“The victim was taken through Igben waterways when community youths including hunters and vigilantes blocked the waterways with a larger boat and gun battle ensued between them and the community youths.”
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18-year-old Katsina student narrates his escape from bandits
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An 18-year-old student of Government Science School, Kankara, in Katsina State, Osama Aminu Maale, has narrated how he escaped from bandits who kidnapped hundreds of his colleagues last Friday.
About 520 students, he said, were abducted when the armed bandits invaded the school Friday night.
He told AFP on the telephone, “There were a total of 520 of us that were taken by the gunmen from the school.”
“After they took us away we stopped inside the bus where they made the older students take a headcount. We counted 520,” he said.
The hostages were split into groups before Maale and four others escaped.
“One of the gunmen hit me repeatedly when I failed to keep up with the rest of the group due to my failing health before he let me trail behind, giving me the chance to escape,” he added.
Although the Federal Government says it is making efforts to rescue the students abducted by armed men who raided their hostels, UNICEF condemned the assault on the school, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Katsina State governor, Aminu Masari, who visited the school on Saturday, said soldiers were working to locate and free the hostages.
“Soldiers are currently in the bushes fighting the bandits. We will do all we can to ensure all the abducted children are reclaimed,” he said.
Masari said it was still not clear how many students were “in the hands of the bandits” and how many had managed to escape.
“The school has a population of 839 and so far, we are yet to account for 333 students,” Masari told an FG delegation on Sunday.
“We are still counting because more are still coming out of the forest,” said the governor.
“Up till this moment, no one can give a precise figure of the children abducted,” he stated, adding that students who escaped confirmed some of their peers were taken.
Since the attack, all secondary schools in the state have been shut.
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Luxury bus owners: Count us out of planned mass protest
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Luxury bus owners: Count us out of planned mass protest
Long distance road transport owners and operators whose buses ply various routes across Nigeria have dissociated themselves from the ‘Days of Rage’ nationwide protests planned to commence on Thursday, August 1, 2024.
The transporters under their national umbrella body, Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria (ALBON), disclosed this at a press conference in the Utako area of Abuja on Thursday.
They described the planned protests as an ill wind that would blow anybody no good.
Briefing the press on ALBON’s position after a meeting in their Abuja office, the association’s leadership led by the President, Mr. Nonso Ubajaka, said experience had shown that such protests are usually infiltrated by hoodlums using the opportunity to unleash violence.
He said members reasoned that if held, the protests could lead to loss of lives and wanton destruction of properties.
He said the resolution of the members of his association had been conveyed to the Minister of Transportation, Senator Said Ahmed Alkali, making it clear that they would not be a part of the planned protests.
The association acknowledged that there is economic hardship in the country, with Nigerians feeling the impact of rising food prices and high cost of living.
The ALBON leadership, however, urged those planning to protest to have a rethink and seek more peaceful ways of getting the government to address the problems, including making themselves available for peaceful dialogue.
The ALBON president drew attention to the fact that members’ vehicles operate from Utako to other parts of Nigeria, as well as from other cities and towns to various destinations across the country, which could make their vehicles vulnerable.
Ubajaka said ALBON members could not afford to risk making their buses the targets of violent protests.
He sued for meaningful dialogue while the government works towards finding solutions to the identified problems.
He said, “We don’t want to put our businesses at risk and expose the lives of the people we serve to danger through protests.
“The government has taken steps to mitigate the several national challenges that we are having.”
He called on ALBON members to disregard the planned action, which he continually referred to as a product of “social media” resolve.
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Kano bakers summoned over bread price hike
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Kano bakers summoned over bread price hike
Muhyi Magaji Rimin Gado, Chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC), summoned flour dealers from Singer Market and the chairman of the bakers’ association over what he described as an arbitrary bread price increase in the state.
He issued a stern warning to the state’s bakers against arbitrary bread price increases.
Rimin Gado reported that the commission has received numerous consumer complaints about high bread prices, despite a decrease in flour costs.
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The price of flour, a key ingredient in bread production, has dropped to around N63,000 from N70,000.
At a press briefing in Kano, Rimin Gado stressed that the PCACC has a dual mandate; combating corruption and serving as an ombudsman. He stated that it will not remain passive in the face of unjustified price hikes on essential goods.
“We have been monitoring price increases for essential items and investigating whether these increases are justified. We are also identifying those responsible for any arbitrary price hikes,” Rimin Gado explained.
He assured that the commission will take necessary legal actions to address the rising cost of bread.
Kano bakers summoned over bread price hike
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Abducted Edo pastor regains freedom, police kill kidnapper
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Abducted Edo pastor regains freedom, police kill kidnapper
The Edo State Police Command on Thursday confirmed the rescue of the abducted pastor, Solomon Ativiel, in Benin, the state capital.
The command’s spokesperson, Chidi Nwabuzor, who confirmed this to our correspondent, said that one suspected kidnapper was killed while two others were injured during the rescue operation which was carried out on Tuesday.
Nwabuzor also said the suspects were transferred to the state police command headquarters on Wednesday.
“I can confirm to you that the pastor has been rescued while one of the suspected kidnappers was neutralised during the rescue operation.
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“The other suspects have been transferred to the state force headquarters and an investigation is ongoing,” Nwabuzor added.
A source familiar with the case who pleaded anonymity, in an interview with our correspondent, said, “The victim, Pastor Solomon Ativiel was kidnapped by a seven-man kidnapping gang in his farm at Urhobo Camp of Iguelaiho Community in Ovia South-West Local Government Area of Edo State.
‘The victim was returning from his farm on Monday evening when the suspected kidnappers accosted him and whisked him away.
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