Bandits kill policeman, kidnap five in Niger – Newstrends
Connect with us

metro

Bandits kill policeman, kidnap five in Niger

Published

3 years ago

on

Bandits have killed a policeman and kidnapped five others in attacks in Shiroro and Rafi local governments of Niger State.

One person was injured in the attack at Chukuba community in Shiroro council. Several cattle were stolen.

The attacks came just as Niger State governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, said most of the bandits operating in the North were from Mali and Sudan.

The bandits stormed the community, leaving the villagers confused and devastated.

The Chairman of Shiroro Local Government, Suleiman Chukuba, confirmed the incident during a telephone interview.

He appealed to the Federal Government to assist the council.

Another bandit attack occurred in Rafi Local Government during which five people were abducted.

The bandits reportedly invaded Rigo village in Rafi Local Government Area in their normal style of riding motorcycles and shooting sporadically at people.

At the end of the raid, which sources said lasted for about two hours, five people were kidnapped.

Police spokesman ASP Wasiu Abiodun, promised to get back with information on the attacks.

Governor Bello told journalists on Wednesday after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa that the bandits were recruited through Facebook, a social networking platform.

Niger has recorded high incidents of banditry and kidnapping.

The governor said he asked the president for help against banditry and the repair of deplorable roads in the state.

“The situation is very bad. Niger is 73,000 square kilometers. It’s the size of the entire south-south and south-east,” he said.

Bello also said, “We have a limited number of security personnel and I think we have to start thinking of increasing the number so that we are able to cover most of the local government within the state.

“Some of our local governments are up to 6,000 to 7,000 square kilometers. For example, the Bobi Grazing Reserve, established by the state government, the CBN and the federal government to stop the movement of cattle and avoid herders/farmers conflict, has become a target.

“We are having an influx of bandits from neighbouring states, especially Zamfara and Kaduna states. It is difficult to patrol those areas because vehicles do not go there and it is a forest, which means we will need the federal might, especially the air force.

“By the way, the air force has been doing well in recent times to support our ground operations. In one particular case, we arrested bandits that are foreigners from as far as Sudan and Mali and they came on motorcycles.

“They are being recruited through social media, through Facebook in some cases. They confessed to this. They governor said the activities of bandits differ from place to place.”

The governor said the bandits are trying to deprive the country of food security by burning farms.

“I can understand if you kidnap, you are looking for money. But, when you burn farms, then, there is something else happening. Or when you kill animals. They go to villages and kill animals. They don’t steal,” he said.

Related Topics:
Advertisement
993 Comments

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

metro

Driver testifies in Lagos church with stolen car

Published

8 mins ago

on

July 3, 2024

By

Driver testifies in Lagos church with stolen car

A fleeing robbery suspect, Amos Daniel, 36, who snatched his employer’s car on the same day he was employed as a driver, has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command.

The suspect confessed to having taken the car to his church to give testimony of God’s miraculous provision.

Two dismissed soldiers, Akeem Suleiman and Abdulau Mohammed, and two civilian members of their gang paraded among other suspects, were alleged to have carried out operations wearing Military headgear. Recovered from the dismissed soldiers were the Military headgear, uniform and identity cards.

Also paraded was  25-year-old  Thankgod Kesh-David,  who posed as a roadside mechanic to effect repairs on broken-down vehicles, only to disappear with them.

Briefing journalists at the Command Headquarters, Ikeja, on Tuesday, the spokesman for the command, SP Benjamin Hudenyin, said: “We have successfully arrested a robbery gang through our tactical team based in Surulere. The four-man gang specialized in snatching vehicles at gunpoint from motorists in Lagos. They have been operating for quite a long time. Two of them are dismissed soldiers, one was dismissed in 2014 and the other in 2017. They carried out their crime wearing full military gear.

READ ALSO:

“We also have somebody who was employed as a driver. Unfortunately, the employer did not do due diligence. The same day he resumed as a driver, he ran away with the car and could not be traced.

“Interestingly, he dedicated the car in church the following  Sunday, testifying of what God had done to him.”

Speaking with journalists, the arrested driver, Daniel, said: “I stole my madam’s Lexus car and took it to the church to testify that God has blessed me. I intended to use it for Uber and use the proceeds to pay my debt. I stole the car on June 23, 2024, the very first day I was employed, and I took it to church on June 30, 2024.”

Akeem Suleiman, who claimed he was dismissed from the Nigerian Army in 2017 for desertion, told journalists: “I started robbery in April 2024. Anytime we steal a car, I drive it to the receiver’s place. We steal cars randomly. If we see anyone parked and wound down, we drag them out and zoom off in the car. We operate in the Ajah area of Lagos, with a local gun. But we never killed our victims.”

The Command’s spokesman advised that due diligence should be exercised when employing a driver or domestic staff and they should be taken to the Central Criminal Registry at the Force Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon, and the forensic unit before employment. The suspects will be charged in court.

Driver testifies in Lagos church with stolen car

Continue Reading

metro

Disaster as Lagos flood sweeps away pupil returning from school

Published

42 mins ago

on

July 3, 2024

By

Disaster as Lagos flood sweeps away pupil returning from school

A primary six pupil simply identified as Joshua has been swept away by flood in Ikosi, Ketu area of Lagos State.

The pupil was returning home from school alongside his colleagues when the tragic incident occurred on Taiwo Street in Ikosi, Ketu, Lagos.

Reacting to the tragedy, Joshua’s mother, a fruit seller, wept, pulling her hair and lamented the loss of her only child.

“Joshua died hungry and cold. He was in primary six; he was supposed to write his common entrance exam,” she said.

The mother, who was clearly distraught, revealed that she had lost her home in a fire and was living in a temporary shelter.

She pleaded with the public to help her find her son, promising to do anything to get him back.

READ ALSO:

A witness, who is also a youth leader in the area, known as Oloyede, said he saw children in the rain and warned them to be careful because the area.

“But unfortunately, the plank that was used to bridge the canal was completely covered by water, and they fell into the drainage.

“I managed to swim and rescue one of them, but unfortunately, Joshua was swept away by the heavy currents and died,” he said.

A community leader, who spoke off the record, blamed the government for abandoning a project to channel the drainage, leaving the area prone to flooding.

“In January, the government started a project to channel the drainage, but they abandoned it, leaving us with this unfinished project. Every time it rains, the area is filled with water,” he said.

When contacted, Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Nosa Okunbor, said he did not receive any report on the incident.

Efforts to reach the Lagos police spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, did not yield result as he did not respond to calls.

Disaster as Lagos flood sweeps away pupil returning from school

Continue Reading

metro

Head of vigilante arrested with human skulls, bones in Rivers

Published

47 mins ago

on

July 3, 2024

By

Head of vigilante arrested with human skulls, bones in Rivers

The Rivers State Police Command has arrested the commander of a local vigilante group with two human skulls and other parts at his hideout in Omoku, headquarters of Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of the state.

Felix Nwaobakata, the leader of the local vigilante group was arrested with seven other members of the security outfit for several crimes, including murder in a clampdown on the excesses of vigilante groups operating in the state.

The Spokesperson for the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, on Wednesday, July 3.Iringe-Koko said Nwaobakata, who is the Commander of the ONELGA Security and Peace Advisory Committee codenamed OSPAC was a principal suspect in the murder of two brothers in Idu in Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni LGA of the state on May 1, 2024, on the allegations that they were kidnappers.

The statement noted the arrest of Nwaobakata and other OSPAC members followed numerous complaints about their operations in different parts of the state, especially in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LG, saying the operatives of the outfit recently attacked a police division in Omoku and clashed with other security agencies.The statement read, “The Rivers State Police Command has commenced a clampdown on the excesses of vigilante groups operating within the state.“This follows numerous complaints about the operations of the ONELGA Security and Peace Advisory Committee in different parts of the State, predominantly in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni LGA, as well as clashes with other Security Agencies by this Vigilante Group.

“On May 9, 2024, Alhaji Usman Seleh, the Chairman of the Hausa Indigenous Group in ONELGA, reported that OSPAC had abducted a member of his group. He proceeded to report the matter to the police. Consequently, the police invited the ONELGA OSPAC Commander, Felix Nwaobakata, who refused to honour several invitations.

READ ALSO:

“Instead, the OSPAC outfit coordinated an attack on the police division in Omoku but the attack was thwarted as the police repelled them.

“Following this development, Tactical Units of the command stormed the ONELGA OSPAC Camp at Omoku and arrested Cheta Benjamin, Joshua Ekwosa, Innocent Ahiakwu, and four others.

“The ONELGA OSPAC Commander, Felix Nwaobakata, was subsequently arrested in his hideout in Omoku on June 17, 2024, where two human skulls and human bones were found in his possession.

“The arrested OSPAC Commander, Felix Nwaobakata, is also a principal suspect in the murder of two brothers, Collins Ugorji (32) and Newman Ugorji (39), of the Idu Community in ONELGA.”

The brothers were said to have been killed on May 1, 2024, by the OSPAC on the allegation that they were kidnappers.

Their motorcycles were reportedly confiscated, and their bodies were taken to the OSPAC secretariat in Omoku.

In another related incident, the state police spokesperson said, “On May 3, 2024, the Youths of Egbeda Community in Emuoha LGA staged a peaceful protest to Lubrik Construction Company at Egbeda, and after being addressed by the Police, they dispersed but were ambushed by a group of OSPAC members led by the Egbeda OSPAC Commander, Friday Ogbuji, who shot and killed the Youth Leader, Innocent Didia.

“The Rivers State Police Command has made further arrests and will continue to investigate these cases and other related ones, which will then be charged to a Court of competent Jurisdiction.

“The Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu has advised that any resident who has complaints of assault, extortion, or illegal detention should make a report at the nearest police station.

“The Rivers State Command is committed to carrying out its duty of protecting lives and property. It will not tolerate any act of illegality, excessive use of force, torture, fraudulent conversion of properties, and other varying forms of criminality by the OSPAC or any other vigilante outfit.”

Head of vigilante arrested with human skulls, bones in Rivers

Continue Reading

Trending