Updated: Boko Haram kills 13 in Borno rocket explosion – Newstrends
Connect with us

metro

Updated: Boko Haram kills 13 in Borno rocket explosion

Published

on

At least 13 persons have been confirmed dead, and over 40 others injured in rocket attacks on Maiduguri on Tuesday by suspected Boko Haram,.

As of Tuesday night, a team of security, military, Civilian JTF and humanitarian workers were combing the town for corpses and injured people.

Initial count of corpses indicated that 13 persons were killed and over 40 persons were injured.

The major casualties were recorded at a football pitch in Gwange near the House of late Gen Mamman Shuwa, who was one of the earlier casualties of insurgency in the state.

The insurgents fired two volleys of explosives on the city, hitting the densely populated Adamkolo and Gwange neighbourhoods, they said.

“We have six dead in Adamkolo and four others in Gwange from the mortar explosions,” a militia leader, Babakura Kolo, told AFP.

“The explosives were fired by Boko Haram terrorists from Kaleri on the outskirts of the city,” he said.

At least 16 people were injured in Gwange and five in Adamkolo, said another militiaman, Umar Ari, who gave the same death toll.

Eyewitness Sama’ila Ibrahim said the jihadists crossed the ditch fortification around Maiduguri into Kaleri, sending residents scrambling for safety with sporadic shooting.

“Luckily they didn’t hit anyone. After shooting more minutes they left towards Boboshe,” he said. Ibrahim said the militants came through Boboshe village, a known Boko Haram enclave.

Boko Haram has repeatedly made incursions into Maiduguri, using heavy guns, rocket-propelled grenades and suicide bombers.

The attacks aimed at overrunning the regional capital have usually been foiled in fierce gun battles with troops.

In February last year, Boko Haram fired volleys of rocket-propelled grenades into the city, injuring several people.

Since it began in 2009, the jihadist conflict has killed 36,000 people and displaced around two million from their homes in North-East Nigeria, sparking a dire humanitarian crisis in the region.

The violence has spread to neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military coalition to fight the insurgents.

-AFP

metro

Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack

Published

on

Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack

Early Wednesday morning, gunmen attacked an army checkpoint in Ekenobizi, a border community between Abia and Imo states, located in Umuopara, Umuahia South Local Government Area.

The assailants reportedly arrived around 6:18 a.m. in a white Lexus SUV (model 350/400) and launched an assault that resulted in the deaths of two soldiers.

A military source, who wished to remain anonymous, provided details of the incident but could not confirm the exact number of attackers involved.

READ ALSO:

Confirming the incident in a press release on Wednesday, Lieutenant Colonel Jonah Unuakhalu of the Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA said: “In the early hours of today, 13 November 2024, troops of the Joint Task Force South East Operation UDO KA, deployed at a checkpoint along the Umuahia – Owerri Road in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State, came under attack by the irredentist group Indigenous People of Biafra and its armed affiliate, the Eastern Security Network.

“During the attack, the gallant troops were able to repel the assault, forcing the attackers to retreat in disarray with gunshot wounds, abandoning one Sienna and one Lexus Jeep used in the attack. However, in the ensuing firefight, two soldiers paid the supreme price.”

The Joint Task Force appealed to residents of the South East, particularly those in Abia State, for credible information to help track down the fleeing attackers and combat criminal elements in the region.

The force reiterated its commitment to protecting lives and property in line with global best practices and the rules of engagement.

 

Gunmen kill two soldiers in Abia checkpoint attack

Continue Reading

metro

94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters

Published

on

94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters

At least 94 illegal occupants and squatters along the railway corridor from Pen Cinema to Fagba were arrested by the Lagos State Taskforce in an early morning sting operation on Wednesday.

During the raid, substances suspected to be hard drugs—such as Indian hemp, colorado, and other harmful drugs—were seized, along with various weapons.

It was gathered that those arrested attempted to resist the task force’s actions.

In a statement, Director of Public Affairs, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, confirmed that those arrested will face prosecution.

He added that the agency dismantled shanties and makeshift structures along the railway corridor, clearing a distance of some kilometers.

The Taskforce Chairman Adetayo Akerele explained that the eviction aimed to provide relief for residents around the Fagba, Agege, and Pen Cinema railway routes, following numerous complaints from the public about criminal activities in the area.

He noted that the squatting had violated environmental and sanitary regulations.

READ ALSO:

Akerele also highlighted the health and safety risks posed by the presence of squatters along the rail corridor.

He warned the evicted individuals not to return and assured residents and train passengers that regular patrols and surveillance would be conducted to prevent the re-establishment of shanties in the area.

“The rail tracks are not meant for habitation or the sale of narcotics. Anyone caught converting this place into a den of criminals or an area of residence will face severe consequences according to the law,” Akerele was quoted as saying.

Speaking on the raid, Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed that a locally fabricated short gun was recovered.

“94 suspects were arrested during the midnight operation; a locally fabricated short gun and several wraps of illicit substance suspected to be indian hemp, charm and a jack knife were recovered.

“The suspects will be charged to court accordingly,” Wahab stated in a post on X.

 

94 arrested as task force raids Lagos rail corridor squatters

Continue Reading

metro

Okpebholo sacks all political appointees, Board executives in Edo

Published

on

Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State

Okpebholo sacks all political appointees, Board executives in Edo

Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has swept out all Board, Parastatal, and Agency appointees from his predecessor, Godwin Obaseki, in a decisive move to overhaul the state’s public service.

A statement released on Wednesday by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, confirmed the immediate dismissal of all political appointees and Permanent Secretaries brought in from outside the state Civil Service.

READ ALSO:

The statement reads:

“For the information of the general public, His Excellency, Senator Monday Okpebholo, Governor of Edo State, has approved the dissolution of Executives of all Boards, Agencies, and Parastatals in the Edo State Public Service with immediate effect.

“In addition, all Permanent Secretaries appointed from outside the State Public/Civil Service and all Political Appointees are hereby relieved of their appointments.”

Affected individuals have been directed to return all government property in their possession to the senior Public Officers in their respective Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.

 

Okpebholo sacks all political appointees, Board executives in Edo

Continue Reading

Trending