Gunmen
Police: Whereabouts of abducted Ogun monarch unknown
Ogun Police Command has said it is still searching for a traditional ruler, Oba Tajudeen Omotayo of Imope land, in Ijebu Igbo area of Ogun State who was abducted by gunmen on Saturday. Spokesman of the Command, Abimbola Oyeyemi said that operatives from relevant units have been drafted to Ijebu-Igbo in Ijebu North local government area to rescue the monarch but have neither located the abductee nor the abductors. Abimbola, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said the “search and rescue” task by the operatives would continue until the captive is rescued unhurt. It was learnt the monarch was returning from Ijebu-Ode in his vehicle marked W 3J9 when gunmen accosted him at Oke-Eri area of Imope, pulled him out and took him away to an unknown destination, leaving his vehicle on the Ijebu-Ode-Oru...
Osun government condemns killing of family of six by gunmen
The Osun Government has condemned the killings of six family members at Wasinmi in Irewole Local Government Area of the state by unknown gunmen. Newsmen report that the Police Command in the state had confirmed the killings which took place on Saturday night. Mr Benedict Alabi, the state Deputy Governor, who paid a condolence visit to the bereaved family on Sunday, described the killings as disheartening and unfortunate. Alabi, who was received by scores of family members of the deceased and some leaders in the community, described the incident as a case of brutal assassination. The deputy governor assured the community that the perpetrators would be brought to book in no distant time. He added that the state government had ordered the security agencies in the state to fish out the perpetr...
Ebonyi: Gunmen attack police station in Izzi
Some gunmen in the early hours of Monday attacked the Iboko Divisional Police Station in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria’s South-east. A police station was similarly attacked by gunmen in Akwa Ibom State on Monday. It is unclear, for now, if the attacks on police facilities, which are on the increase lately in the South-east and South-south regions, are coordinated. Details of the Ebonyi attack were unavailable at the time of filing the report. The attackers were said to have set the building ablaze, using fire bombs. Police Commissioner in Ebonyi State, Aliyu Garba, confirmed the incident. “Yes they attacked the station around 1a.m. but there was no casualties. “They threw improvised fire bomb at the station and it ignited but it only affected a small part of the build...
Shiek Gumi: Bandits I met not behind Zamfara schoolgirls abduction
A prominent Islamic cleric, Shiek Ahmad Gumi, says the abduction of schoolgirls in Zamfara was not carried out by bandits he met with recently. On Friday, some gunmen had invaded the Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Talata-Mafara local government area of the state, and abducted schoolgirls. The police command in Zamfara said 317 students were abducted, adding that a joint search-and-rescue operation is already underway with a view to bringing back the girls. According to The Nation, Gumi, who is known to have access to bandits, said the attack was carried out by another group. “They are not the ones that abducted the girls. It is a splinter group,” Gumi reportedly said. When the Islamic cleric was asked if he would be willing to meet with the bandits to secure the release of the...
Kidnappers abduct schoolchildren in northwest Nigeria – official
Kidnappers have abducted schoolchildren in northwest Nigeria’s Zamfara state, a spokesman for the state governor said on Friday, but declined to say how many people were taken or provide further details. A police spokesman for the state did not immediately respond to calls and messages seeking comment. This is the second such kidnapping in a little over a week in Nigeria’s north, where a surge in armed militancy in the northwest has led to a widespread and worsening breakdown of security. Last week, unidentified gunmen killed a student in an overnight attack on a boarding school in the north-central Nigerian state of Niger and kidnapped 42 people, including 27 students. The hostages are yet to be released. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are lo...
Zamfara government confirms abduction of female students
The Zamfara Government has confirmed the abduction of female students of Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, in Talata-Mafara Local Government area of the state. The confirmation was made by the Commissioner of Security and Home Affairs, Alhaji Abubakar Dauran, in a brief interview with newsmen in Gusau on Friday morning. The abductors in their hundreds invaded the town and took away the students at about 2am. “I can confirm to you now that we have sadly received the report on the abduction of the students of GGSS Jangebe and right now, I am on my way to the school. “At this moment, I cannot say how many students were taken away by the gunmen until l get there, but we have already mobilized security men and members of the vigilantatè who are now in pursuit of the abductors,” the co...
Abia government reacts to attack on police station, places N1 million bounty on information leading to recovery of arms
Abia State Government has reacted to yesterday’s attack on Abayi police station in which two policemen were killed and arms carted away by gunmen. The state government is also placing a N1m bounty on anybody who will give infornation to the recovery of arms looted by the hoodlums. To further checkmate criminal activities in the state, Government imposes a ban on Keke/Okada operations between 7pm and 7am in all major cities of the state starting from yesterday. A statement by the commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi-Kalu said her attention was “drawn to a mindless and cowardly attack on a police station in Aba by yet to be identified armed hoodlums in the early hours of today (Tuesday), leading to loss of precious lives and carting away of arms and ammunition. “We wish to assure m...
Nigerian Army: Troops in pursuit of abductors of Kagara school staff, students
The Nigerian Army says its troops have been mobilised in pursuit of abductors of kidnapped members of staff and students of Government Science School, Kagara, Niger. The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Yerima, announced this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja. Yerima said that the Nigerian Army had renewed efforts to ensure swift response to the unfortunate incident. He said it had been reported that the bandits gained entry into the school in the early hours of Wednesday and abducted unspecified number of members of staff and students of the school. “The Nigerian Army in line with its constitutional mandate wishes to reassure the public that troops in operational synergy with sister security agencies are in hot pursuit of the criminal elements to ensure safe return ...
Abducted NTA reporter regains freedom
Chidiebere Onyia, a reporter with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), who was abducted on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, by gunmen, has regained her freedom. The nursing mother was said to have been released by her abductors in the early hours of Sunday. Newsmen reports that Mrs Onyia was abducted on Tuesday evening at Woji while driving home after work. The police spokesperson in the state, Nnamdi Omoni, who confirmed Mrs Onyia’s release in a statement on Sunday, described her release as a “Valentine gift to her family.” “The Rivers Police Command is pleased to announce the unconditional release of Chidiebere Onyia, a reporter with NTA Port Harcourt, who was kidnapped last week. “Her release was made possible due to the intense pressure mounted by the command as directed by ...
Catholic priest kidnapped, murdered in Niger
A Catholic priest of the Diocese of Minna, Niger State, Rev. Father John Gbakaan Yaji, has been abducted and murdered by gunmen suspected to be armed bandits in the state. The incident was said to have happened on Friday night in Tufa village along Lambata-Lapai road axis of the state. The late clergyman was said to be returning from Lambata in Gurara local government area of the state where he had attended a religious meeting in conjunction with his colleagues when he was attacked. Newsmen gathered that the deceased was kidnapped along with his younger brother but as at the time of filing this report on Sunday, the whereabouts of the brother was yet unknown. Concerted efforts by our reporter to speak with the image-maker of the Niger State Police Command, ASP Wasiu Abiodun for confirmatio...
Gunmen attack Bayelsa community
Unknown gunmen on Friday attacked the Ogila-ama community in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. The armed men, who stormed the coastal community in three speed boats, shot sporadically before setting some buildings on fire. The incident was said to have caused panic and confusion as the residents of Ogila-ama fled into the bush. Reports quoted a native of the community, Bolouikie Ogoro, as saying that he received phone calls from his sister and some others informing him of the armed invasion. According to him, the armed arsonists operated in three speed boats and fired gunshots indiscriminately to ward off any resistance before going for the targeted houses that they razed down. It could not be immediately ascertained if any life was lost even as no group had claimed...
Amnesty worried about frequent school abductions in Nigeria
Human rights watchdog, Amnesty International, says it is concerned that frequent abductions in Nigerian schools is a danger to the education of millions of children. Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, Osai Ojigho, said on Wednesday, February 17, 2021 that attacks on schools and abductions of children are war crimes that should not be tolerated. Her comments were made in the wake of the abduction of 27 students of the Government Science College, Kagara in Niger State on Wednesday during an attack that left one student shot to death. Three staff members and 12 members of their families were also abducted at the school located in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger. Ojigho sounded a note of warning that Nigerian authorities must act immediately to prevent attacks on schools, and prote...