“The deceased passed away in the early hours of today after a life of dedicated service to his community, Bauchi State and the nation.”

He added that funeral arrangements would be announced later.

“May Almighty Allah forgive his shortcomings, grant him Aljannatul Firdaus, and give his family, friends and associates the fortitude to bear this great loss. Ameen,” he prayed.

Katagum, a respected politician and traditional title holder, was the Wazirin Katagum.

Before becoming deputy governor, he served as Chief of Staff at the Bauchi State Government House.

He was the son of late elder statesman, Alhaji Sule Katagum, the first chairman of Nigeria’s Federal Public Service Commission, who also held the traditional title of Wazirin Katagum.

Katagum is survived by his wife, children and other relatives.

His death has been described as a great loss to the Katagum Emirate and Bauchi State, where he was widely respected for his contributions to public service and community development.

“Troops made contact with the terrorists and engaged them with overwhelming firepower. Unable to withstand the troops’ aggressive offensive, the terrorists fled in disarray and abandoned their camp and captives. Subsequent exploitation of the camp led to the rescue of four abducted victims,” the statement said.

It said the rescued victims were immediately evacuated to Forward Operating Base Matazu where they were received by the General Officer Commanding 8 Division and Commander Sector 2 Operation FANSAN YAMMA, Major General BP Koughna, who reassured them of their safety and reaffirmed the commitment of troops to restoring peace and security across the state.

It said that some of the victims, who sustained gunshot wounds inflicted by their abductors during captivity, received immediate medical attention and were subsequently moved to the Federal Teaching Hospital Katsina for expert medical management.

Preliminary investigations, according to the statement, revealed that the victims were abducted on 14 April 2026 from Sabon Sara along the Matazu-Karaduwa Road and were held in captivity alongside the late Major General Rabe Abubakar (rtd) and his wife.

The army said that its troops remain on the trail of Kachalla Muhammadu Fulani and other criminal elements and will continue to sustain aggressive operations until all those responsible for acts of terror against innocent citizens are apprehended or neutralised

Missouri Highway Patrol Sergeant Justin Ewing said the plane was taking people up to skydive.

Emergency responders received a call that a plane was down and engulfed in fire around 11:30 am local time (16:30 GMT) on Sunday, he said.

They were able to extinguish the fire shortly after the crash, he said, describing the scene as “brutal.”

“It landed in a field adjacent to the airport, but I think they’re shutting down the roadway just as a precaution,” Ewing said.

The identities of those killed were not immediately released.

Ewing said the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was on scene investigating the crash.

The cause was not immediately available.