Index to Nigerian Newspapers

Northern governors and traditional rulers have called for a six-month suspension of mining across the region, attributing worsening insecurity to illegal mining activities. They announced a plan to mobilize N228 billion for combating banditry, with each state contributing N1 billion monthly. This decision was made during a joint meeting aimed at enhancing security responses, following numerous school raids resulting in the kidnapping of over 500 individuals. President Bola Tinubu recently declared a nationwide security emergency and endorsed the establishment of state police, marking a shift in political opposition. The forum also highlighted the link between illegal mining and increased violence, pushing for an audit of mining licenses. The meeting underscored the importance of regional unity and sustainable financing in addressing these challenges, with leaders stressing the need for investments in infrastructure to facilitate economic growth in the North.

Operatives of the Department of State Service, Niger State Command, stormed a house in Kulobe community in the Gbeganu area of Minna, Niger State, following a tip-off from neighbours, and discovered a large cache of AK-47 rifles and thousands of ammunition. The suspected terrorist was said to have seen the operatives coming to his house through his Close Circuit Television camera and engaged them in a gun battle. The incident happened on Tuesday between 1am and 3am when the suspect was said to have used a rocket launcher to bring down part of the fence of his house through which he disappeared into thin air, leaving behind his wife and children who were taken into custody by the security operatives. According to a security source, who said he was in the house when the DSS was taking inventory of the weapons, over 150 AK-47 riffles, explosives, a rocket launcher, an anti-aircraft rifle, and ammunition, numbering over 3,000 were evacuated from the suspect's house and carted away to the office of the DSS. It was learnt that the suspected terrorist, whose name was not immediately known, is an indigene of the central part of Kogi State. It was further learnt that following the indiscriminate shooting by the suspect, a night watchman living next door, Mubarak Abubakar, was hit by a stray bullet and is currently receiving treatment at the IBB Specialist Hospital in Minna.