3 bandits, 11 community guards killed in bloody clash in Katsina

By: Zagazola Makama

No fewer than three suspected bandits and 11 members of a local vigilante group have been killed in a violent clash between communities and repentant bandits in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State.

The incident, which occurred on Tuesday, followed the collapse of a peace arrangement between residents of Falale and Kadobe villages and a group of repentant bandits operating in the area.

Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the confrontation began at about 12:00 p.m. when tensions escalated into a fierce exchange, leading to the killing of three of the bandits.

The development, however, triggered a swift reprisal attack by the armed group, resulting in the deaths of 11 vigilante members drawn from the affected communities.

The Katsina State Police Command confirmed the incident, noting that security operatives were immediately deployed to the scene upon receipt of the report.

Similarly, a joint teams of the troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA, police and other security agencies engaged community leaders and stakeholders to de-escalate the situation and prevent further violence.

“Normalcy has been restored in the area, while investigation into the incident has commenced,” the sources said.

The clash is believed to be linked to a breakdown in trust between the communities and the repentant bandits, amid ongoing efforts by the state government to explore non-kinetic approaches to addressing insecurity in parts of the state.

Residents said the situation remains tense, although security presence has been reinforced to forestall further attacks.

3 bandits, 11 community guards killed in bloody clash in Katsina

Nigerian Military eliminate 61 terrorists in Malam Fatori, Borno

By: Zagazola Makama

The Nigerian Army troops of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), in close coordination with, The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), has neutralised no fewer than 61 ISWAP terrorists during a foiled infiltration attempt in Malam Fatori, Abadam Local Government Area of Borno.

Sources involved in the operation disclosed that the terrorists launched the attack in the early hours of Wednesday, advancing on foot and deploying armed drones in a desperate bid to breach the defences of troops at the 68 Battalion location.

The sources told Zagazola Makama that the attack, which came through the frontage of Bravo Company from the Duguri general area, was met with overwhelming firepower and superior coordination between ground forces and air components.

The sources explained that troops, supported by precision air strikes, engaged the insurgents in a fierce battle that resulted in heavy casualties on the side of the terrorists.

According to him, the integration of air and ground manoeuvre ensured that the terrorists were fixed, targeted and neutralised in large numbers.

“Our forces executed four highly effective air interdiction strikes on identified enemy concentrations, decimating their fighting capability. The synergy between air and land forces denied the terrorists freedom of movement and forced a disorderly withdrawal towards the Arege general area after suffering heavy casualties,” he said

The sources noted that additional strike support from allied Nigerien air assets further compounded the pressure on the fleeing insurgents, although battle damage assessment from those strikes was still ongoing.

“The allied forces from neighbouring Niger Republic also conducted rapid strike passes in support of the operation, thereby compounding the pressure on the fleeing insurgents.

“On own casualties, the officer confirmed that four soldiers sustained minor injuries during the engagement and have since been stabilised.

Nigerian Military eliminate 61 terrorists in Malam Fatori, Borno

VP Shettima Mourns Borno Terror Attack Victims, Says No Religion Endorses Killing Of Innocent Lives

By: Our Reporter

Ahead of his trip to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, Vice President Kashim Shettima , has expressed grief over the death of 25 persons killed in the multiple explosions in different locations across Maiduguri, the Borno State capital on Monday.

He pointed out that no religion sanctions the killing of innocent lives, as the sanctity of human life remains a core tenet of major world faiths.

VP Shettima, who spoke on Tuesday during the closing of the Annual Ramadan Tafsir at the State House Mosque, Abuja, prayed Almighty Allah to grant the souls of those killed in the terror attack in Maiduguri eternal rest, reward them with Aljannah firdaus and give their family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

Praying Almighty Allah to also vanish all agents of terror from the surface of the earth, the VP said, “May the lives of innocent souls – 25 of them – that lost their lives in Maiduguri last evening rest in peace. May Allah grant their souls eternal rest and reward them with His Aljannah firdaus, and may Allah also grant their families the fortitude to bear the irreparable losses.

“May Allah bring this madness to an end. No religion sanctions the killing of the innocent. Whatever that is motivating them, may Allah either guide them on to the right path or May Allah vanish them from the surface of the earth.”

The Vice President emphasised the need for all Nigerians to continue to pray for the country across every sector, as well as pray that the Almighty should continue to grant President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and members of his team wisdom, courage, sincerity and equity in service.

He noted that each season of Ramadan reminds Muslims of a truth that power often tries to hide from man, and that no sit is permanent, just as no office is ultimate and no human being stands above his dependence on his creator.

VP Shettima said, “In the presence of Allah, the distance between the mighty and the unknown vanishes. What remains is character, what remains is accountability, what remains is what we did with the trust placed in our hands.

“This is why gatherings such as this matters. They rescue public lives from arrogance; they retain soul to scale; they teach those entrusted with authority that the nation is not built by policy alone but by conscience; not by proclamation alone but by restraint; not by ambition alone but by fear of Allah.”

The VP called on the Muslim faithful to continue to live in the teachings and lessons of the month of Ramadan, as the final days of Ramadan begins to sleep through their fingers.

“The question before us is not whether Ramadan is ending. The question is whether its teachings will continue to live in us after the moon has changed.

“It is quite easy to cut the head when the atmosphere is charged with devotion. The harder task is to carry it into ordinary days, into the market, into the office, into the home, into the chamber of power, and into the private corners where only Allah sees what we are doing, ” he noted.

While drawing from the lessons of Ramadan, the Vice President said the holy month had thought the Muslim faithful that pity without mercy is noise and worship without service is incomplete.

“So, as we close this year’s Tafsir, let us not return to the habits that weaken our common lives; let us not go back to bitterness, to reckless speech, to indifference dressed as sophistication. A believer doesn’t spend the whole month learning only to become a captive again of anger, greed and division.

“Nigeria needs homes where children encounter good examples before good advice. Nigeria, indeed, needs leaders in every spare who understand that influence is a trust, not a license, ” VP Shettima said.

He paid growing tribute to the Chief Imam of the State House Mosque, Sheikh Abdulwaheed Suleiman Abubakar, and his lieutenant for conducting the Tafsir with wisdom, calm hearts.

Earlier, the Chief Imam prayed for sustainable peace and development of Nigerian and the success of the Tinubu administration’s policies and programmes.

The cleric emphasised the need for leaders at all levels to continue to discharge their responsibilities with the fear of Allah for the process and development of the country.

VP Shettima Mourns Borno Terror Attack Victims, Says No Religion Endorses Killing Of Innocent Lives