Katsina Police Foil Banditry Attack, Rescue Kidnapped Victims

By: Zagazola Makama

Police in Katsina State foiled a banditry attack on May 8, 2025, and successfully rescued two kidnapped victims in Matazu Local Government Area. The attack took place around 1400hrs when armed men, suspected to be bandits, targeted farmers working in the Ilali village area.

The bandits abducted two individuals, Sada Maraya, 45, and Basiru Magaji, 47, both residents of the village.

Upon receiving a distress call, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) mobilized a team of patrol officers and swiftly responded to the scene. The police engaged the bandits in a gunfight, forcing them to flee into a nearby forest.

The victims were rescued unharmed, and efforts to apprehend the fleeing bandits are ongoing.

Katsina Police Foil Banditry Attack, Rescue Kidnapped Victims

Six Military personnel, two civilians arrested over death of suspect in kaduna

By: Zagazola Makama

Atleast Six Military personnel and two civilians were arrested in connection with the alleged torture and death of a 65-year-old man, Surajo, popularly known as “Alhaji M,” in Millennium City, Kaduna.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that the incident reportedly occurred on May 3, 2025, when two civilians, Alhaji Adamu Jinjiri, of Shehu Laminu Road, Unguwan Rimi, and Ibrahim Yakubu, of Maladanga Road, Unguwan Rimi, apprehended the deceased over allegations of conspiracy and theft.

The suspects accused the victim of aiding one Yahaya Aleiru, currently at large, in stealing a cow and an electrical distribution box. They allegedly handed Surajo over to operatives of the Millennium City Strike Force, a military security unit in the area.

According to a police sources, the victim was severely tortured at a checkpoint by the military personnel, including one Lieutenant Alhassan Musa and five others, leading to his collapse.

Surajo was later rushed to Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor.

Sources from the Kaduna State Police Command said all eight suspects, including the six soldiers and the two civilians who initiated the arrest, have been taken into custody.

“The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Kaduna, for discreet investigation,” a police source told Zagazola Makama.

Six Military personnel, two civilians arrested over death of suspect in kaduna

Zulum Resettles 6,000 Families from Dikwa, Mafa

… To Upgrade Skill Center at Maiduguri Correctional Facility

By: Our Reporter

Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum Umara, has announced the resettlement of 6,000 families displaced by Boko Haram insurgents. The families mostly hailed from Dikwa and Mafa local government areas.

Zulum announced the plan on Monday at Muna IDP camp, one of the largests with about 11,000 families taking refuge due to the over a decade old crisis in Borno.

Addressing journalists, Zulum reiterated that the resettlement became imperative due to the high-level of illicit activities in the camp.

“Boko Haram can never be eradicated without resettlement taking place. People have to go back to their homes and earn their livelihood. We have observed that in the IDP camp, there is increasing prostitution, increasing gangsterism, cases of child abuse and other criminalities,” Zulum said.

He added, “If you could remember, about four years ago, we announced that all formal IDP camps within Maiduguri metropolis would be closed. So far, so good, we have closed all down, about 12 of them. We have two informal camps remaining. We have resettled about 75% of the IDPs here (Muna camp), and the remaining 25% will return to their ancestral localities in the next few days.

According to Governor Zulum, each of the 6,000 families will receive food aid, shelter materials, and access to healthcare services as part of the resettlement process.

The Governor also announced that while each head of both male and female households receives N100,000, an additional N50,000 will be distributed to the housewives.

… To Upgrade Skill Center at Maiduguri Correctional Facility

Meanwhile, Governor Zulum also announced a plan to upgrade the vocational and skill acquisition centre at Maiduguri Maximum Security Correctional Facility to enhance rehabilitation and reduce the tendency for inmates to relapse into criminal activities.

The Governor who visited the facility on Monday morning emphasised that the essence of prison sentences is to transform lives, not just to confine individuals. He said, “I am here to examine the living conditions of the inmates here, especially in the areas of technical and vocational skills.

The essence of keeping them at the correctional facility is largely to reform them, but this cannot be feasible without facilities on the ground. We can also examine cases of some inmates, and within the ambit of the law, we will look to the possibility of releasing those convicted of minor offences,” Zulum said.

Governor Zulum was accompanied by a member of the House of Representatives, Engr Bukar Talba, Acting Chief of Staff, Dr Babagana Mallumbe, Special Adviser on Religious Affairs, Shiekh Modu Mustapha, and the permanent secretary of the Government House, Barrister Mustapha Ali Busuguma.

Zulum Resettles 6,000 Families from Dikwa, Mafa