Category: Insecurity

As the cost of diesel nears N800 per litre, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) have raised the alarm over the impact the skyrocketing price of diesel, which coupled with the current poor electricity supply is making near impossible for them to continue to operate.

Chairman of the Kwara/Kogi branch of MAN, Bioku Rahmon, appealed to the states and the federal governments to urgently come to the aid of the manufacturing industry, as energy cost was currently gulping above 50 per cent of their operating costs.

Unless urgent steps are taken by the federal government, the real sector may soon collapse and thousands of jobs would be lost, the association said.

Katsina State, Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, has vowed not to negotiate or trust the hoodlums again because of their nefarious activities despite the two peace deals he had with them.

“Because they (terrorists) said they are Muslims, we went as far as asking them to swear to the Holy Qur’an that they will never participate in banditry again. All of them did in this office but even those that have been in jail for over two years that were brought out are today bandits’ leaders.

“In fact, I will never trust them again because we realised they are not ideologically inclined. So, we are negotiating with thieves. Anybody who says he is going to engage them on anything is free. I will pray for him but I will not do it again.

“They have failed me once; they have failed me twice so I will be a fool to go the same way. And you even see the Zamfara governor who engaged them. They have failed him more than three times.”

Masari added: “They are common criminals. Even in Katsina not to talk of Zamfara, there are more than 100 gangs: a gang of two, three, four and a gang of 10, so with whom are you going to talk?”

The seven children who were killed in a stampede while residents fled Shinfida Village following an attack by bandits have been laid to rest.

A resident of the area Abdulrazak Ahmad blamed the incident on the evacuation and withdrawal of soldiers serving in a joint security task force from the area.

Ahmad said the withdrawn soldiers were initially stationed at the Government Secondary School in Shinfida – about 27 kilometres from Jibia town.

No fewer than 11 persons mostly elderly women were abducted by the gunmen while on their way to join other residents, who earlier ran to a refugee camp for safety after their village came under attack by a group of gunmen suspected to be bandits.

Dear Lagosians, the life of every citizen of the state matters to us, and we do not take the security of our people for granted.

We will therefore leave no stones unturned in the investigations and arrest of everyone found culpable in the kidnap and death of Miss Oluwabamise Ayanwole.

The driver of the BRT bus involved in this unfortunate incident has been arrested, and the management of Lagos Bus Service Ltd have been directed to cooperate fully with security agencies in their investigations, so that the full weight of the law is brought down on everyone involved in this ugly incident.

To Bamise’s family and loved ones, my thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time, may the Almighty God console you. I hereby give you my word that JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED.

To fellow Lagosians, I assure you that I am following all the investigations closely, and will ensure that Bamise gets the justice she deserves.
I also assure you all that the BRT services remain safe, despite this condemnable act.
Once again, my sincere condolences to the Ayanwole family.
May Oluwabamise’s soul Rest In Peace. Amen.

• Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu

MONDAY 7TH MARCH, 2022.

The Bayelsa State Vigilante Service has apprehended a man, Ebere Nwosu for allegedly attempting to abduct three minors along the popular Tombia-Etegwe roundabout axis of the state capital, Yenagoa.

The 49-year-old suspect was apprehended at about 5pm on Monday, February 21, after operatives of the vigilante service closely observed his “unusual” interaction with the minors who were hawking satchet water.

The operatives stationed at Tombia roundabout noticed that the suspect was engaging the minors; Rejoice Efe, 11, and Success Obaru; 12, from Delta State, conversation and making several phone calls to an unknown person.

The Chairman Vigilante Service, Hon. Doubiye Alagba, who confirmed the development, said the suspect was observed by the men of the vigilante group stationed at the Tombia-etegwe roundabout area.

He said that after several minutes of observation from a distance, one of his men approached the suspect to ask what he wanted with the children.

“Our men observed how the suspect had kept the three minors busy for several minutes and wondered what he was upto, it was at the point of his several calls and serious discussion with the three minors that we quickly asked one of our men to approach him,” the chairman stated.

“When he was approached by our member he immediately took to his heel and and caught after a hot chase.

“At first the suspect claimed to have been a native of Rivers State, but after series of investigation, he later confessed his real identity that he is from Imo State.”

According to one of the children, Rejoice Efe, the suspect had called them in guise of buying sachet water.

“We were hawking along the road only for this uncle to call us to buy water from us. We ran towards him and opened our bucket waiting for him to buy the pure water, he started making utterances first to my sister and asked me to wait,” she narrated.

“Before then, he started making several calls, we became scared and insisted that if he was not buying the water again, we should take our leave.”

“He kept telling us to wait and was telling I and my sisters that he like us and will take care of us and how would he see us later. We became more scared and it was at that point that, one uncle came and asked him what he was telling us and he immediately started running and they caught him.”

Though the suspect denied the allegation, he was handed over to the Anti-kidnapping Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, Bayelsa Command for further investigation.

According to Senator Shehu Shehu Sani “We were heading to Kebbi for a wedding ,we’ve been informed that Bandits have blocked the road. Some said we should pray and move on, I’ve joined those who prayed and moved back home.”

There seems no end in sight regarding the security challenges in Niger State, as gunmen continue attacks on more communities across the state.

No fewer than 15 communities have fallen under their control in the last 48 hours, three policemen were killed, while scores of villagers were abducted.

Among those abducted in the village-to-village raid by the gunmen in Kafinkoro area of Paikoro Local Government Area was a village head and four of his children.

An unspecified number of the villagers, including five women, was also abducted across six communities in the local government and they are still being held in a location within the area.

The three policemen were killed at Ishau, under Kafinkoro division of the Nigeria Police Force, when the gunmen in their numbers invaded the station to free an informant who was arrested earlier.

Although the state police command has not commented on the matter, our correspondent gathered that the deceased policemen were buried yesterday in their respective villages in Kafinkoro and Kuta, the headquarters of Shiroro LGA.

Among communities under siege by gunmen are Zubakpere, Kuna, Aboloso, Kudami, Dakolon Daji, Nugwazi, Amale, Adunu, Ishau and parts of Beni.

Following the sustained attacks by the gunmen in the last three days, about 15 communities have been sacked and this has swelled the number of internally displaced persons (IDP) in Kafinkoro (Paikoro LGA), Gwada and Zumba, Shiroro LGA.

Three teenagers arrested for killing their friend’s girlfriend and b#rning her head for money r!tual

Three teenage boys have been arrested by the police in Abeokuta, Ogun state for allegedly k#lling their friend’s girlfriend and b#rning her head for money r!tual.

The suspects, identified as Wariz Oladeinde, 17, Abdulgafar Lukman, 19, and 20-year-old Mustakeem Balogun, allegedly committed the hideous crime in Oke Aregba community.

DailyPost reports that in the early hours of Saturday, January 29, one Mr. Segun Adewusi, who is the community security guard, had observed that some four boys were b#rning something suspected to be the h#man head in a local pot on the road.

It was gathered that the security guard immediately alerted the police at Adatan station, who went to the scene to get three of the boys arrested as one had fled before police arrived.

A source, who confirmed the incident said the slain girl, identified as Rofiat, was a resident of Idi-Ape; she was a girlfriend to one Soliu, who is now in police net. He was said to have lured the girl to his room, where he held her down and asked one of his friends to sl#ughter her with a knife.

“Soliu was the boyfriend of the girl, he ran away, but was later arrested. They k!lled Rofiat, c#t her head, packed the headless body in a sack and started b#rning the head in a pot. They told the police in the presence of a mammoth crowd that they wanted to use it for money r!tual.”

A Yaba Chief Magistrate’s Court Lagos has remanded Alhaji Azeez Adekunle Lawal aka Kunle Poly and two others in the custody of the Nigeria Police Zonal Monitoring Unit, Zone 2 Headquarters, Onikan-Lagos for 30 days, over last Thursday’s mayhem at Idumota, Lagos Island.

Kunle Poly is the Lagos Island ‘B’ Branch chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

Those remanded alongside him were Prince Idowu Onikoyi Johnson and Agboola Akeem Kosoko.

Chief Magistrate Linda Balogun gave the order following an application by police counsel Morufu Animashaun.

Animashaun based his application on section 264(1), (2), (3), (4) and (6) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State (ACJL), 2021; sections 4 and 10 of the Police Act, 2020, and sections 6(c), 35(1)(C)(5) and (7)(a) of the 1999 Constitution.

The prosecutor told the court that the order would enable the police conclude investigation of allegations of threat to life and property, violence, cultism, mayhem, conduct likely to cause breach of peace, unlawful possession of firearms, conspiracy and murder against the defendants.

The prosecutor also supported the application with a 14-paragraph affidavit deposed to by Inspector Monday Ohion.

In a bench ruling, the Chief Magistrate held: “I have listened to the submission of the counsel, as well as perused the application for remand and the attached affidavit.

“I find merit in the application and it is accordingly granted. The three defendants are to be remanded in the facility of the Nigeria Police Zonal Monitoring Unit, Zone 2 Headquarters, Onikan-Lagos, for the next 30 days, to enable the police to conclude investigation”.

Operatives of the Lagos Rapid Response Squad (RRS), led by its Commander, Olayinka Egbeyemi, a Chief Superintendent (CSP) arrested Kunle Poly and the Treasurer of the Lagos State Council of the NURTW Alhaji Mustapha Adekunle (aka Sego) last Thursday following the clash between factional union members,

The RRS said the constant clashes in Idumota and its environs intermittently crippled commercial activities in the area.

Scores of commuters planning to travel from Ibadan to Lagos state are currently in fear of being kidnapped!

It was gathered that there had been several cases of kidnapping of motorists along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

It was gathered that the major area where the kidnappers had been abducting motorists plying the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is a location after Abule Onigaari.

Abule Onigaari is one of the locations situated at the boundary between Oyo and Ogun states.

It was learnt that gunmen suspected to be kidnappers, had the penultimate weekend, killed a commercial driver identified as Oluwatosin Aruwajoye.

It was learnt that the kidnappers on Saturday 8th January abducted five passengers, while another person, Ibrahim Tiamiyu, was shot in the thigh.
The driver’s corpse was thereafter deposited at Adeoyo State Hospital morgue at Ring Road, Ibadan.

The eight-seater ash coloured Toyota Sienna bus with registration number MUS 493 HH, was heading to Lagos from Ibadan when the kidnappers struck.

The kidnappers were said to have suddenly emerged from the bush and started shooting the bus.

It was reported that the case was reported at Toll Gate Police Division.

It was said that the kidnappers made an attempt to kidnap more people on Sunday (yesterday) at the same location.

It was learnt that the kidnappers, numbering about 10, were shooting at oncoming vehicles from Ibadan in an attempt to kidnap travellers on Sunday.

It was also learnt that the abductors were said to be wearing Army uniform.
It was reported that an undisclosed number of passengers were allegedly kidnapped at the location on Sunday.

One of the victims was later rushed to Fresh FM Ibadan around 8.pm on Sunday to narrate his ordeal.

The victim, while speaking during the program entitled “Opeyemi” and anchored by ace gospel musician, Yinka Ayefele, explained that the kidnappers attempted to kidnap him and other commuters.

The victim, who alleged that the kidnappers were speaking Fulani language and were in Army uniform, explained that their car was shot severally by them before he managed to escape.