Local Government Area
Ondo guber: Police report armed attack at political meeting
Some hoodlums on Sunday evening reportedly attacked the supporters of Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, during a meeting in his hometown, Igboroko, the headquarters of Owo Local Government Area of the state. The suspected political thugs stormed the venue of the meeting shooting sporadically and also destroyed vehicles branded with the inscription “Akeredolu for second term.” One of Akeredolu’s supporters who witnessed the attack, Ramoni Ayeni, said the meeting was aimed at strengthening support for the governor’s second term bid under the banner of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). “The thugs were more than 20. They came with guns and started shooting sporadically at us and some people were hit by stray bullets,” he alleged. He said the incident disrupted the meeting as peo...
Group faults community’s plan to disown former Ebonyi commissioner
Edda Professionals’ League (EPL), a body of eminent experts and professionals of Edda extraction, has vowed to resist any plan aimed at humiliating Chief Abia Onyike, former Commissioner for Information and State Orientation in Ebonyi. EPL announced its plan to scuttle such humiliation in a statement signed by its National Secretary, Mr Ikenna Emewu, on Monday in Abakaliki. The group described the former commissioner as one the community’ most illustrious sons, that had contributed immensely to the development of Edda land, describing those behind the plot as “busy bodies.” The statement noted that some government functionaries, leaders of interest groups and traditional rulers from Edda in Afikpo South Local Government Area of the state, were forced to sign a document, where they were plo...
Gunmen attack Borno villages, kill five
Gunmen, believed to be either Boko Haram or ISWAP, on Saturday, attacked three communities in Borno State, killing five herdsmen and stealing 480 cows, a government official has said. Sources said the insurgents, who were all armed with assault rifles, attacked three villages – Moduri, Kelewa and Ngudori in Magumeri Local Government Area around 6.30 pm on Saturday. Magumeri is one of the local government areas that share conventional boundaries with Gubio and Monguno where ISWAP staged coordinated repeated attacks that claimed the lives of over 120 persons. The local government is listed among the unsafe communities of Borno State by both the state government and the United Nations. A local vigilante operative, Bunu Malam, confirmed the attack, saying “it was yet another sad day for our pe...
Zamfara: Our peace, reconciliation initiative, best way to address armed banditry
The Zamfara State government has described its peace and reconciliation initiative as the best way to address armed banditry in the state. This was contained in a statement issued by Mr Zailani Bappa, Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Enlightenment, Media and Communications, in Gusau on Sunday. He dismissed the allegation that the state government was giving more attention to bandits as a result of the peace process, saying this was unfounded and mere fabrications by mischief-makers. According to him, a lot has been achieved by security operatives in the fight against unrepentant bandits, who have continued to terrorise innocent citizens in the state and other parts of the north-western states. Bappa said, “The position of the Gov. Bello Matawalle-led administration is very clear, ...
Akwa Ibom community destroyed by heavy floods seeks help
No fewer than 100 houses have been destroyed and 300 persons displaced in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State following a downpour in the area. It was gathered that the rain, which started about 3 am on Sunday and ended around 12pm, destroyed houses and submerged large sections of the metropolis. Meanwhile, residents of the area have lamented the effect of the flooding on their houses. A resident of Eket, who simply identified himself as Umoetuk, said areas mostly affected include Grace Bill, Marina Junction, and Udoh Umoh. Another resident, Sam Abia, said when it rains for two hours the entire houses around Grace Bill are usually affected. “Flooding around Grace Bill is a normal sight here. When it rains for two hours, the whole area around the Grace Bill road is always flooded,...
President Buhari, Borno governor meet over killings
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, met behind closed doors with the Borno State Governor, Prof Babagana Zulum, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The meeting was meant to address the recent killings recorded in the state. The state government had last week confirmed that 81 people were killed in an attack that was carried out on Gubio Local Government Area of the state. Seven persons, including a village head, were also said to have been abducted by the insurgents. In condemning the attack, the Presidency, in a statement by the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, had given an indication that the President would be meeting with the state governor on the matter. Shehu had said the President, who was expecting a detailed briefing by the state governor o...
Ondo records 30 new coronavirus cases in one week
File Photo Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has disclosed that the state recorded 30 new positive cases of COVID-19 in one week. Akeredolu made the disclosure on Monday in Akure during a press briefing on the deadly pandemic in the Government House. He said that 11 of the new cases were in Okitipupa Local Government Area, while seven were health workers, who contracted the virus at a private hospital in the area. “This is a frightening and embarrassing situation which tells us that COVID-19 is at our doorstep. “We have a total of 73 confirmed positive cases, 33 treated and discharged, 31 active cases and nine deaths. “Some arrests were made yesterday, while vehicles were also impounded because they were outside after the 7 p.m. curfew,” he said. Get more stories like this on Twitte...
Police confirm three killed in suspected herdsmen attack in Benue
The Police Command in Benue, on Sunday, confirmed that suspected herdsmen attacked and killed three persons at Adama village in Agatu Local Government Area of the state. The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Catherine Anene, confirmed the attack in a statement in Makurdi. Anene described Adama village as a riverine community in Agatu with no motorable roads. He said that the Command has so far recovered three dead bodies, adding that more personnel had been deployed to the area to enforce law and order. The statement reads: “Information received on June 14, 2020, at about 05:30 hours that suspected herdsmen attacked Adama village, a riverine area in Agatu that is not motorable. “A team of police officers has been deployed to the area but the level of destruction and casualties ar...
Delta medical practitioners declare two-day warning strike over kidnap of colleague
Medical doctors in Delta have declared a two-day warning strike to protest the kidnap of a Principal Medical Officer Dr. Wisdom Iboyitete, who was kidnapped at the General Hospital, Ojobo, in Burutu Local Government Area of the state on Monday. The warning strike, it was learñt took effect this morning, Tuesday, June 2, 2020. Iboyitete was whisked away by arms-wielding gunmen who pretended to be patients in the wee hours of Monday and reportedly whisked him to unknown location through the creeks in the Ijaw riverine community. The two-day warning strike was declared on Monday night by the state branch of the National Association of Government General Medical and Dental Practitioners (NAGGMDP) at the end of an emergency meeting of the body. In a statement obtained by newsmen on Tuesday, the...
Panic in Imo community as ‘herdsmen’ kill security operative
There is palpable fear in Umuanuma community in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State as suspected herdsmen murder a private security operative, Mr Hycinth Ikegwu, at about 6 am on Sunday while returning from work with his motorcycle. A source from the community who revealed the incident to our reporter noted that the community suspected herdsmen because of the brutal way he was murdered. Ikegwu who worked as a private security operative as we were reliably informed was said to have been brutally chopped with a very sharp objected on the head that caused him to blead to death. “Houses were around the road he was returning, he was very close to his home before they killed him. We don’t know what happened to him but because of the deep cut on his head, we just have to suspect the he...
Delta doctor abducted by gunmen in government hospital
Gunmen have abducted a resident doctor identified simply as Dr. Wisdom Iboyitete at Central Hospital, Ojobo in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State. It was learnt that the hoodlums disguised as patients during the attack. The incident it was gathered occurred on Sunday night at 11:30 pm. Sources said, “Dr. Iboyitete was said to be with the newly elected Ojobo Community Chairman when he received a call from the hospital over an emergency case. “Unknown to him that the supposed patient and others who accompanied the patient turned out to be kidnappers. “The kidnappers numbering eight spoke in Ijaw language during the attack. “The victim has been whisked away to an unknown destination through a nearby river in the community. “The kidnappers have not established contact with the doctor’...
Police confirm kidnap of four persons in Delta community
The Police in Delta on Saturday confirmed the kidnapping of four persons in Boji-Boji Owa community, Ika North East Local Government Area of the state. Command spokesperson, DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, told newsmen in Asaba that the victims were reportedly abducted by gunmen. “The police got a report late on May 29, that gunmen abducted four persons yesterday in Boji-Boji Owa. “The case was reported late but, however, this morning our officers have mobilised and are on the trail of the kidnappers. “We are doing everything possible to rescue the victims,” Onovwakpoyeya said. Newsmen, however, gathered from community sources that the kidnappers were suspected invaders. A source in Boji-Boji Owa, who gave his name as Benjamin Okwudi, told newsmen on Saturday that cases of incessant abductions ha...
