Uncategorized
Banditry: Northern Group Vows to Drag Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal to Hague
The Northern Intelligentsia Network has threatened to drag Zamfara State governor, Dauda Lawal, before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague over alleged complicity in the wave of killings, abductions and destruction perpetrated by bandits in the state.
In a statement issued on Friday by its president, Dr. Aminu Shehu, the group accused Governor Lawal of aiding and abetting atrocities against women and children through his actions and inactions, warning that his recent comments have reinforced their belief that he is culpable.
“Governor Dauda Lawal has openly admitted that he knows where the bandits are operating from, yet he has refused to provide this intelligence to security agencies,” Shehu said.
“Instead, he throws up excuses about not having control over the police. Such deliberate withholding of critical intelligence, at a time when communities are being ravaged, amounts to aiding and abetting. It is not merely negligence—it is complicity.”
The group said Lawal’s posture violates both his constitutional oath to protect the lives and property of citizens and international humanitarian law provisions designed to safeguard civilians in conflict.
“Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, to which Nigeria is a state party, the widespread and systematic targeting of civilians constitutes crimes against humanity. By withholding actionable intelligence and failing to mobilise effective countermeasures, Governor Lawal has crossed the threshold into culpable complicity in these crimes,” the statement reads.
The Northern Intelligentsia Network cited reports from rural communities in Maradun, Anka, Shinkafi and Tsafe local government areas where women have been raped, children mutilated, and entire settlements torched.
“These atrocities are not isolated events. They are systematic and targeted against vulnerable civilian populations. Article 7 of the Rome Statute is explicit: a leader who knowingly permits such sustained attacks shares responsibility for them,” Shehu said.
The group argued that Governor Lawal’s statements betray a troubling abdication of responsibility.
“It is unacceptable for a sitting governor to confess knowledge of bandits’ hideouts while refusing to act or share intelligence. This silence and inaction have emboldened the perpetrators and deepened the suffering of ordinary Zamfara people,” the statement added.
According to the group, Lawal’s stance also undermines the principles of the Geneva Conventions, which oblige state authorities to take all feasible measures to protect civilian populations in situations of armed conflict.
“Other states with similar challenges have devised creative strategies to complement federal security efforts, from empowering local vigilance groups to fostering intelligence-sharing mechanisms. In Zamfara, however, the governor has chosen denial, blame-shifting and silence,” Shehu stated.
The group announced that it is assembling a team of Nigerian and international lawyers to file a petition at the ICC, documenting what it described as “a slow-motion atrocity” unfolding in Zamfara.
“This petition will contain testimonies from victims, corroborated reports by humanitarian organisations, and evidence of the governor’s wilful refusal to discharge his duty. Under the doctrine of command responsibility recognised by the Rome Statute, political leaders who enable or fail to prevent atrocities can and must be held accountable,” Shehu said.
The group insisted that international accountability was now inevitable.
“When leaders become part of the problem rather than the solution, when they normalise slaughter by inaction or selective action, they must answer before international tribunals. We will not relent until justice is secured for the victims of Zamfara,” the statement read.
The group also urged President Bola Tinubu to intervene decisively in Zamfara, describing the crisis as a threat to regional stability.
“Zamfara is becoming a killing field. If nothing is done, the violence will spill further into the North-West and beyond,” Shehu warned.
The group concluded by calling on civil society, religious leaders and the international community to stand with victims of banditry in Zamfara.
“We cannot afford to be silent in the face of this slow genocide. International humanitarian law is clear: leaders who enable or tolerate such acts must be held to account. Governor Lawal’s refusal to act has placed him squarely within that bracket,” the group declared.
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
A security team, comprising operatives of DSS and forest guards, has rescued two victims of abduction in a forest between Oba Isin/Owa Onire area of isin and Ifelodun Local Government Areas of Kwara State.
The rescued victims are 16-year-old Fatima Azeez and Ibrahim Azeez who is five-year old.
The team also eliminated two armed bandits, while others escaped with severe injuries as the security forces stormed their hideouts, according to a report by DSS and local authorities.
The security team also recovered several items from the kidnappers, including one Ak-47 rifle; one single barrel; one fully loaded magazine with nine empty; mini-solar panel; and food items.
The rescue operation is connected to the multi-agency counterterrorism and anti-kidnapping efforts of the government.
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
The Kwara State Police Command has commenced full-scale investigations into the killing of a farmer, Mr Azeez Garba, whose body was discovered on his farmland along the Owa-Onire axis, the boundary between Isanlu-Isin and Owu-Isin in Isin Local Government Area of the State.
The Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, described the murder as “cruel, senseless and unacceptable,” and directed the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to intensify efforts to identify and arrest those behind the attack.
According to the police, preliminary investigations showed that the deceased left home for his farm in the morning but did not return, prompting his family members and local vigilantes to organise a search.
The search party reportedly found his motorcycle parked on the farmland before discovering his lifeless body a short distance away. Police said the victim had sustained deep machete cuts.
Reacting to the incident, CP Adekimi ordered investigators to deploy all available intelligence and investigative resources to unravel the circumstances surrounding the killing.
“The killing is cruel, senseless and unacceptable,” the commissioner of Police said, assuring residents that the command would leave no stone unturned in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Although no suspect had been arrested as of Monday, the command said all available leads were being diligently pursued.
The police also assured the bereaved family, the people of Isin Local Government Area and the general public that investigators were working tirelessly to track down everyone connected with the crime.
“The Kwara State Police Command remains unwavering in its commitment to safeguarding lives and property across the state and will not relent until every person responsible for this reprehensible act is brought before the law,” the statement added.
The statement was signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police.
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
A coordinated security operation involving the Kwara State Police Command, other security agencies and the Kwara State Polytechnic Security Unit has led to the arrest of a suspected cultist, Agboola Olamilekan, with a locally fabricated pistol recovered from him in Ilorin.
The operation, carried out as part of ongoing efforts to combat cultism and violent crimes across the state, was described by the police as another breakthrough in intelligence-driven policing aimed at dismantling criminal networks and reducing the circulation of illegal firearms.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, in a statement issued on Wednesday on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, said the suspect was apprehended during the joint operation while in possession of the firearm.
According to the statement, the operation is part of the Command’s sustained strategy to disrupt cult-related activities and deny criminal elements the opportunity to operate within the state.
Commenting on the development, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ojo Adekimi, reaffirmed the Command’s determination to intensify the fight against cultism and other violent crimes.
“Every successful operation represents another step towards dismantling criminal networks and enhancing public safety across the state through proactive and intelligence-led policing,” the commissioner said.
The police disclosed that investigations are ongoing to identify and arrest other suspected members of the criminal network linked to the suspect.
The Command added that it remains committed to advancing the policing vision of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, through intelligence-led policing, strategic collaboration with relevant stakeholders and sustained operations aimed at ensuring that those responsible for threatening the peace and security of Kwara State are brought to justice.
Kwara: Security Team Kills Two Bandits, Rescues Two Kidnap Victims
Kwara: Police Launch Investigations Into Killing Of Farmer On Farmland
Kwara: Joint Security Team Arrests Alleged Cultist, Recovers Firearm
-
Uncategorized5 years agoFG, states urged to harness flooding for ranching, others with technology – Agbaje
-
Headlines10 years agoBreaking: EFCC seals Borno House of Assembly, as Hon members take to their heels
-
News12 years agoNigeria Security Operatives Stage Manhunt For Homosexual Perpetrator
-
News9 years agoHow 21-year-old Girl fled community over accusation of lesbianism
-
News10 years agoYobe Gov Moves Against Deputy
-
Opinion7 years ago7 signs she has friend zoned you
-
Technology5 years ago
Online job placement company headhunts women
-
Headlines10 years agoBorno Dep Gov Abducts Another Church Leader