Five Policemen Killed In Zamfara Bandit Ambush, Gov Lawal Mourns.

Five policemen have been killed and one declared missing after armed bandits ambushed a police patrol team on Thursday in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Zamfara Farmers Face N20 Million Ransom Threat Ahead of Harvest Season


Farmers in Shanawa, Jangeru, and Galadi communities of Shinkafi Local Government Area, Zamfara State, are raising alarm after bandits allegedly demanded N20 million from them to allow access to their farms ahead of the harvest season.

Residents claim the threats have disrupted farming activities, leaving many families anxious about potential loss of livelihoods. Community leaders have called on the state government and security agencies to intervene urgently to ensure farmers can work safely.

The looming harvest crisis threatens food security and highlights the continuing challenges posed by banditry in northwestern Nigeria.

Kano Court Jails TikToker, Mai Wushirya, Over Indecent Video, Orders Female Partner’s Arrest.

A Magistrate Court in Kano has remanded popular TikTok personality, Ashiru Idris, widely known as Mai Wushirya, in a correctional centre for posting indecent videos featuring a dwarf woman, whose identity remains undisclosed.

Presided over by Magistrate Halima Wali of Court No. 7, the court ordered that the content creator remain in custody for two weeks pending the continuation of the case.

According to LEADERSHIP, officials of the Kano State Censorship Board arrested Mai Wushirya last week after clips showing him shirtless and engaging in what authorities described as “immoral and demeaning acts” with the woman went viral on social media.

The Board stated that the videos violated state censorship laws, which prohibit the production or circulation of obscene or sexually suggestive content.

Speaking after the ruling, the Board’s Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Sani Sulaiman, said the court had also directed that the woman featured in the videos appear at the next hearing.

“The court has ordered that his partner be brought before it at the next sitting. Before his arraignment, we tried to get him to cooperate with us to locate her, but he refused. Now that there’s a court order, we are confident she will be found,” Sulaiman said.

He further disclosed that the woman is believed to have fled to Zamfara State, but authorities are working to ensure her return to Kano to face trial alongside the TikToker.

Police Disclose Identities of Imam, Worshippers Killed in Zamfara Mosque.

Tragedy struck in Zamfara State on Friday when gunmen stormed a mosque in Yantodon Daji village, Tsafe Local Government Area, killing the Imam and four worshippers during morning prayers.

Three other people were abducted in the raid.

The State Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Maikaba, who confirmed the incident, said the attackers deliberately targeted the mosque to provoke public outrage.

“We believe the bandits deployed this method just to draw attention. They have seen the reaction when a mosque was attacked in Malumfashi, Katsina State, and that is why they carried out a similar act here in Zamfara,” Maikaba told journalists.

According to him, the armed men opened fire indiscriminately on worshippers, killing five people before whisking away three others to an unknown destination.

Those killed were identified as:
Sale Dangero, 75
Mamman Yaro, 72
Malam Lawali Bataribas, 67
Malam Jafaru, a retired ASP, 68
Malam Safiyanu, 55

The abducted victims were named as Danyaye Alh. Gambo, Malam Basiru, and Ibrahim Bello.

Maikaba added that preliminary investigations traced the assault to a notorious bandit leader, Bakin Malam, and his loyalists operating around the Makera axis.

He assured residents that security operatives were already on the trail of the attackers and vowed that those responsible would be brought to justice

BREAKING NEWS: Peace Deal Collapses As Bandits Abduct 40 worshippers from a mosque located in Gidan Turbe village, Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, this morning.

Coalition Gives Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal 7 Days to Expose Bandit Hideouts or Face Mass Protests

The Coalition of Citizens Against Banditry and Insecurity in Nigeria (CABIN) has issued a seven-day ultimatum to Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, demanding that he reveal the exact locations of bandits and criminal gangs operating in the state.

The group warned that if the governor fails to act within the stipulated time, it would mobilize nationwide protests and call on the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in Zamfara.

In a statement signed by its president, Comrade Solomon Charles Abutu, CABIN accused the governor of admitting—through recent public comments—that he knows where the bandits reside but has failed to hand them over to security agencies.

“Governor Dauda Lawal has confirmed in his own words that he knows where the killers, kidnappers, and bloodthirsty bandits reside. By that singular admission, he owes Nigerians a moral and constitutional duty to immediately hand them over. Anything short of this within seven days will amount to complicity,” the coalition declared.

The group condemned what it described as the governor’s “weaponisation of lamentation”, stressing that despite receiving billions of naira in monthly security votes, insecurity in Zamfara has only worsened.

CABIN also alleged that bandits have infiltrated political circles in the state, claiming some operate within Government House Gusau under the protection of compromised officials.

“Zamfara has become the epicentre of Nigeria’s banditry crisis. Governance is not about saying ‘I cannot do it.’ Leadership requires courage and political will. If Governor Lawal has run out of ideas, let him resign instead of normalising excuses,” the statement added.

The coalition vowed to mobilize residents, civil society organisations, and student unions for mass demonstrations in Gusau, Abuja, and other cities if the ultimatum lapses without action.

CABIN also called on President Bola Tinubu to personally monitor the situation and hold Governor Lawal accountable, warning that failure to act decisively would embolden criminal networks nationwide.

“Governor Lawal has seven days to prove his loyalty to the Nigerian people—or face the full weight of civic resistance,” the group declared.

Zamfara Governor Under Intense Pressure to Resign After Shocking Banditry Admissions.

Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State is facing mounting pressure to step down following a viral video in which he admitted to knowing the locations of bandits plaguing the state but claimed he was powerless to act. The undated clip, spoken in Hausa, has sparked widespread outrage, with critics labeling the governor’s remarks as reckless and self-incriminating.

BREAKING: 28 Persons Infected As Rare Flesh-Eating Disease Hits Adamawa, Authorities Await Diagnosis

At least 28 people have been struck by a rare disease in Adamawa State, with victims suffering flesh and bone destruction.

Dr. Suleiman Bashir, Chairman of the Adamawa State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, confirmed the outbreak on Saturday, noting that specimens have been sent to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Abuja for analysis. Results are expected in 10 days.

While eight victims are receiving treatment at the Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital (MAUTH), Yola, others continue to rely on local remedies despite free government treatment.

The outbreak is most severe in Malabu, Fufore LGA, where residents report symptoms beginning as boils before spreading into deep wounds that eat into flesh and bones.

Authorities have urged residents to seek prompt medical care and report unusual health cases, warning against reliance on traditional medicine.

The development has rekindled concerns about Nigeria’s preparedness against emergent health crises, recalling past outbreaks such as meningitis (1996), lead poisoning in Zamfara (2010), Ebola (2014), and Lassa fever.

#Adamawa #PublicHealth #NCDC

Empower Me and I’ll End Banditry in 2 Months-Gov. Dauda Lawal to FG.

Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has thrown a big challenge to the federal government. He has sensationally declared that banditry would be a thing of the past if the federal government gives him direct and complete control of security agencies in the country.

He’s not done. He also declared categorically that he knows the movement of every single bandit leader operating in Zamfara State as he can track them on his mobile phone!

But in a viral video that has sent social media buzzing, the governor lamented that he is seriously handicapped in the fight against banditry in the state because he lacks direct control over security agencies and outfits operating in Zamfara.

The governor lamented that the situation where security chiefs in the state only take orders from Abuja could be counter-productive.

“We have dozens of tracking facilities which we fixed across the state just to help security in tracking the bandits.,’ he disclosed.

“I swear to Almighty Allah, wherever a bandits’ leader is located within Zamfara state, I know it and if he goes out, I know,

“With my mobile phone, I can show you where and where these bandits are today. But we cannot do anything beyond our powers.

“If today, I have the power to give orders to the security agencies, I can assure you, we will end banditry in Zamfara State within two months.

Nigerian Armed Forces Don’t Support Payment Of Money To Criminal Groups — Defence HQ

The Chief of Defence Operations, Major General Emeka Onumajuru, has clarified that the Nigerian Armed Forces do not support paying bandits, stressing that such measures have proven ineffective.

He explained that instead of financial settlements, the military runs a Disarmament, Demobilisation, and Reintegration (DDR) programme under Operation Safe Corridor in Gombe and Zamfara for repentant fighters who surrender their weapons and undergo profiling.

Onumajuru urged communities to work with security agencies to strengthen Nigeria’s borders.

His remarks followed recent criticism by former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai, who accused the government of adopting a “kiss-the-bandits” policy. However, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) dismissed El-Rufai’s claim as “false and baseless,” insisting no payments or incentives are being made to criminal groups.

Source: Channels TV

#Security #Nigeria #Defence

Former Zamfara State Central Senator, Kabiru Marafa, has accused President Bola Tinubu of showing undue favoritism to Lagos State, as reported by Punch on Tuesday, 2 September, 2025.


Senator ‎Marafa, who recently resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), voiced his concerns during a media interview.

‎He argued that Tinubu’s position as president gave him control over vast national resources.

‎According to Senator Marafa, over N3 trillion had been directed to Lagos since Tinubu took office.


‎He said this was unfair because Lagos did not vote for Tinubu in the 2023 elections, while Zamfara did.

Sentaor ‎Marafa also claimed that most of the president’s aides were chosen from Lagos.

‎He said this showed that Tinubu prioritized his home state over regions that supported him politically.

‎In contrast, Zamfara, which delivered votes for Tinubu, received little recognition or reward.

‎The former Zamfara State senator stressed that his politics is not about personal loyalty to one leader.


‎He said he joined politics to improve the lives of his people, not to serve individuals.

‎He dismissed the idea of political slavery, insisting that fairness and equity should guide appointments and allocation of resources.

‎‎“‎If Mr President didn’t get the opportunity he got now to be the President, would he have been able to allocate resources of over N3tn to Lagos State? Would he have been able to appoint the number of aides from Lagos State, where he lost elections and won in Zamfara State? I’m not in politics to serve anybody,” he said.

Former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai has accused the federal government of paying bandits instead of confronting them with force.

“What I will not do is to pay bandits. They are paying bandits. They are empowering bandits. This is what this government has done. We have the evidence. They are paying bandits. They are empowering bandits.

It’s a national policy driven by the Office of the National Security Adviser, and Kaduna is part of it. Many states are objecting to that. But that is the policy now.” He declared: “My position has always been that the only repentant bandit is a dead one. Let’s kill them all. Let’s wipe them.

Let’s bomb them until they are reduced to nothing. And then the 5% that still want to be rehabilitated can be rehabilitated.”

Warning against negotiations, he said: “You do not negotiate from a position of weakness. You don’t empower your enemy. You don’t give him money to go on and buy more sophisticated weapons.

That’s why the security problem has not gone away. It will not go away. As long as this policy continues.” He also cited reports: “Just last week, SBM published a report that showed that the security situation in Kaduna and Zamfara has actually deteriorated…

What the government has been doing both at the national and state levels is buying the media from reporting it.” Defending himself, he added: “Even if it is my son or my father who is president or governor and he’s not doing the right thing, I lose the right to disagree or criticise?

Is that negative? Is that what Nigeria is?” El-Rufai stressed the government has failed Nigerians “on all fronts, including security, economy, and governance.”

Marafa Confirms Resignation From APC
He, however, did not give his reason for dumping the APC.
The former Tinubu/Shettima 2023 Presidential Campaign Coordinator in Zamfara State disclosed this to Channels Television via a text message on Sunday.

At least 15 people have reportedly died, while three others remain missing, after a boat capsized in the Gummi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Gunmen Kill Two, Abduct Over 100 in Zamfara

At least two people were killed and over 100 others, mostly women and children, abducted when armed men attacked Gamdum Mallam village in Bukkuyum LGA, Zamfara State on Saturday.

Eyewitnesses said the attackers stormed the community on motorbikes, shooting indiscriminately, kidnapping residents, and seizing livestock before fleeing into Makakari forest.

A resident lamented: “We are being treated like slaves in our own land, as if there is no government.”

The attack comes as a new report by SBM Intelligence revealed that Zamfara recorded the highest number of kidnappings in Nigeria (1,203 cases) between July 2024 and June 2025.

Police have yet to issue an official response.

#Zamfara #SecurityCrisis #Nigeria

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Thursday chaired the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, with several governors in attendance, including those of Zamfara, Jigawa, Lagos, Anambra, Gombe, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Benue, and Ondo, as well as the Rivers State Sole Administrator.

The Council announced progress in the fight against Type-2 Polio virus, with cases reduced from 78 in 2024 to 42 as of August 2025. Kano and Katsina recorded over 80% decline, while Gombe had no new cases this year. However, Sokoto remains at high risk, recording 13 of the 23 new cases in 2025.

#Nigeria #NEC #Shettima #Governors #Polio #Health #BreakingNews

News Brief: Police Rescue Five Abductees, Kill Suspected Kidnappers

The Nigeria Police Force has rescued five kidnapped victims in Kebbi State and neutralised suspected kidnappers in separate operations.

Force PRO, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the first incident occurred in Shanga LGA, where three abductees were rescued after a fierce gun battle that forced the kidnappers to flee with gunshot wounds.

In another operation at Danko/Wasagu LGA, police operatives on routine patrol engaged bandits and freed two victims who had been abducted in Zamfara State.

Arms and ammunition were recovered as investigations and pursuit of the fleeing criminals continue.

#PoliceRescue #KebbiState #SecurityUpdate

BREAKING: Coalition Of Nigerian Leaders Warns Of ‘Wartime Levels’ Of Insecurity, Proposes Presidential Task Force

A coalition of prominent Nigerian leaders across ethnic, religious, and political divides has raised alarm over worsening insecurity under President Bola Tinubu, warning that the nation risks sliding into chaos unless urgent action is taken.

Citing an Amnesty International report, the leaders said at least 10,217 Nigerians have been killed in violent attacks in the past two years, describing it as “wartime levels of slaughter.” Benue alone reportedly recorded nearly 6,900 deaths, Plateau over 2,600, while Zamfara has seen 638 villages razed and residents forced to pay criminal levies.

The coalition condemned what it termed “a dangerous national silence” and the state’s failure to maintain security, stressing that farmer-herder clashes have evolved into sectarian wars fueled by poverty, arms proliferation, and impunity.

They proposed the creation of a Presidential Task Force on National Security with extraordinary powers to coordinate intelligence, disarm armed groups, reintegrate displaced persons, and publish quarterly accountability reports.

“Nigeria stands on a knife-edge,” the leaders warned, urging immediate reforms, reconciliation, and inclusive governance to halt the bloodshed.

#NigeriaSecurity #Insecurity #Tinubu #BreakingNews

PDP Govs Defy Wike, Stick to Nov 15 Convention

PDP governors have reaffirmed their commitment to holding the party’s national convention on November 15, 2025, in Ibadan, despite opposition from FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.

At a meeting in Gusau, Zamfara State, the governors urged members to resist “anti-party forces,” stressing that the PDP remains Nigeria’s best alternative for good governance.

Wike has rejected recent party decisions, insisting his ally Dan Orbih is the rightful PDP South-South Vice Chairman, warning of fresh crisis if not recognized.

The governors, led by Bauchi’s Bala Mohammed, said distractions won’t derail preparations, vowing to rescue Nigeria from APC’s divisive policies and economic hardship.

#PDPConvention #Wike #NigerianPolitics #APCvsPDP

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused the All Progressives Congress, APC, of deploying state-backed security operatives to intimidate voters and manipulate the outcome of the Zamfara State House of Assembly by-election in Kaura Namoda South Constituency.