Crime
Tension in schools as terrorists kidnap over 800 in one week, kill scores
Safety of schoolchildren is again under scrutiny as bandits carry out audacious attacks across the Northern part of the country.
From Wednesday, March 6 to Monday March 11, about 800 unsuspecting Nigerians, mostly schoolchildren, were kidnapped by daredevil terrorists in the northern part of the country.
According to Amnesty International, AI, Boko Haram terrorists abducted over 400 people, including women and children in Borno State on Tuesday last week.
The Islamic extremists abducted the victims who reportedly left the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camps in Gamboru Ngala council area to search for firewood.
The victims were mostly women and children sacked from their ancestral homes by the terrorists causing mayhem in the Northeast.
Barely 24 hours after the Borno attack, over 280 pupils and teachers of Government Secondary School and LEA primary school at Kuriga, Kaduna State were abducted by bandits on March 8, triggering national outrage.
The blood-thirsty bandits invaded the Kuriga area of the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State in the morning shooting at their victims before taking away at least 280 of the pupils and teachers.
A few days after the Kuriga incident, the assailants struck again in Buda community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, abducting over 61 people.
About four persons were reportedly killed during the unfortunate incident.
Recall that armed men broke into a boarding school in Gidan Bakuso village of the Gada council area in Sokoto State on March 9 and abducted about 15 children. The attackers invaded the school when the children were sleeping.
Killing in Benue State
The same week, over 50 persons, including a family of seven, were killed following the invasion of Gbagir community in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, by suspected armed Fulani militia.
Over 16 people were killed on March 8 during an attack on Wa-ndoo, a community in Mbalom, Gwer-East Local Government Area of Benue State.
The attackers, whom the state governor, Hyacinth Alia and residents claimed were armed herders, invaded the community at night while some of the residents were having supper. They opened fire on residents and whisked some away.
Tension in schools
Since the 2014 incident when more than 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped by the Islamic extremists in Borno State’s Chibok village, there has been a series of abductions of school children.
The armed gangs have targeted and attacked several schools for ransom.
The recent attacks, particularly the abduction of 280 students in Kaduna State have triggered tension in other school facilities across the nation, especially in the Northern region.
Parents in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja are worried over rumours of planned attacks in schools.
There are rumours that the terrorists are planning to launch attacks in some government-owned schools, particularly in Bwari, Bwari Area Council.
Some schools have adjusted their academic calendar to enable students to write their second-term examinations and proceed for Easter holidays.
One of the parents, Mrs Maria Adakwu, who spoke on Saturday, urged the Nigerian government and the security agencies to beef up security across schools in Abuja.
Maria is worried over the safety of her daughter schooling at the Federal Government College, FGC, Kwali in Sheda village, an outskirt of the nation’s capital.
Recall that the school community was attacked in February 2022, forcing the Federal Government to promptly order the immediate closure of the facility.
According to Mrs Maria, “the government and the security agencies need to be proactive in ensuring the safety of our children. We don’t need to wait until it happens before we take action.
“Most schools in the FCT have remained the same in terms of security despite what has been happening around us. The kidnapping in Kaduna State should be a warning and a sign that it can happen anywhere.
“Parents, especially those of us who have children in boarding schools, hardly sleep with our two eyes closed. We need to be sure of the safety of our children”.
However, when contacted, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh allayed fear of any attacks, assuring that schools in the FCT were safe.
She said, “FCT is very safe. All schools are well fortified within the territory and there is no reason to fear any intimidation from any quarters.”
It was gathered on Sunday that some parents in Kaduna State, particularly residents of Chikun Local Government are withdrawing their children from public schools over fear of attacks.
Although the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Mansir Hassan declined speaking on the matter, a security source who preferred not to be mentioned, confirmed that parents and guardians are withdrawing their pupils.
According to him, the recent abduction has triggered palpable fear in many parts of the state.
He said, “Insecurity is a very serious issue here. It is not just about school, people are scared of going out to places like marketplace, mosques and churches because of the bandits.
“Some security officers are also finding ways to be transferred from here.
“We are always the first target in any attack. Wherever they want to attack, they first attack the police formation in the area and sometimes, the attacks happen simultaneously.
“You can’t blame parents for withdrawing their children from schools. It is not possible for the police to be in every school at the same time.
“Some communities are very far from town, so securing those places can be a little difficult. This is why we need more hands. The government should recruit able youths that will help in this matter”.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government, on Wednesday, said it would not pay “a dime” as ransom for the release of over 280 pupils and teachers kidnapped from the Government Secondary School and LEA Primary School at Kuriga, Kaduna State.
The Government also said it had received offers of help from the United States and other countries to secure the student’s release and was weighing the offers.
The Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday arraigned former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai on a newly amended five-count charge involving the alleged unlawful wiretapping of National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu.
Appearing before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik at the Federal High Court in Abuja, El-Rufai pleaded not guilty to all counts.
The charges allege violations of the Cybercrimes Amendment Act 2024 and the Nigerian Communications Act 2003, specifically regarding unauthorized interception of communications and compromising public safety.
The case originated from a February 13, 2026, interview on Arise News, where El-Rufai reportedly admitted to tapping the NSA’s phone lines. He claimed the surveillance revealed a plot by the DSS to arrest him at the Abuja airport following a trip to Cairo.
On March 2, the ICPC raided El-Rufai’s Abuja residence, reportedly recovering specialized wiretapping equipment and documents.
A major point of contention during the proceedings was the prosecution’s application to conceal the identities of two key witnesses.
The Prosecution argued that using pseudonyms is necessary to protect the witnesses and their families from potential attacks by El-Rufai’s sympathizers.
The Defence lead counsel Oluwole Iyamu, SAN, opposed the request, arguing it is a constitutional right for the accused to face his accusers. He noted there was no evidence that El-Rufai leads a “cult-like” following or poses any physical threat.
The defense team also moved to quash the charges entirely, though the prosecution urged the court to dismiss the application as meritless.
Furthermore, Iyamu objected to a request for three consecutive trial days, citing the difficulty of accessing his client. El-Rufai is currently in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on separate matters.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the case until May 18, 19, and 20, when the court will rule on the pending applications and begin the trial. If convicted, the former governor faces up to three years in prison.
The Department of State Services (DSS) has arraigned former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, on a five-count amended charge bordering on an alleged breach of national security.
El-Rufai, who was arraigned before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court in Abuja, pleaded not guilty to all counts.
When the case was called, counsel to the DSS, Oluwole Aladedoye, informed the court that the matter was fixed for the defendant to take his plea.
Aladedoye, however, told the court that a further amended five-count charge had been filed on April 13.
The lawyer prayed the court to substitute it for the earlier three-count charge.
Responding, counsel to El-Rufai, Oluwole Iyamu, said he had been served with the amended charge and did not oppose the application.
The judge subsequently struck out the earlier three-count charge.
After the counts were read, the former governor pleaded not guilty, and Aladedoye sought three consecutive trial dates.
Iyamu, however, objected to the request for consecutive trial days for the commencement of trial.
He submitted that since the defendant had been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), access to him within that period might be difficult.
According to him, the proposed schedule would not be in the best interest of the defence.
Iyamu also informed the court of a bail application filed on February 17.
However, the further affidavit in support of the bail application was not in the court file, prompting the judge to stand down the matter for Iyamu to address the issue.
Upon resumption, the further affidavit was located.
The DSS stated that it did not oppose the bail application.
The prosecution then moved an application seeking an order to conceal the identities of two witnesses expected to testify.
The DSS requested that:
• The identities of the witnesses should not appear in public court records.
• Pseudonyms should be used during the trial.
The prosecution argued that the witnesses’ families could be vulnerable to attack from persons sympathetic to El-Rufai.
The defence opposed the request through an application, written address, and further affidavit, urging the court to dismiss it.
The defence argued that it is the constitutional right of an accused person to know his accusers.
It further submitted that there was no evidence before the court to suggest that El-Rufai had a cult-like following or posed any threat.
Counsel stated that the defendant had dedicated his life to public service and warned that granting a blanket anonymity order could cause serious prejudice to the accused.
The defence also applied for an order directing the prosecution to furnish it with proof of evidence to prepare for trial.
The prosecution opposed the request through a counter-affidavit.
It argued that the materials sought by the defence were unrelated to the prosecution’s filed processes.
The defence informed the court that it had also filed an application to quash the charge.
• Legal arguments were raised that an application to quash cannot be brought after a plea has been taken.
The prosecution filed a written address urging the court to dismiss the application for lacking merit.
The case has been adjourned till May 18 for continuation of hearing.
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Crime
Bandits storm Zamfara communities, kill 14
The bandits were said to have carried out the operation for about four hours before they left the communities.
Suspected bandits this afternoon invaded two communities in Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State and killed fourteen people in a sporadic shooting.
Eyewitness accounts said that the bandits stormed the Rubuki and Yargalma communities on motorcycles in the afternoon and started fire sporadic gunshots as well as setting ablaze houses with occupants, vehicles and food stuff in the troubled communities.
The bandits were said to have carried out the operation for about four hours before they left the communities.
It was learned that 9 people were killed at Rubuki while five others were killed at the Yargalma community.
They left eight people with different degrees of injuries who are now receiving medical care at the hospital.
UPDATE: DSS Arraigns Nasir El-Rufai, Pleads Not Guilty to 5 Count Charges
Ex-Gov. El-Rufai Faces 5-count Amended Charge – DSS (Video)
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