Author: AbdulRahman Tahir, Maiduguri

IN a bid to revitalize his administration and strengthen governance, Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has reshuffled his cabinet, relieving two commissioners of their duties and appointing their replacements. The development was announced on Thursday via an official statement released by the governor’s spokesperson, Dauda Iliya, in Maiduguri, made available to News Point Nigeria. The officials affected by the shake-up include: Engr. Emet Kois, Commissioner for Environment, and Hon. Tukur Ibrahim Shani, Commissioner for Intergovernmental Affairs and Special Duties. Governor Zulum expressed his gratitude to the outgoing commissioners for their service to the state, while also extending his…

FORMER Borno State Governor and Senator, Ali Modu Sheriff, has urged the Federal Government to strengthen regional alliances with neighbouring countries as a critical step towards ending the Boko Haram insurgency. Speaking as a guest on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today monitored by News Point Nigeria, Sheriff stressed that lasting peace in Nigeria’s northeast could not be achieved without meaningful cooperation with neighbouring states. “What should be done is that we have to have a proper relationship with Cameroon, Chad, and Niger,” he said when asked what must be done to permanently end the Boko Haram crisis. The…

THE troops of Operation Hadin Kai have toiled Boko Haram attack on Monguno and Bitta in Borno State, killing several terrorists, including a Boko Haram commander. According to a statement by the Deputy Director Army Public Relations, Captain Reuben Kovangiya, the troops courageously foiled terrorists’ infiltration attack into Monguno. “The resilient troops during the attempted infiltration, engaged the insurgents with superior fire power, resulting in the neutralization of several terrorists, among whom was a senior Commander, Ibn Khalid, and also their cameraman,” he said. He noted that the troops, while in pursuit of the fleeing terrorists, also observed traces of…

SUSPECTED Boko Haram insurgents on Tuesday abducted the Secretary of Kukawa Local Government Council in Borno State, along with one other person, in what appears to be a targeted attack near the troubled Lake Chad region. Security and local sources confirmed the incident to this newspaper, revealing that the victims were intercepted around 1:35 p.m. at Garin Kashim, a rural location along the route to Kukawa town. The LG Secretary, who was reportedly newly posted to the area, was travelling in a Volkswagen Golf vehicle when the gunmen ambushed the car. “The insurgents flagged down the vehicle, singled out the…

FROM above, Monguno looks like a military fortress carved into the desert, surrounded by deep trenches and layers of defences. Located in Nigeria’s conflict-ridden Borno State, the garrison town has become a rare sanctuary in a region still gripped by insurgent violence. While the insurgents led by Boko Haram and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have been pushed back from its peak in 2015, attacks on military positions have surged again this year. Over a dozen army bases in Borno and Yobe States have been attacked or briefly overtaken by militants. Monguno itself was captured…

THE Borno State Police Command has confirmed the remarkable escape and safe return of two teenagers, Ayuba Ishaku and Yakubu Haruna, who were abducted by Boko Haram insurgents in 2019. The boys, now around 13 years old, were held captive for over four years before seizing a rare opportunity to flee from a terrorist camp and make their way back to safety. According to a statement issued on Tuesday by the police spokesperson, ASP Nahum Daso, the escape occurred on July 8, 2025, when the insurgents left their camp for an operation, leaving the boys unsupervised. Taking advantage of the…

FOR Saminu Wakili, life has been a test of resilience, survival, and purpose. His bright smile and crisp black-and-white barrister’s robes may reflect the image of a promising young lawyer, but behind his formal legal attire lies the haunting past of a boy who fled Boko Haram violence with nothing but a will to live. Born and raised in Gwoza, a community in Borno State, Wakili’s life was violently upended in 2013 when insurgents from the Boko Haram sect attacked his town, destroying homes, schools, and lives. “They burnt our houses, burnt everything we owned,” Wakili recalled in a heartfelt…

NINE people have been killed in an attack on Malamfatori in the Abadam Local Government Area of Borno State. The attack also left four others injured in the attack on the border community, 272 kilometres from Maiduguri. In a press statement from the Borno State Government, the Governor, Babagana Zulum, who was represented by the Commissioner for Local Government and Emirate Affairs, Sugun Mele, condoled with the families of the victims of the attack, making cash donations to them. “We are here at the instance of His Excellency, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, who is out of the country on an…

BORNO State Governor, Babagana Zulum, has dismissed speculation in some sections of the media that he would lead five other governors in defecting to the opposition coalition party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC). Zulum, in a statement by his spokesperson, Dauda Iliya, described the rumour as an unfounded fabrication by unscrupulous elements seeking relevance. The governor reiterated his loyalty to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The statement quoted the governor as saying, “We have become aware of a fictitious and mischievous social media report circulating in certain quarters, alleging plans by me to decamp from the All Progressives Congress…

TWO women have been killed in a recent flood disaster in Wovi Community of Damboa Local Government Area (LGA) of Borno, while several houses have been destroyed in Rumirgo, Askira Uba LGA, displacing several families. In a statement, Dauda Iliya, the spokesperson to the Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum, extended his principal’s sympathy to the victims and their families. “I received with profound sorrow the sad news of the devastating flood disaster in the Wovi community, which claimed the lives of two women, as well as the destruction of homes in Gumsuri, displacing many families,” he said. “Equally distressing is…

FOUR persons have been killed while 10 others sustained injuries when an Isuzu vehicle conveying passengers from Damboa to Maiduguri, Borno State rammed into an improvised explosive device (IED) suspected to have been planted by Boko Haram terrorists. The incident occurred as the vehicle reached Komala Village, Konduga, in Konduga local government area of Borno State. This newspaper recalls that in a similar incident last Friday at the same Konduga, a suspected Boko Haram suicide bomber detonated an IED at a joint in a crowded fish market and killed 12 persons with 18 others sustaining injuries. Security sources and eyewitnesses…

BORNO State Governor, Babagana Zulum, on Monday blamed the recent suicide bombing in Konduga Local Government Area on the presence of illicit drug markets, vowing to enforce a ban on the sale of alcohol and drugs across all 27 local government areas of the state. The governor made this known during a sympathy visit to the affected community, where he promised a statewide crackdown on all illegal drug markets, unapproved structures, and locations that promote criminal activities. Recall that PUNCH Online had reported on June 20, 2025, that a suicide bomber detonated an explosive in Konduga, killing 12 people and…

VICE President, Kashim Shettima, has arrived in Mokwa, Niger State, following the devastating flood that left at least 200 people dead and hundreds displaced. More details shortly…

COMMUNITIES around the army detention facility in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, have demanded the immediate relocation of the barracks out of the community. Known as Giwa Barracks, the facility is located in the Jere Local Government Area of Borno State. During a press briefing by members of the communities in Maiduguri, the residents decried the risk level they are being exposed to living near the detention facility. This came after an explosion that rocked the army armory at Giwa Barracks a month ago, leading to the destruction of the armory and other buildings within proximity. According to the Chairman…

MANY passengers have reportedly been killed after an improvised explosive device planted at a local bus stop detonated in Mairari village, Guzamala Local Government Area of Borno State. Our correspondent gathered that the incident, which occurred around 11am on Sunday, left many others injured at the scene. Confirming the incident to this newspaper, the Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdulkarim Lawan said those killed were passengers waiting to board vehicles. “It is unfortunate that many of my resilient constituents were killed by planted IEDs while waiting to board vehicles at a local bus stop in…

A BOKO Haram/ISWAP commander, Amir Abu Fatima, who had a ₦10 million bounty placed on him, has been killed in a targeted military operation by Nigerian troops in the Kukawa area of Borno State. The Nigerian Army confirmed the development in a statement released on Friday via its official X handle. The operation, which took place on Thursday under Operation Hadin Kai, followed actionable intelligence pointing to the presence of high-ranking terrorists in the area. The Army said the raid was carried out by Special Forces and led to the elimination of Abu Fatima, his deputy, several explosives specialists, and…

GOVERNOR Babagana Zulum of Borno has donated N5 million each to the families of eight members of the Civilian Joint Task Force ( CJTF) who recently died in an explosion on the Dikwa to Marte road. Zulum, who made this known on Friday during a condolence visit to the families of the deceased in Maiduguri, also granted a scholarship to their children. The Civilian CJTF is a volunteer security group that supports military operations against insurgents in Borno State and other parts of the North-East. “I want to announce a financial assistance of N5 million to each of the bereaved…

THE Nigerian military has arrested four Pakistani nationals suspected of having links to terrorist activities in the North East region. Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, made the disclosure during a briefing with defence correspondents who visited the theatre of operations in Maiduguri on Wednesday. Preliminary investigations indicate that the arrested foreigners were involved in arms trafficking and the training of terrorist groups operating within Nigeria’s North-East. General Abubakar explained that the presence of foreign mercenaries has significantly increased the lethality and tactical sophistication of terrorist groups such as ISWAP and JAS. He said, “The infiltration…

BORNO Governor Babagana Zulum has vowed that no local government area in the State will be allowed to fall into the hands of Boko Haram or the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) insurgents, declaring an unyielding stance against renewed security threats in the region. “A few days ago, I made a call that no local government shall be allowed to be taken over by Boko Haram or ISWAP members. It will never happen now,” Zulum stated on Monday while speaking with journalists after a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the State House, Abuja. Zulum emphasised that with…

GOVERNOR Babagana Zulum of Borno has announced a full scholarship for all female indigenes of the state who scored 250 and above in the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). The UTME is conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for candidates seeking admission into tertiary institutions after their secondary school education. Zulum made the scholarship announcement on Saturday in Maiduguri. He spoke during the inauguration of new executive members of the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN), Maiduguri Chapter, and a scholarship programme facilitated by his wife, Dr. Habiba Babagana Zulum. The governor said the…