Bandits kill Minna Catholic priest, 10 in Zamfara – Newstrends
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Bandits kill Minna Catholic priest, 10 in Zamfara

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  • Abduct 17 in Niger

Catholic Priest of the Diocese of Minna, Rev Father John Gbakaan Yaji, has been killed by bandits in Niger State.

The priest was kidnapped alongside his brother Friday night on Lambata-Lapai Road on his way home after a meeting in Lambata before he was killed by his abductors.

In Zamfara State, gunmen also killed 10 people in an attack on Janbako, a community in the Maradun Local Government Area of the state.

The priest’s body was found on Sunday but whereabouts of his brother remain unknown.

A source at the Minna diocese confirmed Rev Fr Yaji’s abduction and killing, adding that the clergy was tortured and strangled to death.

The source said the kidnappers had also been demanding an unspecified amount as ransom for the release of the clergy’s brother.

Seventeen other persons were abducted in attacks on three communities in the Bassa/Kukoki area of Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

It was learnt that the attacks took place at different times on Saturday night in Madagwa, Wongo and Marenje communities.

Five people were reportedly abducted from Wongo and Marenje communities while about seven were abducted from Madagwa.

The co-convener, Concerned Shiroro Youths, Sani Abubakar Yusuf Kokki confirmed the abduction, saying that the whereabouts of the victims were unknown yet.

He said that it is unfair that the locals had been left to their fate.

The state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) called for an end to banditry and killings in the state.

Reverend Matthias Echioda, the Niger State chair of CAN, said, “These attacks are unfortunate and we should not base them as religion but we should all come together to put an end to banditry. And I know God who answers prayers will deliver us from the hands of the wicked.”

In Zamfara, scores of the gunmen on motorcycles invaded a community on Sunday shooting in different directions and this left 10 people dead.

About five of the bandits were reportedly killed by local vigilantes that confronted the attackers.

 

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Police rearrest popular singer, Speed Darlington

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Speed Darlington

Police rearrest popular singer, Speed Darlington

Police rearrest popular singer, Speed Darlington

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Hamdiyya Sidi makes U-turn, apologises to Sokoto gov over video on insecurity

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Governor Ahmed Aliyu and Hamdiyya Sidi

Hamdiyya Sidi makes U-turn, apologises to Sokoto gov over video on insecurity

In a significant development, a Sokoto-based rights activist, Hamdiyya Sidi, being prosecuted by Governor Ahmed Aliyu-led Sokoto government for allegedly making inciting statements, has made a U-turn and issued a public apology to the state government.

Sidi was reportedly arrested for “embarrassing” Governor Aliyu, on social media.

She was subsequently arraigned secretly without having access to a lawyer nor family members, a source had said.

The woman had in a video lamented the insecurity in the state and demanded an end to the incessant killings by bandits.

She had reportedly revealed how gunmen took over villages without any restraint and added that displaced women seeking refuge in the state capital were being sexually exploited due to abject poverty.

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But in a new video shared on social media, Sidi stated in Hausa, “My name is Hamdiyya Sidi Sheriff from Sokoto state, Wurno Local Government Area.

“I am the individual who recently created a video highlighting the pressing issues of insecurity and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Sokoto State.

“I’m apologising as a woman and a Muslim from Sokoto because I used some words in the video when I made reference to the governor’s wife and his family.

“The words are too heavy considering my age. The words weren’t supposed to have come from me.

“And the other comment I made that the IDPs should move into government facilities and occupy them, I regret saying that too.

“Please for God’s sake, I’m sorry, nobody has the right to move into or occupy a government facility without due process and permission.

“For the government, governor and anyone that my comment has affected, I’m sorry, please forgive me.”

Sokoto is one of states in Northern Nigeria plagued by bandits who raid and loot villages, kill residents and burn houses to the ground.

 

Hamdiyya Sidi makes U-turn, apologises to Sokoto gov over video on insecurity

(SAHARAREPORTERS)

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Customs officers, smugglers clash in Ogun, onlooker killed

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Customs officers, smugglers clash in Ogun, onlooker killed

A bystander was fat@lly struck by a stray bullet when some Nigerian Customs Service officers and smugglers clashed in the Obada Idi-Emi area of Imeko-Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State on Monday, Nov. 25.

The violent confrontation began earlier in the day, with gunshots ringing out, throwing the community into panic.

As both sides exchanged gunfire, a resident identified as Kazeem was k!lled by a stray bullet.

The Public Relations Officer of the Ogun Area 1 Command of the Nigeria Customs Services, Hammed Oloyede, confirmed the incident to Punch. Oloyede said officers of the command had received intelligence about a smuggling activity of some foreign rice and they trailed the vehicle.

He added that when the driver of the vehicle observed that he had been trailed, he abandoned the smuggled item and the vehicle in a bid to evade arrest and fled the scene.

He said: “On Monday, November 25, 2024, at about 1109hrs, the operatives of Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun Area 1 Command received credible information on a Mazda 323 laden with bags of Imported rice. A surveillance team was deployed in a private vehicle to trail and give real-time updates on the Information.

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“Upon confirmation, The team with the official patrol vehicle swung into action along the bush paths of Owode-Obada and intercepted one MAZDA 323 loaded with foreign rice of 50kg each at the said Owode Obada axis. The driver abandoned the vehicle upon sighting the official patrol vehicle and managed to evade arrest.

“While conveying the intercepted vehicle with foreign rice to the Government Warehouse for documentation, the intercepted vehicle broke down at Obada town. Given the volatile nature of the area, the team leader directed that the intercepted rice be evacuated into the official patrol Hilux.”

He added that some suspected hoodlums attacked the officers while they were transloading the seized contraband which led to a free-for-all between the officers and the hoodlums.

The Ogun Customs PRO added that during the ensuing melee, the customs officers fled the scene to ensure their safety. One officer (pictured above) was injured.

Oloyede said that an investigation has commenced into the matter.

 

Customs officers, smugglers clash in Ogun, onlooker killed

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