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Senator Lawan tasks defense chiefs with sustaining democracy in West Africa.
Senator Lawan tasks defense chiefs with sustaining democracy in West Africa.
By: Yahaya Wakili
The President of the 9th Senate, Senator Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan, Ph.D., GCON. Yobe North Senatorial District, has tasked the defense chiefs of the 12 countries that are currently members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to ensure the sustenance of democracy within the subregion.
Senator Lawan disclosed this in a press statement signed by Dr. Ezrel Tabiowo, FAI, FIMC, FCP, and Fsca Media Adviser to Senator Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan, Ph.D., GCON. Chairman, Senate Committee on Defense, which was made available to newsmen in Damaturu.
The Economic Community of West African States was previously constituted by 15 countries, which included Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
However, in 2024, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali announced their withdrawal from the bloc, following their suspension from ECOWAS due to the military takeovers of their respective governments. Consequentially, the development reduced the number of ECOWAS member states to 12.
Speaking at the 42nd Ordinary Meeting of the ECOWAS Committee of Chiefs of Defense Staffs, which was held in Abuja on Wednesday at the Defense Headquarters, Senator Lawan commended the Defense Chiefs in attendance for ensuring the safety of member states.
He underscored the need for the respective parliaments to support ECOWAS through the approval and provision of resources needed to guarantee the security of countries in the West African subregion.
Senator Lawan, who currently chairs the Senate Committee on Defense, further tasked the Defense Chiefs with working to ensure that democracy is returned to countries taken over by military regimes.
He said, “Let me state that we need to ensure that democracy continues to flourish in our subregion. We are challenged at this time by some of our countries that have gone out of democratic administrations; we must never get tired of doing whatever we need to do to ensure that democracy is returned to those countries.”
Senator Lawan, while thanking ECOWAS for re-electing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Chairman of the bloc at the 65th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government, said that the National Assembly will continue to prioritize issues of security as well as give its full support to all institutions of ECOWAS within its borders to reciprocate the support extended to Nigeria by member states.
“We, the Nigerian parliament, as always, represent our people in the ECOWAS parliament and always place security on the front burner. We will always support the ECOWAS parliament on our part because we believe that our safety and security also depend on the resources available and approved by us for institutions like this.
“Finally, I want to take this opportunity to thank ECOWAS as a body for giving a second mandate to our dear President, Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for an additional year. We believe that it is because of the trust that ECOWAS countries have in the president that he has been given this.
“And, for us as a parliament in Nigeria, we will continue to support Mr. President and, indeed, all institutions of ECOWAS within our borders, to ensure this one year is done successfully,” Senator Lawan said.
Senator Lawan tasks defense chiefs with sustaining democracy in West Africa.
Bandits Dump Corpses in Revenge Attack in Tafoki Village, Katsina
By: Zagazola Makama
A group of suspected bandits have launched a brutal revenge attack on Tafoki village in the Fasakari Local Government Area of Katsina State, dumping several corpses at the entrance to the community.
Local sources told Zagazola Makama that the assailants, believed to be mostly in their 20s, arrived in the village on April 9, 2025, and positioned the bodies at the entrance. This attack is reportedly in retaliation for the deaths of three bandits killed by villagers in February 2025, after the criminals attempted to launch an assault on the village.
Among the slain bandits was Goje, a notorious leader who led the failed attack. Sources suggest that the bandits have since been abducting villagers, tying their hands behind their backs, and executing them with gunshots to the head. Afterward, the bandits return the bodies and dispose of them at the village entrance.
As families mourn, they are left to recover the decomposing remains of their loved ones, with some corpses already starting to decompose.
Villagers are left devastated, grappling with the trauma of the violence and the realization that their attempts to defend themselves against the bandits’ previous assault have now turned into deadly retribution.
Bandits Dump Corpses in Revenge Attack in Tafoki Village, Katsina
Man Dies After Being Beaten by Brother in Zaria City
By: Zagazola Makama
A tragic incident in Zaria City has led to the death of 50-year-old Sani Yusuf, who was reportedly beaten into a stupor by his elder brother, Abubakar Aminu, on April 4, 2025.
According to information from a Good Samaritan, Abubakar, aged 53, attacked Sani at their home in Rimintsiwa, Zaria City.
The victim was immediately rushed to ABUTH Shika for medical treatment but unfortunately passed away early on April 10, 2025, at approximately 4:50 a.m. While the victim was under care at the hospital, his condition deteriorated, and he succumbed to the injuries inflicted during the assault.
The family has since buried the deceased according to local customs.
Police authorities are currently searching for the suspect, Abubakar Aminu, who fled the scene following the incident. Efforts to apprehend him are ongoing.
The case has been classified as culpable homicide, and investigations are being pursued to determine the circumstances surrounding the altercation and the suspect’s motives.
Man Dies After Being Beaten by Brother in Zaria City
Bandits Abduct Three in Gusau Community
By: Zagazola Makama
Suspected armed bandits have abducted three residents of Marere Hausawa, a community on the outskirts of Damba in Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
Sources informed Zagazola Makama that the incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday at about 2:30 a.m., when the assailants, wielding dangerous weapons, invaded the area and forcefully took the victims to an unknown destination.
Sources within the community confirmed the attack, describing it as sudden and terrifying.
Search efforts are ongoing to rescue the victims by the troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA
Bandits Abduct Three in Gusau Community
Bandits Dump Corpses in Revenge Attack in Tafoki Village, Katsina
Man Dies After Being Beaten by Brother in Zaria City
Bandits Abduct Three in Gusau Community
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