Vigilante Groups
South-west governors urged to strengthen Amotekun to prevent attacks
The protem chairman of the Coalition of Yoruba Liberation Movement, Yemi Farounbi, has called on south-west governors to strengthen the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun. He said Amotekun operatives need to be “heavily fortified” so that they can repel the attacks of bandits. Farounbi’s message was contained in a press release which was read at an event held in Ibadan, Oyo state capital, to mark Democracy Day. Speaking on the backdrop of the recent attack in Ondo and Ekiti states, and in Igangan, a rural community in the Ibarapa area of Oyo, Farounbi said the south-west is under attack from the herders and bandits. He said: “We hereby alert our people in Yorubaland and the entire Yoruba race of the impending indirect slavery coming up in the heels of the well-orchestrate...
Kaduna in total blackout as workers begin strike
Kaduna State on Sunday was thrown into total blackout ahead of the five-day warning strike directed by the Nigeria Labour Congress to commence from midnight of Sunday in the state. The total blackout followed a warning by the National Union of Electricity Employees, an affiliate of the NLC, directing its workers to join the strike action in Kaduna beginning on Midnight Sunday. But the state government said it won’t bow to the intimidation of the NLC over its planned ‘rightsizing’ of the state workforce. While speaking at a press conference in Kaduna on Saturday, the Commissioner of Local Government Affairs, Malam Jafaru Sani, said it uncovered a plot by the NLC to recruit hoodlums from other states of the federation to cause mayhem under the pretext of embarking on strike. Sani, therefore,...
Eight killed in fresh Plateau attack
Eight people have been killed in a night attack by unidentified assailants at a mining site in Kuru, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau. The incident was said to have occurred on Friday night. Governor Simon Lalong has directed security agencies in the state to fish out the perpetrators of the act. He said the attack was another desperate attempt by criminals to destabilize the state and create fear among the people. While commiserating with the families of those killed and those who sustained injuries, Lalong reiterated his charge to security agencies to resolve such attacks as excuses of “unknown gunmen” will no longer be tolerated. Governor Lalong also advised the citizens to assist law enforcement agencies with useful intelligence, leveraging on structures such as the tradition...
Abia governor condemns sudden rise in violent crime
File Photo Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has strongly condemned the sudden rise in violent crime around a bad spot before Akara Junction in Isuikwuato LGA of the State. The Governor in a statement released via his Twitter account on Saturday also lamented the recent spike in attacks on POS vendors in Aba. Ikpeazu, who condemned seriously the turn of events in the state, charged the law enforcement agencies to dominate all affected spaces around Isuikwuato axis and decisively combat the rising surge of crime there. He, however, expressed confidence that the law enforcement agencies will apprehend the culprits and ensure the concerned localities are rid of crime. “I acknowledge with sadness the sudden rise in violent crime around a bad spot before Akara Junction in Isuikwuato LGA of ...
Zamfara offers cows for guns to halt bandit attacks
Authorities in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara state have offered two cows for each gun surrendered to halt bloody attacks by criminal gangs, including cattle rustlers. Remote communities across the region have for years been hit hard by deadly raids from armed groups of motorcycle-riding cattle rustlers and kidnappers. Military operations have failed to end the killings and local officials have tried repeated negotiations to broker peace. Zamfara governor Bello Matawalle said on Thursday that under the new initiative “for every rifle submitted by a repentant bandit, there would be compensation of two cows”. Matawalle said the offer of livestock was meant to convince the gangs, known as “bandits”, to disarm without cash payments that could be used to buy more arms. There was no indication i...
