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We must utilize the power of ICT to contain insurgency–Dambatta
Nasiru Yusuf
The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Dambatta has said that Nigeria must utilize and appropriately deploy telecoms and ICT resources in the fight against insurgency and to contain other emergencies.
He affirmed that empirical knowledge of what ICT can do in tackling numerous challenges explained the commission’s insistence on compliance by all stakeholders to the guidelines governing SIM registration, and why NCC had been upbeat in getting the Emergency Communication Centres (ECC) ready all over the country as directed by the Federal Government.
Prof. Dambatta stated this on Wednesday at the Conference Room of NCC Head Office during the induction of the commission into the membership of Forum of Spokespersons of Security and Response Agencies (FOSSRA).
The NCC Vice Chairman was represented at the forum by Bassey Uket, a Principal Manager at the Commission’s Special Duties Department.
Mr Dambatta recalled the collaboration between NCC and the security and other emergency response agencies especially at the ECCs and suggest that many of the multi-faceted challenges can be addressed with scaling up the degree of deployment of electronic strategies.
To underscore the imperative of electronic and digital communication systems in managing the nation’s security challenges, Mr Dambatta stated that “as we are addressing the situation in one part of the country, you find escalation in another part of the country.”
He also gave an example of the 112 Emergency Communication Numbers, which are routed to the ECCs, as “a practical implementation of a security system that is bringing succour to citizens in distress”.
The NCC Chief Executive added that he was gratified that there is an increasing “interface between citizens who are in distressed security situation and virtually all security and other emergency response agencies connected to it”.
Mr Dambatta described the ECCs as a well-conceived project. It is a project that has enhanced the capacity of agencies in the security governance sector to manage crises. He informed the audience that the Centres are well-equipped to address the purpose for which they were established.
He said 18 of the Centres, which are located in state capitals, have been completed and he assured that with support of the Federal Government “we are not going to stop. We would like to express our commitment to continue with the remaining 18. We would not rest on our oars until all other 18 are fully functional because the ECC have started attracting attention” and are quite central to the management of security in the country.
He emphasised that the ECCs have become a success story today because of the commitment of the Federal Government and the culture of dedication to continuity of strategic national projects by successive leadership of the Commission.
Earlier, Oluwatoyin Asaju, Director, Special Duties at NCC said FOSSRA, which was established 6 years ago by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), has performed well in coordinating public information activities of security and emergency response agencies and has helped to improve inter-agency collaboration.
He said the induction of NCC into the forum is a testimony to the Commission’s strides in this regard and also the visionary leadership of the Prof. Danbatta.
He recalled the nature of operation and kind of facilities at the ECCs and urged Nigerians to use the Toll-Free 3-Digit Emergency Communication Numbers 112 to get help in times of security challenges.
Brigadier Onyema Nwachukwu, Director, Defence Information and Chairman of FOSSRA told the participants at the meeting that crisis is not peculiar to Nigeria and the present escalating trend speaks to emergent global culture where non-state actors resort to violence to express grievances.
He said agencies in the security sector are working all-round-the-clock to improve the nation’s security situation.
The FOSSRA’s role according to him is to bring the public to speed on the activities of the security forces. He affirmed that other issues needed to be addressed for the physical security provided by the armed forces to have better impact.
“One of these issues is national mobilisation of the mass media around the issues of security. Therefore, developing a national networking strategy of all stakeholders is important to address other challenges just as the challenge of inter-agency cooperation and collaboration among the security forces had been addressed.”
Air Commodore Yusuf Anas (rtd), the Executive Secretary of Crisis Communication Centre (CCC), also spoke about the efforts of FOSSRA in rallying information and communication stakeholders to ensure appropriate crisis communication management.
Commodore Anas expressed the gratitude of the Centre and other partners to NCC for the vital roles the Commission had played in enhancing the management of the Nation’s security communication programmes.
Suspect returned to Kano to face investigation, prosecution
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Multi-Agency Task Force on Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking has arrested a suspected gang leader and sponsor, Ishaq Lawan Ibrahim, popularly known as Malam Keya, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
KANO FOCUS reports that the 27-year-old suspect, from Yelwa in Dala Local Government Area of Kano State, is accused of sponsoring violent gang clashes that have claimed lives and heightened insecurity in parts of the state.
The task force disclosed this in a statement, saying the suspect was arrested following intelligence-led operations after allegedly fleeing Kano as security operations against gang violence intensified.
According to the statement, operatives tracked him to Port Harcourt and arrested him in an operation led by the task force’s Head of Operations, CSP Bashir Gwadabe. He has since been returned to Kano.
The task force alleged that Malam Keya played a leading role in orchestrating and financing hoodlums involved in violent attacks in Dala and other affected communities.
The areas reportedly affected by the gang violence include Jakara, Madigawa, Yalwa, Sanka, Kul Kul, Dogon Nama, Kukar Bulukiya, Dala, Shatsari and Dandalin Turawa.
Confirming the arrest, the task force chairman, Barr Muhuyi Magaji Rimin Gado, said the operation demonstrated the agency’s determination to pursue suspected sponsors of violence beyond Kano State.
“Let me assure you that those who bankroll violence should know that no distance, and no hiding place, will protect them. This arrest is only the beginning. We will not rest until peace is fully restored,” he said.
The task force said the suspect remained in custody for further investigation and would be prosecuted upon the conclusion of the investigation.
It added that its operations would continue in accordance with the law, with all suspects entitled to due process.
The agency also pledged to sustain efforts to dismantle criminal gangs, identify their alleged sponsors and disrupt drug supply networks linked to criminal activities.
It urged residents, community and religious leaders, parents and youths to support security efforts by reporting suspicious persons and activities, monitoring their neighbourhoods and discouraging young people from being recruited into criminal gangs.
The task force described public cooperation as essential to restoring peace and security across the state.
It also acknowledged the support of the Kano and Rivers state police commands and other law enforcement agencies in the operation.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Kano State Police Command has foiled an alleged kidnapping plot in Gezawa Local Government Area and arrested two 20-year-old suspects over threats to abduct a village head.
KANO FOCUS reports that the suspects, identified as Aliyu Naziru Garba and Bashir Alhasan, were arrested following intelligence-led operations by police operatives attached to the Gezawa Divisional Police Headquarters.
The command disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday by its spokesperson, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa.
According to the statement, the incident was reported on October 26, 2026, at about 1:30 a.m. by the village head of Bangare, Mallam Idris, who told the police that he had received a threatening phone call from an unidentified person on October 24 at about 9:33 p.m.
The caller allegedly threatened to kidnap him.
Following the report, police operatives launched a follow-up operation, which led to the arrest of the two suspects.
“The suspects have confessed to the commission of the crime,” the statement said, adding that investigations were ongoing and the suspects would be charged to court upon completion.
The Commissioner of Police in Kano State, Ibrahim Adamu Bakori, commended officers of the Gezawa Division for their swift and professional response.
Bakori reiterated the command’s zero-tolerance stance on criminal activities and said the operation aligned with the policing vision of the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, which prioritises intelligence-led and technology-driven policing, professionalism and proactive crime prevention.
The police urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious persons or movements to the nearest police station.
The command also provided the following emergency contact numbers for reporting security concerns: 08032419754, 08123821575 and 09029292926.
The Eurodite scholar alleges that insurgents continue to exert influence in parts of the North, while the summit calls for stronger security measures and urgent action to address the plight of affected communities.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Dr Usman Bugaje, a scholar and political activist, has criticised Nigeria’s political leadership over persistent insecurity in Muslim-majority communities, describing the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket as a “fraud” allegedly used to win voters’ support without addressing their challenges.
KANO FOCUS reports that Bugaje spoke at a one-day summit organised by the Islamic Forum of Nigeria in Kano on Saturday, with the theme, “Dilemma of Muslims in Nigeria: The Way Forward.”
The summit brought together Islamic scholars, professionals and other stakeholders to discuss insecurity, economic hardship, religious discrimination and other challenges confronting Muslims in the country.
Dr Bugaje argued that the religious identity of political leaders had not translated into adequate protection for Muslim communities, despite the support they received from voters.
He said persistent insecurity and economic hardship raised questions about the benefits of political arrangements built around religious identity.
Citing the security situation in the North-East, Bugaje alleged that Boko Haram insurgents continued to wield influence in communities around Maiduguri, where they reportedly collected taxes and held court sessions to settle disputes among residents.
He also expressed concern over the security situation in Sokoto State, claiming that residents travelling from the state capital to Isa Local Government Area could do so only twice a week with the support of the Joint Task Force (JTF).
The scholar argued that the situation underscored the failure of political representation based on religious identity to guarantee safety and improve living conditions for the people.
He further raised concerns about Nigeria’s dependence on imported medicines, claiming that about 70 per cent of drugs used in the country were imported.
Dr Bugaje said strengthening domestic pharmaceutical production and protecting the country’s territorial integrity were important measures of national independence.
He also warned about drug abuse among young people and women, describing it as a threat to the social and economic wellbeing of Muslim communities.
Earlier, Professor Sulaiman Abdullahi Karwai of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket did not necessarily represent Muslim interests, arguing that politicians had adopted the arrangement as an electoral strategy because of the large Muslim population in Nigeria.
Prof Karwai lamented the economic hardship facing Nigerians, citing inflation, fuel subsidy removal, exchange-rate changes and tax reforms as factors contributing to the difficulties experienced by citizens.
He also raised concerns about insecurity, including the reported abduction and killing of a professor and a nurse at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, as well as what he described as inadequate federal capital projects in Muslim-majority states.
Recalling the late General Sani Abacha’s establishment of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), Karwai said its interventions helped support health and educational institutions amid increases in fuel prices.
The summit’s chairman, Alhaji Gidado Mukhtar, said Nigeria was a multi-religious country in which citizens should be free to practise their faith.
He said the summit was convened to examine challenges confronting Muslims, including insecurity, religious discrimination and persecution.
The National Chairman of the Islamic Forum of Nigeria, General Ahmad Daku (rtd), represented by his deputy, Alhaji Muhammad Tukur Bello, said the meeting was intended to assess the situation of Muslims and identify a way forward.
The forum’s Acting Executive Secretary, Alhaji Dalhatu Muhammad Gwarzo, said the discussions addressed major challenges affecting Muslim communities, particularly banditry, kidnapping and religious discrimination.
Alhaji Gwarzo said the summit called on state governors and members of the National and State Assemblies to remember the plight of affected communities and take concrete steps to address their problems.
He added that the leaders had been urged to act decisively, noting that Allah was aware of the situation confronting the people.
He also called on Muslims and other Nigerians to intensify prayers for divine intervention, while urging Imams to pray for Allah’s guidance and solutions to the country’s challenges and sensitise the Muslim community, particularly during Friday sermons.
The forum said a committee would be constituted to review the summit’s resolutions and develop an actionable plan for implementation.
In its communiqué, the summit called for stronger security measures, a review of economic policies it said were worsening hardship, fairness in federal appointments, protection of the right to wear hijab and greater cooperation among Muslim organisations.
It also urged Muslim communities and organisations to invest in education, healthcare, economic empowerment and Islamic social finance as part of efforts to tackle poverty and improve human development.
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