Police Arrest Four Suspected Kidnappers, Recover Firearms in Niger

By: Zagazola Makama

The Niger State Police Command has arrested four suspected kidnappers in Rijau Local Government Area and recovered firearms used in their criminal activities.

Police sources told Zagazola Makama that the arrest followed a report received from the Divisional Police Officer in Rijau on April 12, 2025, at about 9:00 a.m.

The suspects, identified as Shehu Mohammed (35) of Tunga Magajiya, Mamman Sani of Conner Shenjiri, Daudu Mohammed (37) of Udu, and Jibrin Ahmodu of Genu, were found in possession of two locally made pistols and a dane gun.

The sources said that preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects were responsible for the abduction of one Amina Mallam Sarkin-Noma Gatta, a resident of Agwa Gwanda village, in March 2025.

According to police sources, after arranging for a ransom of ₦3 million, the victim managed to escape from captivity the following day and later identified one of her abductors.

All four suspects have reportedly confessed to the crime and are currently in police custody.

Police Arrest Four Suspected Kidnappers, Recover Firearms in Niger

Residents in Borno urged to stop construction of sewage pits outside their compounds

By: Bodunrin Kayode

The Director of Public and Community Health of the Borno State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Mala Abdulwahab has called on residents of the state to stop building sewage pits outside their homes.

The Director lamented recently that some residents even channel faeces from their homes into general drainage systems in the metropolis and that he noted has contributed to the spread of a lot of communicable diseases in the state.

Mala made the observations during a recent round table review on the prevalence of zero dose children with Bulamas of eight affected council areas in the state.

Dr Mala called on residents to stop the wrong practice of building their soakaways far outside their residential homes into government lands and streets not designed for such purposes.

He called on the Borno State Environmental Protection Agency (BOSEPA) to do more in ensuring that the badly affected gutters of the city are cleared from dangerous garbages and pollutants which can cause infections like polio and many other diseases.

Mala expressed dissatisfaction about the State of some of the gutters in the city of Maiduguri which has become direct avenues for sewage to be emptied from some houses adding that it is high time residents stop construction of soakaways outside their compounds but rather take them into their compounds.

The Director called on residents to repent from some of these deliberate acts by changing their ways concerning the weaknesses in the hygiene level of greater Maiduguri which was badly exposed during the last September flood which enveloped the entire city centre.

Mala regretted that up till now, a lot of kids have not taken the penta dose of the vaccines slated for age (0 to 59) months adding that they should do something about changing the wrong narrative prevalent in the state.

The Director called on the Local immunization officers (LIO’s) to listen to the challenges of the people as they carry out the campaigns adding that results can only be gotten when there is collaboration between them and the residents.

He said that there was need for the next batch of campaigners in conjunction with the LIO’S to work hard to clear off these challenges which increases the prevalence of zero doses in the state.

Mala further called for the extension of their times within the schedule of routine immunization where necessary adding that the LIO’s and their teams should really mind how these lingering lapses can be corrected for success to be achieved against the next campaign.

On their approach to expected resistances from residents, he advised them to be as modest as possible even as they avoid any temptation of over dressing coupled with outright display of flamboyant life styles in the name of serious grassroot campaigns like this.

Dr Mala advised that messages from immunization officers would only be accepted when there is freedom of expression from traditional rulers and the council of ulamas.

The director of community health regretted that some of the LIO’s are weak adding that they are supposed to be stronger than they are being portrayed within the contemporary primary health sector

Reactions from the round table

During a question and answer session after a presentation by Ishmael Auwal, participants were advised to reduce the prevalence of too much English language in their campaigns stressing that English has increased the bane of misunderstanding among some locals adding that there is need to embed local language translators into the system when developing such plans.

According to Auwal, most of the children placed in this categorization can be found both in the rural and urban areas of these seven primary council areas and most of them speak only the local language in their council areas.

The major zero dose council areas are Damboa, Gubio, Jere, Mmc, mafa, konduga, Mongunu and Gamboru Ngala.

Penta to him is a major package because it contains five in one vaccines wrapped inside for the children to consume.

Residents in Borno urged to stop construction of sewage pits outside their compounds

Zulum Launches Strategic Water Intervention Projects Across Maiduguri Metropolis

…Drilled 25 New Boreholes in Mafoni, Others
…Residents Laud Zulum’s Intervention

By: Our Reporter

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has launched an aggressive and coordinated response to address the acute water scarcity affecting parts of Maiduguri metropolis and its environs, following the devastating flood disaster of 10 September 2024.

The flood, described as unprecedented in scale, caused widespread destruction of infrastructure, including critical water supply points.

This disruption significantly hampered the flow of water from Alau Dam, particularly affecting Maiduguri city centre and surrounding areas.

In response to the hardship faced by residents in accessing portable water for domestic use in areas such as Gwange, Mafoni, Lamisula, Wulari and Ngarannam, Governor Zulum has approved the immediate rehabilitation, upgrade, and construction of boreholes across various locations in the metropolis.

Key interventions under this emergency initiative include the conversion of 48 lower aquifer boreholes to hybrid energy systems and the construction of 50 new upper aquifer boreholes. These projects aim to restore and enhance water accessibility for thousands of residents.

During an inspection tour of project sites, the General Manager of Borno State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA), Dr Mohammed Musa Aliyu, briefed journalists on the progress of the interventions.

“Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has approved the construction of 50 upper aquifer boreholes within Maiduguri and its surrounding areas. The project is already underway, with over 25 boreholes drilled and several already outfitted,” Dr Aliyu stated.

He further explained that many of the lower aquifer boreholes being upgraded were originally constructed over 40 years ago. These have now been retrofitted with 50-horsepower solar-powered systems, capable of supplying water within a five-kilometre radius.

Highlighting the importance of these upgrades, Dr Aliyu said, “The governor’s commitment to providing potable water is commendable. Here in Kasuwan Gwoza, we have converted a 50-horsepower borehole to solar energy. Without this intervention, residents would have no access to water as the original infrastructure was badly affected.”

In addition, the Governor has sanctioned the construction of 10 new lower aquifer (ruwan zafi) boreholes, with work currently in progress.

Dr Aliyu assured residents that, over the coming weeks, the issue of water scarcity in the capital city would be substantially mitigated.

“By the grace of Almighty Allah, we are making every effort to reduce water scarcity in Maiduguri metropolis to the barest minimum,” he affirmed.

Drilled 25 New Boreholes in Mafoni and Other Areas

As part of the broader intervention, the Borno State Government has constructed 25 new boreholes in Maiduguri and surrounding communities. Of these, 10 boreholes were established in the Mafoni area alone — one of the worst-hit communities following the flood.

According to Dr Aliyu, five of these boreholes were newly constructed, while another five were rehabilitated and upgraded.

“His Excellency personally visited Mafoni after the flood and promised swift intervention. Within a month, 10 boreholes were drilled and reticulated to various distribution points across the community,” Dr Aliyu explained.

Residents Laud Governor Zulum’s Swift Response

Residents of Gwange 1 (Mai Jir), Kasuwan Gwoza, Mafoni, Bulabulin Ngarannam, Federal Low Cost, and Shuwari 1, 2, and 3 have expressed deep appreciation for the Zulum administration’s proactive efforts in restoring water supply.

Speaking on behalf of the Mafoni community, residents noted: “We cannot thank the administration of Professor Babagana Umara Zulum enough.

Previously, we spent hours every morning searching for water, which affected our livelihoods and the education of our children. Alhamdulillah, with the drilling of these new boreholes, the water challenge in our area has been significantly resolved.”

Zulum Launches Strategic Water Intervention Projects Across Maiduguri Metropolis