Plateau State Governor Caleb Muftwang has described the recent wave of violence across the state as a “sponsored genocide” aimed at wiping out entire communities, alleging that armed bandits have seized control of at least 64 villages.

Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme on Tuesday, Muftwang expressed deep concern over the sustained attacks that have claimed over 50 lives and displaced thousands in the Bokkos Local Government Area and beyond.

“I can tell you in all honesty that I cannot find any explanation other than genocide sponsored by terrorists,” the governor said. “The question is, who are the persons behind the organisers of this terrorism? This is what the security agencies must help us to unravel.”

He emphasized the need for cohesive action among security agencies to identify and dismantle the networks behind the violence. “This is being sponsored from somewhere, and I am sure that in the coming days, the security agencies will work together — not at cross purposes but in unison — to be able to bring out the requisite intelligence that will help us to put this matter behind us,” he added.

The Plateau governor’s remarks come amid a renewed surge of deadly attacks in Plateau State, particularly in Bokkos LGA, where several communities have been razed in what locals and authorities are calling targeted assaults.

Muftwang also disclosed that armed groups have forcibly taken over and renamed dozens of communities, with residents displaced and unable to return to their ancestral lands.

“As I am talking to you, there are not less than 64 communities that have been taken over by bandits on the Plateau between Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, and Riyom local government areas,” he said. “They have been taken over, renamed, and people are living there conveniently on lands they pushed people away to occupy.”

Plateau State, in Nigeria’s North-Central region, has long suffered from ethno-religious and resource-based conflicts, often between farming communities and herders. However, Muftwang insisted that the scale and coordination of the recent attacks point to more sinister motives.

“These are not random acts. This is a pattern — systematic and organized,” he said.

The governor’s alarming revelations have intensified calls for urgent federal intervention, including a robust security response to reclaim the occupied territories and protect vulnerable communities.

While the Federal Government has yet to formally respond to the governor’s allegations, pressure is mounting on security agencies to not only stop the attacks but also identify and prosecute the masterminds behind them.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has discontinued manual luggage screening at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, following the installation of cutting-edge Rapiscan security systems.

The newly deployed Orion 928DX scanners—among the most advanced in global aviation—now handle baggage checks, significantly reducing passenger processing times while enhancing detection capabilities. Four high-capacity machines have been installed at MMIA, capable of identifying narcotics, explosives, concealed currency, and other prohibited items with high accuracy.

Physical searches will now only occur when the scanners flag suspicious items. Additionally, surveillance monitors have been set up for border control agencies, including the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Customs (NCS), NDLEA, and NAQS, all linked to a central control system for improved transparency.

Key Features of the New System

- AI-Powered Threat Detection: The Orion 928DX uses real-time scanning with dual-mode auto-set functions to detect explosives, drugs, organic materials, and undeclared cash simultaneously.

- Enhanced Imaging: Security personnel can isolate specific pixels to trace suspicious items within luggage.

- Reduced Manual Checks: A secondary search is only conducted when necessary, with a private screening cubicle available for discreet inspections.

Juliet Chima-Ogechukwu, FAAN’s ICT head at MMIA, confirmed that staff have been trained on the new systems. “The scanner highlights threats in real time, eliminating the need for random bag searches,” she said.

E-Gates and Inter-Agency Collaboration

Albert Afegbai, FAAN’s Director of Aviation Security, emphasized that the new e-gates—currently on a test run—will further streamline passenger movement by allowing boarding pass scans for access, reducing touting and unauthorized entry.

The manual search table at the terminal entrance will be removed this week to improve passenger flow. Similar upgrades are underway at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and other major airports.

Hamas quietly cuts Gaza death count, reveals most killed were combat-age men

Hamas has revised its casualty figures from the Gaza war, removing hundreds of names from its official list of war fatalities, and revealing that 72% of those killed between ages 13 and 55 were males – a demographic largely composed of combatants. The updated figures contradict Hamas'earlier claims that most casualties were women and children.

Salo Aizenberg, from the U.S.-based nonprofit HonestReporting, uncovered the changes through a detailed analysis of Hamas’ casualty lists. The investigation revealed that 3,400 names, including over 1,080 children, were removed from the group’s March 2025 report after being listed in 2024.

Aizenberg pointed out that the original reports, published by the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health, were widely cited by major international organizations, including the United Nations and the International Criminal Court (ICC). "These ‘deaths’ never happened. The numbers were falsified – again," he wrote.

The United Nations did not respond to a Fox News Digital request asking if the world body regretted disseminating those numbers in light of the revised figures.

A spokesperson for the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is investigating Israel for war crimes, told Fox News Digital, "We cannot provide comments on matters related to ongoing investigations. This approach is essential to protect the integrity of investigations, and to ensure the safety and security of victims, witnesses, and all those with whom the Office interacts." 

"David Adesnik, vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who has also been tracking the figures, reached a similar conclusion. According to his analysis, "72% of the fatalities between the ages of 13 and 55 are male."

"Even at age 13, there's a major excess of male over female deaths, and the disparity grows with age," Adesnik told Fox News Digital. "If you calculate from age 13 to 59, there’s a little more than 15,000 excess men. That gives you an idea of how many are actually fighters."

His analysis showed a striking gender imbalance: at age 13, there are 588 male casualties compared to 385 females; by age 19, the gap widens to 800 males versus 285 females. This trend continues throughout the age spectrum, suggesting a disproportionately high number of male combatant deaths.

Adesnik also highlighted issues with how deaths were recorded. "Significant numbers of names disappear from the list over time. It’s like 2,000 names are removed and new ones added," he said.

"He explained that during the first months of the war, Hamas divided deaths into two basic categories: those confirmed by hospitals and those reported by so-called ‘reliable media sources.’ "The Hamas-controlled ministry never identified these sources, and now denies it ever relied on them," Adesnik said. Later, the Hamas-controlled began to replace the deaths reported by media sources with those reported by families, "replacing one set of data with another to cover up their original manipulation," he added."

The head of the statistics team at Gaza’s health ministry, Zaher Al Wahidi, told Sky News that names submitted via the form had been removed as a precautionary measure pending a judicial investigation into each one. "We realized that a lot of people [submitted via the form] died a natural death," Wahidi said. Some families submitting false claims, Wahidi said, may have been motivated by the promise of government financial assistance.

Adesnik referenced Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu’s previous comments about Gaza war casualties. "He said 30,000 dead – 14,000 fighters, 16,000 civilians – while Hamas claimed 70% were women and children. This data gives us a clearer picture of the demographic breakdown and supports the IDF's claim that it is targeting combatants," he said.

The broader debate over casualty accuracy intensified after an Israeli strike on March 23 killed 15 humanitarian workers, including a paramedic, according to the United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent. The incident sparked outrage. However, the Israeli military stated that "the aid workers were mistakenly identified as terrorists".

According to preliminary findings, the incident occurred during a covert IDF operation. Roughly two hours earlier, Israeli forces had engaged in a firefight with terrorists in the same area. Later, feeling threatened, an IDF official told Fox News Digital, the troops opened fire on suspicious vehicles. The incident is still under investigation by the IDF.

In a related development, the IDF announced this week that Mohammed Saleh Mohammed Al-Bardawil, a senior Hamas terror leader, was killed in a targeted operation. Although referred to as a journalist in Gaza, the IDF said Bardawil was involved in producing propaganda videos, including footage of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

"The IDF and ISA will continue to target and dismantle Hamas' infrastructure to mitigate the threat it poses to Israeli civilians," the military said. In a separate statement, it emphasized: "The IDF makes great efforts to estimate and consider potential civilian collateral damage. The IDF has never, and will never, deliberately target children."

Fox News

The Lagos State Government has initiated a probe into the tragic maternal death of Mrs Kemi Folajimi, the pregnant woman who supposedly died because a private healthcare facility denied her crucial emergency care when her husband could not deposit N500,000 for her treatment. We have been Nigerians for long enough to know how the probe will go: embarrassed government officials will make the right noises, but very little structural change will be achieved by the end of the day. Mrs Folajimi did not die because of money; she died because Lagos is a disorganised city with a lack of infrastructure for emergency services.

Many commenters, including some respected television anchors, think the issue was solely about money. They unrealistically drew up how much money a man should have saved before having children. In a state where 93 per cent of workers reportedly earn less than N200,000, they think a man should have N500,000 tucked aside before he can be a father. Let me break this to you: in a chaotic society where facilities for primary healthcare and emergency services are absent, anyone can die like a dog even while their pockets bulge with money. People have so quickly forgotten that just weeks ago, a tech entrepreneur, Adetunji Opayele, also died in Lagos following a road accident where the bystanders were the ones transporting him from one hospital to the other in a public vehicle.

What killed Mrs Folajimi is a systemic issue that would not have been resolved by individual responsibility. Read the husband’s interview, and you will understand that the poverty that killed her was that of policy—a direct consequence of what is called “multi-dimensional” poverty. For their community to rely on midwives, it must mean that grassroots healthcare facilities are lacking. Now, before some clown pops out to remind us that even Western societies still use the services of midwives, please know they are not only highly regulated but also get to summon prompt emergency services when things go wrong. In Mrs Folajimi’s case, there was no such provision. From the private hospital in Lakowe that reportedly rejected her to the public hospital in Epe, where they referred her, was a journey of 40 minutes. That was a lot of time for a woman who needed emergency care.

According to Mr Folajimi, when they encountered a traffic jam on the way, he had to appeal to the traffic officers to negotiate a path for their vehicle, given the woman’s dire situation. Look at how much crucial time was lost doing all that! Money or no money, anyone could have died under such circumstances. In an organised society, she would have been transferred to another hospital in a siren-blowing ambulance while being attended to by medical professionals. Yet, Nigeria is a place where the only people who get to use sirens to shove us off the road are narcissistic public officials who serve no useful purpose to society. The major reason Oyinbo invented those devices has long been subverted by these highly placed miscreants running empty errands.

Yes, Lagos has initiated a probe, but you can bet the answer they will return would be some tame proclamations on what hospitals should do during emergencies. They are unlikely to indict their own failure to organise society to manage emergencies.

Beyond the shortcomings of Lagos on this matter is also the reality of multidimensional poverty. Over the weekend, President Bola Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Economic Affairs, Tope Fasua, got on television to downplay the reality of its impact. He said something to the effect that we (our society, I presume) do not know the meaning of the term, and it is one big jargon to bedazzle us and sensationalise poverty. He said, “They think multi-dimensional poverty is worse than food poverty. What multi-dimensional means is that maybe the school your children attend is too far from you or the hospital, and they categorise you as multi-dimensional.” But what exactly was his point? Is that multi-dimensional poverty’s denial of ready access to life-enhancing facilities any more or less desirable than food poverty? Either way, the point made no sense. Mrs Folajimi’s case is an illustrative instance of the distance (literal and otherwise) between death and life, and she is by no means unique. Life in Nigeria gets abridged daily due to multidimensional poverty.

Fasua made several points in that interview that confirm the fears that I have held about the moral vision of the Tinubu administration. These people have no agenda of prosperity and plenitude, and their deficiency is why they routinely valorise poverty. I used to think hyping poverty was the defining ethos of the Muhammadu Buhari administration given how the man not only likes to pretend that he is poor, but also treats poverty—in others, not for himself or immediate family—as some sort of virtue. However, between Tinubu, who narrated a story of how his “friend” became an ẹdun arinlẹ̀ and associates who think a Nigerian can survive on N1500 daily, the APC talakawa mentality is self-evident.

According to Fasua, while $10 won’t buy anyone lunch anywhere in the US, Nigerians can eat with as little as $1. First, he is wrong about the USA. In their poorer states, you can even have breakfast and lunch for $10. Here is the fun fact which one would not have expected an economist like Fasua to have missed: what it takes to earn lunch in the US vs. Nigeria. In the US, where the minimum wage per hour ranges from $7.50 to $15, it takes one hour (or less) of work to buy lunch. Whereas in Nigeria, where the daily minimum wage comes to N2560, you will need almost half a day of work, going by Fasua’s N1500. You dare not eat twice a day on a minimum wage.

At N1,500 per meal per day, you are also not supposed to afford any indulgence, no matter how small. Let us momentarily presume that this Nigerian, being asked to survive in this way, does not have any family, immediate or extended, who depend on them for money. There is no consideration for how our hypothetical Nigerian should be able to afford other necessities like shelter, clothing, hospital bills, and even have some savings! The present government’s idea of how a Nigerian should live is to work, eat basic meals, and die.

If they properly map the geography of poverty to understand its multi-dimensional impact, they would speak to the issues beyond food. Poverty is more than food; it cannot be solved if the average person on a minimum wage eats within their constricted means. Poverty is also about the social safety net and access to life-enhancing facilities. Rather than bending logic to mask the problem of “multi-dimensional” poverty, treating it as just a bunch of words strung together by economists who want to sensationalise administrative failings, they should open their eyes to its real-life impact. The poverty that killed Mrs. Folajimi is not all about money.

There is also a great deal of incoherence in this administration’s understanding of what constitutes poverty. For instance, when they inaugurated the student loan scheme for indigent Nigerians, they pegged the income level of an eligible family at N500,000 annually (or N42,000 monthly). Yet the same government’s idea of a poor individual is a person who can eat N1,500 (N45,000 monthly) worth of food daily. Meanwhile, at N1,500 per meal daily, should a family of four not be earning a minimum of N180,000 monthly?

Even worse, this same society where the people who have the ears of the government tell us that a mere N1,500 is enough for daily survival also expects a man to have saved N500,000 to deposit for his pregnant wife’s treatment in the hospital. How many Nigerians even earn that much in a year? How many of those who do have that much saved up? The reality is far more twisted, and it is almost callous how the people blaming the Folajimis too easily overlooked the structural issues that took her life.

Punch

Jamin Brahmbhatt

I’m writing this article at 2 a.m.

Not because I suffer from insomnia, but because I just woke up to pee. Now, like so many others, I can’t fall back asleep. Instead of scrolling aimlessly through social media, I figured — why not write about my experience?

I’m in my 40s and healthy, and I generally sleep well. But lately, I’ve found myself waking up once a night to urinate. Some nights, I roll over and drift right back to sleep. Other nights, like tonight, my brain kicks into overdrive, and I start thinking about work, family or the stock market (bad idea).

Since I’m a urologist, I have experience working through this symptom for my patients. For tonight’s case, I think I know what’s causing my problem.

Recently, I started drinking a “relaxing” nighttime tea to help me wind down and sleep better. But instead of helping me sleep through the night, I’ve noticed I’m waking up more frequently to urinate. As it turns out, the tea might be acting as a natural diuretic, pushing more fluid through my system and irritating my bladder.

Why you keep waking up to pee

Most of us assume waking up to urinate is purely a bladder issue, but that’s not always true. Frequent nighttime trips could be caused by hydration habits (as with my case), hormonal shifts, medications or even an undiagnosed sleep disorder.

Chances are you’ve experienced something similar. Maybe you wake up once, twice or even more during the night. Maybe it’s occasional, or maybe it’s every single night.
Either way, it’s not just happening to you. Frequent nighttime urination, known medically as nocturia, is one of the most common sleep disruptors, affecting many of my patients and many other people. While it may seem like just an annoying part of getting older, it can sometimes signal deeper health issues.

Let’s say you stop drinking that nighttime “relaxation” tea or other beverage and you’re still getting up. It could be an early warning sign of an underlying medical condition like high blood pressure, uncontrolled diabetes or sleep apnea.

So before you blame your bladder entirely, let’s sort through the most common reasons for nocturia.

Are you drinking or eating too much before bed?

This may seem obvious, but what you consume and when matters. You might assume your bladder is to blame, but your evening eating and drinking habits could be sabotaging your sleep.

Let’s start with what’s in your cup. Caffeinated drinks, alcohol and even certain herbal teas can act as diuretics, increasing urine production. That late-night glass of wine or after-dinner espresso could be the reason you’re up at 3 a.m. And while many reach for a “relaxing” nighttime tea, some herbal blends, such as chamomile or valerian root, have mild diuretic effects. Sure, you might fall asleep faster, but you could also be waking up to pee more often.

It’s not just about what you drink — it’s also what you eat. Foods with high water content can contribute significantly to nighttime urination. Fruits and veggies like watermelon, cucumbers, celery, oranges and grapes can increase your fluid intake. A bowl of fruit before bed may seem healthy, but it might also send you running to the bathroom multiple times. Soup and broth-based meals, especially when eaten late, can have a similar effect, overloading your bladder overnight.

What can you do? Try cutting off fluids two hours before bedtime and be mindful of water-heavy foods at night. If you suspect your nighttime tea is the culprit, try skipping it for a few nights to see if your sleep improves. Keeping a bladder diary that tracks evening foods and drinks can help pinpoint hidden triggers.

Your hormones are changing

As we age, our bodies naturally produce less antidiuretic hormone (ADH), the hormone that signals our kidneys to retain water overnight. With lower ADH levels, our kidneys produce more urine during sleep, leading to frequent awakenings.

For women, hormonal changes after menopause also contribute to nocturia. Lower estrogen levels can reduce bladder capacity and weaken pelvic floor muscles, increasing urgency and nighttime urination.

For men, hormones influence the prostate gland. Age-related changes in testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels stimulate prostate growth, known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). An enlarged prostate compresses the bladder and urethra, causing incomplete emptying, urgency, and more frequent bathroom visits, particularly at night.

Could it be a sign of a bigger problem?

Frequent nighttime urination can sometimes signal underlying health issues beyond just the bladder. Fluctuating blood pressure overnight can increase urine production, disrupting your sleep. Diabetes can also be a factor, as elevated blood sugar levels cause the body to flush excess glucose through urine, increasing frequency.

Sleep apnea also can play a major role in nocturia. Undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) leads to frequent awakenings throughout the night. Many people mistakenly attribute these wakeups to bladder issues, but it’s actually disrupted breathing patterns causing increased urine production.

If nocturia persists despite lifestyle adjustments, especially if accompanied by high blood pressure, loud snoring or daytime fatigue, it’s worth discussing with your doctor. Identifying underlying conditions can greatly improve your sleep and overall health.

Your medications could be a factor

Certain medications, especially diuretics (water pills) prescribed for high blood pressure or heart conditions, can significantly increase nighttime urination by boosting urine output. While beneficial for managing blood pressure, these medications can disrupt sleep if taken later in the day.

Other medications — including antidepressants, sedatives, muscle relaxants, diabetes medications and calcium channel blockers — can also influence bladder function or fluid balance, inadvertently worsening nocturia.

If medications seem to be contributing, ask your doctor about adjusting dosages or timing. Simply taking diuretics earlier in the day can help reduce overnight bathroom trips without compromising treatment effectiveness.

Your sleep cycles change as you age

Sometimes, it’s not really your bladder waking you up — you’re waking up anyway. As we age, we spend less time in deep rapid eye movement, or REM, sleep, resulting in lighter sleep and easier awakening. Minor disturbances, such as noise, movement or a slightly full bladder, can now easily interrupt sleep.

When younger, your body could ignore minor bladder signals and remain asleep. With age, sleep becomes fragmented, making you more likely to wake up and then register the urge to urinate. This explains why nocturia often worsens even with a healthy bladder.

Improving overall sleep hygiene by maintaining a consistent bedtime, keeping your bedroom dark and cool, and avoiding screens before bed can help you to sleep more deeply. If you wake briefly, try relaxing and returning to sleep before automatically heading to the bathroom.

Don’t ignore the wake-up calls

Frequent nighttime urination isn’t just inconvenient; it’s disrupting your sleep, your mood and potentially your overall health. Let’s face it: Waking up at 2 a.m. to pee isn’t how anyone wants to spend their night.

The good news is you’re not stuck with it. If small changes such as limiting fluids before bed or adjusting medications don’t help, it’s time to look deeper. The real issue might be your hormones, prostate, heart health or sleep quality itself.

So next time you shuffle to the bathroom at night, don’t accept it as normal.
Listen to your body. It might be sending you an important message. (And make sure to install some night-lights in the bathroom to spare your toes.)

CNN

Global oil prices plummeted to four-year lows Wednesday, with Brent crude crashing 3.4% to $60.69/barrel and WTI falling 4% to $57.22, as the U.S. imposed 104% tariffs on Chinese imports - a move that could cripple Nigeria's oil-dependent economy already reeling from production shortfalls and stalled reforms.

Trade War Triggers Market Collapse

The tariff escalation between the world's top two economies has sparked fears of a global recession, with Rystad Energy warning China's oil demand growth could drop by 100,000 barrels daily. The crisis compounds existing market pressures after OPEC+'s decision to increase output by 411,000 bpd in May.

Goldman Sachs now forecasts Brent could fall to $55 by 2026 - $20 below Nigeria's 2025 budget benchmark of $75/barrel. With current prices at $60, Africa's largest oil producer faces a catastrophic revenue shortfall.

Nigeria's Perfect Storm

The petroleum sector's collapse threatens to:

1. Derail the N55 trillion budget

- Already, Q1 2025 saw N5.4 trillion in unrealized oil revenue due to production deficits

2. Trigger massive borrowing

- The fiscal deficit could surpass N13 trillion as net oil revenues dwindle to $25/barrel after $40 production costs

3. Paralyze refineries

- Dangote Refinery may abandon U.S. crude imports due to tariffs, while domestic supply constraints worsen

4. Worsen debt crisis

- Crude-backed loan repayments face default risks with dwindling output

"At below $70 oil, we're in crisis territory," warned NES President Adeola Adenikinju. "The budget framework is becoming impractical."

Production Woes Compound Crisis

Despite briefly hitting 1.54 mbpd in January, Nigeria's output remains 25% below its 2.06 mbpd target. February saw production crash to 1.46 mbpd, resulting in:

- 15.5 million barrels lost in January ($1.13 billion revenue shortfall)

- 16.8 million barrels lost in February ($1.26 billion deficit)

- 15.5 million barrels lost in March ($1.03 billion gap)

Energy lawyer Ameh Madaki blasted Nigeria's "fraudulent budgeting process," noting: "We're borrowing to fund fiscal recklessness while citizens suffer."

No Easy Solutions**

With tax reforms stalled in the National Assembly and NNPC's new leadership needing months to address oil theft and production challenges, economists urge emergency measures:

- Immediate budget revisions to reflect $60-$65 oil reality

- Drastic cuts to wasteful expenditures

- Accelerated economic diversification

As Wood Mackenzie warns of prolonged $73 oil averages, Nigeria faces its worst fiscal crisis in a decade - caught between global trade wars and domestic production failures that could collapse its 2025 economic plans.

Eleven Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors have filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court challenging President Bola Tinubu's declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara's administration.

The suit, marked SC/CV/329/2025 and filed on Tuesday, questions the constitutional validity of Tinubu's March 18 executive action, which removed Fubara, Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu, and the Rivers State House of Assembly, replacing them with retired Vice Admiral Ibok Ete Ibas as sole administrator for six months.

The governors—from Adamawa, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Delta, Taraba, Zamfara, and Bayelsa states—are contesting whether the president has the power to dissolve a democratically elected state government under emergency provisions.

Constitutional Questions Raised

The plaintiffs, represented by their state attorneys general, posed three key questions for the Supreme Court's determination:

1. Whether the president can lawfully suspend a governor and deputy governor and replace them with an unelected administrator under emergency powers.

2. Whether the president can suspend a state House of Assembly under emergency rule.

3. Whether such actions violate constitutional federalism and the 1999 Constitution's separation of powers.

The governors argue that Tinubu's move sets a dangerous precedent that could threaten Nigeria's democratic structure, particularly given the National Assembly's endorsement of the suspension.

Legal and Political Implications

The case has significant ramifications for Nigeria's federal system, testing the limits of presidential emergency powers under Section 305 of the constitution. The PDP governors' challenge also reflects deepening political tensions, as Rivers State remains a flashpoint between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition PDP.

The respondents—expected to include the Attorney General of the Federation and the federal government—have 14 days to respond to the summons.

This legal battle unfolds amid Nigeria's broader security crises, including insurgency in the Northeast and rampant banditry in the Northwest, raising concerns about executive overreach in governance and emergency measures.

Next Steps:

The Supreme Court's ruling could redefine the balance of power between federal and state governments, setting a critical precedent for Nigeria's democracy.

A fresh wave of violence has swept through Nigeria’s Northwest region, with bandits and armed groups killing at least 10 people and abducting over 120 in coordinated attacks across Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi states within days—underscoring the worsening insecurity plaguing the country.

Katsina: Six Killed, 59 Abducted in Brutal Raids

In Katsina, bandits struck multiple communities, leaving six dead and 59 kidnapped. The latest attack occurred Sunday night in Layin Gara village (Funtua LGA), where two were killed and 16 abducted. A day earlier, over 100 gunmen stormed Maikuma village (Dandume LGA), killing four and seizing 43 residents.

“They moved house to house for hours before retreating into the forest with their victims,” a witness told Daily Trust. Dandume LGA Chairman Basiru Musa confirmed the assault, lamenting that security forces were restricted from pursuing the bandits beyond operational boundaries.

Zamfara: Bandits Kill 2, Abduct 60 in Retaliation for Kingpins’ Deaths

Zamfara faced even deadlier reprisal attacks as bandits loyal to warlord Adamu Aliero raided Tsafe LGA communities, killing two and abducting over 60. The violence followed the killing of Aliero’s brother, Kachalla Yellow (aka Dan Isuhu), in a security operation two weeks prior.

On Sunday, gunmen attacked Gidan Arne village, shooting three residents—two died instantly—and abducting 40 women. Simultaneously, Keta village was raided, leaving one dead, 11 vehicles torched, and shops looted. Earlier assaults in Yan Doton Daji and Unguwan Chida saw 21 more kidnapped.

“These attacks are revenge for the bandit leaders killed by security forces,” a community leader revealed. Despite military operations, bandits continue exploiting Zamfara’s vast forests, imposing illegal levies on farmers and executing deadly ambushes—including the October 2024 killing of nine state guards.

Sokoto & Kebbi: Fishermen Murdered, Student Kidnapped

In Sokoto’s Tangaza LGA, the Lakurawa militia killed two fishermen and a farmer in Sanyinna village Tuesday, just a day after nearby Sutti and Takkau were attacked. Meanwhile, in Kebbi, gunmen stormed a university hostel in Birnin Kebbi, abducting 23-year-old student Augustine Madubiya and killing a herder who tried to intervene.

Authorities’ Response

While police in Sokoto and Kebbi vowed to track the perpetrators, Zamfara’s officials remained silent. Katsina’s officials urged stronger federal intervention, with Dandume’s chairman warning that bandits operate “without fear.”

A Region Under Siege

The relentless attacks highlight the Northwest’s descent into lawlessness, with bandits and militias exploiting weak security presence, vast forests, and communal vulnerabilities. Despite government assurances, residents face daily terror—raising urgent questions about Nigeria’s capacity to curb the escalating crisis.

—Reports compiled from Daily Trust and eyewitness accounts.