Troops kill 37 bandits in Zamfara

Troops of the Nigerian Army, with support from the air component of Operation Fansan Yamma, reportedly killed 37 bandits during a joint air and ground offensive in Zamfara.

According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the operation targeted terrorist hideouts in the Kaura Namoda LGA.

The publication quoted intelligence sources as saying that the operation was carried out on March 10.

“At around 11:00 a.m. yesterday, a fighter jet on reconnaissance spotted a large gathering of heavily armed bandits set to ambush advancing troops,” a military source was quoted as saying.

“The air strike was immediately launched, resulting in heavy casualties among the insurgents.

“Ground troops later swept through the area to eliminate the fleeing militants.

“I can confirm that 37 bodies were seen loitering all over the place, while several other terrorists managed to escape with severe injuries.”

The sources also added that the injured bandits fled into the forest, with the troops tracking their movements.

Troops kill 37 bandits in Zamfara

APC council chairmanship aspirant hacked to death in Lagos

Unknown assailants have killed a politician, Oluwatosin Onamade, in the Ijede area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.

Onamade, an aspirant for the chairmanship position of Ijede Local Council Development Area under the banner of the All Progressives Congress, was sh0t and macheted to d3ath on Saturday, March 8, 2025.

His distraught brother, Oluwafemi Onamade, who managed to speak with Punch, lamented that the assailants had been trailing the deceased before the unfortunate day.

According to Femi, the assailants were clad in black outfits with no one seeing their faces.

Femi, who had once survived a similar attack alongside his brother, said the gunmen used a machete on the deceased when the bullets earlier fired from their guns did not penetrate his body.

“It happened around 9 pm on Saturday. They were two gunmen. They were wearing black outfits and no one could recognise them. His aide said he could not wait when he heard gunshots. They shot at him and macheted him in front of his house. It happened at his house in Ijede, Oluwatosin Onamade Street. The street is named after him,” he narrated.

“They shot him. When the bullets did not penetrate in time, they used machetes on his head and face,” he said.

Femi suspects that his brother’s d3ath was linked to his political ambition.

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“They know he had an upper hand and many followers,” he added.

He explained that an attack had been made on his brother in 2021 which he survived.

“An attack had been made in 2021 and some of the culprits are still in prison but judgment has not been made yet.”

In an interview with the publication in 2021, the deceased narrated his traumatic encounter with alleged political assassins, who killed one of his staff members.

He said the incident happened on April 16, 2021.

“The day the incident occurred was Friday, April 16, 2021. But the Sunday (April 11) before that day, somebody called me (on the phone) to say they were coming to destroy the APC leadership meeting which usually held in my house. I said, ‘From who?’ The person told me it was from ‘the top,’ sponsored by a leader in the LGA and I said, ‘No problem. If that is the case, I have to hire some military men and other security officers to secure the entrance of my house,” the deceased narrated.

“On that day, when they (the assailants) couldn’t gain access to my compound, they went ahead to destroy all the (campaign) banners I had put up in the community. They went to the party secretariat in Ijede LCDA and maliciously destroyed the big box banner that I had erected in that place.

“They k!lled one of my staff members, Mr Ifeanyi Godfrey, who was also an executive member on my campaign committee. They butchered him, shot him in the head and threw his body into an empty coffin, where he worked in a funeral home.

“I was at the back (of the building). A well-known gang member shot at me but I dodged and hid myself. They were shouting, ‘This man is escaping again; we are going to find him and k!ll him.’  It was so barbaric; it was something I could never have imagined,” the deceased had said.

“My brother, Oluwafemi, who was in the second office, resisted their attempts to get in, and they left. Once they left, I came out to examine the damage. I started calling the police, but no policeman showed up, even though they were not far from my location.

“Then, the thugs came back, and immediately they saw me, they said, ‘So, he was inside.’ They then forced their way in. In the process, they began to hack my brother with a machete. They even wanted to cut his hand off.”

When contacted on Monday, his friend, who asked not to be named for the sensitivity of the situation, said the assailants who had been trying to kill his friend eventually succeeded.

“They have finally taken him out,” he simply said, calling on authorities to ensure justice.

He said Onamade was a strong contender in the chairmanship race in the council.

“He was a strong contender. Situations like that have been rampant in Ijede and call for serious attention from authorities.

Spokesperson of the State Police Command, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, said the command was aware of the incident and investigation was ongoing.

“Investigation has commenced into the incident,” Hundeyin said.

APC council chairmanship aspirant hacked to death in Lagos

Lagos couple arrested for kidnapping, blackmailing online vendor

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested Emmanuel and Mmesoma Okafor for reportedly kidnapping an internet vendor who went to deliver a goods in the Iyana Ishashi region of the state.

Benjamin Hundeyin, the command’s spokesperson, confirmed this during a news briefing on Monday.

According to him, the victim reported the event on Sunday, March 9, claiming that she was taken while attempting to make a delivery.

He claimed that after kidnapping the woman, the duo stripped her naked, abused her, and took nude photos of her.

Hundeyin also stated that the couple sought a ransom of N2 million, threatening to leak the photographs if she did not cooperate.

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He said, “The victim received a request for a product and proceeded to the customer’s house in Iyana Ishashi. Upon arrival, the door was opened, and she was forcibly dragged inside by a man and a woman.

“The suspects were later identified as Emmanuel and Mmesoma Okafor. After dragging her into the house, they stripped her naked, beat her up, took her nude picture and asked her to pay N2 million naira or they leak the picture.”

Hundeyin further disclosed that the victim managed to pay N300,000 on the spot before she was allowed to regain her freedom, while the couple threatened to release the pictures if she failed to pay the balance.

Speaking on their arrest, Hundeyin said the victim reported the incident to the police, leading to an immediate investigation.

“The suspects were tracked and arrested. They are currently in police custody as investigations continue,” he added.