metro

Delta killings: Troops recover decomposing hearts of killed soldiers

Published

1 year ago

March 23, 2024

Delta killings: Troops recover decomposing hearts of killed soldiers

The Defence Headquarters, in a chilling update Friday on the recent killing of 18 Army officers and men in Okuama, Delta State, confirmed recovery of the decomposing hearts of some of the victims.

It said the hunt for the perpetrators was intensifying but no significant arrest had been made.

The Director Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, told reporters in Abuja that troops were currently conducting clearance operations and cordon and search to recover, among other things, the weapons of the deceased soldiers.

He said their efforts have yielded the recovery of the “decomposing hearts of some of the murdered soldiers.”

Earlier reports had indicated that the people responsible for the soldiers’ death also harvested their hearts and other body parts.

On the list of communities in which troops have already conducted operations are Akugbene, Ukuama and Okoloba in Ugheli and Ugheli South of Delta State as well as Ukuama Amusamo, Akwagbe, Arhavwarien, Pirigbene and Igbomatoro communities also in Delta State.

He said although no significant arrest had been made yet, the DHQ was not unaware of a viral video of a person “admitting to have perpetrated the killing of the soldiers in Delta State.”

He said one of the advantages of the video is that it “helps to narrow investigations to persons of interest and their cohorts.”

READ ALSO:

He said: “Accordingly, the state governments and host communities of these personalities are required to assist investigation in flushing them out.

“There can be no hiding place for perpetrators of such dastardly act against our nation. This is a clarion call to duty by members of those communities and the state governments.”

Besides the development in Okuama, Buba said troops across other theaters of operation during the week neutralised 106 alleged terrorists and arrested 103 other suspected criminals.

He said troops also arrested 22 oil thieves and rescued 96 kidnap victims.

Buba said troops recovered 171 assorted weapons comprising 47 AK47 rifles, one PKT gun, 18 pump action rifles, 17 locally fabricated guns, 14 Dane guns, 12 locally fabricated pistols, one fabricated revolver, one hand grenade, 81mm mortar bomb, one mortar tube and four bandoliers

He said troops also recovered 2,452 assorted ammunition, comprising 995 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 468 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 317 live cartridges, 125 rounds of 9mm ammo, 313 rounds of 7.62 x 54mm ammo, 13 rounds of 7.62 x 51mm, 19 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm, 167 empty shells of 7.62mm special ammo, 45 empty shells of 7.62mm NATO, 72 empty cases of cartridges, 14 magazines.

Other items recovered, according to defence spokesperson, are 10 vehicles, 23 motorcycles, 19 mobile phones, one bicycle, four baofeng radios, and the sum of N112,920.00 amongst other items.

He said: “Troops in the Niger Delta area discovered and destroyed 51 dugout pits, 17 boats, 15 storage tanks and 4 vehicles. Other items recovered include 21 cooking ovens, 3 pumping machines and 40 illegal refining sites.

“Troops recovered 772,350 litres of stolen crude oil, 80,530 litres of illegally refined AGO and 1,500 litres of DPK.”

Buba said the troops would continue to put themselves in harm’s way in order to protect and secure the citizens of this country.

Meanwhile, an ex-Niger Delta militant leader, ‘General’ Endurance Amagbein, who was accused in some quarters as the brains behind the killings, yesterday vehemently denied the allegation.

He said he knew nothing whatsoever about the incident.

Delta killings: Troops recover decomposing hearts of killed soldiers

metro

Police rescue 2 pastors abducted from Lokoja mountain

Published

28 minutes ago

April 18, 2025

Trends Admin

Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP William Ovye Aya

Police rescue 2 pastors abducted from Lokoja mountain

The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed the rescue of two victims of last Friday’s attack on worshippers on the Akpamoba-Igbola prayer mountain in Agbaja area of Lokoja Local Government Area.

The command’s spokesman, ASP William Aya, disclosed this during a chat with our correspondent in Lokoja.

He identified the rescued victims as pastors Adura Kayode and Kingsley Ebong of the City of Grace Prophetic Liberation Church.

He said the rescued pastors had been reunited with their families, adding that security operatives are still combing the forest in the area to rescue more of the abducted worshippers.

READ ALSO:

Meanwhile, the chairman of Lokoja Local Government Council, Comrade Abdullahi Adamu, has charged security operatives to sustain the search, rid the forest of all criminal elements and restore sanity.

The chairman, in a statementby his special adviser, Yusuf Bala, called on residents of the area to remain calm as security personnel are on the trail of the criminals.

The worshippers were attacked by some armed men, suspected to be kidnappers during a night vigil last Friday at Akpamoba-Igbola Mountain in Agbaja area. They whisked an unspecified number of them into the bush.

The rescue of the two pastors has brought the number of freed victims to three, including a woman, Mary Adams Gur,who regained her freedom on the night of the incident when men of the state vigilante services stormed the forest.

Police rescue 2 pastors abducted from Lokoja mountain

metro

FG secures release of 6 women arrested for human trafficking in Cape Verde

Published

16 hours ago

April 17, 2025

Trends Admin

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar

FG secures release of 6 women arrested for human trafficking in Cape Verde

The Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) has successfully secured the release of six Nigerian women who were wrongfully detained in Cape Verde over baseless trafficking accusations.

Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, the spokesperson of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, revealed via a statement on Wednesday, April 16 that the Nigerian Mission in Guinea Bissau worked closely with the Cape Verdean authorities to ensure the women’s release.

She noted that the women had travelled to Cape Verde for vacation but were unfortunately arrested on unfounded human trafficking charges, which were eventually proven to be false.

Ebienfa mentioned that the minister expressed his satisfaction with the successful resolution of the matter and reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding the rights and well-being of Nigerians abroad.

READ ALSO:

The statement read, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to happily inform you that the Nigerian ladies who were detained in Cape Verde have all been released and have left the country, too.

“The Ministry engaged Cape Verde authorities via our Mission in Guinea Bissau to secure their release.

“The six ladies travelled to Cape Verde for a holiday and were unfortunately detained on allegations of trafficking, which turned out to be false.”

FG secures release of 6 women arrested for human trafficking in Cape Verde

metro

Bayelsa lawmaker, Wike’s ally exchange blows amid tension over scheduled event [VIDEO]

Published

16 hours ago

April 17, 2025

Trends Admin

Bayelsa lawmaker, Wike’s ally exchange blows amid tension over scheduled event [VIDEO]

A lawmaker in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and an ally of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike were captured engaging in a fight.

In a video circulating on social media, the Chief Whip of the Assembly, Hon. Gabriel Ogbara, was seen engaging in a heated struggle with the Ogbia Ward 8 Coordinator of the pro-Wike political group, the NEW Associates.

READ ALSO:

The footage was posted by George Turnah, a known supporter of Wike and a former legal adviser to the PDP in the South-South zone.

Turnah, who was recently suspended by the Bayelsa PDP, has been at loggerheads with Governor Douye Diri over plans to organize a rally in Yenagoa in support of Wike. The event is scheduled for Saturday, April 26, 2025.

Despite both Diri and Wike belonging to the PDP, the two powerbrokers have been locked in a quiet political rivalry, particularly over control of the party’s structure in the South-South. Governor Diri currently chairs the South-South Governors’ Forum.