Crime
20 Fulani men killed and over 200 cattle either shot or maimed as Circle of violence deepens in North Central Nigeria
20 Fulani men killed and over 200 cattle either shot or maimed as Circle of violence deepens in North Central Nigeria
By: Zagazola Makama
The escalating cycle of violence in Nigeria’s North Central region has taken a disturbing turn, with recent attacks revealing a deepening ethno-communal divide that threatens the fragile peace of the zone.
While widespread attention has been given to recent heinous mass killings of over 100 victims in Tiv-dominated areas, fresh intelligence and local sources reveal that a silent wave of retaliatory violence targeting none violent Fulani communities is gaining momentum with little or no state response.
From June 21 to 22, no fewer than 20 Fulani men were reportedly killed and over 200 cattle either shot or maimed in parts of Benue State, particularly in the southern axis of Makurdi, allegedly by armed Tiv ethnic militias. Displaced Fulani survivors, along with scattered cattle, are said to have fled into surrounding forests or crossed into nearby states including Nasarawa and Plateau.
Zagazola Makama gathered from credible sources that the targeted killings are part of the move by armed local militia to forcefully evict Fulani communities from Benue and consolidate ethnic control of rural territories. The same sources allege that some local politicians, community elders and traditional rulers have been quietly supporting this campaign by arming militias and enlisting the assistance of retired and serving security personnel.
“These attacks are not spontaneous. There is coordination and a clear agenda to arm one side while portraying the conflict as a one-sided aggression,” Most of the people just consider every Fulani person as a bandits including their cows,”a senior security official, who pleaded anonymity, said.
The same weekend, in Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, 12 persons, mostly women and children were killed in another tragic episode of communal reprisal. They were passengers on an 18-seater bus from the Basawa community in Zaria, Kaduna State, en route to a wedding in Quan’an Pan LGA. The victims reportedly lost their way and sought directions before being attacked and killed. The vehicle was set ablaze, with some victims burnt inside.
The North Central states including Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa, Taraba, Gombe, Bauchi as
Well as Sokoto, Zamfara and Katsina in the North West, have become a flashpoint of what analysts describe as a complex, multi-layered ethno-communal and ethno-religious conflict, primarily between sedentary farming communities and nomadic herders, most of them Fulani. While in the North West, the same pattern of attacks is currently occurring between the Fulani and the Hausa where the local militia known as Askarawa are defending their localities against incursions of the violent Fulani attackers.
Each side continues to nurse deep-seated grievances and sees attacks whether on villages or on herds as defensive or retaliatory. This entrenched mistrust is fuelling the local arms race, with both communities reportedly stockpiling small arms and light weapons (SALWs) in preparation for either defense or revenge.
The situation is increasingly being exploited by transnational jihadist networks. The al-Qaeda-linked Katiba Macina, a brigade of the Jama’a Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), has reportedly made victimisation of Fulani communities a key ideological recruitment tool. This has also driven many disenchanted Fulani youths already victims of communal violence into the arms of extremist groups spreading from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger into Nigeria’s North.
The failure to address the killings of none violent Fulani people with the same urgency as attacks on farming communities is creating a perception of state complicity or bias. This imbalance in response is dangerous. Despite the gravity of the unfolding crisis, there appears to be a deafening silence from state governments and other response agencies regarding attacks on Fulani communities. This inaction is fueling suspicion and resentment, further stoking the flames of mutual distrust, more attacks and hostility inform of revenge.
We called for urgent government intervention not only through security deployments but also through a public denunciation of all forms of violence regardless of the ethnic identity of victims or perpetrators.
We also advise the identification and arrest of known sponsors of local militias, including politicians and traditional leaders reportedly using public influence to deepen the divide. Such steps, are necessary to break the cycle of violence and restore confidence in government’s neutrality.
As it stands, the North Central region teeters dangerously on the edge of widespread sectarian escalation, with the twin threats of community rearmament and external jihadist infiltration converging in a volatile mix.
Unless urgent and balanced action is taken to address the grievances of all affected communities, Nigeria risks sliding further into a conflict that will be far more difficult and costlier to contain.
20 Fulani men killed and over 200 cattle either shot or maimed as Circle of violence deepens in North Central Nigeria
12 Rescued as Nigerian Tugboat Sinks Off South Africa Coast, One Confirmed Dead
By: Michael Mike
A maritime tragedy has struck off the South African coastline after a Nigerian tugboat, LEO, sank in turbulent waters late Saturday night, leaving one crew member confirmed dead, five missing, and 12 others rescued in a coordinated emergency response.
The vessel, which had travelled to South Africa for repairs, was reportedly heading back to Lagos with 18 persons onboard when it ran into severe storm conditions about 18 nautical miles offshore between Cape Town and Durban. The rough seas forced the tug aground before it eventually went under.
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, confirmed the development on Monday, stating that the South African authorities had formally notified the Nigerian government.
According to her, one fatality has been recorded, while search-and-rescue operations are ongoing for five crew members who remain unaccounted for.
“The South Africa Ministry of Transportation informed us of this development,” the minister said, adding that the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) is leading rescue efforts. She disclosed that survivors are being transported to Port Elizabeth, where officials from the Nigerian High Commission are en route to receive them and provide consular support.
Maritime sources indicate that the southern corridor between Cape Town and Durban is notorious for sudden weather shifts and heavy swells, conditions that can quickly overwhelm vessels — particularly those navigating after mechanical servicing.
While the immediate focus remains on locating the missing crew members, questions are expected to arise regarding the vessel’s seaworthiness, the intensity of the storm, and whether distress signals were transmitted in time to facilitate rescue.
The Nigerian High Commission in South Africa is reportedly working closely with local authorities to support survivors and liaise with families back home, as anxiety mounts over the fate of the missing.
As search operations continue against the backdrop of unpredictable seas, the incident underscores the persistent risks faced by maritime operators navigating some of the world’s most volatile shipping routes.
Further details are expected as South African authorities provide updates on rescue efforts and investigative findings.
12 Rescued as Nigerian Tugboat Sinks Off South Africa Coast, One Confirmed Dead
NDLEA Ends 13-Year Manhunt as Drug Kingpin Surrenders, Major Meth Lab Busted
By: Michael Mike
After more than a decade on the run, a fugitive drug baron has finally fallen into the hands of the authorities, marking what anti-narcotics officials describe as a decisive blow against organised drug trafficking networks operating within and beyond Nigeria’s borders.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) confirmed that Reginald Chidiebere, wanted since 2013 after absconding while on bail over cocaine trafficking charges, surrendered to operatives on 13 February 2026. His capitulation brings to a close a 13-year pursuit that had seen him repeatedly linked to high-volume heroin imports through Lagos.
According to a statement on Sunday by spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi, Chidiebere was initially arrested in 2013 and arraigned before the Federal High Court in Lagos. However, after securing bail, he vanished, frustrating prosecution efforts and remaining at large despite intelligence linking him to fresh trafficking operations.
Babafemi said Chidiebere name resurfaced prominently in February 2024 when NDLEA officers intercepted 49.7 kilogrammes of heroin imported from South Africa at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja.
He said a follow-up raid on his hotel property in Okota yielded an additional 2.2 kilogrammes of heroin recovered from a guest. Authorities subsequently secured an interim forfeiture order on the hotel and froze bank accounts traced to him, tightening the net around the fugitive businessman.
Babafemi said under mounting operational pressure and financial constraints following asset seizures, Chidiebere ultimately surrendered, and now in custody and expected to face both the original charges he fled in 2013 and fresh counts relating to the 2024 heroin consignments.
The arrest formed part of a week of sweeping enforcement actions across several states, underscoring what the agency described as a strategy of sustained disruption against supply chains.
In Imo State, operatives dismantled a clandestine methamphetamine laboratory concealed in Isiozi Obiato, Umuaka, within Njaba Local Government Area. The raid led to the recovery of 18.4 kilogrammes of methamphetamine, alongside precursor chemicals and production equipment — evidence of a growing domestic manufacturing capability that security experts have warned could deepen Nigeria’s exposure to synthetic drug markets.
Elsewhere, enforcement efforts yielded substantial seizures. At the Seme border in Badagry, a Togolese national was intercepted with 5,000 tramadol tablets concealed in luggage. In the Ibeju-Lekki axis of Lagos, officers recovered 1,040 kilogrammes of skunk from an unfinished building.
Significant opioid consignments were also intercepted in Taraba State, where intelligence-led operations uncovered 637,600 pills including tramadol and diazepam concealed in a vehicle bound for Gashaka Local Government Area. Additional cannabis seizures were recorded in Katsina, Osun, Kano, Borno and the Federal Capital Territory.
Meanwhile, the Chairman and Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), praised officers across the various commands for what he described as their persistence and professionalism. He stressed that the agency would continue to pursue traffickers regardless of how long they attempt to evade justice.
He said: “The agency remains resolute in dismantling criminal networks and bringing all offenders to justice,” pointing to the kingpin’s eventual surrender as proof that sustained enforcement pressure yields results.
Beyond interdictions, the agency reported continued implementation of its War Against Drug Abuse advocacy campaign in secondary schools across several states, aimed at balancing supply reduction with demand reduction initiatives.
NDLEA Ends 13-Year Manhunt as Drug Kingpin Surrenders, Major Meth Lab Busted
Troops arrest suspected Boko Haram logistics supplier in Kaga in Borno
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have arrested a suspected Boko Haram logistics supplier in Mainok Market, Kaga Local Government Area of Borno State.
Security sources told Zagazola that the suspect, identified as Bukar Hassan, 30, was apprehended at about 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 27 following credible intelligence.
The operation was carried out by troops of the 29 Task Force Brigade in conjunction with members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF).
Items recovered from the suspect included one mobile phone, a knife and the sum of N100,000.
Sources said preliminary investigation was ongoing to determine the suspect’s alleged involvement in providing logistics support to Boko Haram terrorists.
Troops arrest suspected Boko Haram logistics supplier in Kaga in Borno
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