Senators yesterday linked the current upsurge in banditry and Boko Haram activities to the 2027 elections. Speaking during discussions on a motion of urgent importance on the many cases of Boko Haram and arm banditry, sponsored by Senator Shuaibu Isa Lau, PDP, Taraba North, both Senators Sunday Karimi, APC, Kogi West and Danjuma Goje, APC, Gombe Central, urged the federal …

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)/Transparency International in Nigeria has commended the Zamfara State Governor, Dr. Dauda Lawal for launching Operation Safe Corridor, an initiative aimed at tackling insecurity through non-kinetic means. According to the governor, the special operation is designed for ‘disarmament, de-radicalisation, and integration of repentant bandits who surrender unconditionally, facilitating their reintegration into society’. In a …

The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has defended the commission’s ongoing crackdown on internet fraudsters, popularly known as Yahoo Yahoo boys, despite criticisms from some quarters. Speaking on Thursday while receiving the management of The PUNCH at the EFCC’s corporate headquarters in Abuja, Olukoyede stated that the country lost over $500 million in …

President Bola Tinubu has directed the Nigerian military to ensure that banditry is brought to an end in 2025, Minister of State for Defense, Bello Mohammed Matawalle, has said. Matawalle disclosed this on Saturday while addressing All Progressives Congress (APC), members at his Gusau residence, promising that the military would do everything to comply with the President’s directive. The former …

The Patriots for Peace and Social Development has said that is alarmed by the “sensational” reportage in a major newspaper, which was published on 28 September 2024. According to the group, the story did not state the specific court and judge that purportedly heard the matter of the Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Bello Matawalle, and “okay” it. Matawalle …

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Friday, okayed a suit seeking to compel the Federal Government to investigate the alleged link between the Minister of State for Defence, Alhaji Bello Matawalle and the operation of bandits in Zamfara State. Cited as 1st to 3rd defendants in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1434/2024, which was brought before the court by a …

Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia has accused those he described as Abuja politicians of being behind the armed banditry and killings in the Sankera axis of the state comprising Katsina-Ala, Ukum and Logo Local Government Area (LGAs). The governor, who made the allegation Sunday after attending a thanksgiving service organised at the Chapel of Grace, Government House Makurdi, …

The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Abubakar, yesterday, declared that it will take decades for the north-west to be free from the menacing security challenge. The Sultan spoke in Katsina at the ‘Inaugural North West Peace and Security Summit’. In his address, the Sultan said: “What we must do is challenge these bandits because we all know the consequences of banditry …

The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Wednesday, raised the concern over illegal mining, banditry, kidnapping and other vices in the Oke-Ogun area in particular and the state in general. He made this known while playing host to the Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) of Police, Force Criminal Investigation Department and South West zone, Abiodun Alabi, at the Conference Hall of the …

Katsina State governor, Dikko Radda has accused some government officials and security personnel of aiding banditry in the country, saying that banditry has become a business venture for these officials. The governor, who revealed that one bandit leader has over 100 camps in his state, said poverty has made recruitment into banditry easy, adding that as little as N500 could …