Today’s Headlines: Bandits Gun Down Zamfara Governor’s Aide; Benue Group Backs Tinubu’s Re-Election

Bandits have killed Hon. Nasiru Sani Kaura, a Senior Special Assistant to Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, during an attack on the Low Cost area of Kaura Namoda in the early hours of Sunday. The attackers reportedly stormed the neighbourhood while residents were observing the early morning Muslim prayers, shooting sporadically and forcing people to flee. Kaura, a grassroots politician and community leader, was killed during the assault, sparking grief across the community.

His killing has renewed concerns over persistent insecurity in Kaura Namoda and other parts of Zamfara North, where bandit attacks, killings and abductions continue to threaten residents. Community members have called on the state government and security agencies to intensify efforts to protect lives and property.

The Benue Strategic Alliance for Tinubu/Shettima 2027 has reaffirmed its commitment to mobilising support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, insisting that its disagreement with Governor Hyacinth Alia’s camp will not affect its loyalty to the President. The group’s Director-General, Akange Audu, said the alliance was established to unite aggrieved All Progressives Congress members and other political stakeholders behind Tinubu’s 2027 ambition, not to challenge Alia or take over the party’s leadership in Benue State.

Audu described the alliance as a political mobilisation platform rather than an APC faction, claiming that its membership included elected party officials, three Benue senators, 10 members of the House of Representatives and several state lawmakers. He also maintained that the group enjoyed the support of political stakeholders loyal to Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, whom he described as the leader of Benue politics.

Troops of Operation Fansan Yamma have repelled successive terrorist attacks on Wuya and Yarzabia communities in Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara State. The soldiers engaged motorcycle-riding attackers with superior firepower, forcing them to retreat during two separate assaults. Supported by a combat aircraft, the troops also launched air strikes against terrorists attempting to move suspected rustled cattle, killing scores of them.

In separate operations in Kaduna State, troops killed a suspected terrorist during a patrol in Aguba Village, Kajuru Local Government Area, recovering two locally fabricated rifles, a mobile phone and suspected illicit drugs. Soldiers also engaged another group of armed terrorists along the Buruku-Kaduna Road, forcing them to flee into a forest and abandon two motorcycles. The Army urged troops to sustain the offensive and called on residents to provide credible intelligence to security agencies.

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 28-year-old American professional basketball player at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, after discovering 32 parcels of Loud weighing 33.95 kilogrammes in two bags bearing his name. The suspect, who arrived from Thailand through Dubai, reportedly attracted attention after abandoning the bags and attempting to leave with only his hand luggage. A forensic examination of his mobile phone allegedly revealed his involvement in the drug trafficking operation.

In a separate operation at the same airport, the NDLEA intercepted 25.05 kilogrammes of methamphetamine concealed in breakfast cereal packages brought in by a 56-year-old Nigerian man arriving from South Africa. The suspect reportedly admitted using forged documents to obtain a false identity in South Africa and disclosed that he was contracted by a South Africa-based individual to deliver the drugs in Nigeria for R20,000.

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