Whistleblower recounts ordeal after exposing drug trafficker in Kano

By: Zagazola Makama

A young whistleblower has come forward with a detailed account of alleged harassment, detention, and intimidation he faced after exposing a suspected drug trafficker, Sulaiman Dan Wawu, in Kano State.

The incident, which began in December 2022, involved multiple arrests, prolonged court appearances, and alleged violations of his fundamental rights, despite his role in alerting the public to the arrest of Dan Wawu with 500 cartons of Tramadol.

The whistleblower, who spoke under anonymity due to safety concerns, said the situation began after he posted news of Dan Wawu’s arrest on TikTok – a post that gained over 41,000 views. The viral post, which followed a similar disclosure by Police Spokesman SP Abdullahi Kiyawa on Facebook, allegedly provoked backlash from the suspect and his associates.

“Though I had no personal connection to Dan Wawu, the day after I posted the video, a man named Abba Abdullahi came to my area in Kwankwaso, claiming to be from the CID. He accused me of buying a stolen phone and insisted I follow him to Farm Center,” the whistleblower said.

“Instead of Farm Center, I was taken to the Rapid Response Team (RRT) cell, where I spent three days. Each day, Dan Wawu, his wife, and another associate, Abdullahi Amdaz, came to see me. I was tortured in their presence. They claimed I had defamed them on TikTok.”

After being taken before a magistrate at the PRP Court under Judge Nura Yusuf Ahmad, the complainant was returned to the CID on remand. He later appeared in court where the formal charge was read: defamation and public misinformation for stating that “Dan Wawu was a drug trafficker” on social media.

The prosecution alleged that over 41,000 people had viewed the TikTok video and that radio stations had also aired the case. The suspect’s wife reportedly gave a media interview accusing the whistleblower of damaging her husband’s reputation.

The judge remanded the whistleblower to prison for five days before he was granted bail under six strict conditions, including the provision of two civil servants of Grade Level 12 or above, endorsement by a ward head, and an undertaking to refrain from using social media or any media platform.

Later, the whistleblower alleged further intimidation. “Abba Abdullahi, who earlier arrested me, called me and my elder brother outside court. He video-called Dan Wawu, who was then in Qatar, and forced me to delete two TikTok accounts with 87,000 and 19,000 followers,” he said.

He claimed three of his SIM cards were seized – the ones linked to his TikTok and email accounts – and was warned against SIM swapping or returning to social media.

Despite this, the trial dragged on for 11 to 13 months. “Even though the court was aware that Dan Wawu had been arrested with drugs, he and his wife never showed up in court,” he said.

One day, he was re-arrested by Abba Abdullahi on the claim that he had violated bail conditions. He was detained at CID for two days before being transferred to prison, where he spent 38 days during Ramadan in 2023, eventually regaining his freedom on the 29th day of fasting.

At the peak of the trial, he was reportedly pressured by the prosecutor, Aliyu Abideen, to swear an oath in court to prove his innocence. He rejected the condition, citing Islamic jurisprudence, which limits such oaths to civil or financial disputes – not criminal cases involving narcotics.

“In Maliki jurisprudence, oaths are only valid in financial matters, not cases involving someone caught with illegal drugs,” he said, quoting a Maliki legal verse.

Eventually, after the prosecution failed to present evidence or secure testimony from Dan Wawu, the case lost momentum. Meanwhile, Dan Wawu, who was arrested and arraigned at the Federal High Court on drug trafficking charges, reportedly fled with his wife and has since been at large.

“Now the entire world, not just 41,000 people, knows he was caught with drugs. His disgrace is from God. He spent nearly 50 days in prison before escaping,” the whistleblower said.

Whistleblower recounts ordeal after exposing drug trafficker in Kano

Army, DSS-backed hybrid forces kill 45 bandits in Niger gun battle

By: Zagazola Makama

The troops of the Nigerian Army and hybrid forces, with critical intelligence support from the Department of State Services (DSS), have neutralised no fewer than 45 bandits during a fierce gunfight in Iburu village, Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, in what appears to be a major success in Nigeria’s ongoing counter-terrorism efforts,

Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the joint operation was launched on Friday evening following intelligence that a large number of terrorists riding on motorcycles were advancing to launch coordinated attacks on Iburu and neighbouring communities.

According to the sources, the DSS intercepted early signals of the planned movement and quickly passed the alert to troops who had been on standby in the general area.

“The terrorists were said to have split into smaller columns, attempting to encircle the village under the cover of dusk, but were ambushed by the troops who engaged them in a sustained firefight that lasted several hours,” one source said.

The troops who returned to the scene after the exchange of gunfire confirmed counting at least 40 dead bodies of the bandits, while dozens of motorcycles used by the attackers were reportedly destroyed.

Two members of the hybrid forces fighting alongside the troops paid the supreme price, while four others were evacuated with serious gunshot wounds and are currently receiving treatment at a public hospital in Minna, the state capital.

Friday’s clash is the latest in a series of counter-offensives launched by security forces to decimate terrorists and secure communities across Niger State, especially in the volatile Shiroro-Munya axis which has become a stronghold for various criminal groups.

In April, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Mr Bashir Adeniyi, raised the alarm over escalating terrorist activity around the Babanna border area of Niger State.

Adeniyi had revealed that Customs officers narrowly escaped an ambush by terrorists after intercepting 500 jerrycans of petrol allegedly being smuggled to insurgents operating within the state and across the border.

Friday’s success point to the importance of synergy between intelligence services and ground forces in disrupting terrorist logistics and operational movements across the North Central region.

The proactive engagement by DSS, coupled with swift tactical response by the military, is beginning to shift the operational advantage in favour of state forces.

Army, DSS-backed hybrid forces kill 45 bandits in Niger gun battle

Airstrikes decimate ISWAP fighters, destroy ammo dump in Marte

By: Zagazola Makama

The Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai has neutralised scores of ISWAP terrorists and destroyed their ammunition dump in a precision airstrike conducted on Sunday in Arinna Waje general area of Marte Local Government Area, Borno State.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that the operation followed credible intelligence and persistent surveillance which confirmed the massive convergence of terrorists in the area, five days after a bloody encounter with a rival Boko Haram faction.

The sources noted that based on the intelligence, Nigerian Air Force (NAF) aircraft were scrambled to engage the identified locations in a series of well-coordinated bombardments.

“The strikes, executed with surgical precision, resulted in the total annihilation of several terrorist enclaves and logistics nodes within the target area.

“One of the airstrikes also triggered a secondary explosion, confirming a direct hit on a major terrorist ammunition storage site,”the sources added.

According to the sources, key ISWAP commanders were among those neutralised in the operation.

The sources added that the NAF, in synergy with surface forces and intelligence platforms, will sustain the momentum to deny the terrorists freedom of action and degrade their capabilities in the Lake Chad and Sambisa axis

Airstrikes decimate ISWAP fighters, destroy ammo dump in Marte