Nine things about new sect operating in northern Nigeria, more deadly than Boko Haram – Newstrends
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Nine things about new sect operating in northern Nigeria, more deadly than Boko Haram

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Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun

Nine things about new sect operating in northern Nigeria, more deadly than Boko Haram

Counter-insurgency and security expert, Zagazola Makama, has taken time to break down the make up of the new Islamic jihadist terror group that has infiltrated five local government areas in Sokoto State and parts of Kebbi State.

Makama who is an expert when it comes to insurgency in northern Nigeria and the Lake Chad region, in a post on X on Thursday, said the new group known as ‘Lakurawas’ which means ‘recruits’, are affiliated to the Islamic State (IS) and are deadlier than the Boko Haram sect.

According to the security expert, the emergence of the sect underscores an alarming “expansion of extremist control, previously seen with Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) in the region, and further indicates the spread of ISIS and Al-Qaeda-linked factions from the broader Sahel area into Nigeria.”

“The IS Sahel operates a significant smuggling network from Kebbi State’s Dole-Kaina, a border town connecting Nigeria and Niger and they are more dangerous than Boko Haram,” he stated.

He also said the group have been engaging in smuggling of fuel, ammunition and other supplies across Nigeria’s borders to terror groups across the Sahel and West African regions.

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These are nine things to know about the new Lakurawa jihadist sect as broken down by Makama:

1. The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), also known as IS Sahel, has established its presence and influence across five local government areas in Sokoto State, with its influence expanding into neighboring Kebbi State as well.

2. The Lakurawa sect is also known as the ‘recruits’ who began their infiltration as a strictly religious group who were on a mission to recruit and convert people.

3. The group has already begun enforcing strict mandates on residents, while on the other hand, have been smuggling essential supplies to terrorist networks throughout the Sahel region.

4. In Sokoto State, the IS Sahel, through the Lakurawas, has entrenched itself in the Gudu, Tangaza, Silame, Binji, and Illela LGAs.

5. The group is more deadly than the Boko Haram and ISWAP sects and kill at the slightest provocation.

6. The terrorists have banned vigilante activities within the communities they have taken over and have effectively disabled local security responses and have instituted Sharia-based mandates.

7. The Lakurawas have instituted a strict Islamic law and demand ‘zakkat’ or levies on livestock, requiring residents to give up one cow for every thirty they own, collected directly by group members.

8. They have also imposed a strict dress code with women instructed to wear hijabs at all times while men are required to maintain long beards and wear shortened trousers.

9. The sect members are mostly renegades from Mali, Niger Republic, Sudan, Libya, and other countries in the Sahel region who are ferried into the country with the help of their Nigerian extremists.

Nine things about new sect operating in northern Nigeria, more deadly than Boko Haram

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Court orders Alcon Nigeria to pay ex-workers over N39m

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Court orders Alcon Nigeria to pay ex-workers over N39m

Justice Muhammad Hamza of the Port Harcourt Judicial Division of the National Industrial Court has ordered Alcon Nigeria Limited to pay its former employee N39,707,607 for breach of contract.

In a statement on Monday, the court declared that Alcon Nigeria Limited’s non-payment of Mr. A. Ikenna’s salary from October 2021 to January 2022 constituted a breach of the employment contract.

The court further ordered Alcon Nigeria Limited to pay Mr. Ikenna N16,781,500 as pension contributions for the period from January 2017 to January 2022, N5,762,267.4 as salary for October 2021 to January 13, 2022 (less one month’s payment in lieu of notice), N11,289,600 as End of Service/Gratuity, and N5,874,240 as leave allowance for the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 periods, plus a 50kg bag of rice, among other payments.

Facts of the case 

The claimant stated before the court that he was forced to resign from Alcon Nigeria Limited due to the company’s failure to pay his outstanding benefits.

The claimant’s legal team argued that their client’s obligation to comply with Alcon Nigeria Limited’s exit protocols only arises when the company has fully settled all outstanding salaries, allowances, and pension contributions owed to Mr. Ikenna prior to his resignation.

The claimant contended that, since Alcon Nigeria Limited admitted to breaching the employment contract, it could not claim that he had failed to adhere to exit protocols following his resignation.

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The claimant urged the court to grant relief for the various outstanding payments.

In response, Alcon Nigeria Limited’s legal team argued that Mr. Ikenna’s entitlements were withheld because he had not completed the exit process or returned company property.

The defense added, “Withholding these properties and assets is a clear violation of the collective agreement signed between the parties,” claiming that the claimant’s “self-help” actions in withholding Alcon Nigeria Limited’s assets hindered the company’s ability to settle his entitlements as stipulated in the collective agreement.

What the court said 

In delivering judgment, Justice Muhammad Hamza held that, based on the evidence presented, the claimant was entitled to salary payments from October 2021 to January 13, 2022, minus one month’s pay in lieu of notice as specified in the company’s collective agreement.

The court further ruled that “Mr. Ikenna has proven his entitlements for unremitted pension contributions and End of Service/Gratuity from Alcon Nigeria Limited to the satisfaction of the court. The assertion that Mr. Ikenna had been employed by Alcon Nigeria Limited since 2004 requires no further proof.” 

  • On the matter of damages, Justice Hamza held that although Alcon Nigeria Limited breached the employment contract by not paying the claimant’s monthly salary, Mr. Ikenna was not entitled to general or exemplary damages as he had retained company property after his resignation.
  • Justice Hamza subsequently ordered the firm to pay the claimant his dues while Mr. Ikenna was ordered to return all Alcon Nigeria Limited property in his possession, including a Lexus vehicle and a laptop, in good condition within seven days.
  • The National Industrial Court of Nigeria, established in 1976, presides over cases related to labor disputes, civil matters, child trafficking, employment issues, entitlements, allowances, and workplace sexual harassment.

Court orders Alcon Nigeria to pay ex-workers over N39m

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Two brothers remanded in Kaduna for alleged armed robbery, killing

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Two brothers remanded in Kaduna for alleged armed robbery, killing

A Kaduna High Court on Tuesday ordered that two brothers be remanded in a correctional centre for alleged culpable homicide and armed robbery.

The police charged Hamza Jibrin, 27 and Yusuf Jibrin 24, with conspiracy, armed robbery and culpable homicide.

Justice Aisha Shagari ordered the remand of the defendants, after they pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against them.

Shagari adjourned the matter until Dec. 12 for hearing.

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Earlier, the Prosecutor, James Edward, said that the defendants and two others at large, while armed with matchete and other dangerous weapons along Airport Road, Kaduna, on Nov. 7, robbed and caused the death of a 26-year-old man, Rabiu Sani.

He said the defendants stole the deceased’s HP laptop, two cell phones, his wallet which contained two ATM cards and cash sum of N30,000.

Edward said that the offence is punishable under the Robbery and Firearms ( Special Provision) Act LFN, 2004.

The Defence counsel, Habiba Usman, had pleaded with the court to grant her clients bail.

Usman while moving her bail application, urged the court to gtant her client bail on literal terms, adding , that the defendants would be of good behaviour and would not jump bail.

Two brothers remanded in Kaduna for alleged armed robbery, killing

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Police dismiss bomb explosion reports in Jos as false alarm

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Police dismiss bomb explosion reports in Jos as false alarm

Residents of Jos, the Plateau State capital, who were at the Terminus area of the city early this morning scampered for safety as rumours of a bomb planted in the neighbourhood filtered to town.

Diverse messages had circulated on social media about a suspected explosive device in the vicinity, causing panic, but the State Police Command debunked the rumour, saying it was a false alarm.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, Alfred Alabo, explained, “In the early hours of today, the 12th day of November 2024, at exactly 08:20 am, the Plateau State Police Command received a report of a shallow dug hole suspected to be planted with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at the Murtala Mohammed Way beside Old JUTH fence, which created panic among the residents.

“Upon receiving this report, the Plateau State Commissioner of Police, CP Emmanuel Adesina, immediately ordered the Area Commander Metro and the Officer in Charge of the Command’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit, aka Anti-Bomb Squad, to mobilise a team of bomb technicians to the scene in collaboration with the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), “C” Division, to assess the situation and take necessary actions.

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“On reaching the scene, the area was immediately cordoned, and our EOD Team began examination. Upon conclusion of the examination, the hole was found to be safe and free of any explosive devices. CP Emmanuel Adesina and other members of his management team also visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.

“The CP commends the people of Plateau State for being security conscious and cooperating with the police throughout the exercise. He therefore urges them to go about their normal business activities without fear, as the area is safe and free of any threats to lives and properties.”

Also, Cynthia Ukachukwu, whose shop is in the vicinity, told Vanguard on the phone, “I was in the market very early this morning to receive my goods. At about 8 am, I saw people hurrying about; when I asked what had happened, I heard there was a bomb close to the old JUTH.

“Police and other security agencies were here, and they asked us to vacate our shops, which we did, but as I am speaking with you now (11.25 am), I am in the shop because the police allowed us to go back to our businesses. Nobody is running here; everywhere is calm.”

Recall that the very busy neighbourhood had experienced a double bomb blast in 2014 where, yet to be ascertained, a number of people lost their lives, and scores are still carrying the scars of the scary incident.

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