Man killed in love-related fight in Yobe community

By: Zagazola Makama

A 20-year-old man, identified as Jibrin Saidu Lamido, has been killed following a violent altercation over a romantic relationship in Gurdadi village, Yusufari Local Government Area of Yobe State.Sources said that the incident on Tuesday, saying it occurred around 2 a.m. on Monday when the deceased reportedly visited the home of his girlfriend, identified as Saratu Gata, aged 22, in Kalameri village.

An unknown man was said to have arrived at the scene, took the lady away, and challenged the deceased to follow them if he was “truly a man.” A fight subsequently broke out between both men, during which the suspect allegedly attacked Jibrin with a cutlass, inflicting severe injuries on his neck.

Security operatives from Kumaganam Outstation rushed the victim to the General Hospital, Kumaganam, where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor.

His remains were later released to relatives for burial after an autopsy was conducted.

Police say efforts are ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspect.

Man killed in love-related fight in Yobe community

43 herders killed in renewed vigilante attacks in Kebbi, Niger States

By: Zagazola Makama

At least 43 Fulani herders have been killed in a series of coordinated attacks by suspected vigilante groups across parts of Kebbi and Niger States, according to community sources and local leaders.

Zagazola Makama report that the attacks, which occurred between Oct. 24 and 26, affected several rural settlements in Argungu, Arewa, and Bunza Local Government Areas of Kebbi State, where armed vigilantes reportedly invaded Fulani communities, killing dozens and setting houses ablaze.

In Lailaba District of Argungu LGA, particularly at Maini Fulani settlement, and in Bui and Tilli districts of Arewa and Bunza LGAs respectively, at least 37 people were killed, several others injured, and more than 200 houses destroyed. Many residents, including women and children, were displaced, while some persons remain missing.

Eyewitnesses said the attacks were carried out by groups of vigilantes who stormed the herders’ camps, shooting sporadically and torching homes. The violence was said to have begun on Oct. 24 in Argungu, followed by another on Oct. 25 in Bunza, and a third on Oct. 26 in Bui.

Community members alleged that the assailants came from neighbouring villages in Arewa LGA, including Yeldu District, while others involved in the Bui incident were said to have come from Tunga Bature, Tunga Tsoho, Bui, Sangela, and Danmairago villages.

Authorities in Kebbi have since visited the affected areas, promising to investigate the incident and bring those responsible to justice. The state government also assured displaced families of support and called for calm to prevent further escalation.

Meanwhile, similar violence was reported in Edati Local Government Area of Niger State, where six Fulani herders were killed and more than 60 houses burnt on Sept. 21 in Ejjin, Runji, Majina, and Ginshi villages.

Such acts of reprisal and mob justice could worsen communal relations and heighten insecurity across the affected states.

Reacting to the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has condemned the attacks in a statement issued in Abuja by the association’s National Secretary, Bello Aliyu Gotomo.

The group described the killings and destruction of herders’ settlements as unjustified and inhumane, calling for the arrest and prosecution of all those involved.

MACBAN lamented that herders in the region were already contending with the activities of armed bandits locally referred to as Lakurawa, who extort illegal taxes, seize livestock, and terrorise rural dwellers.

“Now, in addition to these threats, peaceful herders are being attacked by vigilantes acting outside the law. Allowing people to take the law into their hands will only worsen insecurity across the state,” the statement warned.

The group further expressed grief over a similar incident in Niger State, where six Fulani herders were killed and more than 60 houses burnt by vigilantes on Sept. 21, 2025, in the communities of Ejjin, Runji, Majina, and Ginshi in Edati Local Government Area.

MACBAN said the violence followed a misunderstanding between a farmer and a herder, after which some vigilantes mobilised and attacked herders’ homes while the herder involved was already in police custody.

The association commended the Governor of Niger State for his prompt intervention, which prevented the crisis from escalating further.

MACBAN, however, called on the Federal, State, and Local Governments to urgently address the rising wave of insecurity affecting rural communities across the country, noting that the situation had severely impacted livestock rearing and farming activities.

“The security crisis in rural areas demands immediate and coordinated attention from all tiers of government to protect lives and livelihoods,” Gotomo stated.

43 herders killed in renewed vigilante attacks in Kebbi, Niger States

Dozens killed as Boko Haram, ISWAP resume deadly clashes as reconciliation collapses in Lake Chad

By: Zagazola Makama

Fresh clashes have erupted between fighters of Boko Haram’s Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) faction and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), following the collapse of a short-lived truce between the rival terrorist groups.

Zagazola report that the long-standing rivalry between the Bakoura-led Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) faction and ISWAP has degenerated into another violent phase with dozens of ISWAP fighters killed.

Sources said that the latest confrontation was part of an ongoing cycle of reprisal attacks that began after the killing of Abu Abass, a senior JAS tax collector, by ISWAP fighters in September. The discovery of the cause of his death reportedly infuriated Bakoura’s camp, prompting multiple revenge raids on ISWAP-held territories.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that the attack occurred on Saturday, Oct. 26, when a faction loyal to Mohammed Hassan, a top commander under the Bakoura-led JAS group, launched a coordinated attack on an ISWAP stronghold at Mangari, in the central area of the Lake Chad region, Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.

The assault, carried out with multiple watercraft between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., resulted in the death of scores of ISWAP fighters and the capture of weapons and supplies. The attackers were said to have advanced from Toumbun Gini towards Abujan Ruwa, overpowering ISWAP’s defensive lines in the area.

Field assessment suggests that the JAS faction overpowered ISWAP during the offensive, seizing weapons and other valuable items. The exact number of casualties remains unclear due to the remoteness of the area and the ongoing movement of rival units across the Lake Chad islands as fatalities may be more.

According to sources, the renewed hostilities marks a significant breakdown in the fragile non-aggression pact earlier reached between the two extremist movements.

Earlier, on Oct. 8, JAS forces loyal to Bakoura launched a series of coordinated assaults on ISWAP elements in Toumbun Mairi, inflicting heavy losses. The Oct. 26 engagement at Mangari is believed to be a continuation of those retaliatory strikes.

“The Bakoura-led faction has vowed to avenge the killing of its members and commanders,” source told Zagazola. “They accuse ISWAP of betrayal after both sides had agreed to suspend hostilities.”sources said.

On the other hand, ISWAP units are currently converging for retaliatory operations. Commanders have been directed to coordinate major offensives and eliminate all Boko Haram members.

The rivalry between JAS and ISWAP has always been brutal. Whenever one faction suffers losses, it retaliates immediately, often spilling into civilian areas who sometimes get killed for trespassing in any of the acclaimed territories of the terrorists

Since the death of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in 2021, the insurgency has splintered into competing factions, with intermittent periods of uneasy truce punctuated by bloody reprisals.

The Lake Chad Basin straddling Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon remains the epicentre of jihadist activity in the region, with both Boko Haram and ISWAP competing for control of key smuggling routes, fishing zones, and taxation points. The renewed infighting could further weaken the operational capacity of both groups but may also trigger intensified attacks against civilian targets as each side seeks to assert dominance.

Meanwhile, Army troops of Operation Hadin Kai have been placed on heightened alert, with operations ongoing to decimate the terrorists in their enclaves, prevent infiltration or coordinated assaults on military locations and civilian settlements in the North East.

Zagazola Makama is a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad region
End

Dozens killed as Boko Haram, ISWAP resume deadly clashes as reconciliation collapses in Lake Chad