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…
Author: AbdulRahman Tahir, Maiduguri
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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…
TROOPS of the Nigerian Army under Operation HADIN KAI on Thursday night repelled a coordinated attack by Boko Haram fighters on a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Gajibo village, Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State. The military disclosed this in a statement released Friday and signed by Ajemasu Yake Jingina, Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 7 Division Nigerian Army. According to the statement, the terrorists belonging to the Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) faction of Boko Haram and ISWAP launched the attack at approximately 10:20pm on May 22. The soldiers stationed at the base responded swiftly…
GOVERNOR Babagana Zulum of Borno State has accused some military officers and politicians of being informants and collaborators for Boko Haram terrorists. Speaking in an interview on News Central’s Breakfast Central, Zulum vowed to deal ruthlessly with saboteurs frustrating the efforts of his administration in tackling insurgency in the state. The governor also said his administration would strengthen its intelligence network to overcome terrorists and their saboteurs. He said: “We have informants and collaborators within the Nigerian Armed Forces, within the politicians, and within the communities. “What we shall do is to strengthen our intelligence and to deal with them…
BORNO State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, continued his visit to communities affected by the recent surge in Boko Haram attacks by travelling to Wulgo town yesterday. Wulgo, located on the fringes of Lake Chad, was recently attacked by armed insurgents, forcing troops of the Multi-National Joint Task Force, hitherto protecting the town, to retreat. By visiting Marte, Kala-Balge, and now Wulgo, Zulum aims to achieve a unified front in the fight against insecurity and to stimulate local support for sustainable peace and development. During his tour, the governor engaged with local leaders, listening to their concerns. He announced plans to…
NO fewer than 50 farmers and fishermen were killed in an attack by the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in the village of Malam Karanti near Baga, in the Kukawa Local Government Area of the northern part of Borno State, sources have said. Our correspondent gathered that the attack occurred on Thursday morning in Malam Karanti, a village five kilometres from Baga. Sources said the terrorists gathered farmers and fishermen near the village and killed 50 bean farmers. “The terrorists spared an elderly man, who later alerted the community. The terrorists assembled people in Malam Karanti and…
AN army Captain and a private soldier have been killed by Boko Haram terrorists in a midnight attack on Izge community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State According to the Emir of Gwoza, Mohammed Shehu Timta, the attack happened around 1 am on Wednesday when the terrorists infiltrated the farming community, shooting sporadically before the personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces with the assistance of local hunters, vigilantes and members of the civilian Joint Task Force repelled the terrorists, killing three of them while recovering items from the fleeing terrorists Several motorcycles, bicycles, an operational vehicle and a…
THE governor of Borno State, Professor Babagana Zulum, has banned the sale of alcoholic beverages while accusing military and other security personnel of promoting criminality and antisocial vices in Maiduguri and its environs. The Governor said that ex and current serving personnel of the Nigerian security forces have played a significant role in influencing the civilian populace into criminality, radicalism, prostitution and other vices, heightening terrorism threats in the state. The governor said this on Tuesday at the inauguration of a reconstituted committee on “revocation of illegal hotels, brothels, shanties, and criminal hideouts and curbing the menace of antisocial vices”…
ABOUT thirty persons, mostly women and children, have been killed as a result of Boko Haram activities in Chibok and Kala Balge on Monday in Borno State. Seven mourners were shot dead in a Community in Chibok while holding a third-day prayer for a late community leader in the evening, same day, commuters died after stepping on an IED planted by terrorists. Several others sustained varying degrees of gunshot injuries from the attackers, believed to be Boko Haram terrorists. The mourners were gathered for the final prayers of their community leader around 6 pm when the Boko Haram terrorists attacked…
THE Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) has refuted reports of an alleged bomb explosion at the Medium Security Custodial Centre (MSCC) in Maiduguri, describing the claim as “false and misleading.” In a statement dated 21st April 2025, signed by the Service’s Public Relations Officer, Deputy Controller of Corrections, Umar Abubakar, the NCoS clarified that there was no security breach at the facility or any other custodial centre across the country. “The attention of the Nigerian Correctional Service has been drawn to an online report of a purported bomb explosion in Maiduguri Custodial Centre. “This report is not true and is highly…
THE Police Command in Borno State has arrested eight suspects for allegedly killing and secretly burying a new born baby at a private hospital in Kwatam on Baga Road, Maiduguri. The command’s Public Relations Officer, Nahun Daso, disclosed this in an interview with some journalists in Maiduguri, yesterday. Daso said the incident occurred on April 18, 2025 at about 1:00 p.m., following a distress call received by the police from concerned residents who witnessed the suspicious act. He explained that the police operatives from Ite Division responded swiftly, cordoned off the hospital premises and arrested the suspects at the scene.…
THE Borno State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has reaffirmed its loyalty to President Bola Tinubu and endorsed him to run for a second term in 2027, while calling on him to retain Vice President Kashim Shettima, as his running mate. This declaration was made in a communiqué issued on Sunday following a critical stakeholders meeting held at the Multi-Purpose Hall of the Government House, Maiduguri. The communique of the meeting was shared on X on Sunday by the Senior Special Assistant to Borno State Governor on Information, Dogo Shettima. According to the communique, the high-level gathering brought together…
GOVERNOR Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State has reacted to a news report which suggested that Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, dismissed the recent concerns he raised regarding the security situation in the state. Zulum had said Boko Haram has renewed its attacks and kidnappings in the state with little pushback from security forces, suggesting that authorities in the region are losing ground to the insurgents. Zulum stated this during a meeting with security forces in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Tuesday. This newspaper reports that Boko Haram militants and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP),…
SEVEN travellers have been killed by an explosion along the Maiduguri-Damboa Road. The explosion followed an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Boko Haram terrorists on the dilapidated and deserted road which passes through the Sambisa forest. According to several sources, the explosion happened while cars on a scheduled military-escorted convoy were transporting passengers from Damboa to Maiduguri on Saturday leaving several others with varying degrees of injuries. The Maiduguri-Damboa Road links Maiduguri to several local government areas in Southern Borno and has been a hotspot for Boko Haram terrorists for over a decade. The road was closed to vehicles…
GOVERNOR Babagana Zulum has broken his silence, insisting that the renewed Boko Haram attacks and kidnappings in many communities almost on daily basis without confrontation signalled that Borno State is losing ground. The governor stated this on Tuesday at a Special Expanded Security Meeting (ESM) attended by the General Officer Commanding 7 Div, Major General Abubakar Haruna, Sector Commanders, Commissioner of Police, heads of other security agencies, Shehu of Borno, Alh. Dr. Abubakar Garbai Al-Amin El-Kanemi, Shehu of Bama, Emirs of Biu, Uba, Askira, Gwoza, while Shehu of Dikwa- and Emir of Shani were in absentia. He said his administration…