Terrorists Kill village head, eight others in Zamfara

Bandits have slaughtered the village head and killed eight others in Tungar Ruwa in Anka local government area of Zamfara State.

The incident occurred at midnight on Wednesday. PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the attack lasted for several hours.

The police spokesperson in the state, Mohammed Shehu, confirmed the attack but he did not give details.

Anka is one of the local government areas in Zamfara under incessant attacks by bandits. Rural people displaced by the attacks have flooded the headquarters of the local government area and Maru as well as Talata Mafara local government areas.

A source, Anas Mustapha, told this newspaper that the bandits invaded the village on motorbikes and started shooting into the air as they rode towards the village head’s residence.

They then took him out and slaughtered him in the presence of some of his people that were also gathered by the bandits.

“Eight other people were confirmed dead when the bandits left after the attack. But our understanding is that they (bandits) came for the village head. You know when they feel a particular leader in a community is giving them troubles, they do kill him instantly,” Mr Mustapha said.

He said the bandits also stole foodstuff and domestic animals in the village but did not kidnap anyone

This is coming a few days after bandits laid ambush on a road and killed seven mobile police officers on patrol duty in the state.

Credit: Premium Times

Four village heads dethroned by Emir for aiding banditry in Bauchi

Alhaji Rilwanu Sulaimanu Adamu, the Emir of Bauchi has ordered the immediate dethronement of four village heads in Toro Local Government Area of the state.

A statement signed by the Secretary to the Bauchi Emirate Council, Malam Shehu Muhammad, and made available to journalists informed that the dethroned village heads were those of Buruku; Turkunyan Biru; Gamawa and Zomo villages.

It said that the affected village heads were found complicit in abetting criminal elements in their respective domains, leading to restlessness in the area.

According to the statement, the decision on their dethronement was taken by the emirate council after they were found guilty of hosting unknown strangers suspected to be criminals in their domains without notifying their superior officers or security agents.

It added that the affected village heads were also found culpable of destroying forest resources at the Lame/Burra Game Reserve, which the statement noted posed a threat to the security of the area.

(Barristerng)

Bandits’ informants have exposed some politicians – Matawalle

Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State has said some persons working with bandits have confessed that they are being sponsored by politicians.

The governor, who said this in an interview with Lagos-based RadioNow, did not disclose identities of the politicians exposed by the bandits.

He also spoke on how some key political figures worked against the amnesty programme of his administration.

“After we initiated the dialogue, you know it was supposed to be a collective effort — between the government, the people of the state and other political gladiators. Unfortunately, when the government is trying to make sure we have peace, some political elites are thinking they don’t want us to succeed.”

“So they’ve been making so many unprecedented comments about the dialogue issues and the reconciliation. And some of them that have connections with the criminals have been telling them all sorts of things so that they shouldn’t believe the government’s amnesty and reconciliation.

“We have some records. Some of the informants that were arrested, we have over 2000 informants under the custody of security agencies, and some of them have opened up and indicted so many people. They said some of the politicians are the ones funding them, telling them the state and federal government are not serious on what we promise to them.”

(Daily Trust)

Gunmen kidnap 4 women in Suleja

The Police Command in Niger on Thursday confirmed the abduction of four women  by gunmen at Haske Dabara community, Agwan Gwari Kwamba  of Suleja Local Government Area of the state.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Monday Kuryas, confirmed the incident in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna.

“Yes it has happened at about 1 a.m. last night and already anti-kidnapping team, the army and vigilante had been deployed to rescue the victims.

“We will do everything humanly possible to apprehend all those miscreants undermining the peaceful coexistence among residents.

“I am appealing to residents, especially rural dwellers, to come forward with credible information on movement of strange faces among them to the nearest security personnel for necessary security action”, he said.

The commissioner solicited more working support by coming forward with intelligence information that could aid the security personnel deployed across the state in the ongoing fight against kidnapping, banditry and other criminal elements in the state.

An eyewitness said the gunmen entered the community at about 12.46 a.m. with gunshots that scared the residents.

(NAN

Sources: Terrorists ask troops to vacate Plateau community ahead of planned attack

A company of soldiers was recently deployed to the area, following reported attacks on the villagers by gunmen. 

The troops, working under the army’s operation Safe Haven (OPSH), had in the past two months stopped the attackers from invading the villagers.

Insiders knowledgeable about the operation told TheCable that the attackers had written to the villages, asking them to inform the troops to leave their location as they planned to attack the community. 

“We strategically put our troops in a border area between the village and the mountains from which their attackers come from,” one of the sources said. 

“Many times, they have tried to jump on the village but they were stopped by the troops in heavy crossfires. In the past one month, we’ve had gunfights with them and lost two of our soldiers. 

“Just a few days ago, the villagers brought a note from the attackers, asking the troops to leave that location so that they could attack. In fact, they threatened that if our soldiers didn’t leave, they would be the first to be attacked.” 

Military sources said the development had already been communicated to the operation’s headquarters.

TheCable understands that part of what was sought from the headquarters is a reinforcement to avoid a situation where troops are overwhelmed when the attackers strike. 

‘WE TRIED BROKERING PEACE THROUGH DIALOGUE’

Some army commanders in the area were said to have earlier attempted to broker peace between the attackers and the villagers, TheCable was informed. 

One of the leaders of the attackers, sources said, was invited for a dialogue when some farmers were killed on their farmlands. 

“Because they can’t enter into the village and launch an attack, as soldiers won’t allow them, they now wait for some farmers to enter their farmland and from there they go to attack them,” a source explained. 

“It could be difficult to ask soldiers to now follow each villager to the farm, so we thought we could broker peace through dialogue with those guys.

“We made a call through, and an agreement was reached that they won’t attack the villagers again. Then at least, we had about three weeks gone and there was no attack on any farmer. 

“It was shocking to see their latest threat, but our troops are on standby and we won’t allow them to take over that village.” 

Onyema Nwachukwu, the army spokesperson, was not immediately available to comment on the development.

[TheCable]

Impeachment of Plateau Speaker, a Sham, Unconstitutional and Undemocratic: HURIWA Says

Foremost pro-democracy and Not-for-profit organisation-Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria-HURIWA has described as illegal, unconstitutional and undemocratic the shabby impeachment of the Honorable Speaker of the Plateau state House of Assembly, Honorable Ayuba Abok by 8 out of the 24 members of the Assembly. The Group said the early morning show of shameless in Jos Plateau State can be equated to a sham marriage which in law is null and void. HURIWA said the removal of the speaker who had championed the need for the Ethnic Christians who are the bonafide owners of Plateau State to be protected from persisted Fulani terrorists and genocides,  shows that the Plateau State Governor Mr. Simon Lanlong is a puppet of the Sokoto caliphate. 

In a statement jointly signed by its National coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and National media affairs officer, Miss Zainab Yusuf, the group said the impeachment exercise that took place at the Plateau Assembly complex on Thursday morning is a mere display of political witch hunt against the speaker who has been very effective in checkmating the failures of the Governor Simon Lalong led administration in the state. Besides the Rights group said allowing the kangaroo impeachment to stand will portray Plateau State’s political class as people with medieval mindsets who lack the genuine interests of their people at heart just as the Rights group asked the Speaker deposed illegally to rush to the Court of competent jurisdiction to get the charade overturned or alternatively he can run a parallel state house of Assembly representing the majority of the State’s constituencies. 

The Human rights crusader further alleged that the impeachment is not unconnected with the recent ultimatum given to the governor by the hitherto vibrant and pro-people Parliament  following incessant killings of helpless and defenseless citizens in the state with Bassa local government being the worst hit.

HURIWA said since it has become very obvious that the governor has failed to address the issues of insecurity in the state and the only option left for him to survive inevitable impeachment is to illegally orchestrate a sham impeachment of the speaker of the Assembly.

The group, making reference to a publication by the News Agency of Nigeria where it was alleged that the 8 members gained access to the assemble chamber at 6am to carry out their illegality condemned the act and called on the Plateau Assembly to reverse the impeachment and follow democratically allowed procedures. The Rights group said the National Assembly can as well take over the control of the parliamentary activities for Plateau State if the illegal impeachment is not overturned on time. 

HURIWA also berated the militarization of the assembly complex, saying it is against the tenet of democracy to militarize a constitutional democratic assembly just as HURIWA said the action of the minority is in conflict with Section 92(c) of the Constitution specifying that a speaker can only be removed from office by a resolution of House of Assembly by the votes of not less than two-third majority of the members of the House. “Are these politicians in Jos so mathematically incapable of knowing that 8 is not the two third majority in a House of 24 legislators?”

Boko Haram Terrorists relocate bomb makers to Kaduna

The leadership of the Boko Haram sect loyal to the Bakoura Buduma camps has relocated their bomb fabricators to a forest in Southern Kaduna State, PRNigeria has learnt.

The bomb makers, known as Amaliyyahs by the Sect authorities, were recently deployed to Rijana, Igabi, and Chikun town in the Southern Province of Kaduna.

Internal sources say the two Boko Haram groups may take advantage of the mountainous forest as hideouts.

In a related development, the ISIS Shura Council, have planned to visit the West African Wilaya of the Islamic State of the West African Province (ISWAP), PRNigeria was told by credible intelligence sources.

The visit, it was learnt, was on the instruction of ISIS Leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi as part of the group’s effort of reorganizing its global structure.

The source told PRNigeria that the purpose of the ISIS trip was also to provide training, funding as well as to deploy more mercenaries to fight in sub-Saharan Africa after losing a lot of it terrorist fighters.

“They are also to join forces with ISWAP to eliminate terrorists of the Bakoura Faction of Boko Haram,” they said.

[PRNigeria]

JUST IN: Plateau Assembly Speaker Impeached

The Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Nuhu Abok, has been impeached by eight members of the legislative arm of the government.

The member representing Pengana Constituency, Yakubu Sanda, was named as the new Speaker.

He was removed in the early hours of Thursday by the lawmakers from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) who were escorted into the chambers amidst tight security.

Members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were, however, prevented from entering the Assembly complex.

[Channels TV]

Mob kills family for feeding Terrorists information in Kaduna

An angry mob has killed a man, his wife and son in Zangon Aya community, Igabi local government area of Kaduna State for allegedlyfpor giving information to bandits. 

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has condemned the act and ordered a thorough investigation into the incident. 

Samuel Aruwan, Commissioner, Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Kaduna State, said on Tuesday that security agencies reported the killing to the state government. 

According to the report, Abdullahi Mohammed Gobirawa, his wife Binta Abdullahi and his son Hassan Abdullahi were killed when a mob stormed their home on Monday afternoon.

“The mob action was in response to the trio’s suspected collaboration with bandits, especially in relation to recent kidnappings in the area. After killing the trio, the mob looted and burnt their home.”

While “receiving the reports, Governor Nasir El-Rufai expressed his sadness and deep worry at the violent actions of the citizens, and strongly condemned the extra-judicial killings. He stressed that lawful means alone should be adopted in confronting suspicions of criminality, as the destructive practice of self-help would only result in greater harm.”

“The Governor directed security agencies to conduct thorough investigations into the incident and urged citizens to maintain order. He cautioned against stereotyping of any sort and appealed for consistent recourse to the constituted agencies.

“Investigations into the incident are in progress,” he said.

[Vanguard]

Police are unwilling to arrest herdsmen: Gov. Akeredolu

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has accused the Nigerian police of not being willing to arrest errant herdsmen in Ondo.

“Yes, you have criminal trespass. It should be treated by the state. All we had before Amotekun was the police that had the duty to arrest and were not prepared to make an arrest. Things are changing and have really changed in Ondo state,” said Mr Akeredolu. “Today, if you trespass on other people’s land, the Amotekun will go after you and arrest you. They pay compensation to the farmers, and when they fail, they are in court. It is the only way you can send signals to the people.”

The governor was quoted as saying this on Monday at the 27th Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja with the theme ‘Securing Our Future: The Fierce Urgency of Now’.

He pointed out that “when you commit a crime, and the hands of law don’t catch up with you, another person will repeat it.”

On open grazing, Mr Akeredolu said nomadic pastoralism was a culture that must be discouraged in the interest of those involved.

“Speaking for those of us who have put in place anti-open grazing law. We have our reasons, and we have no apologies,” the governor stated.

Mr Akeredolu, Governor Nasiru El-Rufai, and other panellists spoke at the summit centred on addressing the country’s protracted security challenges.

According to him, a nation with failed security and justice systems is set to fail.

“In Ondo state, we don’t have terrorism. Our problem is farmers and herders clashes and kidnapping for ransom. We have drug abuse and agitation for self-determination. We have always preached multi-level policing in Ondo state. We believe in layers of security,” he said.

(NAN/Gazette)