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1 killed, several shops burnt as Imo govt demolishes Hausa settlements

Published

3 years ago

July 31, 2023

Imo State governor, Hope Uzodinma

1 killed, several shops burnt as Imo govt demolishes Hausa settlements

One person was killed and another injured while several shops and homes were burnt down during an alleged operation by government officials on some Hausa communities in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State.

Multiple sources told Daily Trust that the officials, believed to be agents of the Owerri Capital Development Authority (OCDA) and Environmental Transformation Agency (ENTRCO), alongside policemen set ablaze shops and properties in Avu Junction and Hausa market, Nekede No 1 market and Arugu market as part of the government’s efforts to remove alleged shanties and illegal structures.

“Several houses and shops belonging to northerners were burnt down, most of us are currently taking refuge in the bush and our Juma’at Mosque was equally demolished by the taskforce and the police,” said Nura Kabir Umar, a youth leader at Nekede No 1 market.

Umar, said tension started brewing on Thursday and climaxed on Sunday when policemen on the invitation of ENTRACO officials shot and killed a 35-year-old trader identified as Mudashir Muhammad and injured another.

Daily Trust reports that the Imo State Government, through the OCDA had last year declared a take-off of an enforcement order to reclaim the city capital from street trading, shanties and illegal parking.

The OCDA General Manager, Francis Chukwu, had then met with the leadership of Hausa communities in the state and urged them to cooperate with the government in achieving the plan.

Our correspondent, however, could not verify if the operations at the three markets were part of the plan as the Imo State Commissioner for Information, Declan Emelumba, did not respond to calls and SMS sent to his phone.

But traders at Nekede No 1 Market yesterday told our correspondent that there had been no notice or order from government agencies asking them to vacate and insisted that any allegation of crime within their neighbourhood should have been investigated.

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They alleged that government officials, with the connivance of the police, had instead set their wares ablaze and caused them to lose goods and properties worth millions of naira.

However, the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Barde, at a news conference on Sunday denied allegations that the three markets had been set ablaze. Instead, CP Barde said an inferno had gutted Avu market.

The CP, who spoke to journalists in Owerri said: “I invite you here this afternoon to clear some misleading reports making the rounds on social media, alleging that hoodlums attacked and burnt the popular Hausa Market Avu which is not true.

“For the purpose of clarity, I wish to inform you that the incident that happened at the market was a fire outbreak that led to loss of properties. No life was lost in the inferno and it’s under investigation and the outcome of our investigation will be made known to the public.

“I am pleased to inform you that, the Executive Governor of Imo State, His Excellency, Hope Uzodinma, has been informed and directed arrangements be made for him to meet with those affected.”

Nura Kabir Umar, however, later confirmed that CP Barde had returned to the scene of the incident on Sunday evening after his men allegedly shot and killed a 35-year-old man.

“He came to the scene and urged us to exercise patience, adding that the governor was not aware of what had happened. We were at the scene assessing the damage to our property when members of ENTRACO and the police came and opened fire on us. They killed one and injured another,” he added.

Traders punch holes in CP’s statement

Traders from the three markets affected by the incident yesterday told Daily Trust that the statement by the Imo State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Barde, was far from the truth. They said there was no fire incident in any of the three markets, insisting that they had been directly targeted and attacked by government officials and the police.

Narrating the genesis of the incident, Musa Isa who had a provision store in the market said he lost goods close to N10 million in the incident.

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“It started on Thursday at about 11am. We heard that some people had stormed Onitsha Road burning shops belonging to Hausa people and injuring many. Some of their properties, goods and money were stolen. Many of them were beaten up,” he said.

“Twenty minutes later, the taskforce and the police arrived at Nekede No. 1 market. They burnt houses and shops. They beat up people and the hoodlums confiscated our money.”

He said upon realising that some of the attackers were police officers, together with members of the Owerri Capital Development Authority (OCDA), and Environmental Transformation Agency (ENTRCO), they made efforts to contact other government officials to find out what was happening.

“We were not told anything; we asked our people not to take laws into their own hands,’’ he said.

Abdullahi Umaru, a suya seller from Sokoto State said his three selling points were burnt down. “I have lost everything. My wife and I now sleep outside, we don’t know what to do.

“For the police to say it is a fire incident, is unfortunate. These people came with bulldozers on Friday and demolished our place of worship. Who would see what has happened and claim it is a fire incident?

“They did not destroy only one market, or does that mean the fire jumped seven kilometres from one market to the other? These are people we saw, they came here with a bulldozer, demolished and burnt our properties and we are surprised to hear this coming from the commissioner of police,” Nura Kabir Umar said.

The youth leaders said they had approached policemen at the scene on Friday while their place of worship was being demolished but the security agents had instead asked them to leave. “It was soon after that, that they started setting the shops and the houses belonging to our members ablaze,” he said.

One of the Hausa community leaders in the state, Lawan Fagge, when contacted by this reporter also said suspected members of ENTACO group who claimed to be in operation to remove hoodlums from the area had burnt down their markets.

He said the attacks were carried out on three markets at Nekede No 1, Avu Junction, along Port Harcourt road, and Adugbo Park along Onitsha road.

Return home immediately, CNG tells northerners living in South East

The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has advised all northerners to leave the South East immediately following renewed attacks on northern communities especially in Imo State.

CNG’s spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, made the call in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, where he emphasized that no group had the power to hold innocent people to ransom.

He also called on the federal government to take more urgent steps in disbanding militias, and armed groups in Imo State and the South East.

1 killed, several shops burnt as Imo govt demolishes Hausa settlements

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Atiku Offers Scholarship to Viral Niger Teen Miner After 37 Miners’ Deaths

Published

1 hour ago

September 20, 2026

Trends Admin

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar

Atiku Offers Scholarship to Viral Niger Teen Miner After 37 Miners’ Deaths

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has offered a scholarship to Yusuf Aliyu, the teenage artisanal miner from Niger State whose account of conditions at a gold-mining site went viral following the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the state.

Atiku made the scholarship offer after a video of the teenager speaking about his experience at the mining site attracted widespread attention.

The offer means Atiku intends to provide the teenager with financial support for his education, although specific details such as the level of education covered, the duration of the scholarship and the institution where Yusuf would study were not immediately disclosed.

Atiku said the teenager should have the opportunity to pursue his education rather than remain dependent on mining to support himself and his family.

The teenager reportedly said that young people at the mining site engaged in the activity because of poverty and the need to support their families and pay school fees.

Yusuf also alleged that personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) had been shooting at miners at the site. He questioned the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the detained miners and disputed the initial explanation that the fatalities were linked to a disease outbreak.

The allegations made by the teenager have not been independently established and remain subject to investigation.

The teenager’s comments came after 37 suspected illegal miners died while in NSCDC custody in Niger State.

The victims were among people arrested during anti-illegal-mining operations in the M.I. Wushishi and Lukoto areas of the state on September 15 and 16.

The Niger State NSCDC Command initially said the detainees died following a suspected disease outbreak. However, accounts from survivors and families have raised questions about the conditions under which the detainees were held.

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Reports have cited allegations of overcrowding, inadequate ventilation and difficult conditions inside the detention facility, while the actual cause of the deaths remains a matter for investigation.

The Federal Government has since ordered an independent investigation into the incident.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed that the circumstances surrounding the deaths be thoroughly investigated, while Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo constituted a 10-member independent committee to examine the incident.

The government also suspended the Niger State NSCDC Commandant and 20 other NSCDC officers pending the outcome of the investigation. The committee was given two weeks to complete its work and submit its report.

The panel includes representatives of the Niger State Government and Minna Emirate Council, as well as a representative of the Miners Association of Nigeria, lawyer and human rights activist Deji Adeyanju, former Assistant Inspector-General of Police Hosea Hassan Karma and other members.

The deaths have generated public concern over the treatment of people arrested during illegal mining enforcement operations, particularly following reports that some of those detained were teenagers.

The controversy has also renewed attention on the difficult circumstances surrounding artisanal mining in Niger State, where some young people reportedly enter mining because of limited economic opportunities and the need to support their families.

Atiku, while announcing the scholarship, also questioned the continued poverty in communities with significant mineral deposits.

He called for greater attention to the welfare and education of children involved in mining and raised questions about the Federal Government’s handling of artisanal mining.

The former vice president also referred to the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI) introduced under the Muhammadu Buhari administration and questioned what had become of the programme in Niger State.

His comments represent his political position on the incident and the Federal Government’s handling of artisanal mining. The independent committee is expected to establish the facts surrounding the deaths and determine whether any official or other person should be held responsible.

Meanwhile, Yusuf’s story has drawn attention to the wider challenge of keeping children out of hazardous work and ensuring access to education for vulnerable children in mining communities.

Atiku’s scholarship offer is specifically intended to help Yusuf continue his education and pursue opportunities outside artisanal mining. Details of how the scholarship will be administered have not been publicly provided.

The allegations against the NSCDC personnel and other claims surrounding the deaths remain under investigation.

Atiku Offers Scholarship to Viral Niger Teen Miner After 37 Miners’ Deaths

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NDLEA Seizes N3.4bn Drugs, Arrests Fake Police Officer in Nationwide Crackdown

Published

1 hour ago

September 20, 2026

Trends Admin

NDLEA Seizes N3.4bn Drugs, Arrests Fake Police Officer in Nationwide Crackdown

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted more than 1.3 million pills and capsules of tramadol and other opioids, alongside about 6,000kg of cannabis, in a series of operations across several states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The agency said the seizures had an estimated street value of more than N3.4 billion, while its operatives also arrested a man accused of impersonating a senior police officer while allegedly transporting illicit drugs.

The operations were conducted in Lagos, Edo, Niger, Delta, Ondo, Gombe and Imo states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory, according to a statement issued by NDLEA Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

One of the biggest seizures occurred at the Tin-Can Island Port in Lagos, where NDLEA operatives intercepted 603.75kg of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis.

The consignment, according to the agency, was valued at about N1.811 billion.

The 40-foot container carrying the drugs reportedly originated from Montreal, Canada, and arrived in Nigeria on September 12.

Following intelligence received by the NDLEA, the container was placed under surveillance before a joint examination by NDLEA personnel, the Nigeria Customs Service and other agencies on September 16.

The Canadian Loud was allegedly concealed in 31 black jumbo bags loaded into two Toyota Sienna vehicles inside the container.

In Delta State, NDLEA operatives arrested 49-year-old Innocent Ekpe along the Benin-Onitsha Expressway in Asaba on September 16.

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The agency said Ekpe was found with 292.48kg of skunk, allegedly concealed inside a silver Toyota Sienna bus.

According to the NDLEA, preliminary investigation indicated that Ekpe allegedly presented himself as Godwin Emeka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, and used a forged police identification card to evade security checks while transporting illicit drugs.

A 39-year-old alleged accomplice, Nduka Joseph, was also arrested.

In Edo State, NDLEA operatives arrested 45-year-old Matthew Ossai at an auto-repair workshop along Agbor Road in Benin City.

The agency alleged that the workshop was being used as a cover for storing illicit drugs.

Officers recovered 48kg of Canadian Loud, 152 grammes of methamphetamine and a metal box allegedly used to store the substances.

Another major seizure was recorded in Niger State, where NDLEA operatives intercepted more than 1.1 million assorted tramadol tablets and capsules, in addition to codeine syrup, methamphetamine and Exol tablets.

The drugs were allegedly concealed in eight sacks being transported from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Mararaba, Nasarawa State.

Two suspects, Aminu Isyaku, 23, and Jamilu Habibu, 25, were arrested along the Abaji-Abuja Highway on September 18 in connection with the consignment.

The agency also reported an earlier interception on September 15 along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway at Chachi, Tafa Local Government Area of Niger State.

Three suspects — Bashir Usman, 20; Abubakar Nuhu, 18; and Abdulrahman Abdulwahab, 18 — were arrested during the operation.

The NDLEA said officers recovered two locally fabricated AK-47 rifles and a magazine, a locally made pistol and magazine, and nine rounds of 9mm ammunition concealed in a black travel bag.

In Lagos, NDLEA operatives arrested Onyeka Ofor at his residence in Aguda, Surulere, on September 18 and recovered 48,900 tablets of tramadol 225mg.

The agency also intercepted seven cartons of cannabis weighing 59kg at a logistics company, leading to the arrest of a suspect identified as Luke Ugokwe.

Another suspect, Ibrahim Hudu, 43, was arrested at Apongbon, where NDLEA officers recovered 998.38kg of nitrous oxide gas.

In Gombe State, operatives recovered 154,480 capsules of tramadol from two suspects identified as 27-year-old Sabi’u Umar and 19-year-old Hassana Muhammad.

NDLEA personnel in Imo State also arrested 25-year-old Ifesinachi Godwin along the Owerri-Onitsha Road with 43.85kg of skunk, according to the agency.

Meanwhile, four suspects — Blessing Effiong, Saviour Peter, David Friday Sunday and Ability Peter Sunday — were arrested during an operation targeting a cannabis farm in Ita-Ogbolu forest, Ondo State.

The NDLEA said about 5,000kg of cannabis was destroyed on the two-hectare farm, while 48kg of dry and fresh cannabis was recovered as exhibits.

The agency said the latest operations demonstrate its continued efforts to disrupt the production, trafficking and distribution of illicit drugs across Nigeria.

NDLEA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd.), commended the officers involved in the operations and urged them to sustain intelligence-led enforcement activities.

The suspects remain under investigation, and the allegations against them have not been established by a court.

NDLEA Seizes N3.4bn Drugs, Arrests Fake Police Officer in Nationwide Crackdown

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Oyo: Police Arrest Serving Air Force Personnel Over Alleged Robbery, Abduction

Published

2 hours ago

September 20, 2026

Trends Admin

The Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, CP Abimbola Olugbenga.

Oyo: Police Arrest Serving Air Force Personnel Over Alleged Robbery, Abduction

The Nigeria Police Force has arrested a serving Nigerian Air Force personnel over an alleged armed robbery and abduction in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The arrest was made on September 17, 2026, as police operatives investigated the reported incident, according to the Force’s latest operational update.

A blue Toyota Camry allegedly used during the operation was also recovered by the police and taken as an exhibit.

The police did not disclose the identity, rank or unit of the Air Force personnel, nor did they provide details about the alleged victim or explain the circumstances under which the robbery and abduction occurred.

The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Ibadan, for further investigation.

The arrest was among several security operations recorded by the police in Oyo State and other parts of the country between September 17 and 20.

In a separate development in Oyo State, police operatives arrested three suspected members and associates of a kidnapping syndicate.

One of the suspects was arrested on September 18 at Kanbi Village in Atisbo Local Government Area following what the police described as credible intelligence.

Two other suspects were also arrested for allegedly concealing or facilitating the activities of the kidnapping group.

The police said the investigation into the three suspects was also being handled by the SCID in Ibadan.

The two Oyo cases are separate in the police operational summary, and there was no indication that the Air Force personnel arrested over the alleged robbery and abduction was among the three suspects linked to the kidnapping syndicate.

The latest arrests form part of wider police operations targeting kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, sexual offences and other criminal activities across several states.

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The Force reported arrests and recoveries in Oyo, Kogi, Kano, Delta, Cross River, Nasarawa, Gombe and Bayelsa states during the period under review.

In Kogi State, police detectives arrested a suspect following a fatal shooting at Ohunene Community in Ajaokuta Local Government Area and recovered a barrel gun allegedly linked to the incident. Another suspect was arrested in Anyigba, Dekina Local Government Area, following a reported missing-person case.

In Kano State, a female suspect was arrested in connection with the death of her husband at Katsalle Quarters in Rogo Local Government Area.

Delta State police reported separate arrests involving alleged sexual offences, including cases involving minors. Officers also arrested three suspects during a raid on a suspected criminal black spot at Umusadege, Kwale, in Ndokwa West Local Government Area, where the suspects were allegedly linked to drug trafficking and cult-related activities.

In Cross River State, police operatives tracked and arrested a suspect following the circulation of a video allegedly showing a cult-related firearm discharge in Calabar.

In Nasarawa State, police recovered a white Toyota Camry allegedly involved in a fatal road traffic incident at Gudi, Akwanga Local Government Area.

Gombe State police also recovered a blood-stained machete from the scene of a suspected culpable homicide at Duggari Hills in Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area.

In Bayelsa State, a murder suspect was moved to the SCID in Yenagoa for protective custody following unrest at Ebedebiri, Sagbama Local Government Area. Tactical teams were subsequently deployed to the community to restore law and order.

For the Oyo State Air Force personnel, the police investigation remains ongoing. The recovered Toyota Camry is being treated as an exhibit while detectives work to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged robbery and abduction.

Similarly, the three suspects arrested in connection with the alleged kidnapping syndicate remain under investigation.

The allegations against all the suspects have not been established by a court, and the investigations are expected to determine whether they will face criminal charges.