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Gunmen raze Abia police station again, free detainees

Published

3 years ago

May 14, 2021

Over 100 gunmen have attacked Bende Divisional Police Station in Abia State, leaving two cops with gunshot wounds.
They also set the station on fire at about 11pm on Wednesday and free some detainees.
“We heard a cacophony of gunshots around 10.45pm and when we rushed outside, we saw the station on fire.
“At that point, it dawned on us that the station was under attack so everybody began to scamper for safety,” the eyewitness said.
Spokesman for the state police command, SP Godfrey Ogbonna, confirmed the attack on Thursday.
He said the operatives were shot in the leg and that the attackers also burnt down the generator house and a multi-purpose building, belonging to Bende Local Government.
He said the hoodlums later released criminal suspects, who were detained at the station.
“They also burnt two vehicles, including the Divisional Police Officer’s Highlander Jeep, and three motorcycles, parked at the station,” he said.
Ogbonna said that it was not clear how the bandits arrived at the place in their numbers.
“We do not know yet how they all gathered to execute the attack at the station.
“Maybe they parked their vehicles away from their target and walked through footpaths to the place,” he said.
He said the command had embarked on a full investigation into the incident and other recent gunmen attacks in different parts of the state.
The attack happened barely six hours after the state governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, left the council premises, venue of the reception of a former legislator, Nnenna Ukeje, back to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Ukeje had dumped the PDP for the All Progressives Congress in 2019 after losing the party’s ticket to return to the House of Representatives for the fourth tenure.
Gunmen recently embarked on serial attacks on government facilitites in Abia, including police formations and office of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

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Court fixes May 9 for Agunloye’s ₦1bn suit against EFCC

Published

13 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Trends Admin

Former Power and Steel Minister Olu Agunloye

Court fixes May 9 for Agunloye’s ₦1bn suit against EFCC

A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, fixed May 9 for hearing in a ₦1 billion suit filed by Dr Olu Agunloye, former Minister of Power and Steel under ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Justice Emeka Nwite fixed the date after EFCC’s lawyer, Abba Mohammed, sought an adjournment to enable him to regularise his processes before the court.

When the matter was called for a report of service, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), who is the 2nd defendant in the suit, was not represented in court.

Justice Nwite then asked Agunloye’s counsel, Adeola Adedipe, SAN, if the AGF had been served and he responded in affirmative. The senior lawyer told the court that though the EFCC filed a motion to regularise their processes, he was not opposing the application.

Mohammed, however, applied that the court file be given to him to verify if their processes were in the court record but Adedipe objected to the request.

“I object to that my lord. I have never seen such practice before where a court file is shown to a party,” he said.

Adedipe further argued that since the matter was ripe for hearing, he sought the leave of court to proceed on the matter if the anti-graft agency’s lawyer had no defence. But Mohammed prayed the court for an adjournment to enable him to put their house in order, even as the AGF was not represented in court.

Court fixes May 9 for Agunloye’s ₦1bn suit against EFCC

metro

2 top bandit kingpins, 12 others killed in supremacy battle

Published

13 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Trends Admin

2 top bandit kingpins, 12 others killed in supremacy battle

Two prominent bandit kingpins, Kachala Gwande and Kachallah Madagwal as well as 12 other fighters have been killed after a confrontation erupted at Kaurar Zomo village in the Kunchin Kalgo district of Tsafe local government area of Zamfara State.

The deadly fight involved three rival bandit groups operating in the area.

Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert and security analyst in Lake Chad, that Alhaji Tsauni’s group, Kachallah Jafaru’s group, and Kachallah Gwandu’s group, clashed in a fierce gun battle, on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, at approximately 15:45 hours, resulting in the reported deaths of over 10 bandits from the three factions.

2 top bandit kingpins, 12 others killed in supremacy battle

metro

Troops rescue another Chibok girl with three children in Borno

Published

22 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Trends Admin

Lydia Simon with the children

Troops rescue another Chibok girl with three children in Borno

Lydia Simon, another abducted Chibok schoolgirl, was rescued by troops from Operation Desert Sanity III, part of the North-East Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), on Wednesday.

She was rescued along with her three children by the troops of the 82 Division Task Force Battalion in Gwoza LGA of Borno State on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, exactly ten years after she was kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists alongside over 200 schoolgirls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, on April 14, 2014.

Intelligence sources, according to Zagazola Makama, a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad region, revealed that Lydia, who was tagged serial number 68 among the abducted schoolgirls, escaped from the camp of Ali Ngulde in Mandara Mountain where she was held in captivity for several years.