Banditry

By Abdussamad Umar Jibia

On May 15, 2026, 39 school children and seven teachers were abducted from three schools in Oyo State. Since then, the incidence has been the major headline in Nigerian traditional and social media.

This is not the first time criminals have stormed a school and abducted school children and teachers. The first known mass abduction of school children in Nigeria occurred in 2014 at Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, in Borno state. It was followed by a series of similar abductions in different states of the North. This is the first time such a mass abduction has taken place in Southern Nigeria. Hence, the storm.

One piece of information that has been circulated is that the bandits have demanded the implementation of Shariah in the South West as a condition for the release of the children and their teachers. This is something I have found difficult to believe from my knowledge of bandits and their operations.

First and foremost, we have to distinguish among the different types of criminals who operate in Northern Nigeria. Boko Haram, which originated from the North East and later integrated with ISWAP (Islamic State of West Africa), claims to be fighting for Islam and has religion as part of its agenda, just like similar groups around the globe. Boko Haram/ISWAP mainly operates in the North East.

However, the bandits, as they are popularly called, who originated from the North West and are mainly of Fulani extraction, have nothing to do with religion, do not advocate it, and, in fact, most of them do not pray five times a day like Muslims do and cannot even recite the opening chapter of the Qur’an. This group, sometimes referred to as Fulani herdsmen to avoid ethnic profiling, is the group said to have abducted the Oyo pupils.

The bandits are not a single group. They are different groups, each with its leader, who live in the forest and are believed to have their informants in townships. The informants gather detailed information about their potential victims before striking. This is well known to anyone living in Northern Nigeria.

As a person who hails from the western part of Katsina State, I am one of the earliest victims of banditry. For example, in August 2016, my maternal uncle, who is the Imam of his village, was killed by bandits who shot him 11 times, injured his 10-year-old son and raped two of his daughters. In addition, more than 300 cows were rustled from the village. We reported the matter to the Katsina State Commissioner of Police, but nothing was done. 

Two months later, the government announced amnesty for all the bandits in Katsina State. The suspects were brought to the village with Police escort, and the villagers were told they must forgive them because they were “their brothers”. In all of these, religion was not mentioned. It was never an issue because the bandits were not a religious people.

After the amnesty, banditry continued as usual until 2019, when the Federal Government under Buhari asked all the state Governors to enter into peace agreements with the bandits in their states. The vividly uncomfortable Katsina State Governor held meetings with bandit leaders across the affected local governments of Sabuwa, Dandume, Faskari, Safana, Dan Musa, Kankara, Batsari and Jibia. The meetings took place in the forest under heavy security and before press cameras. The military support in the escort of the Governor was enough to crush all the bandits. Ironically, the Government decided to beg them. Videos of some of the meetings are still available online.

It is noteworthy that all the bandit leaders who attended those meetings were Fulani; they were all Nigerians, and none of them was religious. No one talked about religion, and the only complaint from most of them was that some of their gang members were in police custody and should be released. 

It is also not a Hausa-versus-Fulani affair. Some of the early victims of banditry were Fulani who refused to join banditry and refused to give their support to it. There are still many rural Fulani communities in the North West who are against banditry and do not harbour bandits. 

Now, at what point did banditry begin to be associated with religion? Different possibilities.

The Zionist entity

One of the biggest mistakes made by the General Ibrahim Babangida administration was normalising diplomatic ties with the Zionist occupation called Israel. Zionists are believed to be behind some of the crimes committed in the Northern part of Nigeria. 

The former deputy speaker of the House of Reps, Alhaji Abdullahi Wase, alleged that 300 youths from the Christian majority state of Plateau were given training in Israel and that four containers of arms were brought in by an Israeli security company to a politician’s house in Plateau state.

Alhaji Abdullahi Wase called for an investigation by the government. The investigation was not conducted. It is thus not out of place if Zionists, through some hirelings, introduced religion into the discussion of banditry in order to cause further internal crisis or use their American boys to attack innocent Muslims in Nigeria.

Sheikh Ahmad Gummi

The involvement of Dr Ahmad Gummi with bandits leaves more questions than answers. Gummi is an Islamic scholar who views issues from an Islamic perspective. Did he ever tell the bandits to shift their focus to religion rather than remain common criminals? I have no answer to this question. Only the Government and Sheikh Gummi have.

Elements in the Tinubu administration

A young Islamic scholar, Sheikh Munir Koza, once claimed that he was among the many influential young Islamic scholars invited to a meeting by some defence officials of the Tinubu government not long after the Government took over. With a financial reward, they were asked to emphasise three things in their preaching. 

One. That banditry by Fulani groups is justified because Fulani have been subjected to neglect and injustice over a long period. 

Two. Call on the government to engage in dialogue with bandits and offer them political appointments. 

Three. The Governors of Zamfara and Katsina are wrong to have set up security outfits to confront bandits. 

According to Sheikh Koza, he was the only person who expressed his disagreement at the first meeting and was thus not invited to subsequent meetings.

If Sheikh Koza’s claim is true, it means there are bandits’ sympathisers in the Tinubu Government. One would ask, is Mr President not aware? Did he appoint them because he believes insecurity is a Northern Nigerian affair, and he has thus appointed Northerners to go and eat themselves? Now that it has spread to the South, is he ready to make amendments?

Or, who actually introduced religion into it?

Professor Abdussamad Umar Jibia wrote from the Department of Mechatronics Engineering, Bayero University, Kano. He can be reached via aujibia@gmail.com.

By Anwar Usman

Nigerian cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has dissociated himself from alleged statements and materials circulating online linking him with support for banditry in Nigeria.

This was disclosed in a press statement issued in Kaduna on Saturday, where the cleric described the reports as fake, manipulated and doctored by individuals and groups pursuing ethnic and sectional interests.

He stated that some of his media interviews, public lectures and comments on insecurity had been deliberately misrepresented by certain internet content creators seeking sensational headlines and online traffic.

The statement in part reads, “I hereby state unequivocally that any video clip, written statement, or message attributed to me, whether directly or by innuendo suggesting support for, justification of, protection of, or advocacy for banditry in Nigeria or anywhere else, does not emanate from me,” he said.

The Islamic cleric reaffirmed his loyalty to Nigeria, describing the country as a nation with unmatched potential.

Gumi urged the public, media organisations and government authorities to disregard any misleading materials being circulated in his name.

Gumi further warned that individuals or groups perpetuating the spread of falsehoods against him from the date of the statement would face legal action.

The cleric expressed hope that Nigeria would overcome its security challenges and that victims of violence across the country would find comfort in the collective resolve of Nigerians and the international community to end insecurity.

He attributed the persistence of insecurity to factors such as ignorance, poverty and widespread social injustice, while calling for lasting solutions to the crisis.

By Muhsin Ibrahim

Inna lillaahi wa innaa ilaihi raaji’un

There is a particular cruelty in the timing of some deaths, a cruelty that refuses to be explained away. Muslim Abdurrazak Ibrahim, 31, died on a Friday. Every Friday without fail, he would send a Jumu’at Mubarak message, a small ritual of love and faith that connected him to family and friends across the distance between a soldier’s post and the world back home. On this Friday, he sent nothing. He could not. He had already gone.

Muslim was the firstborn son of Abdurrazak, who named him after his uncle — a tribute to my older brother, Muslim. Abdurrazak, a retired soldier, had fought in battles inside and outside Nigeria and had returned home carrying the weight of friends lost in the trenches of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and beyond. His children, Muslim and his brother Bilal, would both join the Nigerian Army.

The week of his death was, without either of us knowing it, a week of farewells. On Wednesday, my busiest day, Muslim asked to speak with me, which was unusual in itself. We compromised, exchanging texts and voice notes instead. What followed was the most intimate conversation we had ever shared. 

Muslim spoke about his family, including his brother Buhari, who also wanted to join the Army. He spoke at unusual length and with unusual openness. For instance, he did not want Buhari to abandon his education to join the military. He had wanted a video or audio call for more direct contact, as he wanted to leave a wasiya, a will. We did not manage the call. But something was transmitted all the same.

On Thursday evening, he told me he was exhausted after the patrol. He and his colleagues had been chasing armed men on more than fifty motorbikes across the terrain of Kebbi State. They escaped. I prayed for better fortune next time. On Friday, there was no next time. He was killed in combat!

Just hours before his death, he had asked about obtaining a permit to travel home on the 20th of May to celebrate Eid al-Adha with his family in Kano. He had been looking forward to the feast and planning a homecoming.

He had also been planning a wedding. His betrothed, Nana, his girlfriend, his intended, was waiting. The arrangements were underway. He was thirty-one years old, at the beginning of the life he had been building, and then he was gone.

Muslim was a caring son to his parents, a devoted brother to his siblings, and a warm presence in the lives of friends, colleagues, and acquaintances alike. Those who knew him speak of his bravery on the battlefield, his attentiveness during training, his faithfulness in small gestures, such as the weekly Jumu’at message, among many other qualities. He was consistent. He was present. He was the kind of person who, even from a military post in the field, remembered to reach out.

This is the quiet tragedy within the larger one: that Nigeria loses sons and daughters like Muslim regularly, and the country has grown so accustomed to the loss that it barely flinches. The skirmishes, the patrols, the ambushes — they occur on the margins of the national conversation, and the brave men and women who fall in them are sometimes mourned only by their families, in private, without the acknowledgement their sacrifice demands. 

Muslim was not a statistic. He was a person who sent Jumu’at greetings and wanted to come home for Eid to meet family and friends. He had dreams and plans for the future. None of this would now happen.

I was, to my knowledge, the last family member to speak with him. That knowledge sits heavily. But I am also grateful that he reached out, that we spoke at length about family for the first time, and that something of what he wanted to say was said. He left, in those voice notes and texts, a presence that words can only approximate.

Against all odds, we pray for Nigeria’s prosperity. May the sacrifices of these gallant soldiers not be in vain. May Allah (SWT) forgive their shortcomings, accept their martyrdom, and grant their families and loved ones the strength to bear this loss.

May Muslim Abdurrazak Ibrahim rest in the mercy and peace of his Creator. May Nana be comforted. May his parents and siblings find strength. May his name be remembered — not only by those who loved him, but by a country that owes its soldiers more than silence, amin summa amin.

Inna lillaahi wa innaa ilaihi raaji’un — Indeed, to Allah we belong, and to Him we shall return.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Troops of the Nigerian Army under Operation Bugun Karkanda III have forced armed terrorists out of Mansur Village and nearby settlements in Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

During the operation, soldiers recovered an AK-47 rifle and re-established government control in the affected communities.

Military authorities described the development as “a major breakthrough.”

The army explained that the mission targeted locations where armed groups had attempted to establish influence. According to the military, the action weakened the fighters and disrupted their activities in the area.

Officials also said the operation forms part of a wider campaign to improve security and allow residents to return to their normal daily activities. The exercise followed the formal launch of the security initiative by the General Officer Commanding 3 Division Nigerian Army and Commander of Operation Enduring Peace, Major General Folusho Oyinlola.

In a statement released on Thursday in Jos, the Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations for 3 Division, Lieutenant Colonel Olumide Victor Olukoya, said troops moved strategically against the armed groups.

The statement said, “Following a deliberate and well-coordinated offensive, troops of 3 Division rapidly advanced into identified flash points, establishing dominance over key areas and successfully dislodging armed terrorists who had attempted to assert control over Mansur Village.”

The army added that soldiers conducted a detailed search of the area after pushing out the attackers.

“A thorough clearance of the village led to the recovery of one AK-47 rifle, further weakening the terrorists’ operational capacity.”

According to the statement, troops have maintained their presence in the area after the operation.

“Troops have since consolidated gains and intensified aggressive fighting patrols alongside confidence-building patrols across Alkaleri LGA to sustain presence, maintain law and order, and prevent resurgence.”

The army also said the strengthened security activities have already produced positive outcomes in the local government area.

“The renewed military posture has yielded tangible results: disrupting criminal elements, rebuilding public confidence, and creating a safer environment for citizens to resume socio-economic activities without fear,“ he added.

By Uzair Adam

At least 23 suspected bandits were neutralised in a coordinated military operation after armed groups launched attacks on Shanono and Tsanyawa local government areas of Kano State between the night of January 1 and the early hours of January 2, 2026, according to the Nigerian Army.

The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Sunday by the Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 3 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Major Babatunde Zubairu, who said the operation involved joint task force troops on the ground and the Air Component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA.

According to the statement, troops successfully contained the attacks in Kano. They inflicted heavy casualties on the assailants before tracking the fleeing bandits to Karaduwa village in Matazu Local Government Area of neighbouring Katsina State. 

Acting on credible intelligence, the Air Component pursued the group as they attempted to regroup after escaping Kano.

The Army said intelligence reports revealed that the bandits were in the process of burying some of their members killed during the initial clashes when they were located at Dan Marke in Matazu LGA. 

Air Component Sector 2 of Operation FANSAN YAMMA reportedly trailed their movement until several motorcycles converged after crossing a dry riverbed.

“A precision airstrike was immediately launched,” the statement said, noting that the operation was supported by aerial Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions. 

The strike, according to the Army, resulted in the neutralisation of at least 23 terrorists, while several others were believed to have sustained injuries. 

It also damaged the group’s weapons and other equipment.

Reacting to the operation’s outcome, the Commander of 3 Brigade, Nigerian Army, commended both the air and ground troops for their exceptional courage. 

“Their bravery and resilience in the face of adversity are commendable,” he said.

The Army added that the security situation in Kano State remains calm, with troops sustaining robust patrols and close monitoring of flashpoints. 

It stated that troop morale and operational efficiency remain “very satisfactory.”

The Nigerian Army also appealed to the public to continue supporting security agencies by providing timely and credible information.

Such cooperation, it said, would further aid efforts to disrupt banditry and other terrorist activities.

Major Zubairu stressed that troops, working alongside other security agencies, remain committed to safeguarding lives and property nationwide and will continue to take all necessary measures to ensure national security.

By Uzair Adam

Kidnappers operating across Nigeria collected at least N2.57 billion in ransom payments between July 2024 and June 2025, according to a new report released by SBM Intelligence.

The report, titled “The Year Ahead at an Inflection Point” and published on December 19, 2025, examined key political and economic trends shaping Africa in 2025. It revealed that while kidnappers demanded an estimated N48 billion within the 12-month period, only a small fraction of that amount was eventually paid by victims and their families.

SBM Intelligence noted that kidnapping in Nigeria has increasingly become a well-organised, profit-oriented enterprise, flourishing amid weak governance structures, expansive ungoverned rural areas and deteriorating security conditions in several regions of the country.

According to the findings, at least 4,722 people were abducted in 997 kidnapping incidents during the period under review, while no fewer than 762 people lost their lives in attacks linked to banditry and related criminal violence.

Although ransom demands rose sharply in naira terms, the report observed that the actual earnings of kidnappers remained relatively modest when converted to dollars due to the depreciation of the naira. The N2.57 billion paid translates to approximately $1.66 million, only slightly higher than the $1.13 million equivalent of N653.7 million collected in 2022.

The Northwest emerged as the epicentre of kidnapping activities, accounting for 425 incidents, representing 42.6 per cent of cases nationwide. The region also recorded 2,938 victims, amounting to 62.2 per cent of all abducted persons across the country.

Zamfara State recorded the highest number of victims at 1,203, followed by Kaduna and Katsina States. SBM Intelligence attributed the prevalence of kidnappings in the region to vast, poorly governed rural communities and the presence of entrenched bandit networks capable of carrying out large-scale operations with minimal resistance.

In contrast, the Southwest recorded the lowest level of kidnapping activity, accounting for just 5.3 per cent of incidents and 3 per cent of victims during the same period.

The report further highlighted a rise in mass abductions, defined as incidents involving more than five victims, which accounted for about 23 per cent of all recorded cases and were largely concentrated in northern states. It noted that entire communities were sometimes targeted, with abducted persons reportedly forced to work on farms and mining sites controlled by criminal groups.

Beyond kidnapping, SBM Intelligence drew attention to escalating violence across several parts of the country in 2025. In the Northcentral region, attacks linked to armed herders persisted through March, with Benue State particularly affected. A single attack in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area on March 7 reportedly claimed 15 lives.

Zamfara State also experienced repeated deadly incidents, including an attack in Tsafe Local Government Area on March 13 that left 40 people dead, alongside mass abductions in Maru Local Government Area on the same day.

April and May were identified as some of the deadliest months of the year, with attacks in Plateau and Benue States killing more than 100 people combined, while mass abductions involving up to 100 victims were recorded in Zamfara, Katsina, Kebbi and Sokoto States.

By Anas Abbas

Families in Tsanyawa Local Government Area of Kano State are in a race against time after bandits threatened to kill ten abducted residents unless a ransom is paid.

The situation was brought to light by the father of one of the victims, who spoke to a local radio station on Sunday.

He revealed that the kidnappers have designated him as their messenger, using him to relay their demands to the other affected families.

“They call me three or even four times daily, warning me to abide by their requests or they would kill our family members,” the distraught father stated.

He expressed the families’ helplessness in the face of the enormous sum demanded, telling the bandits, “We have never seen that kind of money. All we have are our farmlands and a few small animals.”

The man begged Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, for immediate intervention.

“We ask you, our Governor, in the name of God, please help us. They are killing our sons,” he lamented, fearing that time is running out to save the victims.

Kano State Police Command has not issued an official statement regarding this specific threat.

The incident has heightened fears of worsening insecurity in the state’s rural communities.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

Troops from the 12 Brigade of the Nigerian Army have rescued two kidnapped victims and recovered a ransom of N3.8 million in Kogi State.

The rescue mission was launched on November 2, 2025, following credible intelligence about kidnapping activities along the Itobe–Adumu–Ejule road.

Reports indicated that relatives of the victims were attempting to deliver a ransom for their release.

Acting swiftly, troops from the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Oguma patrolled towards Achigili Forest to intercept the criminals.

En route, the soldiers were ambushed and came under fire from the bandits.A fierce gun battle ensued, during which the troops overpowered the kidnappers with superior firepower.

The bandits were forced to flee into the forest with gunshot wounds, abandoning their two captives and the ransom money.

The rescued victims were immediately taken to a secure military location for debriefing.

In a significant move, the recovered sum of Three Million, Eight Hundred Thousand Naira (₦3,800,000) was returned to them.

The Nigerian Army, in a statement by Lieutenant Hassan Abdullahi, reiterated its resolve to protect lives and property in the state.

The public was also urged to continue providing timely information to support security agencies in the fight against crime.

By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini

A large group of armed bandits attacked a private hospital in Kujama, Kaduna State, abducting a medical doctor, five patients, and a security guard.

The assailants targeted the Nasara Nursing and Maternity Home in the early hours of Tuesday. According to local sources, the attackers also raided houses in the vicinity during the operation.

One security guard was shot multiple times after attempting to resist the invaders.

He was later transported to a different medical facility for emergency care.

This incident is the latest in a series of violent attacks in the region, coming just days after bandits killed two police officers during an assault on a police headquarters in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area.

By Muhammad Isyaku Malumfashi

What is happening in Katsina under the present APC administration is a shameful outcome from a government that once boasted of being widely read, widely travelled, and experienced. In fact, from the campaign period to its first year in office, the government bragged that it had all it took to make Katsina a “new Dubai.” That was why a high educational background was used as a symbol of the administration. Even in appointments, only so-called “learned” people were considered, irrespective of whether they were truly experienced or trustworthy.

The most pressing challenge of this government is denial. This denial is even more dangerous than the insecurity bedevilling the state. When you acknowledge the existence of a problem, you will be open to every advice on how to tackle it. But if you keep denying or boasting that you have eliminated it. At the same time, the menace still exists—and perhaps in a more deadly form than during the previous administration—then no matter the energy you invest, you will not succeed. The government and its loyalists continue to deny the bold existence of Fulani terror groups in the state.

Before the recent banditry attack on Muslim worshippers during dawn prayers at Mantau town in Karfi Ward, Malumfashi Local Government—which drew attention from outsiders to what we have long been saying about the APC government’s ill-conceived security surveillance approach—there had already been several incidents of bloodshed, property destruction, and abductions across about nine local governments daily. In places like Malumfashi, where I come from, the banditry menace has worsened since Governor  Dikko Radda assumed office.

The government’s approaches to fighting terror are either ill-planned or manipulated by vested interests, gambling with people’s lives and properties. If we are to judge by the capacity and fanfare displayed by the governor in the past two years—boasting about his readiness and zeal to wipe out criminals from their hideouts—then this government has no excuse for failing. By now, Dr Dikko Umaru Radda himself must have realised that governance, especially in a state with millions of residents, is hectic and demanding. It is unlike how he portrayed it during his campaign. Thus, Katsina is bigger than Charanchi, and the State Government House Office is not an ordinary SMEDAN office.

Notwithstanding, I read with dismay some comments by APC loyalists denying the existence of rampant banditry. According to them, the present government has curbed it. But I was gladdened by how people tackled them in the comment sections, pointing to multiple banditry incidents under this government—incidents worse than anything seen before.

Meanwhile, I do not waste my energy trying to rebut these “data boys” because I know they are either sponsored to promote the government and whitewash its failures, or they do it voluntarily to secure appointments. That is why I stopped engaging in the comment section of my friend Hamis Nababa whenever he appears on air defending the government, because I know he has a personal target. Let alone the unfortunate lawmakers or appointees like Surajo Abdu Kwaskwaro, representing Kaita, who went on air denying the recurrence of bandit attacks in Katsina.

When people are desperate for food, not everyone can remain true to their conscience. Hunger is a terrible thing; it pushes some people to compromise their integrity. But one should not put one’s reputation at stake simply for survival. This is where business security matters—because if those “data boys” were truly independent or well-established in their own ventures, they would not be engaging in such disgraceful acts of defending a failed government whose shortcomings are already too glaring.

One doesn’t even need to doubt whether Governor Dikko is a Grade II certificate holder or truly a PhD holder. Just look at how his government executes projects and the questionable funds allegedly spent on them. Even when figures appear clear on paper, the blunders make them impossible to explain convincingly. At the end of the day, there is nothing tangible to show.

As many have opined, the only candidate that will be extremely difficult to sell in 2027 is that of the APC. If you doubt this, let us wait for time to tell. Those bragging that APC will still win should remember: unless the ruling party uses force, manipulative tactics, vote-buying, intimidation, or pre-stuffed ballot papers, it will be unseated before noon on Election Day if the election is free and fair. Mark my words—because no sane person can campaign for APC in its present state without appearing utterly ridiculous.

Muhammad Isyaku Malumfashi wrote via muhammadisyakumalumfashi@gmail.com.