… Say Bandits Would Have Kidnapped Us All

Some of the students of Greenfield University Kaduna, who escaped being kidnapped by bandits during an invasion of the institution on April 21, have said they would have all been kidnapped.

They made this known at the funeral of Dorathy Yohanna, who was abducted and later killed by the bandits.

Narrating the incident, a 200-level International Relations student, Jesse Jakiri, at the funeral, which held at the ECWA Goodnews Church, Narayi High Cost Kaduna, said: “We hid ourselves on top of the wardrobe of our hostel to avoid being kidnapped when the bandits stormed our school.”

He described the attack as traumatic for students and the university community, saying, “the bandits shot sporadically to the air and went from one room to the other in search of students to abduct.

According to him, “It was around 8:30pm, we were in the hostel when we heard gunshots. We then came out to see what was happening only for us to see our porter dragging door with the bandits.

“That was when they shot him on the leg, he left the door and they went inside and shot him on the chest.

We were there wondering what was happening, rushed into our rooms and locked the door and climbed the wardrobe to hide ourselves, about three of us.

“Meanwhile, there was this door that many students ran into, that was the one the bandits attacked, broke the door and picked some students.

“After the incident, we came out when we heard soldiers came in to our rescue. It was then we discovered that they broke into the girls’ hostel and went away with all the girls. They would have gone with all of us too.”

Also, Lemuel Adamu, 200 level student of Cyber Security, who also escaped the attack, said he and three of his friends had to hide inside the wardrobe for almost an hour before they came out.

“The bandits came knocking on our door and asked us to open the door but we maintained silence and hide inside the wardrobe, three of us. After some persistence, they went away,” he said.

The operation, according to him, lasted for about 45minutes to one hour before the military came and asked them to come out.

The bandits abducted 16 females and six males with demand of N800m ransom after the operation.

So far, five of the students have been killed by the bandits who threatened to kill more if ransom is not paid accordingly.

The Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, has appointed Abu Muhammad as the new Amirul Jaysh “Commander of War, for the faction he is leading after killing the former Commander, Abu Fatimah.

Our correspondent gathered that Shekau personally shot and killed Abu Fatimah, last week, for allegedly betraying their terrorists’ sect.

A source disclosed that two other senior Commanders were also eliminated by the Shekau.

Following an internal dispute, Shekau killed Abu Fatima, one other Commander and Amirul Fi’ya, who is a son to a renowned Bama businessman, Alhaji Modu Katakauma,” the source revealed .

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) in Abuja have arrested a trans-border trafficker, Emeka Okoro and another drug dealer, Ibrahim Bello in Abuja with cocaine weighing 1.1kilogramme, which has a street value of N264million.

The Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi in statement made available to newsmen, stated that while Okoro was intercepted with 900grammes of cocaine in a commercial bus along Abuja-Gwagwalada road on Monday 26th April, 2021 based on intelligence, while Bello was nabbed with 200grammes of the illicit drug in Zuba area of the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), same day through a controlled delivery operation.

According to the Commander, FCT Command of the Agency, Mohammed Malami Sokoto, Okoro was an intending traveller to Libya through Kano and Agadez in Niger Republic, with wraps of cocaine weighing 900 grammes while the other seizure of 200 grammes was equally made following intelligence on the 26th April, 2021.

“The wraps of cocaine were not to be swallowed as it has always been the case, but to be concealed in Jerry cans of palm oil and transported through the border in Kano to Agadez and Libya. The suspect, Emeka Okoro revealed that this has been the trend in the past months”, the FCT Commander of NDLEA disclosed.

In another development , the Kogi state Command of the Agency has intercepted and seized 157.5kilogrammes of skunk concealed in false panels in a Peugeot J5 bus with registration number Lagos AGL 641 XW while a 43-year-old suspect, Christian Godwin was arrested.

According to the Commander, Kogi state Command of the Agency, Adewunmi Alfred, the suspect and his consignment were intercepted at a patrol point in Lokoja, the state capital. “The skunk was sourced from Ikire in Osun state and heading to Masaka in Nasarawa state before our men arrested the suspect, seized the illicit drug and the vehicle used to convey it on Monday 26th April, 2021”, Alfred added.

In his reaction, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended officers and men of the FCT and Kogi state Commands of the Agency for their vigilance and commitment to the task of ridding the country of illicit drugs.

Saying, “These seizures and arrests in FCT and Kogi point to the fact that we’ll continue to disrupt and dismantle the drug supply networks of these unconscionable elements and deny them the benefit of their illegal trade”.

…Negotiate With Bandits For Ceasefire

Following the incessant attack on communities ravaged by bandits in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, the communities have negotiated with terrorists for a ceasefire

The agreement entered into by the the communities was to pay taxes and vats to the terrorists who have been attacking their villages.

Meanwhile, our correspondent has not been able to verify the information making rounds about payment of tax and VAT to terrorists in the affected communities.

However, a sources from the local government hinted that , the people started the negotiation with the terrorists, who have been attacking them, so as to have peace in the area.

A police source, who does not want his name on print said they got information that the terrorists asked villagers to pay tax to them.

Co-convener, Concerned Shiroro Youths, Sani Abubakar Yusuf Kokki, said all communities and villages in Gurmana and Manta districts of Shiroro local government have negotiated with the bandits.

“Virtually all communities and villages in Gurmana and Manta districts of Shiroro local government, Niger State have negotiated with terrorists for a ceasefire after reaching an agreement to certain amount of money among other conditions including purchasing of Honda Motorcycles for them.

“Also, some communities and villages in Bassa/Kukoki Ward have followed suit by agreeing to pay certain amount of money among others while the terrorists suspend their nefarious activities,” he said.

Newsfocusng learnt that some villages pay as much as N2million in addition to other demands of the group.

Some residents of the area, who lamented their plight in the hands of the terrorists, said they prefer paying their revenue to them if they would let them have peace rather than pay to a government that does not care about their security and welfare.

Niger State police command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, could not be reached for confirmation as of the time of filing this report and his mobile telephone was switched off.

Gunmen have again killed two Policemen manning a checkpoint at Urua Inyang, headquarters of Ika Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom state.

The armed hoodlums, according to a member of the community stormed the checkpoint with several motorcycles and shot the two officers dead, while others fled, leaving the hoodlums to seize their riffles and set patrol the van ablaze.

Confirming the attack, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Odiko Macdon in a release made available to Newsfocusng in Uyo on Wednesday said “On 27/4/2021, at about 7:00pm, some armed men on Motorcycles, heading towards Ika Divisional Headquarters vicinity, armed with AK-47 and other dangerous weapons with the intent to attack the Division and set it ablaze  met stiff resistance as the Divisional Police Officer and other Officers on ground fought gallantly and repelled the attackers who took to their heels with possible bullet wounds.

The statement read in bits; “Unfortunately, before heading towards the Station to attack it, they ambushed and killed a Woman Police Corporal, one Esther Akpan who had just closed from duty and was on her way home in company of a Police Special Constabulary, one Isonuyo Effiong Paul and burnt the Volvo vehicle attached to the Division.

“The Commissioner of Police, who was at the Division for an on-the-spot assessment, condoled with the families of slained female Officer and the Special Constabulary.

“He commended the gallantry exhibited by the DPO and his Men and was also very appreciative of the role played by the Youths of IKA, while urging them to continue partnering the Police in crime fighting. He has however, launch a discreet investigation with the aim of bringing perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice”. 

This killing brought to five the number of Policemen killed in the line of duty in Akwa Ibom by unknown gunmen, while four others were declared missing in the recent times.

Two Inspectors were set ablaze and a leader of the Quick Response Squad (QRS), a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), was also shot dead while leading the squad to confront armed hoodlums in their base in Ikot Akpan in Essien Udim Local Government Area.

Herdsmen have attacked and killed a man and his wife at Udei branch in Mbabai council ward of Guma Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue state.

The man, Igba Faga and his wife our correspondent gathered were hacked to death on their way home from their farm on Tuesday evening.

Recall that the State Governor Samuel Ortom on Tuesday said over 70 persons have lost their lives to herdsmen attacks in the last couple of weeks.

All the deaths were recorded in three Local Government Area (LGAs) of the state; Guma, Makurdi and Gwer-West LGAs.

While confirming the attack to newsmen on Wednesday, the Special Adviser on Security to Governor Samuel Ortom, Paul Hembah said the herdsmen had laid ambush on the man and hacked him to death on his way home.

He further explained that the couple who were on their motorcycle, enroute for home had died on the spot and their remains have been evacuated by their family member for onward burial.

Hembah who describe the attack as one attack too many, lamented that the incident took place less than 24 hours after herdsmen attacked the Internally Displaced Persons camp on Tuesday, where seven persons were killed.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Sewuese Anene could not be reached for comments as at the time of filling this report