The Nigerian Senate has given a commitment to support with all legislative powers discourses and initiatives that will deepen women inclusion in the country’s electoral system. Senate President Godswill Akpabio said that gender equity must now be put “on the front burner” of national politics.

Akpabio made the commitment at the maiden Democracy Day Lecture and Book Presentation held at Sokoto State University, Sokoto . The event was organised to commemorate the memory of Hajiya Surraya Abubakar Margai, the first and only elected political office holder in Sokoto State since the return of democracy in 1999.

The Senate President, in a statement through his Chief of Staff, Chinedu Francis Akubueze, said he was “thrilled” with the quality of the lecture and the symbolic selection of Margai as the honoree for the event, adding that her legacy highlighted the imperative of greater female participation in governance.

In her remarks, the Director-General of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization, CBAAC, Aisha Adamu Augie, argued that Nigeria’s democratic system cannot mature without deliberate inclusion and gender sensitivity at all levels of decision making.

Augie called women “architects of development” and urged Nigerian men to open room for women to lead, saying female leadership brings empathy and balance to the democratic space.

Guest lecturer Prof. Aisha Balarabe Bawa, Professor of History and International Studies, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto challenged the National Assembly to “honestly revisit” pending gender-related constitutional amendments and electoral reforms, warning that inclusive governance remains central to national unity.

Prof. Bawa, who spoke on the theme, ‘Local Beats, Global Standards: Nigeria’s Gender Inclusion and Development Implications’, said the commemoration of June 12 must go beyond symbolism and be a call to action for government, policymakers and citizens alike.

“The future of Nigeria’s democracy depends on the inclusiveness of its institutions,” Bawa said. “If we want sustainable progress, we cannot treat women’s political participation as an afterthought.”

She added: “A country that offers women a seat at the table is a country that guarantees wider participation, greater legitimacy and lasting progress. The challenge before us is clear: to build a Nigeria in which local democratic seats meet democratic standards.”

Prof. M. B. Yerima, Vice-Chancellor of Sokoto State University, also lent his voice to the campaign, declaring that the era when women were confined to domestic roles was over and that women had proven themselves equal to the task in politics and administration.

Prof. Yerima further asserted that “women are also less corrupt,” urging stakeholders across party lines to create more opportunities for female leadership at the federal, state and local government levels.

The lecture, organised by Sokoto State University in collaboration with the CBAAC, the Effective Governance Research Institute and the Productive Community for Sustainable Development Initiative, PCSDI, also witnessed the launching of a book on Margai written by Dr Odeh Godwin Onuh, Head of Department of History and Diplomatic Studies.

“The dialogue was designed to provide scholars, policymakers, civil society and community leaders a platform to deliberate on equitable representation,” PCSDI Executive Director Nura Bello said.

Some eminent Nigerians such as Senate Minority Leader Patrick Abba Moro was honoured at the event for his contributions on women and youth empowerment.

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Bandits killed about five people and kidnapped 22 others in three different midnight attacks on communities in the Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

A source stated that the attacks took place in the towns of Sabon Birni, Dan Aduwa, and Kwaren Gamba between 11 p.m. on Tuesday and 12 a.m. on Wednesday.

The gunmen attacked Sabon Birni town by coming in from the western side of a cemetery and shooting randomly, which scared the people in the area.

He said, “The attackers came in through Sabon Hegi and started shooting at random.” People were running in all sorts of directions. Two people, Abbas Sani and Bala Mai Laya Moriki, were killed, and eight others were taken.

He said that one of the people who was kidnapped was blind and that he was taken away and couldn’t see what was going on.

The source said that one of the dead and five of the kidnapped people had come from Moriki in Zamfara State to do fish business.

He said that five people who were hurt are now getting care at the General Hospital in Sabon Birni.
He said that security personnel showed up about 20 minutes after the attackers had left.

He said that the bandits attacked Dan Aduwa village around midnight and took three people, two bridesmaids and a man.

A local said that the attack was connected to gunfire that happened earlier at a wedding.
He said that some young people were shooting guns they made themselves at a wedding, and soon after, the bandits stormed the village and took three people.
He named the people who had been kidnapped as Sabiu Saidu, Balira Halliru, and Maryam Mansur.

Meanwhile, in Kwaren Gamba, the attackers are said to have come on motorcycles around 11:05 p.m., killing three people and taking eleven others.

Aminu Boza, who represents Sabon Birni North in the Sokoto State House of Assembly, confirmed the attacks but did not say how many people were hurt.

When we talked to DSP Ahmad Rufai, the Sokoto State Police Command’s spokesman, he said he hadn’t heard from the Divisional Police Officer in Sabon Birni yet.

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Lugu hamlet in Sokoto State’s Isa Local Government Area was invaded on Wednesday by bandits who supported infamous kingpin Bello Turji.

According to reports, the terrorists kidnapped at least 15 persons, both men and women, and killed and injured a number of locals.

Bakatsine, a war and crisis journalist who covers instability in northwest Nigeria, revealed the incident in a post on X on Thursday.

The incident occurred one day after Turji’s bandits stormed Gajit hamlet, injuring and kidnapping at least twenty locals.

“ALERT: Last night, bandits loyal to the infamous leader Bello Turji attacked Lugu village in Isa LGA of Sokoto State, killing and injuring several residents and kidnapping at least 15 people, including men and women,” he wrote.

“How long will villages throughout the Sokoto East District be destabilized by Turji and his men?

“What specific actions are security agencies taking to put an end to these recurring attacks?”

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Following the US airstrikes on Christmas Day, former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice Michael Aondoakaa (SAN) has expressed concern that bandits are migrating in large numbers from Sokoto to Benue.

This was revealed by Aondoakaa on Thursday in an Arise Television interview.

Bandits have taken over villages in the Benue region after fleeing the Sokoto airstrikes. Ten of the thirteen wards in Ukum LGA have been taken over by bandits.

They have settled fewer than three kilometers from Nkum’s primary market, which is the Zaki-Biam main market that produces yams for the nation. And that’s concerning.

“Now, what I’m saying is that in order to drive them out wherever they are attempting to concentrate in a group, the US government and the Nigerian government should have the same corroboration.”

It goes all the way up to the Oyo attack. The Nigerian Air Force must either move in wherever there is concentration and corroboration, or if they are unable to do so, they should have the same corroboration that occurred with the US government to have to flush them out in order to prevent them from causing mayhem,” he stated.

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During an invasion on Bargaja village in Sokoto State’s Isa Local Government Area, bandits killed two persons and kidnapped multiple others.
The State Command Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmed Rufai, clarified that the attack was thought to have been carried out by gunmen who were purportedly loyal to bandit leader Bello Turji.

Rufai promised that after the local Divisional Police Officer submitted a field report to the state leadership, a thorough description of the incident would be given.

He clarified that two individuals had been slain but was unable to provide the precise number of people who had been taken, stating that they will obtain more information from the local government’s DPO.

According to security sources and locals, Bargaja had been attacked a few days prior. This suggests that there were frequent attacks along the Sokoto–Zamfara axis, which resulted in additional displacement, with villagers escaping to Isa town and nearby settlements.

Isa, Sabon Birni, and other areas of eastern Sokoto have continued to face attacks, kidnappings, and relocation despite pledges from security officials.

According to a report, the number of displaced people from Tidibale Ward arriving in Isa town has increased recently as additional farming and pastoral settlements are in danger.

“Bello Turji has devastated the entirety of Tidibale Ward,” a source claims.

He claimed that residents were quickly turning into “refugees in their own land” and called for the intervention of federal, state, and local authorities.

Neither the Isa Local Government Council nor the Sokoto State Government have responded to the current occurrence.

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