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Boko Haram, Bandits On Rampage …Kill 15, Kidnap Six Women In Zamfara …Murder Six In Adamawa …PDP Suspends Campaign As Bandits Kill Sen Marafa’s Sister
Police in Zamfara State yesterday confirmed the killing of 15 persons and kidnap of six women by gunmen in Gusau Local Government Area of the state.
Public Relations Officer of the command, SP Muhammad Shehu, made the confirmation in a statement in Gusau.
Shehu said that on Monday, there was an attack in Wonaka, Ajja, Mada, Ruwan Baure, Doka, Takoka and Tudun-Maijatau villages of Mada district in Gusau area.
He said a woman was among the persons killed, adding that the attackers also kidnapped six women and a man.
“Fortunately, with the efforts of police and sister security agencies, the abducted women have regained their freedom and have re-joined their families.
“Normalcy has been restored to the affected villages, with improved deployment of PMF, CTU, Special Forces and Military teams to the area to forestall further attack on neighbouring villages.
“The attack is presumably a reprisal to the attack on some Fulanis in a J5 vehicle on Feb. 1, 2019 where seven Fulanis and their animals were killed and set ablaze by the outlawed `Yansakai,’ he said.
In another development, the PPRO said that the District Head of Gwashi in Bukkuyum Local Government Area reported to the police that armed bandits stormed Batauna village and killed 11 persons and set houses ablaze.
He, however, said that the details were sketchy to the police due to distance and terrain inaccessibility and lack of GSM coverage in area.
“Units of PMF/CTU/Special Forces and military were mobilized to complement the effort of security personnel already on ground and also confirm the authenticity of the report.
“The entire area and environs have been subjected to co-ordinated bush-combing for possible arrest of the perpetrators.
“The command urges members of the public to avoid taking laws into their hands and always report all complaints and grievances to constituted authority for legal redress.
“Discreet investigation into this dastardly act has already commenced and all perpetrators will be fished out and made to face the full wrath of the law,” he said.
Also, Boko Haram jihadists have killed six people in separate attacks in northeast Nigeria, looting shops and burning homes, residents said yesterday.
The latest attacks underline the threat to civilians in the region, with security high on the agenda as Nigerians prepare to elect a new president and parliament on February 16.
Last Monday, fighters loyal to factional leader Abubakar Shekau stormed the villages of Shuwa and Kirchina villages, in the Madagali area of Adamawa state.
Madagali is in the north of Adamawa, near the border with neighbouring Borno State, which has been at the epicentre of the nine-year conflict.
“They (Boko Haram) killed one person in Shuwa and two more in Kirchina,” Maina Ularamu, a community leader and former political administrator in the district, told newsmen
“The terrorists attacked Shuwa around 6:45 pm (1745 GMT), firing guns and RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) and chased away the policemen in the town.”
The insurgents stole vehicles, including a police van, and looted shops before setting fire to buildings.
Troops from Madagali, 13 kilometres (eight miles) away, deployed and engaged the militants in a fight, forcing them to withdraw.
The gunmen attacked Kirchina as they fled towards the Sambisa Forest which straddles Borno and Adamawa states, said local resident Sylvanus Waramulu.
“They killed two people, looted shops and burnt them along with several houses,” he added.
Earlier on Monday, Boko Haram fighters from the same faction shot dead three goat herders near the village of Tubba, some eight kms from the Borno state capital Maiduguri.
Two of the three were killed as they tried to recapture the herd of goats. Two others were missing and presumed captured, said local civilian militia leader Mustapha Muhammad.
Boko Haram has repeatedly targeted farmers, loggers and herders, accusing them of passing information on the group to soldiers and the militia fighting them.
Last month, four farmers were killed as they worked near Molai village, five kms outside Maiduguri.
Boko Haram’s decade-long uprising to establish a hardline Islamic state in remote northeastern Nigeria has killed more than 27,000 people and displaced 1.8 million from their homes.
The conflict has spilled into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, sparking a dire humanitarian crisis in the region.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suspended its governorship campaign in Zamfara State following fresh attacks on communities by bandits in the state.
The party’s governorship candidate, Alhaji Bello Matawalle announced the decision at a news briefing in Gusau yesterday.
“l want to announce that I have suspended all my campaign programmes due to the renewed rising bandits activities in the state.
“l also wish to call on the government and security agencies to come up with practical measures that will adequately bring the bandits activities to an end,” he said.
Matawalle, who expressed concern over the attacks, lamented that the situation was now taking a new dimensions where victims were particularly identified before being either killed, kidnapped or maimed.
Our correspondent reports that the bandits had on Monday stormed Ruwan Bore community in Gusau local government killing the elder sister of a serving Senator, Kabiru Marafa and several others.
An eye witness, Usman Makama told newsmen that the hoodlums attacked the village head’s House,where they killed one of his wives before moving into the village.
“They put the gun in her mouth and blew up her head after which they abducted the village head and one other person and then moved inside the village.
“This morning, we carried out the burial rites of 13 persons including Ade, the district head’s wife and we were told that the bandits attacked two other villages of Tudun Wadan Mai Jatau and Takoka where they killed scores,” he said.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, DSP Mohammed Shehu said the police were on top of the situation but that details were still being scanty.
Fubara gave the assurance last Friday at the NYSC permanent orientation camp, Nonwa-Gbam, Tai Local Government Area in the State, during the swearing-in ceremony of 2026 Batch B Stream II orientation course.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Bureau, Office of the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Promise Oguzie, the governor said the State Government would remain intentional in providing the necessary support to improve the NYSC scheme and enhance the experiences of corps members deployed to the state.
He charged the corps members to be role models and quality nation-builders in their service to the good people of Rivers State in particular, and Nigeria at large.
“I charge you to be exemplary, dedicated and committed in all you do. Take full advantage of all the camp programmes and activities to enrich yourselves”, he said.
In his welcome address, the State Coordinator of NYSC in Rivers State, Mr. Moses Oleghe, urged corps members to see their deployment to Rivers State as a “veritable opportunity to make meaningful contribution to the growth of the State in particular and Nigeria at large.”
He further charged them to serve with all sense of “integrity, discipline, and the fear of God, especially when they will be engaged as INEC ad-hoc staff that will conduct the 2027 general elections.”
A total of 3,584 corps members composed of 1,421 males and 2,163 females were sworn in by the Chief Judge of Rivers State, who was represented by Justice Godspower Aguma.
The Governor stated this yesterday when he received in audience, the World President of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, Pastor Erton Kohler; his wife, Andriene Marques Kohler; daughter Mariana Marques Kohler and a retinue of ministers of the church at Government House, Port Harcourt.
Fubara who hailed the Seventh Day Adventist Church for its contributions to education and the grooming of future leaders in Nigeria, expressed delight that the Church had over the years, been investing in education at various levels and currently runs two universities in the country.
He commended the church for not only using its institutions to spread the gospel of Christianity but to groom future leaders for the country.
According to him, religion should not be just about defending one’s faith, but also making meaningful impact on the lives of the people.
He said that by floating these educational institutions, the church has demonstrated capacity to support Nigeria in the task of producing not only educated people but a breed of God-fearing leaders.
“Our country is where it is today because we lack the fear of God. If you have the fear of God, there should be a limit to what you can do because you understand the supremacy of God. But when God is not in your equation, you’ll go beyond the line and that is what has brought us to where we are today.
“So, I feel very happy that you are contributing to the development of our future leaders in this country. We need the right people being in the right place; prepared properly with good minds; that is what we need, not just in Nigeria but round the whole world.,” he said.
Governor Fubara further observed that the absence of God-fearing people in high places to take the right decisions that could impact positively on the society, has also given rise to other problems such as social inequality, poverty, corruption and criminality. According to him, Nigeria needs a system where the average parent could afford quality education for their children and a guarantee that upon graduation, the average child will have the capacity to compete favourably with anybody, anywhere in the world.
“If we have a situation where the little money that you’re being paid as wage can also afford you quality healthcare and after working at least for 15-20 years, you have a roof over your head, tell me why you should be involved in any kind of crime? At that point, you’ll feel secured and this attitude of insecurity about the future that leads to all the social vices we have today won’t be there,” he said.
Governor Fubara expressed appreciation to the delegation for the visit and for their prayers for Rivers State, assuring them of his continued support for their programmes in the state.
Leader of the delegation and World President of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, Pastor Erton Kohler said he was in Nigeria for a special conference of the church during which thousands of the church’s ministers will be undergoing an empowerment programme to further equip them for the task of herding their flocks and serving the society.
He expressed gratitude to the Governor for the warm reception accorded his entourage, saying the memory of the visit will linger in his mind for a lifetime.
Kohler disclosed that the Church has over twenty -four million (24,000,000) members and more than 182,000 places of worship, spread across 212 countries of the world.
This reaffirms the lawmakers’ commitment to enacting laws and taking legislative actions geared towards the overall development of the State.
The Assembly gave the approval during its Second Legislative Sitting of the Fourth Session held last Friday.
Speaking on the MTEF document during plenary, the House Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule, noted that by the provision of Section 10(1)(b) of the Rivers State Fiscal Responsibility Law No. 8 of 2010, the MTEF ought to have been laid before the House in September 2025.
Amaewhule explained that traditionally, the document is expected to be presented four months before the commencement of the next financial year and immediately after the expiration of every three-year fiscal cycle.
He, however, stated that in the interest of the State and its people, the House considered it necessary to deliberate on the document, describing it as a precursor to the 2026 Budget Estimates.
The Speaker expressed concern that the year had already progressed significantly before the presentation of the framework.
During deliberations on the document, members examined the assumptions and projections contained in the MTEF and observed that strict adherence to the outlined fiscal parameters would ultimately serve the interest of Rivers people.
The lawmakers maintained that effective implementation of the framework would promote prudent financial management and enhance developmental planning across the State.
Following the debate and positive consideration by members, the Speaker put the question to the House and members voted overwhelmingly in support of the approval of the MTEF.
Meanwhile, during the same sitting last Friday, the House also received a petition from the Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Council, Dr. Gift Worlu.
The petition was presented by the member representing Obio/Akpor Constituency II, Hon. Emilia Amadi.
According to the petition, concerns were raised over an imminent security breach, threats to lives, destruction of property and alleged forceful takeover of property by some lawless persons within parts of the Local Government Area.
Presenting the petition before the House, Hon. Amadi appealed to the lawmakers to revisit the matter and take necessary steps aimed at safeguarding lives and property in the affected communities.
The House is expected to further deliberate on the petition and consider measures to address the concerns raised in order to sustain peace and security in the area.
King Onunwor
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