News
Troops’ presence renews hope for safety on Zamfara highways, but locals seek night patrols
Troops’ presence renews hope for safety on Zamfara highways, but locals seek night patrols
By: Zagazola Makama
Commuters and commercial drivers plying the Gusau–Tsafe highway in Zamfara State say the enhanced military presence in the area has brought renewed hope for safe travel after years of fear and deadly bandit attacks.
Zagazola Makama report that the highway, once a corridor of terror where bandits routinely blocked roads, abducted travellers, and ransacked surrounding villages, is now seeing relative calm within the last few months due to intensified operations by Nigerian Army troops, particularly along the Tsafe- Gusau road.
Commercial driver, Usman Bala, who plies the Gusau–Funtua route daily, said that the change is noticeable.
“We used to drive with our hearts in our mouths. Anytime we passed Dan Mali or Babban Kauye, we prayed hard. But now, soldiers are stationed at key flashpoints. You feel a sense of safety you haven’t felt in years,” he said.
Another commercial driver, Musa Lawali, echoed Bala’s sentiment, noting that bandits used to operate with impunity around Makera and Asaula.
“Before, we avoided evening trips. From 4:30 p.m., the road was a death trap. But now, I can move even close to 7 p.m. because I know troops are patrolling. Their presence alone scares the criminals,” Lawali said.
Private motorist Amina Idris, who travels from Gusau to Tsafe weekly for business, said her confidence has improved with every trip.
“I used to dread the journey, especially at Bamamu and Tashan Jirgi axis. I would call my family before I left and when I arrived. Now, I see military checkpoints and even patrols. It’s encouraging,” she said.
Similarly, Dauda Garba, a truck driver who frequently passes through Tsafe, described a recent encounter where troops responded swiftly to an attempted roadblock by suspected bandits.
“They came in within minutes. We saw the gun trucks approach, and the criminals ran. That kind of quick response saves lives,” Garba said.
Another commuter, Suleiman Ibrahim, who drives a private vehicle between Tsafe and Yankara, confirmed that the fear of daytime travel has reduced significantly.
“Before now, even private motorists had to follow convoys or wait for military escort. Now, we go freely. The presence of troops has changed the game,” he said.
But despite the improvements, traditional leaders and community stakeholders are calling for additional measures particularly night patrols to tackle nocturnal attacks.
The Yandoton Tsafe, Alhaji Abubakar Muhammadu Bawa, commended the military for recent gains but warned that many villages on the fringes of Tsafe are still vulnerable to night raids.
“We have seen progress in the last few weeks. Our roads are safer by day. But the bandits now operate at night. They move through forest corridors and attack villages like Makera, Bamamu, Tashan Jirgi, Dan Mali, Asaula, and Babban Kauye under cover of darkness,” he said.
Another sources from Tsafe identified some of the notorious elements behind these attacks, including a bandit leader known as Bakin Malam, and others such as Hassan Fari, Sarki, son of notorious bandit Ado Allero, and Umaru, son of kingpin Anaruwa.
“These are not petty criminals. They are experienced and armed. We appeal to the Nigerian Army to extend their operations to night patrols. That is when these terrorists strike the most,” he added.
He urged the deployment of additional combat platforms like CSK gun trucks and surveillance drones to cover forest routes and hard-to-reach enclaves where bandits regroup after daytime setbacks.
Despite the lingering threats, residents are beginning to reclaim their confidence, a development largely attributed to the recent push by the Nigerian Army to dominate key transportation routes and neutralise armed groups.
Though, Abdulkarim Abubakar, said the threat still persist along Kauran Namoda Road as notorious bandit kingpin Dan Sadiya is still posing significant threat to motorists and the community with attacks recorded almost every two days.
Meanwhile a frontline commander, told journalists that the military had repelled multiple attacks, recovered weapons including bomb components, and foiled bandits’ attempt to launch coordinated raids in Mada and Kizara areas.
“As the rains approach, we are working to secure farming communities so they can plant in peace,” he said.
For now, travellers like Usman Bala are simply grateful for the return of movement and peace on roads once feared for death and disappearance.
“Every peaceful journey we make is a blessing. We just want the soldiers to keep going and start moving at night too,” he added.
Troops’ presence renews hope for safety on Zamfara highways, but locals seek night patrols
Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval
By Aisha Gambo
The Centre for Girls’ Education (CGE) has commended the Kaduna State Executive Council for approving the Kaduna State Life Skills Policy and the State Policy on Gender in Education (SPGE 2026–2030).
The Executive Director of the organisation, Habiba Mohammed, made this known in a statement issued on Wednesday in Kaduna.
She said the approval marked a transition from donor-supported, time-bound interventions to a sustainable, government-led framework for delivering life skills education and promoting gender equity in schools.
According to her, the Life Skills Policy will equip young people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values required to succeed in education, employment and life, while the Gender in Education Policy providzbves a framework to promote equity, inclusion, participation, retention, completion and improved learning outcomes.
“The approval moves life skills and gender equity from the margins of the classroom into the core of Kaduna State’s education system,” she said.
Mohammed said CGE contributed to the development and validation of the policies through its system-strengthening project supported by Co-Impact, OASIS Initiative and the Malala Fund, in collaboration with the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) and the Kaduna State Ministry of Education.
She said the policies built on more than 18 years of the organisation’s Safe Space model, which independent evaluations showed had helped reduce child marriage, increase school enrolment and delay early marriage.
According to her, the AGILE programme in Kaduna has reached more than 127,319 girls and 6,250 boys between the ages of 14 and 18, while over 1,400 female and male teachers have been trained as mentors.
She added that institutionalising the model through public policy would ensure that life skills education became a permanent component of the state’s education system.
Mohammed said the policies would address barriers to school access, retention and completion, particularly for girls and other vulnerable learners.
She added that they would also institutionalise life skills as a co-curricular programme, strengthen evidence-based decision-making across the state’s 23 local government areas and guarantee continuity beyond donor-funded programmes.
The executive director commended Gov. Uba Sani for providing the leadership that made the policy approval possible.
She also appreciated the Commissioner for Education, Prof. Abubakar Sani Sambo, the Kaduna State Ministry of Education, the AGILE State Project Implementation Unit, the World Bank and other stakeholders for their contributions to the process.
Mohammed reaffirmed CGE’s commitment to supporting the Kaduna State Government with technical assistance during the implementation phase, including teacher training, gender-responsive education sector budgeting and monitoring.
She said the ultimate goal was to ensure that every girl and boy in Kaduna State had the opportunity to learn, develop and thrive.
Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval
Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base
By: Zagazola Makama
Six fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were reportedly killed and seven others seriously wounded during a failed attack on a Forward Operating Base (FOB) at Logomani in Borno State, credible intelligence sources have disclosed.
The sources told Zagazola Makama that the terrorists launched the attack on the military position in the early hours of July 7 but suffered significant casualties after troops mounted a fierce resistance.
According to the intelligence assessment, the attackers had assembled at Garal before advancing on the military base.
Following the failed assault, surviving insurgents were reportedly seen regrouping at Chukun Gudu, where they buried six of their fighters killed during the encounter.
Among those reportedly buried was a senior fighter identified as Munzir, also known as Ba Alayi, who was said to be an indigene of Wulgo.
The development comes as troops of Operation HADIN KAI continue sustained clearance operations aimed at dismantling terrorist enclaves and disrupting insurgents’ logistics and mobility across the Lake Chad region.
Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base
Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle
By: Zagazola Makama
A cholera outbreak has reportedly claimed the lives of nine fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the Timbuktu Triangle, a known terrorist stronghold in Borno State, intelligence sources have disclosed.
The sources told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the outbreak had spread through the group’s enclaves, highlighting deteriorating sanitary conditions and limited access to medical care within the insurgents’ camps.
According to the intelligence, two additional ISWAP fighters infected with the disease were allegedly executed by fellow terrorists after attempts to manage their condition at Kimba village proved unsuccessful.
The sources said the development pointed to the worsening health conditions within the terrorist hideouts, where sustained military pressure has disrupted logistics, including access to medicines and treatment facilities.
The sources added that commanders had also been urged to intensify efforts to intercept medical supplies and pharmaceuticals intended for terrorist camps in order to further degrade ISWAP’s treatment capability and operational resilience.
The reported outbreak comes amid sustained offensives by troops of Operation HADIN KAI, who continue to target terrorist enclaves and logistics networks across the Lake Chad region in a bid to degrade the insurgents’ fighting capacity.
Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle
Centre lauds Kaduna Govt over life skills, gender education policies approval
Troops Kill Six ISWAP Fighters, Wound Seven in Failed Attack on Borno Military Base
Cholera Outbreak Kills Nine ISWAP Terrorists in Timbuktu Triangle
Roger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
FAILED COUP IN BURKINA FASO: HOW TRAORÉ NARROWLY ESCAPED ASSASSINATION PLOT AMID FOREIGN INTERFERENCE CLAIMS
-
News2 years agoRoger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
-
Opinions4 years ago
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
-
News1 year agoFAILED COUP IN BURKINA FASO: HOW TRAORÉ NARROWLY ESCAPED ASSASSINATION PLOT AMID FOREIGN INTERFERENCE CLAIMS
-
News2 years agoEYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
-
Opinions5 years agoPOLICE CHARGE ROOMS, A MINTING PRESS
-
ACADEMICS2 years agoA History of Biu” (2015) and The Lingering Bura-Pabir Question (1)
-
Columns2 years agoArmy University Biu: There is certain interest, but certainly not from Borno.
-
Politics1 year ago2027: Why Hon. Midala Balami Must Go, as Youths in Hawul and Asikira/Uba Federal Constituency Reject ₦500,000 as Sallah Gift
