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Police neutralise over 50 bandits in Taraba

Published

3 years ago

December 1, 2023

Police neutralise over 50 bandits in Taraba

No fewer than 50 suspected bandits terrorising communities across the Bali Local Government Area of Taraba State in what is a breakthrough in the fight against banditry.

While the feat was achieved on Tuesday in the North-East state, the spokesman of the Taraba State Police Command Abdullahi Usman told Channels Television on Thursday that the bandits were killed by police operatives in collaboration with other security agencies.

He said the coordinated operation followed an outcry by locals which led to the ambush and killing of the bandits.

“Taraba State Police Command received information that some unknown gunmen suspected to be kidnappers in their hundreds invaded Tonti village under Maihula District Bali LGA Taraba State. The bandits invaded the village around 5:30hrs during the time that the Muslim faithful were saying their morning prayers, and started shooting sporadically,” he told Channels Television.

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“On receipt of information, the Commissioner of Police Taraba State Police Command Joseph Eribo ordered the deployment of a tactical team from Bali Division to the area in collaboration with the Army, vigilantes, and hunters. On arriving at the village, the bandits engaged the joint team in a gun duel.

“In the process, many of the bandits were subdued and neutralised due to the firing power of the operatives and others escaped with various degrees of injuries as a result of gunshots. Investigation revealed that over fifty of the bandits were neutralised.”

According to him, there is a manhunt in the area to arrest the fleeing bandits.

However, 12 locals were shot to death by the bandits before the arrival of the security personnel, the police spokesman added.

Already, police authorities in the state have deployed a special strike force to the area for robust patrol mainly to stem the tide of banditry in and around the place.

Taraba is among several states in northern and central Nigeria where bandit gangs operate, raiding villages, killing and abducting residents as well as burning and looting homes.

The criminals have been notorious for mass kidnappings of students from schools in recent years. Hundreds of thousands of people have also been displaced in rural areas in the northern and central parts of Nigeria, where bandit militias raid villages to loot and kidnap scores of residents to hold them for ransom in forest hideouts.

Police neutralise over 50 bandits in Taraba

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IPOB Accuses UK of Hypocrisy Over Israel Stance, Demands Kanu’s Release Following UN Ruling

Published

17 minutes ago

August 22, 2026

Trends Admin

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu

IPOB Accuses UK of Hypocrisy Over Israel Stance, Demands Kanu’s Release Following UN Ruling

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has called out the British Government for what it describes as a “selective outrage” and double standards in applying international law, citing a United Nations ruling that its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, was subjected to torture and extraordinary rendition.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused the British Government of hypocrisy and applying international law selectively over its stance on Israel and the continued detention of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The group was reacting to recent comments by the British Foreign Secretary concerning real estate development in Jerusalem. IPOB’s spokesperson, Comrade Emma Powerful, in a statement on Friday, said the group supports Israel and recognises Jerusalem as its “eternal and undivided capital”.

The group maintained that Britain lacks the moral authority to lecture Israel on international law while allegedly ignoring the findings and recommendations of United Nations human rights bodies concerning Kanu. According to IPOB, the United Nations Human Rights Council, acting under the UN General Assembly, has officially indicted Nigeria for what it described as gross violations of international law and fundamental norms in Kanu’s case. The group stated that the UN had determined that Kanu was subjected to torture and extraordinary rendition after being forcibly returned to Nigeria from Kenya in 2021, and the UN Working Group explicitly called for his immediate release and payment of compensation.

“These are not the words of IPOB. These are the findings of the highest international human rights bodies,” the statement emphasised. IPOB regretted that, rather than support this binding call for justice, Britain chose to assist Nigeria in defying international law. The group further lamented that the same Britain now lecturing Israel about international law turned a blind eye to the torture of a British citizen. “The same Britain invoking legal principles against our Israeli brothers and sisters actively helped Nigeria circumvent those very principles when it concerned Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” the statement said.

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IPOB also criticised the British Foreign Secretary’s position on Israel, describing it as entirely one-sided. The group accused the British Government of condemning Israel over construction near Jerusalem while allegedly failing to adequately address Palestinian terrorism, incitement, and the Palestinian Authority’s “pay for slay” policy. The group claimed that this policy of blaming only Israel while ignoring Palestinian extremism has contributed to a massive wave of antisemitic hatred against the British Jewish community.

IPOB vehemently rejected what it described as the patronising tone of the British government’s lectures, pointing out that the Jewish people have the right to live throughout the historic and Biblical land of Israel. “Jerusalem is Israel, and Israel is Jerusalem. The Balfour Declaration formally recognised this historic right more than a century ago,” the group said, adding that Britain, which still controls colonial territories thousands of miles from its shores, has no right to lecture the Jewish people about where they may live in their tiny historic homeland.

IPOB subsequently demanded what it described as consistency in Britain’s application of international law. The group called on the British Government to publicly support the UN findings concerning Kanu, demand his release and compensation from the Nigerian Government, and end what it described as the selective application of international law based on political convenience. “Britain must choose: respect international law for all, or be exposed as a hypocrite that uses law only as a weapon against its friends,” the statement concluded.

IPOB Accuses UK of Hypocrisy Over Israel Stance, Demands Kanu’s Release Following UN Ruling

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Enugu ADC Chairman Found Dead Near Residence in Suspected Murder

Published

59 minutes ago

August 22, 2026

Trends Admin

Enugu ADC Chairman Found Dead Near Residence in Suspected Murder

Hon. Chisimdiri Emmanuel Ngwu was reportedly strangled, with two suspects arrested as the political community calls for a thorough investigation ahead of the 2027 elections.

Tension and grief have gripped the political community in Enugu State following the reported death of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Chairman in Udenu Local Government Area, Hon. Chisimdiri Emmanuel Ngwu, under suspicious circumstances. Ngwu, described as one of the party’s longest-serving members in the state, was reportedly found dead in the early hours of Wednesday, August 19, 2026, shortly after leaving his residence.

According to a family source who spoke to journalists, Ngwu woke up early that morning, walked out of the house, and never returned alive. The family became worried after discovering that Ngwu was missing, only to later find his lifeless body in front of the family compound. “When we woke up, we didn’t see him only to discover his lifeless body in front of our compound. We saw scratches on his neck which was twisted backwards,” the source said.

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The circumstances surrounding Ngwu’s death have raised concerns among his family, political associates, and members of the ADC. The deceased, who hailed from Orba in Udenu LGA, was reportedly strangulated. Two persons have reportedly been arrested in connection with the incident, although their identities and the circumstances of their arrest were not immediately disclosed as of press time.

The Enugu State Police Command’s spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe, could not immediately confirm the incident, stating that he was not aware of the development. However, the immediate past chairman of the ADC in Enugu State, Mrs. Stella Chukwuma, confirmed Ngwu’s death.

The development has cast a pall over the ADC in Enugu State, coming at a politically sensitive period ahead of the 2027 general elections. The incident has heightened concerns among members of the party and residents of the community, with calls for a thorough investigation to unravel what led to Ngwu’s death and determine those responsible. Authorities are expected to intensify investigations to establish the circumstances surrounding the politician’s death.

Enugu ADC Chairman Found Dead Near Residence in Suspected Murder

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Hamzat warns workers against spending over 40% of income on rent

Published

2 hours ago

August 22, 2026

Trends Admin

Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat

Hamzat warns workers against spending over 40% of income on rent

Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat has advised workers not to spend more than 40 per cent of their income on rent, warning that excessive housing costs could leave households struggling to meet other basic needs.

Hamzat gave the advice during a question-and-answer session with Nigeria Info FM on Thursday, August 20, 2026, while responding to concerns about the rising cost of housing in Lagos and the difficulty faced by young workers on modest incomes.

The deputy governor was asked how a 22-year-old earning N100,000 monthly could afford a self-contained apartment or mini-flat reportedly costing about N1 million annually in rent.

In response, Hamzat said young workers should make housing decisions based on their income rather than social pressure or the expectation that they must immediately move into independent accommodation after securing employment.

He suggested that unmarried young workers who cannot comfortably afford rent could consider living with their parents, relatives or cousins, or share accommodation with others while building their careers and finances.

“Don’t let us misunderstand ourselves as a people. We are cultural people. Do you understand? So, if I start work as a young person and I’m not married, a lot of us live with our parents. A lot of us live with our cousins,” Hamzat said. (Punch Newspapers)

Hamzat said there was no need for young workers to “start from the top” by renting expensive self-contained apartments when their earnings could not comfortably support such accommodation.

He encouraged residents to start with housing they can afford and improve their living arrangements as their income and savings increase.

The deputy governor also stressed the need for workers to balance rent payments with other essential expenses, including food, clothing and transportation.

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“In fact, if you spend more than 40 per cent of your income on rent, it is too high because you must eat, you must buy clothes, you must do transportation,” he said. (TheNiche)

For a worker earning N100,000 monthly, an annual rent of N1 million would amount to more than 80 per cent of annual income, leaving only about N200,000 before other expenses such as food, transport, utilities and clothing are considered.

Hamzat’s comments come as rising rents in Lagos continue to put pressure on workers, particularly young people and households whose earnings have not kept pace with accommodation and other living costs.

Beyond renting, Hamzat advocated mortgage financing as a more sustainable route to home ownership, arguing that Nigerians should not be expected to pay the full cost of a property at once.

“But, you know, the challenge is we cannot continue to buy houses the way we buy rice and yam. Do you understand? So, we must buy properties using a mortgage, and that’s why we have a mortgage board in Lagos,” he said.

He explained that mortgage financing could allow residents to make an initial payment and spread the remaining cost over several years, making home ownership more achievable for people who cannot afford a one-off payment.

Using a N7 million property as an example, Hamzat said a prospective buyer could pay a 10 per cent initial deposit of N700,000 and spread the remaining balance over 10 years.

He said monthly repayments could vary depending on the buyer’s income and repayment capacity, with some residents paying around N25,000 or N35,000 monthly.

“That is the way to go because we know that a lot of people will not be able to afford to pay a one-shot deal,” Hamzat said. (The Sun Nigeria)

Hamzat also highlighted the role of the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) in the housing process, saying residents’ registration information could help establish their identity, address and place of work when assessing their ability to access housing finance.

He said the system could support a process in which an applicant’s financial capacity and ability to repay a mortgage are assessed before financing is approved.

The deputy governor further urged young workers to develop a savings culture and consider smaller properties as an entry point to home ownership, rather than waiting until they can afford more expensive houses.

According to Hamzat, the housing challenge cannot be addressed through personal financial choices alone. He said broader economic conditions, particularly workers’ incomes and the cost of essential goods and services, also need to improve.

“What is important is we must also build our economy in such a way that people earn better,” he said.

Hamzat said greater economic stability would make it easier for households to plan their finances, manage housing costs and work towards owning property.

He also linked the housing challenge to the wider cost-of-living situation, arguing that reducing the pressure created by the rising cost of goods and services would help residents cope with other financial obligations.

“The cost of buying things is what we need to fix first, and then when we fix that, which is what the Federal Government is doing now, then we’ll be able to talk a lot more about other pillars that stop on top of that,” he said. (The Whistler Newspaper)

Hamzat’s position therefore combines a call for affordable housing choices, greater use of mortgage financing and improved household savings with a broader appeal for stronger incomes and economic stability.

For young workers in Lagos, his central message was that accommodation should reflect what they can realistically afford, rather than consume a disproportionate share of their earnings.