Airstrikes and an Unintended Escalation WHEN United States warplanes struck suspected terrorist hideouts in Sokoto State on Christmas Day, 25 December 2025, Nigerian authorities publicly welcomed the move, describing it as a strategic boost to the country’s counterterrorism campaign. The strikes, carried out with federal approval, were aimed at degrading Islamic State-affiliated cells operating along […]
By MAHMOOD MALIK MUSA (M. M. M.) IBRAHIM Bandits Establish Parallel Tax Regime in Food-Producing Belt ARMED groups operating across parts of Kano and Katsina states have allegedly imposed an illegal “farming tax” on rural communities, demanding up to ₦50,000 per acre from sugarcane farmers before they are allowed to harvest their crops. The levies […]
By TOSI ORE Analysts Warn South-West Becoming New Haven for Displaced Bandits PUBLIC anxiety is mounting across the South-West following the recovery of the remains of five Forest Guards killed in a bandit attack on the National Park Service office in Oloka, Oyo State, an incident that analysts say signals a dangerous shift in Nigeria’s […]
WHAT should have been a time for healing after loss instead became another chapter of pain for the family of Lawrence Iorwa, whose home was violently invaded by gunmen just five days after the burial of their mother. The attackers, witnesses say, specifically demanded money contributed during the funeral, exposing a disturbing trend of criminals […]
By ABDUL AHMED (A. A.) RUFUS A Viral Video and Serious Allegations WANTED bandit leader Bello Turji has reignited controversy in Nigeria’s security discourse after accusing two former northern governors of laying the groundwork for insecurity in Zamfara and Sokoto states. In a widely circulated video, Turji alleged that past administrations armed vigilante groups, actions […]
By NJORIGE LYNUS A humanitarian group, Equipping The Persecuted, has raised alarm over an alleged plot to carry out coordinated attacks in parts of northern Nigeria on Christmas Day, triggering concern among security watchers even as the Presidency dismissed the warning as questionable. The group’s founder, Judd Saul, disclosed the intelligence during […]
By ALIYU AMINU ABUBAKAR ABDULLAHI (A.A.A.A.) SHEHU SHEIKH Ahmad Gumi has defended his long-standing advocacy for dialogue with bandits, insisting that the abduction of schoolchildren, though “evil,” is a “lesser evil” compared to killing soldiers. Speaking to the BBC, he argued that not all criminal acts carry equal weight, especially in cases where abducted children […]
By DAVID JOHN-FLUKE ACROSS the southern belt — from Oyo’s dense forests to the mangrove labyrinth of the Niger Delta — a new and unsettling reality has taken hold: bandit groups that once operated mainly in the North are pushing further south, probing borderlands, and testing weakly policed corridors. Investigations show […]
By ANITA KNIGHT AMNESTY International Nigeria has delivered a strong rebuke of the Federal Government, accusing President Bola Tinubu’s administration of failing to protect citizens amid a surge in bandit attacks, mass abductions, and deadly raids across the country. In a statement posted Monday on its official X handle, the human rights organisation said armed […]
By TOSI ORE SECURITY operatives in Benue State have arrested seven Cameroonian nationals suspected of involvement in banditry and cross-border criminal activities in Imande-Agbatse, a community that straddles the Nigeria–Cameroon border. The suspects—identified as Titakung Cyril Gadinga, Nuvi Clifford Babila, Foyabo Godwin Nuvi T., Doh Collins Dobgima, Basil Smith, Dama Kenneth Babila, and Dingana Emmanuel—were […]