Terrorists suspected to be Fulani herdsmen on Sunday evening attacked Jankasa community in Zangon Kataf local government area of Kaduna state, Northwest Nigeria killing two people.
The attackers invaded the community at about 4:30pm Nigerian time and began shooting sporadically as villagers scamper for safety, a source told Middle Belt Times on telephone.
“They came in shooting anyhow, it is Sunday evening and people were relaxing when they came.
“So far I saw two dead bodies while two other people were seriously injured and have been taken to the hospital.” He said.
Jankasa is neighboring Mallagum District where 38 villagers were massacred on September 26 by suspected Fulani terrorists in Madamai and Abun communities.
Afenifere Group in the United Kingdom (UK) and Europe has faulted the Nigerian government for linking secessionist leader, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho to terrorism. The group in a statement on Saturday, October 23, 2021 by its Secretary, Engr. Anthony Ajayi said the move has further exposed the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government of giving “skewed priority to issues of national importance”.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami, while reading out the findings of the Presidential Committee set up to investigate Sunday Igboho and the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu on Friday, October 22, 2021, linked Igboho to a Boko Haram sponsor, Surajo Muhammad, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in the United Arab Emirates for financing terrorism. The committee was made up of personnel of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Federal Ministry of Information, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services (DSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA). The group accused the Nigerian Government of plotting to change the narratives against Igboho in their quest to silence him and other Nigerians for exercising their rights.
The group said, “The development is a sad one at this time of Nigeria’s history. Over these years, terrorists, Boko Haram, bandits, herdsmen and unknown gunmen have invaded Nigeria, killed hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens and are still killing daily yet none of them has been arrested and prosecuted. “Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has been holding meetings and making utterances against the Nigerian state for the bandits yet he has not been linked to terrorism nor arrested and prosecuted. “These are the same bandits who are carrying Ak-47s, submachine guns, general missile processor vehicles and anti-aircraft guns. These are the same bandits who have declared an Islamic state and are holding territories and collecting taxes in the North. These are the same bandits who attacked and killed Nigerian soldiers at the Nigerian Defence Academy. These are the same bandits who shoot down Air force jets. These are the same bandits who are kidnapping schoolchildren for ransom. These are the same bandits who bomb and destroy rail tracks and trains built with heavily borrowed funds. These are the same bandits who are killing and raping women in their homes and farms and sacking villages. Yet, Gumi is a free man in Nigeria while Igboho who only resisted herdsmen’s incessant attacks on his people, thereby agitating for self-rule because he had lost hope in Nigeria in 2020, is being linked to terrorism. “The United Arab Emirates has jailed a number of Northerners found to be financiers of Boko Haram and also published names of some sponsors of terrorism in Nigeria. Why has the government not investigated and prosecuted them？ “The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said publicly some days ago that terrorists who tried to overthrow him are in Northern Nigeria. Why did the government not set up a committee to investigate this？
The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said publicly some days ago that terrorists who tried to overthrow him are in Northern Nigeria. Why did the government not set up a committee to investigate this？ “Is the Nigerian government saying that because Igboho transferred over N12 million business money through a registered Bureau De Change operated by Surajo Muhammad, that made him a terrorist financier？ Is the Nigerian government also saying that anyone who had transferred money through Surajo Muhammad’s Bureau De Change firm is a terrorist financier？ “Injustice like this has been the bane of agitations for self-rule in Nigeria. The government needs to wake up to tackle the real problems of Nigeria because we do not see how Igboho constituted a threat to the country.
“We as Yoruba people have our values. We are the Omoluabis. We do not compromise values. Our values do not include violence or killing people. “We are not in support of secession from Nigeria. We want to further protect our values through a restructured Nigeria.”
The Sokoto State government has urged the Nigerian Government to lift the suspension of mobile phone services in the state.
In September, the government shut down telecommunications services in 14 of the 23 local government areas of the state, to block the communication channels used by killer bandits.
The state government has however written to the Nigerian Government after a security council meeting on the terror attack on Goronyo market which left 43 people dead last week.
This was disclosed in a press statement on Saturday and signed by Malam Mohammed Bello, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Governor Abdullahi Tambuwal.
This came after Tambuwal received a delegation from the North Eastern Governors Forum who was in Sokoto on Saturday to offer their condolences to the people of the state over the recent terror attack at Goronyo market.
The statement noted that the North-East Governors Forum (NEGF) were represented by the governors of Borno and Gombe states, Prof. Babagana Aymara Zulum and Alhaji Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya respectively.
Governor Tambuwal explained that the suspension of the blockage became necessary because of concerns expressed by security outfits in the state that the blockage was seriously affecting the smooth conduct of their work.
The state government has already forwarded a letter to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Pantami to review the network blockage, the statement said.
Three officers have been shot dead inside a Police station at Unwana, Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
A source told Daily Trust that the deceased officers were a constable and two inspectors.
A resident of Uwana, who did not want to be named, said the gunmen were masked.
He said one of the attackers was killed during the attack, which occurred in the wee hours of Sunday.
He said: “They killed 3 policemen; one constable and two inspectors and the police killed one of the gunmen.
“Nobody knows the identity of the gunmen but the body of the slain officers have been taken to the mortuary.
“The incident happened around 2am; nobody can tell the route the hoodlums came from. All we heard were gunshots for about 10 minutes. At the moment, there is no information to know if they destroyed or stole anything from the police station.
“The men were masked, but the one killed had his face unveiled by the police to ascertain his identity. The deceased hoodlum had red clothes tied around his waist.”
When contacted the state commissioner of Police, Mr. Aliyu Garba, neither denied nor confirmed the report.
He referred our correspondent to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Loveth Odah, who did not respond to the inquiry.
Daily Trust gathered that some elected political officers holders like the council chairperson, Barr. Mrs. Obiageri Oke-Enyim, councilors and coordinators from the LGA visited the station before noon to assess the situation.
The attacks on police stations in Ebonyi is gradually becoming a weekly affair in the state.
Daily Trust reported that yet to be identified hoodlums had last week attacked Ohankwu Police station in Ohankwu local government area of the state and killed a police sergeant.
Suspected militants of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have been blamed for the attacks but they have denied this.
Terror group suspected to be Fulani terrorists operating in Kaduna on Saturday attacked traveling Southern Kaduna traditional dancers who were returning from a function in Kaduna, killing one, injuring five others and abducting many.
The attack took place along Mararaban Rido while the dancers were en-route Southern Kaduna having performed in a function in Kaduna city.
An eyewitness who craved anonymity told Middle Belt Times that the attackers were heavily armed and opened fire upon sighting the vehicle conveying the dancers.
“The attack took place around 5pm, just after Mararaban Rido, the gunmen opened fire on the vehicle, the occupants of the vehicles were mostly traditional dancers who had earlier performed at a function organized by a Catholic Priest in Kaduna.
“The driver was killed on the spot, while five others were injured. They also kidnapped seven people and went away with them” He said.
MBT also confirmed that the five persons who sustained gunshots injuries during the attack are currently receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital in kaduna.
Mararaban Rido and environs have been hotspots for kidnappings and other terrorists activities lately. It would be recalled that over one hundred students of the Bethel Baptist High School situated in the area were kindappeed on July 5.
Civil rights advocacy group- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has appealed for the umpteenth time to President Muhammadu Buhari and the governors of the Igbo speaking States to take immediate action to forestall the massive BLOODBATH that may be unleashed should the Federal Government carry out its threats to carry out military action against groups standing in the way of the Anambra governorship election in less than two weeks away.
HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) in a media statement by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss Zainab Yusuf, said it was worried by the fact that up until now there are no signs that the political leaders of the South East including the Governors, National and state parliamentarians, traditional hierarchy, and cultural leaders have not activated dialogues mechanisms to mount effective pressure on President Muhammadu Buhari to opt for peaceful negotiations and stop his hardline and kinetic postures against members of the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).
HURIWA lamented that the governors of the South East rather than being resolute ad committed towards finding lasting solutions in the uproar between the Proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra and the Federal government of President Muhammadu Buhari are behaving like giraffes by hiding their heads in the sands whilst Igboland is set ablaze. The Rights group regretted that the governors are not bothered about possible conflicts that may mar the Anambra governorship election but are deeply concerned about how to grab political power by all means by winning the Anambra governorship seat by hook or crook.
HURIWA expressed consternation that since July that the leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (Ipob) was allegedly kidnapped by the Nigerian government from Kenya and brought back to Nigeria to continue his trial for alleged treasonable felony for his role in championing the campaign for self determination in the South East of Nigeria, the elected leaders of the Igbo speaking nationality have yet to concretely convinced the President to unban the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (Ipob) and remove the erroneous tag of being a terrorist group slammed on the self proclaimed unarmed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra.
The Rights group said instead of opting for peaceful negotiations and the adoption of non kinetic steps by the federal government to douse the rising tension created by the detention of the leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (Ipob) Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the Federal government and the South East governors have largely adopted bellicose and confrontational military strategies to confront a situation that could have been resolved through peaceful and constructive means.
The Rights group said the recent moves by the federal government to Militarise Anambra state with the elections barely few days away and the threat to call out the people of the South East of Nigeria on a week-long sit-at-home protests made by the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra is an unambiguous signal that the election in Anambra State would be characterised by BLOODBATH which is what the Rights group is asking all and sundry to avert.
HURIWA recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered a massive deployment of security agents in Anambra State to ensure peaceful conduct of the November 6 governorship election in the state.
The National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, disclosed this to journalists after a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) at the State House, Abuja on Thursday just as he stated as follows: “Now the problem here is that in as much as the government wants to conduct peaceful elections, there are non-state actors who have been heating up the polity, who have made all kinds of attempts to stymie orderly elections for next month.
The president has directed that under no circumstances will anything be allowed to stop the elections from taking place successfully. The people have a right to vote, they have a right to select their leader, and no group or individual will be allowed to stimulate anarchy and chaos leading to murderous activities.
“The president has made it very clear that the armed forces, security agencies and law enforcement agencies must make sure that the elections take place, if it means overwhelming the entire environment with the presence of security agencies.”
HURIWA further recalled that the police had on 14 October announced it would deploy 34,587 personnel to Anambra to ensure peace during the poll even as earlier the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, had hinted that the federal government was considering imposing a state of emergency in the state to ensure peaceful conduct of the poll.
HURIWA recalled too that the Indigenous People of Biafra had declared a one week sit-at-home protest across the South-East states starting from November 5, the eve of the governorship election in Anambra State. IPOB’s Media and Public Secretary, Emma Powerful, in a statement on Saturday in Awka, the Anambra State capital, said the protest was aimed at prevailing on the Federal Government to release its leader, Nnamdi Kanu. The group vowed that the protest would go on as planned if Kanu was not released before November 4.
Reacting against these warlike backdrops occasioned by the different threats from the President, his security Chiefs and then the Proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra not to allow the election in Anambra take place if its leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is still being kept in the dungeons of the Department of State Services up until the date of the Anambra governorship election, the Rights group has raised alarm of an impending genocide.
The HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has decried what it calls the CLOUDS OF UNCERTAINTY AND WAR that has beclouded the horizons in the South East of Nigeria and is therefore asking President Muhammadu Buhari to be a Statesman and not proceed to precipitate a genocide and BLOODBATH which is the consequence of his Presidential directive to the heads of the Armed Forces.
HURIWA said members of the Armed Forces have in the recent times violated the fundamental human rights of the citizens during their previous internal military actions and have killed many innocent citizens without the killers ever been brought to justice. HURIWA said there is no guarantee that the armed forces that are now being given direct order to deploy and employ kinetic means to ensure that Anambra state governornorship election happen, won’t employ the use of extralegal killings of citizens.
The Rights group wonders why despite all the appeals from peace loving groups in the organised civil society community and the traditional institutions in the South East of Nigeria advocating peaceful resolutions of all the contending issues between the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra and the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration, it would seem President Muhammadu Buhari has opted for only one option which is to deploy the full force of the armed forces to the South East of Nigeria. HURIWA has also appealed to the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra to avoid situations that will eventually throw the South East Region into avoidable and preventable war even as the Rights group warned against any plan to frustrate the holding of the Anambra governorship election.
The Rights group maintained that now that the President has given specific directive to the Armed Forces not to allow any group to disrupt the Anambra governorship election and the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra has now ordered Civil peaceful protest of a sit-at-home order which as we have come to see it unfold have in the past led to many deaths and arson in the South East of Nigeria, it is certain that there would be BLOODBATH should the members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra physically attempts to prevent voters from reaching the polling stations in the Anambra state gubernatorial poll.
Almost five hundred civilians were killed as a result of various attacks by armed groups across the country last month of September 2021, as insecurity in the country worsened.
A report by West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP) released on Friday indicated that 944 Nigerians lost their lives, 496 of which were civilians. The North West geopolitical zone recorded the highest number of casualty.
A breakdown of the loss of lives across the zones indicated that, in North West, one person was killed in Jigawa, 84 in Kaduna, 4 in Kano, 5 in Katsina, 5 in Kebbi, 70 in Sokoto and 25 in Zamfara state.
In the North East, 13 persons were killed in Yobe, 12 in Borno, 7 in Adamawa and 4 in Bauchi State.
In North Central, 114 people were killed in Niger State, 18 in Kogi, 16 in Benue, 11 in Plateau, 10 in Federal Capital Territory and 9 in Kwara.
In the South East, 30 people were killed in Anambra, 16 in Imo, 5 in Ebonyi while 3 we’re killed in Enugu state.
In the South South, 30 people were killed in Delta State, 4 in Bayelsa, 1 in Akwa Ibom, 2 in Rivers and 3 lost their lives in Edo state.
In the South West, 8 people were killed in Lagos, 3 in Ogun and Osun states while 2 were killed in Ondo and 1 person lost his life in Oyo state within the same period.
According to the report, out of the number of civilians killed during the period 20 were females, while 18 were children.
365 people including 39 females and 98 children were also kidnapped across 26 states within the period.
The report indicated that suspected armed bandits killed 339 people in Zamfara, Kano, Kaduna and Niger States.
Suspected terrorists from Boko Haram and ISWAP ranks also killed 85 persons in Borno state, according to the report. Other criminal groups caused the death of 24 people within the same period.
The report indicated how banditry is taking leap ahead of insurgency as bandits killed 275 persons, with Boko Haram/ISWAP attacks causing the deaths of 22 deaths. Communal clashes caused 7 death while uncategorised armed violence led to the deaths of 106 people across the country.
Violent clashes also caused 13 deaths, Cult clashes claimed 12 lives, while one person was lost to violent demonstrations. The report indicated that 23 people were killed in culpable homicide.
Eight people were said to have been killed through extrajudicial killings while farmer/herders clashes claimed 39 lives, mob attacks led to the death of 26 people within the same period.
The Economist magazine yesterday painted a gloomy picture of the Nigerian intractable security challenge, in a piece titled “Insurgency, secessionism and banditry threaten Nigeria”.
The London publication said Nigeria is facing “its biggest test since the civil war 50 years ago”.
It lampooned the political and security leadership for inability to take the myriad of security threats bedevilling the country.
The publication alleged that the Nigerian army is populated “with corrupt generals and unable to protect the country from the mutating violence”.
“But many of its soldiers are ‘ghosts’ who exist only on the payroll, and much of its equipment is stolen and sold to insurgents.”
“The police are understaffed, demoralised and poorly trained. Many supplement their low pay by robbing the public they have sworn to protect,” it said.
In a swift reaction to the publication, spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, said the report was crafted to denigrate, demonize and destabilize the Nigerian Government. He said the report contained some unimaginable slurs targeted at the Nigerian military and the Nigerian Army in particular.
According to him, “Even as the real intention of the otherwise respected Economist magazine in publishing such toxic concoctions weaved up as report on Nigerian Government’s response to the multi-faceted security challenges assailing the country is yet to be unraveled, the source of the article is very clear.
“It is one of those deliberate falsehood and noxious narratives orchestrated by a network of detractors and coven of dark forces working very hard to adorn the Nigerian Army in an unfitting garb of infamy.’’
The army spokesman added that, the vile report which the Economist chose to offer its platform for publication, spared no effort in trying to vilify and rubbish the image, character and reputational standing of the Nigerian Army, but failed woefully.
“As a professional, hard-fighting and globally respected institution that has continued to occupy deserved glorious position in the comity of global defence forces, the Nigerian Army is certainly not what the so-called report by the Economist tried to characterize it.
“Even more ludicrous was the embellishments of the said report by the notorious unprofessional media outlets that were quick to republish the obvious falsehood.
“How is it conceivable that an international magazine worth its name and professional reputation would agree to lend its medium for a hatchet job of an article without as much as committing little effort to finding out the real truth about the Nigerian Army?
“How is it imaginable that the Nigerian Army that has distinguished itself as a worthy contributor to global peace and security through regional, continental and international peace keeping and peace support operations would be characterized as “Mighty on paper”?
“How can the Nigerian Army that has restored democracies, brought peace to troubled lands and stabilized the sub-region through the dint of hard work, commitment to duty, discipline and professionalism be so denigrated?
“Is it the ‘ghost soldiers’ of the Nigerian Army that have weathered the storm of terrorism and insurgency of Boko Haram and Islamic State of West African Province Terrorists (ISWAP) in the north eastern part of the country and parts of the Lake Chad region?
“In case the Economist magazine and those who fed it all the lies it published do not know, the Nigerian Army working in a joint environment, has been able to stop ISWAP, a very formidable international terrorist organization in its tracks, in spite of all the obstacles, including arm sale blackouts on its way.
“The Economist and its ilk ought to have known that the Nigerian Army has long distinguished itself as a professional force that does not toy with accountability nor shirk from its statutory responsibility of defending Nigeria from external aggression or internal insurrection.
“Is it not curious that an otherwise respected international magazine could so easily be sucked in by the antics of conflict merchants and agents provocateurs who are uncomfortable with the steadfastness, patriotism, unwavering commitment, sacrifice, ruggedness and resoluteness of the Nigerian Army in stamping out terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes assailing the country and the West African sub-region?”, he argued.
The People Democratic Party has clinched the Saturday Zangon Kataf local government area election in Kaduna state, defeating the All Progressives Congress by a wide merging.
Declaring the results in Zonkwa, the Returning officer, Professor Nuhu Lawrence declared the PDP Candidate, Francis Sani Zimbo as the winner having scored a total votes of 28,771 as against the APC candidate, John Hassan who scored a total votes of 19,509. The PDP also clinched majority of the wards in the local government.
It would be recalled that the Zangon Kataf local government elections were postponed twice before yesterday’s elections with the Kaduna state electoral commission citing security challenges in the area as reason for the postponement.
Yesterday’s elections were said to be free, fair and credible according to observers.
