metro
Eight dead as Somali forces battle Al-Shabaab at besieged hotel
At least eight civilians have been confirmed dead in an attack by Islamist militants on a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu, an official said Saturday, as security forces continued to battle gunmen holed up inside
Fighters from the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group stormed the popular Hayat Hotel on Friday evening in a hail of gunfire and bomb blasts.
Sporadic gunfire and loud explosions could still be heard early Saturday, many hours after the start of the assault.
It is the biggest attack in Mogadishu since Somalia’s new president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, was elected in May after many months of political instability.
The jihadist group, which has been waging a deadly insurgency against Somalia’s fragile central government for about 15 years, claimed responsibility.
“The security forces continued to neutralise terrorists who have been cordoned inside a room in the hotel building; most of the people were rescued but at least eight civilians were confirmed dead so far,” security commander Mohamed Abdikadir told AFP.
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“The security forces rescued dozens of civilians including children who were trapped in the building safely,” he added.
Dozens of people have been gathering outside the hotel to discover the fate of loved ones caught up inside the hotel.
“We have been looking for a relative of mine who was trapped inside the hotel, she was confirmed dead together with six other people, two of them I know,” said witness Muudey Ali.
Witnesses reported at least two large explosions as the gunmen stormed the hotel, a popular spot frequented by government officials and ordinary Somalis.
Police spokesman Abdifatah Adan Hassan had told reporters late Friday that the initial blast was caused by a suicide bomber who attacked the hotel with several other gunmen.
Witnesses said a second blast occurred just a few minutes later, inflicting casualties on rescuers and members of the security forces and civilians who rushed to the scene after the first explosion.
– ‘Random shooting’ –
The militants claimed responsibility for the attack in a brief statement on a pro-Shabaab website.
“A group of Al-Shabaab attackers forcibly entered Hotel Hayat in Mogadishu, the fighters are carrying out random shooting inside the hotel,” the group said.
Earlier this week, the United States announced that its forces had killed 13 Al-Shabaab fighters in an air strike in the central-southern part of the country as the Islamist militants were attacking Somali forces.
The US has carried out several air raids on the militants in recent weeks.
In May, President Joe Biden ordered the re-establishment of a US troop presence in Somalia to help local authorities combat Al-Shabaab, reversing a decision by his predecessor Donald Trump to withdraw most US forces.
In recent weeks, Al-Shabaab fighters have also launched attacks on the Somalia-Ethiopia border, raising concerns about a possible new strategy by the jihadists.
Somalia’s new president Mohamud said last month that ending Al-Shabaab’s insurgency required more than a military approach, but that his government would negotiate with the group only when the time was right.
Al-Shabaab fighters were driven out of the capital in 2011 by an African Union force, but the group still controls swathes of countryside.
It continues to launch deadly strikes on civilian and military targets, with popular hotels and restaurants frequently hit.
Earlier this month, new Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre announced the appointment of the group’s former deputy leader and spokesman, Muktar Robow, as religion minister.
Robow, 53, publicly defected from Al-Shabaab in August 2017, with the US government at one point offering a $5 million bounty for his capture.
The Horn of Africa nation has been mired in chaos since the fall of the military regime of President Siad Barre in 1991.
His ouster was followed by a civil war and the ascendancy of Al-Shabaab.
The deadliest attack in Somalia occurred in October 2017 when a truck packed with explosives blew up in a bustling commercial district of Mogadishu, killing 512 people.
AFP
metro
Terrorists kill eight vigilantes in Kaduna community, two village heads
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
metro
Repentant Boko Haram members burn NDLEA, Customs checkpoints in Borno
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
metro
Police identify officer who shot man dead at fuel station
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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