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… worried about worsening insecurity in Benue, Katsina, across the federation

… promises to use legislative instruments to help find positive solutions

The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has outrightly condemned the recent heinous attacks on Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, which led to the death of 75 Nigerians, the razing of half of the villages, and destruction of other properties by armed terrorists.

To this end, the Minority caucus has demanded for an immediate probe into the killings, disturbed over worsening insecurity in Benue, Katsina and across the country.

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by the caucus leaders: Rep. O.K Chinda
Minority Leader ,Rt. Hon. Ali Isa J.C
Minority Whip , Rt. Hon. Aliyu Madaki , Deputy Minority Leader ,Rt. Hon. George Ozodinobi
Deputy Minority Whip stating that:

“The Caucus is deeply saddened and heartbroken that these outlawed felons carried out such horrendous attacks on the two villages in the most senseless and vicious manners that has led to pain, shock, and fears as many more dead bodies are still being recovered.

“The Caucus is very worried about the alleged culpability of the security agencies, who according to Mallam Umar Salihu, Head of Woro village, only arrived 10 hours after the armed marauders had completed their dastardly acts.

” We are extremely worried that the security agencies were alerted about the planned attacks, and yet no concrete strategies were put in place to protect lives and properties of people in the two communities.

The caucus further enunciated that: “Given the depth and dimensions of the ruthless and relentless attacks, the Caucus calls on the Federal Government, through relevant authorities to carry out thorough investigations on the incidents to unravel the truth, and the immediate arrests and prosecution of those involved.

“The Caucus is also alarmed about the upsurge of renewed violent attacks by terrorists in Benue, Katsina States, and across the country.

“These relentless killings and maiming of our citizens, including women, children, and the elderly has become a national disaster that requires deliberate and intentional actions by the authorities.

“We call on the Federal Government to ensure that they; at all times provide necessary security for our citizens; which is the primary purpose of government.

“As a responsible and responsive group of lawmakers, the Caucus promise to pursue legislative actions; where and when necessary towards finding realistic solutions to these negative developments.

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By
Shu’aibu Usman Leman

I did not react with shock when the news came from Duguri, Bauchi State.

I reacted with dread,the kind that comes from long familiarity with loss.

It was the same grim script Nigerian journalists know too well, that an official assignment, a road accident, injuries, critical conditions, and families waiting in fear for updates.

A team of journalists had been deployed to cover the commissioning of projects by the North East Development Commission when their journey was violently interrupted along the Yashi–Yelwan Duguri Road.

Fourteen Journalists survived with injuries that will heal with time. Others remain in critical condition, moved from one hospital to another as colleagues and loved ones hold their breath.

The media organisations affected are not distant names to me.They are newsrooms I know, voices I recognise, and professionals whose risks I have worried about for decades.

That is why this incident feels deeply personal. It is not a statistic or a breaking-news alert; it is another wound in a profession that bleeds quietly.

When I wrote Bleeding Ink, I tried to document the hidden dangers of journalism in Nigeria,the risks that are ignored, normalised, and rarely acknowledged.

Receiving the news today, I feel that book writing itself again.The ink is bleeding again, for the same reasons it always has.

I have spent decades in this profession, including my years as National Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, and I have seen this pattern repeat itself too many times.

When accidents happen on official assignments, it is almost always journalists who are injured or killed, reporters, camera operators, and drivers never the public officials whose events necessitated the journey.

I remember the emergency phone calls, the rushed hospital visits, and the funerals that came too soon. I remember asking how this injustice became routine.

Why is it that in convoys of power and ceremony, the journalist is the expendable one, left bleeding by the roadside?
The contrast is stark.

Journalists are often transported in poorly maintained vehicles, driven long distances without safety checks, insurance cover, or contingency planning.

There are usually no safety briefings, no clear lines of responsibility, and no plan for what happens when things go wrong. Hope replaces preparation.

Meanwhile, public officials travel in well-serviced convoys, driven by trained professionals and protected by security protocols designed to minimise risk.

The message is unmistakable, that those who govern are protected, while those who document governance are left to chance,This is not misfortune.

It is a systemic failure that has repeated itself so often it now hides behind familiarity.

After every accident, there are statements of sympathy and hospital visits. Then the attention fades, lessons remain unlearned, and the next assignment proceeds unchanged.

The Bauchi accident must not be allowed to follow this familiar path into silence.

Media organisations must refuse substandard transportation, government agencies must take responsibility for accredited journalists, and the NUJ must insist on enforceable safety standards and proper insurance cover.

To my injured colleagues, I wish you strength and healing; to your families, I share your fear and anger. To those with the power to act, I say this plainly , that the ink has bled enough, and if nothing changes, it will bleed again.

~Shu’aibu Usman Leman is a former National Secretary of Nigeria Union of Journalists-NUJ

… AUF…
(Friday 06/02/2026)
#Tribute.

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has andorsed a major reshuffle within the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the party’s crucial 2026 National Convention, removing Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, as Chairman of the National Convention Coordination Committee and replacing him with former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Bello Masari.

The move, widely seen as strategic, signals a recalibration of internal party dynamics as the ruling party prepares for a convention that could shape its leadership structure and electoral outlook ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Governor Uzodinma, who also serves as Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), was initially appointed to head the powerful convention coordination committee, a body tasked with overseeing planning, logistics, consensus-building, and political negotiations for the APC’s national convention. However, under the new arrangement approved by President Tinubu, Uzodinma has been reassigned to serve as Treasurer of the Convention Planning Committee, a role that, while still important, places him in a less visible leadership position.

Hon. Bello Masari, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives and a seasoned party stalwart with deep roots in the APC’s predecessor structures, has now been named Chairman of the Convention Coordination Committee. Party insiders say Masari’s selection reflects President Tinubu’s desire to inject broader experience, balance, and perceived neutrality into the sensitive process of convention planning, especially at a time when internal alignments and ambitions are beginning to crystallize.

Beyond the leadership reshuffle, President Tinubu also approved a significant expansion of the Convention Planning Committee. The membership of the committee has been increased from 73 to 90, an adjustment that party sources say is intended to accommodate more stakeholders and reflect the APC’s diverse political, regional, and ideological composition. The expansion has brought in several prominent figures, including Senator Barry Mpigi and Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, alongside other top party chieftains.

The inclusion of Senator Barry Mpigi has particularly drawn attention within political circles. Mpigi, who represents Rivers South-East Senatorial District, is widely regarded as a close political ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Wike, a former governor of Rivers State and a key figure in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before his appointment into Tinubu’s cabinet, has continued to play an influential role in Nigeria’s political landscape.

Mpigi’s addition to the convention committee is being interpreted by many observers as another signal of Tinubu’s broad-based political approach and his willingness to accommodate figures linked to different power centres.