Connect with us

News

Rising Tensions in Zamfara as war of supremacy is set to begin between Bandits and LAKURAWA militants

Published

on

Rising Tensions in Zamfara as war of supremacy is set to begin between Bandits and LAKURAWA militants

By: Zagazola Makama

The intricate dynamics of banditry in Northwest Nigeria have taken a significant turn, with prominent leaders Dogo Gide and Najaja navigating an evolving challenge posed by the presence of the Lakurawa faction. This faction, which has established a camp in Bagega, Zamfara State, has reportedly sought to recruit these bandit leaders into its plans of creating an “Islamic state.” However, their refusal has not only strained relations but also set the stage for a potential confrontation.

In the volatile landscape of the brewing conflict between the notorious bandit leaders and a formidable militant group threatens to plunge the region into further chaos. Dogo Gide and Najaja, two prominent bandit leaders, find themselves at a critical crossroads as they confront the encroaching presence of Lakurawa, a group.

The stakes are high for Gide and Najaja. The presence of Lakurawa not only challenges their authority but also invites an increased military presence in the region, a scenario that could disrupt their operations and lead to violent confrontations. Local communities, however, are caught in a complex web of conflicting desires; they pray for a resolution to the banditry that has plagued their lives, even as they yearn for more robust security measures to protect them from both bandit attacks and the looming threat of Lakurawa.

One other disturbing trend was the infiltration of a six-member Improvised Explosive Device (IED) making team from Nigeria’s northeastern region into the northwest and north-central areas. Trained by NANAYE, a former Boko Haram IED expert who has since surrendered. These individuals have already made their way to the camps of the insurgents in Niger and Zamfara states.

The implications of their presence are dire. A series of recent Remote Controlled Suicide Bombing (RSBIED) incidents four recorded in Zamfara and two in Niger State have been linked to this IED group. The group’s activities have raised alarms among security agencies and local populations alike, as the sophistication of these attacks indicates a significant escalation in the tactics employed by bandit factions.

The timeline of violence in the region has been alarming. On December 7, 2024, the first RSBIED incident occurred along the major supply route (MSR) connecting Angwan Usman and Bassa in Shiroro Local Government Area, resulting in the tragic death of a bicycle rider. Just days later, on December 19, another RSBIED attack took place in Bassa Village, claiming the lives of five individuals and injuring three others.

This incident was particularly chilling; the attackers employed a dual-layered strategy, with one explosive designed to detonate upon contact and a second set to trigger in response to rescue efforts. Victims of the December 19 incident were swiftly evacuated to IBB Specialist Hospital in Minna, Niger State, but the scars of violence run deep. Families mourn their losses, and the fear of further attacks looms large over the region.

The IED group is believed to operate within camps led by: Sadikku’s JAS faction in Allawa-Madawaki, Niger State. Turji and Dogo Auta’s factions in Barikin Daji and Dan Bagudu Hills, Talata Mafara LGA, Zamfara State.
These groups, leveraging their deep entrenchment in the region, appear to be integrating IED strategies into their operational arsenal, intensifying the threat to civilians and security forces alike.

Regional Implications

The presence of Lakurawa and the integration of IED tactics signal a troubling shift in the conflict landscape. For communities in Zamfara and Niger states, the stakes are high. Many are calling for sustained military intervention and strategies that address both the immediate threats and the underlying drivers of insecurity.

As tensions simmer among bandit factions and the use of IEDs becomes more frequent, the need for a coordinated and robust security response has never been more urgent. Local leaders and security experts are urging a mix of kinetic and non-kinetic approaches to stabilize the region and restore normalcy.

In this climate of uncertainty, the Nigerian government and security forces must act decisively to address the threats posed by both bandits and militant groups. Failure to do so could result in a humanitarian crisis, further destabilizing an already fragile region and leaving its inhabitants vulnerable to the ravages of violence and insecurity. The time for action is now, before the situation spirals beyond control.

Zagazola Makama is a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad Region.

Rising Tensions in Zamfara as war of supremacy is set to begin between Bandits and LAKURAWA militants

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

RHI Flow With Confidence program Launched across Nigeria

Published

on

RHI Flow With Confidence program Launched across Nigeria

“Don’t Allow Shame or Stigma Affect Your Confidence” – Senator Oluremi Tinubu to School Girls at the Launch of Flow With Confidence Program in Maiduguri, Borno State

By: Our Reporter

The Flow With Confidence program, a vital menstrual health intervention, is designed to empower schoolgirls with knowledge, build confidence, and promote improved menstrual hygiene. The initiative targets 370,000 beneficiaries, mostly from rural communities who struggle to access hygienic care while in school.

Launched simultaneously in seven states – Borno, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kebbi, and Lagos – by the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the program provides each beneficiary with a one-year supply of disposable sanitary pads.

At the official launch in Maiduguri, the First Lady was represented by the Wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima. She stressed that it is unacceptable for young girls to face significant challenges during their menstrual cycle, often forcing them to miss school days because they cannot afford sanitary pads.

Senator Oluremi Tinubu noted that many girls resort to unhygienic alternatives, hence the introduction of Flow With Confidence as a safe, hygienic option to enhance reproductive wellbeing. Each state under the initiative will have 10,000 beneficiaries.

Encouraging the girls, the First Lady urged them not to allow shame or stigma to affect their confidence but to boldly pursue their dreams as future leaders of the nation. She further called on corporate organizations and well-meaning individuals to support the program, while charging traditional, religious, and community leaders to ensure transparent distribution in their localities.

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, represented by the Deputy Governor, Alhaji Umar Usman Kadafur, expressed the government’s profound appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose leadership continues to rekindle hope and restore dignity to countless families by prioritizing economic empowerment as a driver of national development.

The Governor also commended the First Lady for addressing an often-neglected aspect of girls’ and women’s dignity and reproductive health.

Similarly, the Borno State RHI Coordinator and Wife of the Governor, Dr. Falmata Umara Zulum, lauded the First Lady’s commitment to caring for the most vulnerable in society through her numerous interventions under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), complementing the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Meanwhile, the First Lady also handed over assorted food items to the Borno State RHI Coordinator, Dr. Falmata Babagana Zulum, for onward distribution to vulnerable groups and persons with disabilities. This places Borno among the beneficiaries of the monthly RHI Food Outreach Scheme, flagged off in March 2024 with support from two leading industrialists.

RHI Flow With Confidence program Launched across Nigeria

Continue Reading

News

Fagbemi Calls for Appellate Mechanism in ECOWAS Court

Published

on

Fagbemi Calls for Appellate Mechanism in ECOWAS Court

…Insists Absence of Appellate Court at Regional Level Undermines Access to Justice

By: Michael Mike

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi has called for the establishment of an appellate mechanism within the ECOWAS Court of Justice, stating that the absence of such mechanism continued to undermine access to justice in the region.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2025/2026 legal year of ECOWAS Court, Fagbemi said while the finality of judgments is crucial, fairness also demands that decisions be open to review in order to correct possible errors of law or procedure.

Fagbemi while noting that the absence of appellate court at the regional level is a letdown, said: “It is concerning that there is currently inadequate room for appeal against the judgments of the ECOWAS Court. While finality is important, justice must also be seen to be fair and revisable,” insisting that: “The absence of a separate appellate mechanism limits access to justice. As we expand the Court’s reach, we must also ensure that its decisions are subject to the same standards of review and accountability that underpin robust judicial systems.”

He urged the Court to draw lessons from other regional judicial institutions such as the European Court of Human Rights, the East African Court of Justice and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which, according to him, offer valuable models of transparency, judicial independence and procedural innovation.

He however restated Nigeria’s support for the ECOWAS Court as host country, describing it as central to regional integration, human rights enforcement and stability. “Nigeria remains steadfast in its support for the ECOWAS Court of Justice… I pledge to continue advocating for legal reforms that align domestic laws with regional obligations while respecting our constitutional order and national interests,” Fagbemi added.

Also speaking, the President of Cabo Verde, José Neves, said community justice remains vital for Africa’s credibility in global affairs. He stressed that strengthening institutions such as the ECOWAS Court was essential for peace, democracy and integration on the continent.

He said: “In a continent still marked by border disputes and recurring tensions, the existence of an independent and respected community tribunal is a civilisational triumph that we must preserve and enhance,” Neves said. He noted that access to the Court by individual citizens was one of the most significant gains of regional integration, as it brings justice closer to the people.

Neves also called for reforms within African sub-regional bodies to make them more effective in addressing contemporary challenges such as insecurity, institutional fragility, migration and climate change.

In his address, the President of the ECOWAS Court, Justice Ricardo Goncalves, disclosed that the Court handled 34 new cases in the past year, including matters relating to civil and political rights, economic freedoms, and disputes between member states.

He also revealed that the Court held 79 judicial sessions and issued 54 rulings, many of which reaffirmed key principles such as the justiciability of socio-economic rights and the supremacy of community law over conflicting national legislation. According to him, 112 cases are currently pending before the Court.

Fagbemi Calls for Appellate Mechanism in ECOWAS Court

Continue Reading

News

Trans-Border Security: Zulum travels to Niger Republic Community

Published

on

Trans-Border Security: Zulum travels to Niger Republic Community

By: Michael Mike

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum on Wednesday, undertook a working visit to Diffa Region of Niger Republic on Wednesday.

The visit, which included a high-level security and economic delegation, focused on strengthening the existing collaboration between Nigerian and Nigerien forces in the ongoing fight against insurgency, particularly around the shores of Lake Chad.

Diffa is a community 17 km from Damasak town in northern Borno where thousands of Nigerians displaced by Boko Haram insurgency are currently taking refuge.

Zulum was received by the Governor of Diffa, Brigadier General Mahamaduo Ibrahim Bagadoma, and other senior officials. The leaders held closed-door meetings centered on joint patrols, intelligence sharing, and sustaining the recent gains that have pushed insurgents out of many of their former strongholds.

Zulum outlined plan to leverage the improved security situation to facilitate the return of thousands of displaced farmers to the vast and fertile agricultural lands around Dutchi town within the Lake Chad basin.

Part of the Governor’s entourage are Engr Bukar Talba, a member of the House of Representatives, Speaker, Borno State House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan, and otheir senior government officials.
[10/2, 6:35 PM] Mike Olugbode: Maiduguri: For Over a Month, MSF Responds to High Numbers of Children Suffering from Malnutrition.

Since late August and early September, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams have scaled up their medical response in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria, following a sharp rise in malnutrition cases that overwhelmed MSF-supported facilities. Although admissions have slightly decreased now, the number of children receiving treatment remains very high.

“A month ago, we witnessed a worrying increase in admissions, compounded by a surge in measles cases,” said MSF Project Coordinator Daniela Batista. “Our isolation units for measles patients were quickly filled, and even the additional space we opened reached capacity. Now, those units remain around 70 percent full.”

Since 8 September, MSF’s Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Centre (ITFC) at Nilefa Kiji Hospital (NKH) has nearly doubled its bed capacity to accommodate the influx of malnourished children. By the third week of September, the emergency facility was recording an average of more than 85 new admissions daily.
In a context of reduced global humanitarian funding, some organizations in Maiduguri reduced their support for – or even left – nutritional outpatient nutrition programmes, causing a significant drop in access for first line care fir malnourished children.
 
At MSF’s extension facility in Shuwari, teams treated 3,265 children for malnutrition and referred 1,521 others for continued care between August and early September, when the upsurge began. More than 625 malnourished children have also been treated for measles — a disease which can contribute to malnutrition and whose complications can result from malnutrition.
 
The situation is further exacerbated by shortages of essential supplies. Therapeutic milk — critical for treating severe acute malnutrition — is in short supply, while access to ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) remains a chronic concern. Some partner ITFCs have indicated they can only accept referrals if MSF provides additional medical supplies such as antibiotics, admission kits, and therapeutic milk.
MSF teams also reported regular admissions of patients from Zabarmari — a community they are currently unable to access due to security and logistical challenges. MSF is engaging with the Borno State Ministry of Health to assess and potentially support the local Primary Health Centre (PHC) to ensure residents can access care.

Borno State continues to face the effects of a decade-long insurgency, with recent reports of violence in areas surrounding Maiduguri.

This surge in Maiduguri mirrors an alarming trend seen in all MSF nutrition facilities across Kebbi, Sokoto, Kano, Katsina, and Bauchi in recent months. According to UN estimates, 2.5 million children across northeast Nigeria are at risk of acute malnutrition.

MSF called on health authorities and humanitarian organizations to urgently address the shortages in medical supplies and staffing, and to strengthen community-level health systems to prevent further deterioration.

Trans-Border Security: Zulum travels to Niger Republic Community

Continue Reading

Trending

Verified by MonsterInsights