2027: Youth group asked Kolo Geidam to contest the governorship in Yobe

By: Yahaya Wakili

As the winds of the 2027 general elections are blowing up. Youth groups in Yobe State have endorsed Hon. Lawan Kolo Geidam, Permanent Secretary of Youth Development, Federal Capital Territory Administration, Abuja, to contest the 2027 governorship.

The endorsement was announced on Wednesday in Damaturu, the state capital, by the Democratic Enlightenment for Good Governance, a youth-based organization operating across Yobe State.

The coordinator of the group, Alhaji Adamu Hussaini Yunusa, citing the experience of Lawan Kolo Geidam in public service, grassroots leadership, and youth mentorship, noted that the decision followed wide consultations and deliberations involving 178 coordinators drawn from the state’s local government areas.

According to Hussaini Yunusa, the youths agreed that Yobe required a leader with proven capacity in public administration, politics, and grassroots mobilization to sustain development.

He maintained that Lawan Kolo Geidam had served at local, state, and national levels of government, including as a local government chairman and a civil servant, and currently, Kolo Geidam serves as permanent secretary, Youth Development, Federal Capital Territory Administration, Abuja.

Yunusa further said, “Geidam consistently supported youth education, self-reliance, and skills development, leading many young people into business, civil service, and non-governmental organizations.”

The coordinator revealed that the endorsement was also driven by the desire to sustain gains in human capital development and inclusive governance recorded in the state.

Adamu Hussaini Yunusa described Kolo Geidam as accessible, adding that he continued to mentor and guide youths, even after leaving the state, thereby earning their confidence and loyalty.

He said youths believed Kolo Geidam possessed the capacity to attract investment and partnerships required to consolidate infrastructure and economic growth.

“The endorsement represented a collective call to service by youths across the state, who adopted Geidam as their preferred candidate for the 2027 elections,” he added.

In his remarks, a close associate of the endorsed aspirant, Alhaji Adamu Yahaya Alabura, a former chairman of the Nangere local government area, assured the youths that their message would be conveyed to Hon. Lawan Kolo Geidam at the appropriate time, inshallah.

2027: Youth group asked Kolo Geidam to contest the governorship in Yobe

Zulum Hosts Kanuri Kinsmen from 10 African Countries

By: Michael Mike

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum on Thursday hosted thousands of Kanuri kinsmen from across Africa as Maiduguri played host to this year’s Kanem-Borno Cultural Summit.

The gathering attracted Kanuri delegates from at least 10 countries, including Ghana, Sudan, Gabon, Niger, Central African Republic, Senegal, Libya, Chad, Cameroon and Benin.

In attendance were 161 emirs, senior government officials and traditional leaders, underscoring the historic and cultural significance of the summit.

The event was conceived as a platform to revive transnational kinship ties rooted in shared Kanuri heritage, while fostering cooperation in education, economic development and social advancement among Kanuri communities spread across borders.

Colourful cultural displays and traditional dance performances by delegations from the participating countries highlighted the rich heritage of the Kanem-Borno civilisation, one of Africa’s longest-surviving empires which thrived for over a millennium around the Lake Chad region.

Addressing participants in the Kanuri language, Zulum called for renewed commitment to educational exchange, entrepreneurship and collective socio-economic initiatives that would uplift Kanuri communities globally. He announced the award of scholarships to 150 students from countries that once formed part of the historic Kanem-Borno Empire, describing the gesture as a step towards strengthening unity and fraternity.

The Chadian President, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, was represented at the summit by the Governor of Lac Province, Major General Saleh Haggar Tidjani.

Other prominent personalities at the event included Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni; former Vice President, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe; the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III; Senators Mohammed Tahir Monguno and Mohammed Ali Ndume; and Barrister Kaka Shehu Lawan.

Also present were members of the House of Representatives, speakers of the Borno and Yobe State Houses of Assembly, traditional rulers from different parts of Nigeria, members of the Borno State House of Assembly, commissioners and senior officials of the Borno State Government.

The summit concluded with a renewed call for collaboration among Kanuri descendants worldwide to preserve their cultural legacy and channel shared identity into sustainable development for future generations.

Zulum Hosts Kanuri Kinsmen from 10 African Countries

Seven farmers killed in Plateau attack as reprisal cycle deepens

By; Zagazola Makama

The killing of at least seven farmers in Bum community, Chugwi area of Vwang District, Jos South Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau State, late Wednesday, has been widely interpreted as the latest link in a rapidly escalating chain of reprisal violence that has gripped several parts of the state since early December 2025.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that the attackers, Fulani Bandits struck at about 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, when most villagers were already asleep, killing the farmers in their homes and nearby farmlands before fleeing.

Confirming the incident on Thursday, the spokesperson of the Berom Youths Moulder-Association (BYM), Mr Rwang Tengwong, said seven bodies had so far been recovered, while search and rescue operations were ongoing in surrounding bushes.

Tengwong said the attack occurred despite earlier security alerts warning that several communities in Jos South LGA were under imminent threat.

“According to local sources, the tragic incident occurred despite an earlier security alert indicating that some communities in Jos South LGA had been earmarked for possible attacks,” he said.

“Sadly, Bum community has now fallen victim to this renewed wave of violence. This attack adds to the growing list of assaults on innocent rural communities in Plateau State.”

However, the attack was linked to the Bum killings, a reprisal cycle triggered by a series of violent incidents involving pastoral and farming communities across Barkin Ladi, Jos East, Riyom and Jos South LGAs throughout December 2025.

The immediate backdrop to the Bum attack was the shooting of five Fulani youths on Dec. 27, 2025, near Con Filling Station along Bukuru Express Road, close to Angle D in Jos South LGA.

The victims, Abubakar Aji, Idi Saleh, Sulaiman, Nura Muhammad Detta and Dabo Abubakar were returning from Bukuru Cattle Market (Kara Market) when gunmen suspected to be Berom militias allegedly opened fire on their vehicle without provocation.

They sustained critical injuries and were rushed to Jos University Teaching Hospital for treatment.

The Plateau State Chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alhaji Ibrahim Yusuf, condemned the shooting, describing it as part of a recurring pattern of attacks on Fulani travellers and pastoral communities.

He called for urgent investigation and improved security along major roads and commercial routes in the state.

Security sources note that the Dec. 27 shooting itself followed a more deadly incident on the night of Dec. 16, 2025, when gunmen reportedly attacked an illegal mining site at Tosho community in Fann District, Barkin Ladi LGA.

During that attack, 12 miners were killed and three abducted after the assailants allegedly demanded information on the whereabouts of 171 cattle stolen from Nding community on Dec. 10, 2025.

The December violence had begun earlier with attacks on pastoral assets. On Dec. 12, 2025, herders in Nding community, Fan District of Barkin Ladi LGA, lost about 137 cattle to rustlers. The animals reportedly belonged to Alhaji Wada Sale, Abdullahi Yusuf and Alhaji Talba Abubakar.

Less than 24 hours later, another rustling incident was reported in Kukukah community of Jos East LGA, where 34 cattle were driven away, though three later returned.

Soon after, nine cows reportedly died after allegedly consuming poisonous substances around Kwi village in Riyom LGA, further heightening tensions.

The situation deteriorated sharply two days later when four children were killed in Dorong village, Foron District of Barkin Ladi LGA, in what residents described as a Fulani reprisal attack. The victims were identified as Precious Joshuah, 17; Isa’ac Joshuah, 9; Mary Joshuah, 7; and Eve Sambo, 3.

Following that incident, retaliatory attacks reportedly continued, including an assault on Gero village in Jos South LGA, where several cattle were killed or fatally wounded.

Zagazola Makama noted that the killing of the seven farmers in Bum community fits a familiar pattern; attacks on cattle or pastoral communities, followed by retaliatory violence against farming settlements, and counter-reprisals along ethnic and communal lines.

Zagazola has repeatedly warned that unresolved cattle rustling, livestock poisoning and targeted killings often serve as triggers for revenge attacks on innocent civilians, creating a self-perpetuating cycle of violence.

Despite repeated early warnings and alerts, affected communities continue to accuse authorities of slow response, selective enforcement and failure to decisively dismantle armed militias on all sides.

As of press time, official reactions from security agencies on the Bum attack had yet to be issued.

Meanwhile, residents fear that without urgent, impartial intervention, the latest killings could provoke further reprisals, deepening insecurity across Plateau State at a time when many communities are still mourning losses from earlier December attacks.

Seven farmers killed in Plateau attack as reprisal cycle deepens