News

JUST IN: Terrorists Kill 40 Farmers In Borno Deadly Attack

Published

8 months ago

January 13, 2025

About 40 farmers have been killed while the whereabouts of many others could not be ascertained at press time after Boko Haram/Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) terrorists attacked Dumba, a farming settlement in Kukawa local government area of Borno State.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, an eyewitness who happened to be one of the farmers that escaped the attack, said the terrorists stormed the area at about 3pm on Sunday afternoon with sophisticated weapons and rounded them up.

He said the terrorists, before embarking on a shooting spree, told them that farming activities, which according to them was banned, has not been lifted in the area, hence the terrorists said that anyone found farming there henceforth would be killed.

“We are the people farming at Dumba. Today (Sunday), the terrorists came and met us in the area. They chased us out of the farm and said that they had not lifted the ban on farming in the area. They said any farmer found in the area henceforth would be killed.

“They killed many of our farmers. It was in the night that we ran to soldiers and Civilian Joint Taskforce (CJTF) members who assisted in taking us to a safer place.

“We were farming together with those killed, God saved me. The dead bodies that I counted were about 40 of them. The rest that were shot in the bush and those that escaped with gunshot wounds could not be accounted for,” he narrated.

Also, craving anonymity, a member of the CJTF, who participated in rescuing the survivors, said such attacks on the farmers by the terrorists have been a recurring issue, adding that at times the terrorists would kill up to 10 of the farmers, and that such killings usually go unreported, but that the alarming rate of the present killings pushed them to voice out the challenges the farmers, especially fishermen were going through in the Kukawa local government area of the State.

“It was around 3pm that the attack occured, and it was around 5pm that the survivors reached us. We used boat to ferry them to a safer place together with the help from the military. About 200 of them that escaped were rescued. They told us that over 40 of them were killed. They are mostly fishermen and crop farmers,” said the CJTF member.

LEADERSHIP reports that the Dumba community is about 7km to the popular Baga fishing community where a large scale of fishing takes place due to the riverine nature of the local government area which borders Republic of Chad.

It was from the Baga fishing community that smoked fish are brought to Maidiguri, which then formed part of the major revenue of the Borno State government as fish sellers from across the country thronged the city for fish business.

But with the eruption of the Boko Haram insurgency that strangulated many business activities in the state, many of the dry fish merchants from across the country deserted the state, as the Baga fishing community, where the supplies were coming from, became a business centre for the terrorists, who thwarts fishing activities in the area by imposing levies on the fishermen, as well as banning of fishing.

Recall that the Nigerian military once imposed ban on movement of smoked fish from the Baga axis after the military discovered that the terrorists took over the fishing activities from locals and used the income generated to boost their dwindling economic base following onslaught on their logistics by the Nigerian troops.

As at the time of this report, no statement has been issued by the concerned authorities about the attack.

News

JUST IN: BBNaija Season 7 Winner, Phyna, Loses Sister, Ruth Otabor After Accident

Published

48 minutes ago

August 31, 2025

Editor

The sister of Big Brother Naija Season 7 winner, Phyna, Ruth Otabor is dead.

The family announced her death on Sunday through a statement by Eko Solicitors & Advocates, saying Ruth passed on to glory on Sunday, at about 6:30 a.m.

“With a heavy heart, the family regrets to announce the passing on to glory of their daughter, sister, and mother on this 31st Day of August, 2025 at about 06:30Hrs,” the statement read.

The family added that they are grieving and requested privacy to mourn Ruth.

“The family is presently grieving and will appreciate to be given a private moment to mourn the departed.

“The funeral arrangement will be communicated to the public in due course,” the statement added.

Ruth had suffered a tragic accident just weeks earlier.

She underwent a leg amputation after being hit by a truck linked to Dangote Group near Auchi Polytechnic, Edo State, on Wednesday, August 13, 2025. Eyewitnesses said the heavy-duty truck crushed her leg before it was eventually stopped by a bystander.

The accident occurred only six days after Ruth graduated from Auchi Polytechnic. Her sudden death has left the family and fans in mourning.

News

NSE Pledges To Mentor Young Engineers, Elects New EXCO Members In Bauchi

Published

3 hours ago

August 31, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Bauchi State branch has pledged to mentor young engineers in order to advance the engineering profession in the state.

Engr. Shehu wakili, the newly elected Vice Chairman of NSE in the state, made the pledge in an interview with newsmen on Sunday after the announcement of the election results of the newly elected Executive Council Members during the 2025 Annual General Meeting of NSE.

“The election was free and fair as the election was held and the results were announced where we became victorious.

“We will try and strive to make the society move forward. We have so many agenda to achieve, we want to increase our membership by so many activities and we want to carry our young ones and mentor them as and when due.

“There are so many ways to attract members and number one is by activities where you engage members and also by knocking their doors and invite them.

“I want to call on all of us that were elected to work hard for the progress of this society in general,” he said.

According to him, the year 2025 is the election year but not for the branch Chairman but for other EXCO members.

The positions, he said, included the Vice Chairman where he was the winner, Engr. Ibrahım Adamu won the General Secretary position, Engr. Abubakar Isah got the Asst. General Secretary’s position while Engr. Mohammed Sulaiman got the Financial Secretary position.

He explained that Engr. Abdulkadir Abdullahi won as the Treasurer, Engr. Adamu Chinade, Technical Secretary, Jawahir Hashim, Asst. Technical Secretary, Salis Kabir, Publicity Secretary, Engr. Ibrahim Lawal, Internal Auditor and Fatima Adamu as Asst. Publicity Secretary.

In an acceptance speech on behalf of other elected members, Engr. Ibrahim Lawal extended their gratitude to God and members who found them fit to serve the society and promised to serve to the best of their abilities.

News

Nigeria Grappling To Balance Rapid Urbanization, Infrastructure Demands — Don

Published

3 hours ago

August 31, 2025

Editor

Dr. Ibrahim Lawal, a senior lecturer at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi, says Nigeria is still grappling with the challenge of balancing rapid urbanization, infrastructure demands and the need to combat the impact of climate change.

Lawal, who stated this in Bauchi on Sunday during the 2025 Annual General Meeting and Public Lecture of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Bauchi state branch, said this is as a result of the growing population.

The Don, while presenting a paper titled ‘Building an environmentally sustainable and resilient future: The Nexus of climate change, infrastructure and engineering in Nigeria, called on governments at all levels to treat infrastructure as a priority sector for climate action.

The lecturer, who is from the department of Engineering, ATBU, said “Understanding this intersection unveils both the hurdles faced and the Innovative solutions forged to navigate towards a more sustainable future.

“In Nigeria, the dynamic interplay between climate change, infrastructure development, and engineering practices is critical in shaping the nation’s path towards a sustainable and resilient future.

“For a sustainable and resilient future the nexus of climate change, infrastructure, and engineering practices in Nigeria presents both an opportunity and a challenge”.

He however, maintained that Nigeria has a better chance at an environmentally sustainable and resilient future where communities thrive, infrastructure endures and the environment flourishes despite the challenges posed by an ever-changing climate.

Also speaking, The Emir of Bauchi, Alh Rilwanu Adamu, represented by Alh. Jibrin Jibo, Dan Saran Bauchi, insisted that a call for climate-resilient infrastructure is a call for survival, progress, and continuity in the country.

According to him, it’s a call for engineers, policymakers, traditional rulers, and communities to rethink how they plan, design, and maintain the structures upon which their lives depend.

“Engineers must continue to innovate, drawing on global best practices while adapting them to our local realities,” said the Emir.

He charged them to lead the course of transformation, adding that to succeed, they must collaborate with all stakeholders.

In his remarks, Engr. Abdulkarim Hassan, the Chairman, NSE, Bauchi branch, said the branch has made significant strides in advancing the mission and vision of the Society.

He explained that as part of the mandate to promote technical development and professional competence among its members, the branch conducted several technical visits during the year which broadened their technical exposure.

This visits, he said, also created opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, and knowledge exchange between its members and industry personnel.

Also, Engr. Margaret Oguntala, the President of NSE who was represented by Engr. Ibrahim Usman, NSE National Exco, Northeast, called on the members of the society in Bauchi state to encourage visitation to project and construction sites to foster relationships.