Tag: Banditry

Zamfara: 13 residents drown while fleeing from gunmen 

Aminu Imam
Zamfara residents drown

Over 13 residents have drowned in a river while fleeing from gunmen in Birnin-Magaji ward of Zamfara state. The gunmen were said to have attacked two communities in Birnin-Magaji on Friday. During the attack, some members of the communities escaped to board a boat to flee to a nearby riverbank. Residents told Reuters that there was only a single boat available, which was overloaded with fleeing residents. A health worker in Birnin Magaji, Shehu Mohammed, told Reuters that his elder son and nieces were among those who died in the…

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Katsina: Bandits kidnap couple, daughter, kill vigilante

Aminu Imam
Zamfara banditry

Suspected bandits have kidnapped three members of a family and the fatal shooting of another in an attack at Unguwar Filin Canada, in Katsina city. According to a statement from the State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Abubakar Sadiq, the incident occurred around 3:00a.m yesterday. “Today, Tuesday, August 26th, 2025, at about 0300 hrs, some suspected gunmen armed with dangerous weapons attacked the residence of one Anas Ahmadu, male, age 33, of Filin Canada Quarters, Katsina State, kidnapping him, his wife, and his daughter, Jidda Anas. “Also, the hoodlums…

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Katsina Massacre: 20 burnt bodies discovered, as death toll rises to 50

Aminu Imam
Katsina massacre

At least 50 people have now been confirmed killed in last week’s bandits’ attacks on villages in the Malumfashi LGA, Katsina State. Recall that the bandits opened fire on worshippers at a mosque and set others ablaze. Aminu Ibrahim, who represents Malumfashi constituency in the Katsina State House of Assembly, confirmed the death toll to his colleagues at Tuesday’s plenary session. According to him, “Thirty people were gunned down during morning prayers, and another 20 were burned alive in their homes. Our people can no longer live in their villages…

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Katsina: Bandits kill 13 worshippers in mosque attack

Aminu Imam
created by photogrid

…‘Violence pushing toward a humanitarian crisis’ – Local leaders, security experts Thirteen worshippers were killed yesterday when bandits attacked a mosque during dawn (Fajr) prayers, in Unguwan Mantau, Malumfashi local government area of Katsina State. Witnesses said the attackers, who rode in on motorcycles, surrounded the mosque, blocked the doors and opened fire on worshippers in cold blood. The State’s Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Dr. Nasir Mu’azu, confirmed the incident, describing it as a reprisal assault following an earlier clash in which villagers ambushed and killed several…

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Bandits kidnap Editor on Abuja-Kaduna highway

Aminu Imam
Bandits kidnap Editor

A journalist and editor of the popular Rariya Hausa online newspaper, Sani Ahmed, has reportedly been abducted by unknown gunmen while travelling from Abuja to Kaduna State. It wad gathered that Ahmed had embarked on a trip on Thursday evening for a programme in Kaduna metropolis.  Comrade Yahaya Abdullahi, a member of the #Take-It-Back Movement, told newsmen yesterday that the journalist left Abuja around 8pm and two hours later, at exactly 10pm, sent an emergency message indicating that he had been kidnapped.  Abdullahi said that since receiving the distress message,…

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Katsina: Village Head arrested for alleged links with bandits

Aminu Imam
Katsina village head

Security operatives have arrested the head of Sukutum village in the Kankiya local government area (LGA) of Katsina State for allegedly serving as an informant to armed bandits. Security consultant and counter insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, disclosed this in a statement yesterday. Makama said the suspect, whose name has not yet been released, was apprehended following intelligence reports linking him to criminal gangs operating in the area. Quoting security sources, Makama said the village head was accused of providing information to the bandits about the movement of security personnel and…

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Sokoto: Gunmen kill worshipper, abduct several in mosque attack

Aminu Imam
Sokoto gunmen

Armed men have attacked a mosque in Sokoto State during morning prayers on Sunday, killing one worshipper and abducting several others, local officials and residents said. The assailants, wielding what witnesses described as sophisticated weapons, stormed Marnona village, in Wurno local government area, at dawn, opening fire indiscriminately, and sending worshippers fleeing in panic. “They targeted innocent people in a sacred place — it is barbaric and cowardly”,  according to Isah Achida, the Sokoto State chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC). Achida said the state government was working…

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Israel to help Nigeria combat bandits, Boko Haram, ISWAP terrorists 

Aminu Imam
Israel to help Nigeria

Nigeria and Israel have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening collaboration in key areas including counter-terrorism, intelligence, information sharing, security financing, and training. This was disclosed in a joint communiqué issued on Monday, signed by Nigeria’s deputy foreign minister, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and her Israeli counterpart, Sharren Haskel-Harpaz, following a high-level political meeting held on Monday. According to the communiqué, the meeting reflected the enduring and strategic partnership between both nations. The discussions focused on critical multilateral issues such as global security, counter-terrorism, and bilateral political and economic cooperation. Both Ministers endorsed…

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Sokoto: Bandit attacks force women, children to sleep under trees – Report

Aminu Imam
Sokoto banditry report

A deepening humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Tureta and Dange/Shuni local government areas (LGAs) of Sokoto, where relentless bandit attacks have displaced thousands of residents—mostly women and children—forcing them to sleep under trees and in open fields. Once-thriving farming communities have now become desolate as persistent violence and fear push villagers to abandon their homes. Schools are closed, farmland lies fallow, and the echo of gunfire has replaced the rhythm of rural life. According to a mother of four who fled Tureta, Malama Halima: “I haven’t stepped into my house…

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Zamfara: Bandits storm village, abduct 23 women

Aminu Imam
Zamfara bandits

Armed bandits have abducted 23 women in Moriki town, Zurmi local government area of Zamfara State, while they were out fetching firewood. According to a report shared yesterday by security analyst Zagazola Makama via X, the incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. on Friday. Security sources who spoke to Makama said the victims, all residents of Moriki, were ambushed in the bush on the outskirts of the town and taken to an unknown destination. Following the abduction, troops of ‘Operation Fansan Yanma’, in collaboration with local vigilantes and other security agencies,…

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