Author: The North Journals

By Maryam Shehu (Reviewer) Northern Nigeria (Arewa) has long been defined by traditions of hospitality, communal bonds, and the practice of sending children to makarantun allo, though often in forms markedly different from contemporary realities. In Abandoned, a collection of ten short stories, Aliyu Yakubu draws from these lived experiences and renders them with quiet urgency. At a time when northern narratives are frequently marginalised or flattened into stereotypes, this work stands as a deliberate and necessary intervention, affirming the right of these stories to be told with nuance, depth, and authorial ownership. Departing from much contemporary fiction that privileges…

By Ademola Ajayi The mention of Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed’s name in the suits filed has raised eyebrows and sparked concerns about the motives behind it. It is puzzling why the Governor’s name would be included in the charges, given that he enjoys constitutional immunity as a serving Governor. This has led to speculation about the timing and circumstances surrounding the suits, and whether they are part of a larger scheme to undermine the Governor’s authority and destabilize the state. This has led many to question whether the agency is playing by the rules or if there’s a hidden agenda…

By Acheli Obidah Days after a deadly communal clash tore through parts of Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State, the scars of the violence are becoming more visible, etched not only on burnt homes and deserted communities but on the faces of survivors still searching for their missing loved ones. For many residents who fled in the heat of the violence, the return to relative calm has brought little relief. Instead, it has ushered in a painful reckoning. Families are discovering that relatives have been killed, displaced or taken away during the chaos, leaving survivors trapped in uncertainty and…

By Yahuza Bawage, Abdullahi Sidi, Sakina Ahmed, Gloria Abutu, Abdulaziz Ibrahim, Ummulkulchumi Hammanadama, Aminu Adamu Ahmed, Acheli Obidah, Saddam Mohammed, Abubakar Ibrahim, and Vangawa Bolgent In May 2024, the heat in Adamawa State stopped being a seasonal inconvenience and became a silent killer. By midday, the air in Yola felt suffocating. Roads shimmered. Fans blew warm air. Buckets of water left indoors became tepid within minutes. Then people began to collapse. Across Yola metropolis and nearby communities, residents told similar stories. A commercial driver slumped over his steering wheel along a busy route. An elderly woman was found lifeless in…

By Yahuza Bawage, Abdullahi Sidi, Sakina Ahmed, Gloria Abutu, Abdulaziz Ibrahim, Ummulkulchumi Hammanadama, Aminu Adamu Ahmed, Acheli Obidah, Saddam Mohammed, Abubakar Ibrahim, and Vangawa Bolgent.  In May 2024, Adamawa State faced a terrifying public health crisis with temperatures soaring above 40°C, and as a result of that, about 200 sudden deaths were reported across Yola, the state capital, and surrounding communities. Even as families mourn their loved ones, the scale of the tragedy points to a systemic failure to protect residents from the growing threat of extreme heat. Doctors at Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital (MAUTH) Yola, and the State…

By Acheli Obidah A woman has been confirmed dead and several others injured after a convoy linked to a prominent politician reportedly rammed into a commercial tricycle in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, on Saturday afternoon. The incident occurred in Yola South Local Government Area when a convoy associated with Mr Emmanuel Musa, a popular politician and 2027 governorship aspirant, allegedly drove recklessly through the town and struck the tricycle conveying passengers. Witnesses said the impact left some occupants of the tricycle critically injured, while at least one woman died instantly. The injured victims were rushed to the Accident and…

By Aminu Adamu A prominent Nigerian security analyst and human rights lawyer, Bulama Bukarti, has said Nigeria did not willingly agree to recent United States airstrikes linked to counterterrorism operations, but was instead pressured into cooperation by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. Mr Bukarti made the remarks during a live interview on TRT World, where he analysed the diplomatic tensions surrounding the strikes and questioned both their legality and effectiveness. Speaking from London, Mr Bukarti said Nigeria’s official response to the airstrikes revealed clear reluctance and discomfort, contrasting sharply with the triumphant tone adopted by the Trump administration.…

Nigerian troops have arrested a 25-year-old woman, Shamsiyya Ahadu, accused of supplying ammunition to armed groups linked to notorious bandit leader Turji Bello in Zamfara State, military sources said on Sunday. Ms Ahadu was apprehended in the Badarawa area of Shinkafi Local Government Area alongside her alleged accomplice, Ahmed Husaini, a motorcycle rider believed to have transported her and the ammunition, according to the sources. Security operatives recovered 764 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition and six magazines from the suspects at the point of arrest. The calibre is commonly used by assault rifles deployed by armed groups operating in the…

By Sulaiman Hamisu Sani Bookish Alchemy Creative and Journalistic Writing Fellow, Cohort II, 2025 At dusk, the Kofar Mata Dye Pits reveal themselves slowly. The scent of earth and indigo hangs in the air. Footsteps soften. The noise of Kano recedes. Here, time does not rush forward; it settles. Every stone, worn smooth by centuries of labour, seems to remember the hands that once shaped it. It was in this quiet space, stained in shades of blue, that we met Haruna Baffa, the secretary of the dye pits. He speaks not just as an administrator, but as a custodian of…

By Comrade Chika Idoko Reno Omokri’s recent attempt to portray the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a sympathiser of terrorism is not only misleading; it is intellectually lazy and morally hollow. It is an accusation driven more by political expediency than by facts, conscience, or reasoned argument. Let this be stated clearly and without ambiguity: the ADC condemns terrorism in all its forms, from all sources, and against all innocent Nigerians. That position is firm and non-negotiable. What the ADC refuses to do, however, is applaud failure, romanticise incompetence, or endorse the quiet outsourcing of Nigeria’s sovereignty under the pretext…