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Residents of Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State on Friday took to the streets to protest the worsening wave of kidnappings, attacks and insecurity ravaging their communities.

The protest, which reportedly attracted residents from different parts of the local government, was fueled by growing concerns over repeated attacks and abductions allegedly carried out by armed criminals operating in vulnerable communities.

The demonstrators expressed frustration over the deteriorating security situation, saying persistent attacks had left residents living in fear and severely disrupted farming, trading and other economic activities.

They called on the Federal Government and the Sokoto State Government to urgently deploy additional security personnel and operational equipment to communities considered vulnerable to attacks.

The protesters also demanded increased patrols, surveillance and intelligence-driven operations, urging security agencies to identify, track and apprehend those responsible for the attacks.

According to residents, the insecurity has become a major threat to their livelihoods, particularly as farmers struggle to access their farmlands without fear of being attacked or kidnapped.

They warned that unless urgent action was taken, continued attacks could force more residents to abandon their homes and farms, further worsening food production and economic hardship in the area.

The protesters also called for closer coordination among the military, police and other security agencies to strengthen the fight against banditry and kidnapping.

Confirming the development, the Sokoto State Police Command said it was aware of the situation and assured residents that security operatives were “on top of the situation.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ahmad Rufai, said the command was monitoring developments and had taken necessary measures to safeguard lives and property in the affected area.

The police assurance came as anxiety remained high among residents, who insisted that more visible and sustained security operations were needed to restore confidence and prevent further attacks.

The protest underscores the growing security concerns across parts of Nigeria’s North-West, where banditry and kidnapping have continued to threaten rural communities, disrupt agricultural activities and inflict significant social and economic hardship.

Residents are now demanding concrete action rather than assurances, saying they want to return to their farms, markets and businesses without fear of being attacked or abducted.

They further urged authorities to strengthen intelligence gathering, community-based security initiatives and coordination among security agencies to prevent Tambuwal and surrounding communities from becoming increasingly exposed to criminal attacks.

Vanguard

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Ex- Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung, on Friday charged the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, to provide evidence that ex-Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was behind the genocide in Southern Kaduna.

He said said Musa should provide the evidence so that steps would be taken to declare the former governor an international criminal.

While El-Rufai was governor, the southern part of Kaduna, which is a largely christian dominated area, witnessed massive killings.

In a recent interview, the former Chief of Defence Staff linked the Southern Kaduna killings to El-Rufai.

Faulting the minister’s claim, El-Rufai’s family had given Musa seven days ultimatum to provide evidence or recant his allegation.

Reacting, said politicians have politicized the killings in Southern Kaduna.

Reacting, Dalung said politicians have politicized the killings in Southern Kaduna.

Featuring on Channels Television’s Inside Sources, Dalung said: “The politicians in Nigeria have now politicized the crisis in Southern Kaduna and that explains why a sitting Minister of Defence in charge intelligence and national security could go so low to the level of exposing national security intelligence to an anchor in a television station, on a very serious issue that is genocidal in content.

“So I still maintain my stand that Musa having volunteered to whet our intellectual appetite that El-Rufai was involved in genocide, we will not allow this issue to die, he must go beyond this and provide us with the ingredient.

If El-Rufai is culpable then we will go to the next step, we will escalate the issue so that he can become an international criminal but where General Musa can’t provide evidence to justify this then leadership in Nigeria would have come under a very serious threat. It means anybody can wake up today and brand anyone a terrorist.”

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The Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles (Pi-CNG & EV) says transportation fares are expected to decrease nationwide from October 1.

This was stated in a communique issued Thursday at the end of a stakeholders’ meeting to review readiness and progress in implementing affordable CNG and electric vehicle transportation.

The stakeholders’ engagement, convened by Pi-CNG & EV, brought together representatives of state governments, including transport commissioners in various states.

“Several states are already making progress towards meeting the federal government’s target through the deployment of CNG and electric mobility solutions,” the communique stated.

Reports from various states captured in the communique showed that several states had deployed CNG and electric buses, tricycles, motorcycles, conversion centres, refuelling facilities, and charging infrastructure.

It also showed that commuters using supported clean mobility services in some states were already paying fares significantly lower than prevailing rates.

The communique said that Niger, for instance, has procured 200 CNG buses, with 35 already operational, alongside 11 electric vehicle charging stations. It said Abia deployed 40 electric buses and 20 charging stations, with plans to increase its fleet to 100 buses by December.

Some stakeholders met in Abuja to review their readiness and progress in implementing affordable CNG and electric vehicle transportation.

Ismaeel Ahmed, the executive chairman of Pi-CNG & EV, said the engagement would focus on addressing infrastructure gaps in states where CNG and electric vehicles were already available but needed additional refuelling, charging, and conversion facilities.

Mr Ahmed said that states agreed to identify their busiest transport corridors and provide relevant data to guide the deployment of additional CNG infrastructure. They are also expected to submit three priority interventions that can realistically be delivered in line with the October 1 target.

Each state is to establish an implementation team comprising officials from the transport, energy and related sectors to work directly with Pi-CNG & EV. The initiative will assign coordinators to facilitate implementation and monitor progress at the state level.

“Private-sector participation will also be prioritised, with state investment promotion agencies expected to work towards a common framework for attracting investments into CNG and EV infrastructure.

“The engagement is to ensure that the lower operating costs of CNG and electric mobility translate into actual savings for commuters. The Federal and state governments are working to make affordable public transportation available to more Nigerians,” Mr Ahmed said.