeal before his wife saved him.

Lee was released from Dubai’s notorious Al Awir prison on Friday and he has now shared a new account of what happened on social media.

The self-proclaimed businessman claimed: “I will say it one more time, the national guard who took me in the beginning, they had guns and they don’t register you as being arrested.

“They can just take you and hold you, which is what happened.

“Anywhere in the world you go to an airport, they have guns patrolling the boarder and they took me and not in the best way either.

“It wasn’t the best experience and from there they held me in state security, so I was transfered to a jail, which was the worst f***ing horrendous place I’ve ever seen and then into a mainstream.”

Earlier today, Lee hit out at Good Morning Britain host Susanna Reid for mocking him on yesterday’s show.

Calling for her to be sacked after she “rolled her eyes” at him live on air, Lee has even vowed to sit down with the host on live TV.

Taking to Instagram, Lee hit back as he said: “What is Susanna Reid rolling her eyes at?

“I’m not gonna comment on that, because obviously I’ll get onto the sofa with Katie at some point and we’ll thrash it out.

“And she can be as forthcoming as she likes.”

He then claimed Susanna is “prejudging” him unfairly.

“But to actually judge me without any evidence, calling me a conman, she should lose her job for that,” he fumed, calling for her axe from the breakfast programme.

Lee continued to say that she had “no solid evidence other than an ex coming forward”.

After being banged up and “missing” for seven weeks, Lee was released from Dubai’s notorious Al Awir prison on Friday.

Katie quickly jetted back to Dubai from the UK over the weekend to see her other half and they shared an emotional reunion on Sunday evening.

Upon his return to social media, Lee claimed he was “captured at gunpoint” before being accused of spying.

Despite Lee’s espionage claims, it was widely speculated that he was actually locked up for fraud.

SUGABABES singer Keisha Buchanan has revealed that she was KIDNAPPED from school – shortly before achieving her first hit with the band.

The 41-year-old singer first joined the group at the tender age of 13 and they signed their first record contract in 1998.

But the singer has now revealed how she was kidnapped in 2000 – shortly before the band’s debut single Overload hit the UK top 10.

Keisha revealed that she was taken by a man from school for several hours before she was returned home.

The scary incident caused her parents to decide it was no longer safe for the star to go to school, resulting in her missing her GCSEs.

Keisha, who won The Masked Singer earlier this year, made the confession on the Live, Laugh, Luke podcast.

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The Push The Button hitmaker said: “I had like this incident right before my GCSEs where I was kidnapped.

“So, because it was quite a traumatic experience, my parents were, like, ‘yeah, so we’re going to do a different type of education.’

“So I kind of finished like my education, but I just couldn’t do my GCSEs.”

Keisha had been preparing to debut with the Sugababes at the time and had already left school to focus on music but had briefly returned in order to sit her GCSEs just before they released their first single at the time of the incident.

In the interview, she revealed that she wasn’t able to share more details of the scary incident as she planned to tell the full story in her impending autobiography.

Keisha did add: “I was basically taken after school by someone.

“I think I just sort of blocked it and then had to just get back into, you know, promotion of our first single.”

Keisha revealed how she was held captive for a number of hours – an experience that left her seeking therapy from the age of 16.

The Sugababes – which also comprised of Mutya Buena and Siobhan Donaghy – released their first song Overload in early September 2000 with Keisha having been expected to sit her GCSEs in May and June of the same year.

Elsewhere, she confessed that only Siobhan ultimately ended up being accepted back into school for the exams after all three originally left in order to record their debut album, One Touch, over the course of two years.

Despite at first claiming her parents pulled her out of school as a result of the terrifying kidnapping incident, Keisha then appeared to suggest the school had refused to re-enroll her for examinations anyway.

She said: “We ended up leaving school. Siobhan went back to school to take her GCSEs and they accepted her back.

“When Mutya and I tried to get back, they were so rude.

“They were like, ‘Oh no, no, no, you’re not coming back. Like you guys thought you were going to be these pop stars. Let’s see what’s going to happen.’

“So they wouldn’t accept us back.”

Keisha further stated that she discussed the kidnapping ordeal in very early promotional interviews for their debut single but has since kept it out of public view and intends to tell the lengthy story in her own memoir.

The popstar is the longest serving member of the band and has been involved in nearly all of their musical releases.

She was famously sacked from the group in 2009 amid disagreements between the members at the time.

Original stars Siobhan and Mutya had both previously left in 2001 and 2005.

They were replaced by Heidi Range and Amelle Berrebah who worked with Keisha until September 2009.

Their record label that opted to replace her with Eurovision star Jade Ewen for their 2010 album, Sweet 7.

Jade re-recorded Keisha’s parts for the record but the final line-up formation ended up splitting after their flop 2011 single, Freedom.

Keisha then reunited with Siobhan and Mutya in 2012 and released their first single as a reunited trio in 2013, Flatline.

Amid a legal war, they eventually gained back the rights to using the name Sugababes in 2019 with the original trio having been performing ever since including a sell-out arena tour, countless festival appearances and two well-received Glastonbury sets.

They released three new singles last year – Jungle, Weeds and Shook – amid a rumoured new album expected later this year.