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1,350 more stranded Nigerians leave Khartoum

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Another batch of 1,350 Nigerians on Sunday left the war-torn Sudanese capital, Khartoum, for Port Sudan from where they will be airlifted back home.

Port Sudan is a Sudanese city 825 kilometres from Khartoum, where planes can still land and take off despite the ongoing battle between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by two generals in a power struggle.

The Port Sudan alternative was decided upon by the Federal Government because of the difficulties faced by the first batch of 637 Nigerians at the Sudanese border with Egypt.

The first batch of evacuees is billed to fly back home from the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

Chairperson of Nigerian in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, yesterday confirmed the departure of the second batch of Nigerians from Khartoum.

After clearance, those at the border with Egypt will be airlifted to Nigeria from the Abu Simbel Airport by a Nigerian Air Force C-130 plane.

The Egyptian authorities have finally agreed to open the border for Nigerians.

Nigerian Ambassador in Egypt, Nuru Rimi, confirmed that approval had been granted.

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He said: “Approval to be granted for the evacuation of Nigerians through Egypt, with stringent conditions and guidelines.

“These include details and schedule of the aircraft; and strong pledge that once our citizens depart the border, they will be conveyed directly to the designated airport.

“Others are a comprehensive list of the evacuees, with passport numbers; valid travel documents, presence of government officials at the points of embarkation and standby buses that will immediately convey them to the airport.”

Mrs Dabiri-Erewa told The Nation that there were long delays because the drivers of the 27 buses refused to move.

She said they demanded full payment, but the Federal Government has resolved the issues.

Some of the buses departed Khartoum but stopped halfway due to non-payment.

After the outstanding fees were settled, the buses could not proceed given the time and need to ensure safety.

One of the buses caught fire.

One of its tires was said to have exploded, causing a fire, but all the passengers escaped unhurt.

It was learnt that 40 out of the 50 passengers were later distributed to the other buses, while the remaining passengers spent the night where the incident happened alongside the driver.

UN food agency raises alarm

Cindy McCain, the head of the World Food Programme (WFP), said the UN food agency would lift a suspension of its aid mission in Sudan as the crisis in the country worsens amid ongoing violence.

McCain on Monday said that the agency would “immediately” lift a suspension of its programmes that it put in place following the death of three employees “as the crisis in #Sudan pushes millions into hunger.”

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“WFP is rapidly resuming our programs to provide the life-saving assistance that many so desperately need right now,” McCain tweeted.

The UN agency has been warning that the ongoing fighting in Sudan could plunge the entire region of East Africa into a humanitarian crisis.

Sudan’s de facto president Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has been fighting his deputy Mohammed Hamdan Daglo with the help of the military since April 15. Daglo is the leader of the influential paramilitary group RSF

The two generals took over the leadership of the country of about 46 million through two military coups in 2019 and 2021.

Clashes continued over the weekend despite the calling of a 72-hour ceasefire on Thursday, with both sides accusing the other of violating the agreement.

Hundreds of people have been killed since the fighting began, including three employees of WFP.

Sudan’s warring generals have agreed to send representatives for negotiations, potentially in Saudi Arabia, a top UN official in the country, Volker Perthes, was quoted as saying.

This is as the two sides clashed in the capital despite another three-day extension of a fragile cease-fire.

If the talks come together, they would initially focus on establishing a “stable and reliable” cease-fire monitored by national and international observers, Perthes said.

Amidst very imperfect and partial ceasefires, Port Sudan is overwhelmed by people fleeing Khartoum and other places.

Many people are now sleeping rough on the streets as they wait for a way out.

Local hotels are swamped by people with passports from the world over, along with emergency consular services hastily established by embassies that have evacuated most of their staff from the capital.

Many fear there is no way out. Port Sudan is packed with people who have less lucky passports, including Yemenis, Syrians and Sudanese.

Some 3,000 Yemenis, mainly students, have been stuck for weeks in the port city.

1,350 more stranded Nigerians leave Khartoum

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Terrorists kill eight vigilantes in Kaduna community, two village heads

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Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of Kaduna State Police Command, ASP Mansir Hassan,

Terrorists kill eight vigilantes in Kaduna community, two village heads

No fewer than eight vigilante members and two others were killed by terrorists in Kakangi and Unguwan Matinja communities in Kaduna’s Birnin Gwari Local Government Area.

The local leaders of Kakangi and Kisaya villages in Kakangi Ward were also kidnapped.

A resident of the LG, Idris Khalid, who confirmed the event to our correspondent, claimed the gun-wielding men invaded the villages about early Thursday.

Bala Kamba, Abdurrahman Musa (Ubale), Kabiru Dan Dugui, Hambali Abu, Aliyu Abu, Nura Jika (Maleka), Mubarak Musa (Dan Wamba), and Ikra Hantsi were the eight vigilante members killed at Kakangi.

Khalid also revealed that the two victims in the Ungwan Matinja neighbourhood of Gayam Ward were Christopher Abubakar and Isah Gambo.

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He claimed the vigilantes were attacked while tracking down the kidnapped victims, who were abducted on their way to a funeral between Kakangi and Sabon Layi.

“The vigilantes engaged the terrorists, killing scores of them, but could not rescue the two traditional rulers and others.

“Normally, anytime there is a kidnapping incident, the vigilantes always trail the terrorists to rescue the victims.

“It’s unfortunate that in the process, eight gallant officers of the vigilantes who have been sacrificing to ensure the safety of our people were lost,” the resident said.

When contacted, the State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Mansir Hassan, stated, “We are investigating the matter to determine the true story because the area where the incident occurred had a network problem.”

Terrorists kill eight vigilantes in Kaduna community, two village heads

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Repentant Boko Haram members burn NDLEA, Customs checkpoints in Borno

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Repentant Boko Haram members burn NDLEA, Customs checkpoints in Borno

A group of suspected repentant Boko Haram insurgents, on Wednesday stormed the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and the Nigeria Customs Service checkpoints at Kasuwan Fara, a suburb of Maiduguri metropolis, chasing away the personnel on duty and setting ablaze all structures at the checkpoints.

The incident, according to security analyst and counter insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, followed a fierce encounter between the former Boko Haram combatants and the police at the Kasuwan Fara Divisional Police Office.

The suspected repentant insurgents, reportedly wearing military uniform, had pounced on the police office to forcefully set free their eight colleagues arrested at the suburb over criminal activities bordering on dealing in hard drugs.

The arrest was made on April 24 during a raid carried out by the police on the notorious spot at the criminals-ridden Kasuwan Fara.

“Due to the rise and persistence of criminal activities and sinister operations by drug peddlers comprising dismissed military personnel, repentant insurgents and other hoodlums, who assemble there to conduct nefarious activities, the area had since been earmarked for closure by Borno State Government.

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“The April 24 raid, where the eight suspected repentant insurgents were arrested and 426 bottles of spirits such as dry gin confiscated, was conducted to sanitize the area, pending the final closure.

“The arrested persons were detained at the Kasuwan Fara police division since the day of their arrest.

” Subsequently, at about 7:40 am of Thursday, May 2, a dozen of the suspected repentant insurgents in military uniform, stormed the Kasuwan Fara police station in an attempt to rescue their arrested fellows.

” The Divisional Police Officer alongside his men were able to repel the attack while the perpetrators fled.

” Consequently, the assailants, in an apparent transfer of aggression, reverted to attacking NDLEA and NCS personnel checkpoint along the Maiduguri-Gubio road Kasuwan Fara, where they burnt down the checkpoints alongside the sandbags heaped on the road and fled the scene, ” Zagazola Makama said.

Borno Police Command spokesman, ASP Kenneth Daso, who confirmed the incident, said investigations were ongoing to apprehend the attackers, adding that the arrested eight suspects have been handed over to relevant security quarters.

Repentant Boko Haram members burn NDLEA, Customs checkpoints in Borno

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Police identify officer who shot man dead at fuel station

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Police identify officer who shot man dead at fuel station

The Police Command in Lagos State has identified the officer who allegedly shot a man dead at a filling station in the Obalende area of the state.

The command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the development in a post he shared on his verified X handle@ben Hundeyin on Thursday.

He said that the officer had been identified.

“The person behind the shooting has been identified as a police officer serving at Special Protection Unit (SPU) Base 17, Lion Building, Lagos.

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“Investigation is still ongoing and further findings will be made available, ” he said.

According to Hundeyin, the State Commissioner of Police, CP Adegoke Fayoade is working with the family of the deceased to ensure that there is no miscarriage of justice.

It could be recalled that the deceased, Toheeb Eniasa, was shot dead by a policemam on Wednesday while struggled to buy fuel.

It was learnt that two officers drove into the station to purchase fuel but motorists asked them to join the queue.

In the process, an argument ensured which resulited into a fight and one of the officers shot Eniasa and ran away.

Police identify officer who shot man dead at fuel station

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