Military Delivers Decisive Air Strike on Bandit Enclave Along Niger–Kaduna–Zamfara Border

By: Zagazola Makama

The Nigerian military, in continuation of its sustained air campaign against armed bandits and other criminal elements threatening national security, has recorded another significant operational success with a precision air strike targeting a major gathering of bandits at Dogon Dawa, along the strategic Niger–Kaduna–Zamfara border.

Credible operational sources confirmed that the strike was executed after intelligence indicated that a large number of armed bandits had converged at the location to coordinate and plan a series of attacks against nearby communities.

The precision engagement effectively struck the gathering, resulting in the neutralisation of a substantial number of the terrorists. Intelligence obtained following the operation also indicated that more than hundreds of motorcycles, believed to have been assembled for the planned offensive and mobility of the criminal elements, were present at the target area at the time of the strike.

Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) and follow-up intelligence further revealed that several surviving terrorists, many of them wounded, fled in disarray towards the forests between Shadadi and Ma’undu through the Mangwaro axis, abandoning their coordinated plans as the devastating effects of the air strike disrupted their operations.

The successful mission illustrated the effectiveness in employing intelligence-driven precision air power to deny criminal groups freedom of movement, disrupt their command structures, and degrade their operational capabilities before attacks can be launched against innocent civilians.

This operation also reflects the seamless synergy between intelligence agencies and the Air Component in identifying, tracking, and engaging high-value terrorist and bandit targets with remarkable precision while sustaining pressure on criminal networks across the North-West and North-Central theatres.

Military Delivers Decisive Air Strike on Bandit Enclave Along Niger–Kaduna–Zamfara Border

Troops Rescue Six Kidnap Victims Abandoned by Terrorists in Katsina

Zagazola Makama

The troops of the 17 Brigade under Sector 2 of Operation FANSAN YAMMA have rescued six kidnap victims who were abandoned by fleeing terrorists during an offensive operation in Katsina State.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that the rescue took place on June 29, 2026, at Unguwan Doka in Faskari Local Government Area following sustained military pressure on terrorist enclaves in the area.

The rescued victims comprise four women and two children. They were identified as Mrs. Umaima Isiaku, 30; Amina Isiaku, 25; Fatima Saidu, 22; Huzaima Nasiru, 16; as well as Usman Surajo, aged one, and Dauda Isiaku, aged 18 months.

During preliminary interrogation, the victims disclosed that they were abducted by armed terrorists on March 11, 2026, along the Tsafe–Bilbis Road in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

The victims, who are all indigenes of Bilbis village, said they were held in captivity for more than three months before being abandoned by their captors as troops intensified offensive operations in the area.

Military sources said the rescued victims are receiving necessary care, while efforts are ongoing to reunite them with their families.

The latest rescue is part of the sustained operations by Operation FANSAN YAMMA aimed at dismantling terrorist networks and securing communities across the North-West.

Troops Rescue Six Kidnap Victims Abandoned by Terrorists in Katsina

Male Leaders Key to Ending GBV, Changing Harmful Norms in West Africa, FG Says

By: Michael Mike

The Federal Government, UN Women and development partners on Monday declared traditional, religious and community leaders as indispensable allies in the campaign to end gender-based violence (GBV) and dismantle harmful social norms across Nigeria and West Africa, even as they announced a new regional initiative to tackle the growing threat of technology-facilitated violence against women and girls.

The commitment was reaffirmed at the close-out of the Leadership, Engagement, Advocacy and Prevention (LEAP) Project, a three-year Ford Foundation-funded programme implemented by UN Women to mobilise traditional and cultural leaders against GBV.

Speaking at the event in Abuja, the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said sustainable progress in ending violence against women and girls would depend on the willingness of influential community leaders to challenge harmful cultural practices and champion gender equality.

She described traditional and religious institutions as powerful agents capable of transforming attitudes that perpetuate violence and discrimination against women and girls.

The minister stressed that changing harmful social norms required collective action beyond government interventions, urging community leaders to continue using their influence to promote dignity, justice and equal opportunities.

UN Women, however, said the conclusion of the LEAP Project marked not the end of the movement but the beginning of a broader regional campaign.

In remarks delivered on behalf of the UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong, the organisation announced that the Ford Foundation had approved renewed funding for a new regional initiative titled “Community-Led Advocacy and Digital Spaces for the Safety of Women and Girls in West Africa.” The programme will be implemented in Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal and will build on the gains recorded under the LEAP Project by strengthening collaboration with traditional and religious leaders, community institutions and women’s rights organisations.

According to UN Women, the new initiative will also confront one of the fastest-growing forms of violence affecting women and girls—technology-facilitated gender-based violence—including online harassment, cyberstalking, image-based abuse and online exploitation.

The organisation said trusted traditional and religious leaders who had successfully driven change within their communities would now be equipped to promote safe, respectful and inclusive digital spaces, extending the fight against GBV from physical communities to the online environment.

UN Women also highlighted encouraging national data suggesting that prevention efforts were beginning to yield measurable results.

Citing findings from the 2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, the agency said the prevalence of sexual violence against women declined from nine per cent in 2018 to five per cent in 2024, while physical violence since age 15 dropped from 31 per cent to 19 per cent. Intimate partner violence also fell from 36 per cent to 23 per cent, and female genital mutilation declined from 20 per cent to 14 per cent over the same period.

Nevertheless, UN Women cautioned that declining rates of help-seeking among survivors underscored the need for stronger survivor-centred services, improved reporting mechanisms, psychosocial support and greater access to justice.

The organisation noted that over the three years of implementation, the LEAP Project helped traditional and religious leaders publicly reject harmful practices, strengthened partnerships between governments and traditional institutions, engaged more men and boys as allies, and established community accountability mechanisms that empowered women and girls to seek support. It also facilitated collaboration with Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Niger and Ghana in developing a Regional Accountability Framework for Traditional Leaders on Gender-Based Violence Prevention.

Stakeholders at the event maintained that while significant progress had been made, sustained investment in prevention, stronger partnerships with community leaders and continued regional cooperation would be critical to eliminating gender-based violence and ensuring that cultural and religious institutions become enduring champions of women’s rights across West Africa.

Male Leaders Key to Ending GBV, Changing Harmful Norms in West Africa, FG Says