23 LGAs in three northern states battling kidnappers, cattle rustlers, terrorists – Newstrends
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23 LGAs in three northern states battling kidnappers, cattle rustlers, terrorists

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23 LGAs in three northern states battling kidnappers, cattle rustlers, terrorists 

Kidnappers, cattle rustlers and terrorists have made life difficult for residents of 23 local government areas in Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi states.

A check by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) indicates that residents of the affected areas have either been forced to migrate, enter into agreements with the criminals or live a life of uncertainty.
In Sokoto State, for instance, residents list local government areas worst affected as Isa, Sabon Birni, Gwadabawa, Illela, Tangaza, and Goronyo.

NAN gathered that residents had been forced to abandon their farms, while some villages had been deserted across the affected LGAs.
Abubakar Bawa, the chief press secretary to Governor Ahmed Aliyu, said that the state government was aware of the enormity of the situation.
“We are giving priority to ensuring a safe environment. Addressing security challenges has remained top on our administration’s nine-point agenda.
“Our target as a government is to ensure that citizens sleep with their two eyes close and continue to live and relate peacefully with one another,’’ he said.

He assured that the Nigerian Army, police and other security agencies have been sustaining efforts to secure the areas.
The governor’s spokesman said the government would continue to provide all necessary support for the security agencies to address the challenges.
Also, the spokesperson of the police command in Sokoto State, Ahmad Rufai, said the Commissioner of Police, Ali Kaigama, has been engaging residents to facilitate the flow of actionable information to address banditry and other criminalities.
He said the command had adopted measures, deployed personnel and materials, and has been collaborating with other security agencies to end banditry and other criminalities in the state.

The police spokesperson said local governments in eastern parts of Sokoto State were mostly affected by the security challenges.
In Zamfara, a civil society activist, Faruk Shehu, said many communities in the 14 LGAs of the state have been displaced, with residents of Maru, Anka, Shinkafi, Maradun, Zurmi, Gusau and Bungudu LGAs, worst affected.
He said that previous attempts at dialogue with the bandits had failed, resulting in the escalation of the security challenges in the state.

“The security challenges in the state started as cattle rustling and later transformed into banditry and kidnapping,” Shehu said.
He expressed the hope that the ongoing engagement started by Governor Dauda Lawal with the military and other security agencies would lead to an escalation of attacks on the bandits to secure the areas they have dominated.

Already, the state government has been emphatic that there will be no peace deal with the bandits.
This was emphasised by the Secretary to the State Government, Abubakar Nakwada, who said the government will never dialogue with the bandits as done by previous administrations.
Nakwada added that the state governor would support security agencies and community groups to bring the criminals to their knees.
The situation in Kebbi has already claimed the lives of at least 2,500 people between 2019 and 2023, according to Bamaiyi An’iko, the secretary of Zuru Development Foundation.
An’iko said that 2,500 people were killed in Danko, Wasagu, Fakai, Sakaba and Zuru LGAs, all under Zuru Emirate.
He said bandits have been attacking and displacing rural communities in the emirate, adding that some communities around Bena, Danko, and Wasagu had come under siege or total control of the bandits.
“Some communities had to sign agreements with the bandits,” the foundation secretary said.

”There are a lot of Internally Displaced Persons requiring urgent provision of relief materials, including food and toiletries, clothes and mats.”
He urged the state government and other agencies not to relent in providing relief assistance to the IDPs.

An’iko commended the efforts of the military, police and other security agencies working to restore peace in Kebbi.
The Kebbi State Deputy Governor, Umar Tafida, assured that the government was determined to end the security challenges.

Tafida also said the government would continue to provide support for victims of bandits’ attacks who have been forced to leave their homes.
According to him, the government is worried over the recurring banditry attacks which have led to loss of lives, destruction of properties, and a negative impact on farming activities.

“The state government under the leadership of Dr Nasir Idris, will leave no stone unturned in making sure that banditry comes to an end in the state.

”Communities should assist security agencies with credible intelligence information to fish out the bandits in order to bring them to justice,” the deputy governor added.
He warned that the government would deal decisively with informants or anyone caught conniving with bandits.

Also, Ahmad Idris, chief press secretary to the governor, said apart from Zuru Emirate, the government had deployed troops to three local government areas under Yauri Emirate also facing challenges from bandits.

“The government is doing its best to ensure that the situation is fully tackled,” he added.
A community leader, Sani Umar-Jabbi, said there was a need to prioritise community engagement in tackling security challenges in the country.

He said that apart from an attitudinal change among Nigerians, the country should come up with a policy to stem population growth.
Mr Umar-Jabbi, who is the district head of Gagi in Sokoto State, said that the unplanned population had contributed to the escalation of the crisis due to shrinking farmlands, grazing areas and other natural resources.

23 LGAs in three northern states battling kidnappers, cattle rustlers, terrorists 

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Man gets four-year jail for sexually assaulting teenager in Lagos

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Man gets four-year jail for sexually assaulting teenager in Lagos

One Onyeka Ubaka has been sentenced to four years imprisonment for sexual assault and maltreatment of a 16-year-old girl in Lagos State.

He was convicted and sentenced by an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Tuesday.

Justice Rahmon Oshodi convicted him after he pleaded guilty to the two amended charges brought against him by the Lagos State Government.

Ubaka was initially arraigned on January 12, 2024, and was initially charged with defilement through one-count information filed on October 26, 2023, to which he pleaded not guilty.

In the court proceedings, the prosecution counsel, B. E. Okeowo, presented a single witness, the prosecutrix, whose testimony proved particularly significant in establishing the case against the defendant. The prosecutrix who provided a testimony, identified the defendant as her boyfriend and disclosed that she was 16 years old in 2023 and that her relationship with the defendant began in her mother’s shop.

The victim testified to the court that the defendant had multiple instances of sexual intercourse with her, which resulted in pregnancy and childbirth.

“The defendant is the father of my child. He impregnated me, and the child is five months old.”

According to PUNCH, the victim, during cross-examination, gave testimony evidence that incriminate the defendant.

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In one instance, she disclosed that the defendant took her to a bar, gave her yogurt to drink, and after she drank it, she lost consciousness. She further disclosed that she woke up in a hotel room and realised that the defendant had non-consensual sex with her and told her to keep the incident a secret.

At the court proceeding on Tuesday, Justice Oshodi disclosed to the court that the prosecution counsel, B. E. Okeowo, had informed the court that the parties had entered a plea and sentence agreement dated and filed on November 25, 2024. The court then charged and convicted the defendant on the amended charge of indecent acts and sexual assault to which the defendant pleaded guilty.

Justice Ramon, in his judgment, stated that the prosecution had established beyond a reasonable doubt the charges brought against the defendant, and found the defendant guilty of indecent act and sexual assault.

“From the evidence presented by the prosecution, I am satisfied that the essential elements of indecent acts and sexual assault have been established. There is an abundance of evidence to support this conclusion. The defendant’s guilty plea further justifies his conviction for the offences contained in the amended information.

“Therefore, I find the defendant guilty and convict him under Sections 134 and 263 of the Criminal Law Supra”, he ruled.

When asked what he had to say, the defendant begged the court to temper justice with mercy.

“Temper justice with mercy so that I will take care of my responsibility,” he appealed.

It is gathered that the defendant’s father had paid the sum of N300,000 and had undertaken to sponsor the prosecutrix first degree and take full responsibility for the child until the child is eight years old.

The prosecution counsel in her final statement asked the court to convict the defendant according to the plea bargain.

“We ask that the convict be sentenced according to the plea bargain agreement starting from the day of remand, March 23, 2023, and this will pass a message to society that sexual offenders are not tolerated in our society.

“We also ask that the name of the convict be registered in the Sexual Offenders Register”, Okeowo said.

Justice Oshodi then found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to four years imprisonment.

 

Man gets four-year jail for sexually assaulting teenager in Lagos

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Lagos taskforce raids criminal hideout, arrests 53 drug peddlers

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Lagos taskforce raids criminal hideout, arrests 53 drug peddlers

CSP Adetayo Akerele, Chairman of Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit, announced the arrest of 53 suspected criminals in Gowon Estate.

Akerele said this operation aimed to boost safety, security, and environmental decorum in the area.

“The agency apprehended drug peddlers, addicts; miscreants; street urchins; illegal street traders and people of shady business dealings.

“We found various illicit drugs and narcotics, including Indian hemp, codeine syrup, and colorado,” Akerele said.

The operation brings relief to residents of Gowon Estate, Ipaja, Egbeda, Idimu, and surrounding areas affected by these criminals.

“Residents have endured trauma and safety risks due to these unauthorized squatters.

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The taskforce is committed to safeguarding residents and ridding the metropolis of individuals preying on law-abiding citizens,” Akerele said.

The agency will monitor other criminal hideouts, blackspots, and abandoned properties.

“This vigilance aims to deter individuals with sinister motives.

“These arrests demonstrate our determination to maintain a safe environment.

“We will hold every individual involved in these illegal practices accountable,” Akerele said.

The 53 suspects will face charges for narcotics-related offenses.

Residents are urged to report suspicious activities through the “See Something, Say Something” initiative.

 

Lagos taskforce raids criminal hideout, arrests 53 drug peddlers

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Nigeria Customs returns 21 stolen luxury vehicles to Canada

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Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi

Nigeria Customs returns 21 stolen luxury vehicles to Canada

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) yesterday returned 21 luxury vehicles worth over N1.8 billion to Canada after they were stolen and smuggled into Nigeria by a criminal syndicate.

Speaking to Newsman in Lagos, Comptroller General of Customs, Mr. Adewale Adeniyi, emphasized the seriousness of the growing trade in stolen vehicles and its impact on Nigeria’s economy and security.

According to Adeniyi, Nigeria has become a significant hub for stolen vehicles in West Africa, with syndicates exploiting the country’s ports and borders to traffic vehicles from regions such as Europe, North America, and South America.

He highlighted data from the National Bureau of Statistics indicating that only 54% of stolen vehicles were recovered between 2013 and 2015, illustrating the scale of the problem.

“This trend undermines our legitimate automotive market, strains our security infrastructure, and damages Nigeria’s international reputation,” Adeniyi said.

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He further noted that the illegal trade affects President Tinubu’s economic reforms, which aim to position Nigeria as a trusted hub for international commerce.

To combat this challenge, Adeniyi disclosed that the NCS launched Operation Hot Wheels, a collaborative initiative involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Canadian authorities, and international law enforcement agencies. The operation focused on intelligence sharing, surveillance, and interdiction to disrupt vehicle trafficking networks.

Adeniyi further disclosed that the operation uncovered sophisticated smuggling techniques, including false cargo declarations and containerized shipments used to conceal stolen vehicles.

During one operation, officers intercepted a container at Onne Port in Rivers State declared to contain used vehicles and spare parts. A physical examination revealed three undeclared 2021 Toyota Highlanders, two of which were confirmed stolen from Canada.

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