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Army Arrests Two Zamfara Traditional Rulers, Kills Six Bandits
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Troops of the Nigerian Army attached to Operation Harbin Kunama 3 have arrested the traditional heads of Doka and Mutu villages in the Gusau Local Government Area of the state for serving as informants to bandits.
The troops also shot dead six bandits in Kirsa and Sunke villages in the Anka Local Government Area of Zamfara State during a gun battle.
The arrest of the traditional heads comes two weeks after the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, said some traditional rulers in Zamfara and the North-West region helped bandits to perpetuate criminal activities.
Although the Zamfara State Council of Chiefs denied the allegations, the minister insisted in another statement by his Public Relations Officer, Col Tukur Gusau, a week later that the Federal Government had some security reports from the region indicting some traditional rulers of complicity in banditry and killings in the state.
According to the army on Monday, apart from the arrests of the leaders of Doka and Mutu villages, whose names were not disclosed, the troops nabbed 16 other suspected informants and errand men to the bandits.
Our correspondent learnt that the troops were on a clearance operation in Kirsa and Sunke villages in the Anka Local Government Area when they ambushed the bandits and engaged them in a shoot-out for about two hours.
The soldiers thereafter killed six of the bandits, recovered two AK-47 rifles and two motorcycles.
Our correspondent learnt that the bandits were armed with “sophisticated automatic weapons” but were forced to flee, abandon their camps and logistics, which were subsequently destroyed by the troops.
The Director, Army Public Relations, in a statement on Monday, confirmed the arrests of the village leaders and the deaths, of the bandits, saying three motorcycles, two dane guns, two machetes, among others were recovered from the bandits in Gusau Local Government Area.
He said, “Troops on Operation Harbin Kunama 3, based on credible intelligence about bandits’ movements in Kirsa and Sunke in the Anka LGA, continued with a clearance operation into the hinterland to clear the brigands.
“Consequently, the troops engaged the bandits in a shoot-out at the bushes of Kirsa and Sunke villages which resulted in the extermination of six criminals, the recovery of two AK-47 rifles and two motorcycles.
“In Doka and Mutu villages in the Gusau LGA, troops also had a serious encounter on Saturday with a group of bandits which lasted for about two hours. The brigands were armed with sophisticated automatic weapons, but they were overpowered by the troops, forcing them to flee from their hideouts. Eighteen suspected informants to the bandits were arrested, including the village heads of Doka and Mutu villages.”
He added, “The Force Commander, Maj.-Gen Hakeem Otiki, said the troops would continue to go after bandits in Zamfara and the contiguous states of Kebbi, Katsina and Sokoto.”
Meanwhile, the Zamfara State Council of Chiefs has denied apologising to the Nigerian Air Force over its allegations that innocent villagers were victims of air strikes targeted at bandits and kidnappers terrorising the state.
Chairman of the state Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Attahiru Ahmad, the Emir of Anja, while speaking to newsmen on Monday, described the report that the emirs apologised as baseless.
Recalling what transpired when the Chief of Air Staff delegation visited him, Alhaji Ahmad said, “I received an entourage led by Air Vice Marshall Idi Lubo, who was in the state to condole and sympathised with the entire people of the state over a mistake made by NAF that consumed innocent lives.
“In my remarks, there was no where I apologised that NAF mistakenly killed innocent lives during its bombardments on targeted camps operated by bandits across some villages in the state recently but, I rather used words of respect as did by the August visitor which had been our tradition when receiving guests.
“Our council meeting had, based on credible reports, believed that the killings of innocent people had occurred and we stand by our position. If later, I would come back to make a U-turn on that matter then, I should not remain as Emir,” he said.
Attahiru further said that NAF had accepted that the action was a mistake.
But NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said, “We will not take issue with esteemed royal fathers and traditional rulers. We follow the due process to ensure that it is only the criminals that are taken out by the air strikes. We remain resolute and we will continue our operations.”
The Punch
The Presidential Campaign Council of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned what it described as the distribution of cash, gifts and food at campaign rallies for President Bola Tinubu.
In a statement signed by its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, on 11th November, 2026, the Council said that at a time when Nigerians are struggling to afford food, transport, and basic necessities, the display of cash at political gatherings raises concerns.
It said: “The pattern is becoming impossible to ignore. From reports of luxury vehicles presented to APC women leaders to cash and cooked food distributed by the president’s son through the City Boy Movement and now videos circulating of an APC woman leader handing out money and fabrics, the ruling party appears to be treating political support as something that can be bought.
“The same authorities that have pursued ordinary Nigerians over alleged abuse of the Naira must explain why apparent cash distribution by political operatives at campaign events should be treated differently. The EFCC and INEC must investigate these incidents and take appropriate action wherever electoral or currency laws have been breached.”
The Council said after three and a half years of economic hardship, rising insecurity and mounting public debt, the APC has little to show Nigerians.
It added that cash, gifts and displays cannot conceal a record of failure, noting that the administration has pushed millions into poverty while Nigerians continue to demand answers about the scale, terms and use of government borrowing.
“No amount of money can compel Nigerians to endorse a government that has made life harder for them. The people’s votes are not for sale, and no crowd can substitute for their verdict at the ballot box,” it said.
The ADC PCC called on the EFCC and INEC to examine the reported distributions and publicly state what steps they will take, adding that political parties must not be permitted to use cash or gifts to induce support.
The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has warned Nigerians against waiting for President Bola Tinubu to fulfil his campaign promise of providing reliable electricity.
The Council challenged the President to explain why millions of Nigerians continue to experience poor power supply despite his pledge that voters should not re-elect him if he fails to deliver electricity.
In a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the ADC-PCC accused Tinubu of making fresh promises during his recent campaign outings in Kaduna, Rivers and Jigawa states instead of presenting a clear account of his administration’s achievements.
Recalling the President’s campaign promise, the Council quoted him as saying: “If I don’t give you electricity, don’t vote for me for a second term.”
“Tinubu is only repeating his old electricity promise in Jigawa, while Nigerians are still waiting for answers on why reliable power supply remains out of reach,” the Council said.
The Council also questioned the whereabouts and impact of 2,000 tractors reportedly imported from Brazil under the administration’s mechanised farming programme.
It further accused Tinubu of taking credit for projects started by his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, while failing to show enough achievements of his own.
The African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC) has declared that President Bola Tinubu will lose the 2027 election, insisting that intimidation, violence and manipulation of democratic institutions cannot prevent his exit from office.
In a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, the Council accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of manipulating the judiciary and deploying security agencies against opposition parties.
Ologbondiyan warned that growing attacks on opposition members across the country pose a serious threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
He cited the killing of several members of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Delta State, allegedly following an attack on the party’s campaign venue by suspected APC thugs.
He said the incident is part of a disturbing pattern of violence against opposition parties, particularly members of the ADC, NDC and Allied Peoples Movement (APM), in Kaduna, Kogi, Katsina, Kebbi and Sokoto states.
“This is not politics. This is state-sponsored terror against democracy,” he said.
The Council also raised concerns over the preparedness and neutrality of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alleging that its voter register database had been compromised and that APC sympathisers had been deployed to sensitive positions.
It further alleged that security agencies were being used to harass, arrest and intimidate opposition members.
Ologbondiyan expressed concern over the alleged involvement of a serving director of a security agency in the APC Presidential Campaign Council as co-Director of National Security and Intelligence, describing it as a violation of the law establishing the agency.
“One thing is now very clear to all Nigerians: Tinubu is not preparing for an election. He is preparing for a coronation,” he said.
The ADC-PCC maintained that alleged manipulation of judicial processes and electoral institutions would not guarantee President Tinubu’s re-election, warning that Nigerians would resist any attempt to impose a president through compromised judicial decisions or electoral fraud.
It called on Nigerians to remain vigilant and defend their votes and democratic rights ahead of 2027.
The Council also urged the international community, civil society organisations, religious and traditional institutions to pay closer attention to what it described as the deteriorating political and security environment, warning that silence could embolden those undermining democracy.
It appealed to security agencies to remain politically neutral, stressing that their allegiance should be to the Constitution and the Nigerian people.
“Those who allow themselves to be used as tools of oppression today will answer for their actions tomorrow,” Ologbondiyan warned.
