Northern senators demand troop surge in Sambisa corridor,  mourn Adamawa killings

The Northern Senators Forum, NSF, has condemned the coordinated insurgent attacks on communities and military outposts in Hong and Gombi Local Government Areas of Adamawa State.

The attacks occurred between the night of September 30 and October 1, 2026, on the eve of Nigeria’s 66th Independence anniversary.

In a statement on Sunday, the NSF Chairman, Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’Adua, said the Forum received the news with deep shock and profound sorrow.

On behalf of senators from Northern Nigeria, he condoled with families who lost loved ones, including three soldiers of the 232 Battalion in Garaha-Mojili, a forest guard and innocent civilians.

He also condoled with the government and people of Adamawa State, particularly the affected communities of Garaha, Dabna, Bangna, Mubang, Zah, Bitirhuya, Kwapre, Mayo Ladde, Gaya-Dlang, Garkida, Boima and Guyaku.

The Forum lamented the killings, abductions of women and children, burning of places of worship, destruction of property and displacement of hundreds of families forced to flee their ancestral homes.

Yar’Adua said the attacks targeted the 226 Battalion in Garkida and 232 Battalion in Garaha, describing them as an assault on Adamawa, the North and Nigeria as a whole.

“The Northern Senators Forum stands in solidarity with the people of Adamawa State. By our collective efforts, you will not be abandoned to terrorists,” he said.

The Forum condemned the attacks as cowardly and called on the Federal Government and Defence Headquarters to urgently reinforce security presence in the Kopre-Sambisa corridor.

It urged the adoption of a unified, proactive strategy to flush out criminal enclaves in the area.

The senators also urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), North East Development Commission (NEDC) and other humanitarian agencies to urgently provide relief materials, medical assistance and trauma support to displaced persons.

They called on residents of Hong and Gombi, as well as Nigerians, to remain vigilant and support security agencies with actionable information.