The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has announced that it received 105 stranded Nigerians from Chad (N’djamena) who arrived at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano on Monday, December 12.
Kano State territorial coordinator of the agency, Dr Nuradeen Abdullahi who made the announcement, said the stranded Nigerians arrived at the international wing of the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport at about 10pm onboard a Boeing 737-7k9 ASKY Airlines plane operated by Ethiopian Airlines KP9401 with registration number ET-ANH.
They were brought back to Kano under the care of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) through a voluntary repatriation programme.
He said;
“The programme was meant for the distressed Nigerians who had left the country to seek greener pastures in various European countries but could not afford to return when their journey became frustrating.
“Those received included 24 male adults, 23 female adults and 58 children (33 females and 25 males). They are from Katsina, Kano, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe and Taraba states among others.”
Abdullahi further disclosed that the returnees would be trained for four days on vocational skills and would be given the grant to become self-reliant.
He urged them to join in the advocacy and sensitisation against irregular migration. The NEMA chief further revealed that the agency, between May and October 2022, received 560 Nigerians stranded from Niger Republic and Sudan.
Lecturers at the University of Maiduguri (UniMaid) have threatened to withhold results of students until the federal government resolves the issue of pro-rata payment of salary and nonpayment of their 8 months’ salaries.
Dr Abubakar Mshelia, Chairman of Unimaid’s branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) made the announcement on Tuesday, November 22.
He said;
“Members of ASUU will not mark the current examination scripts; they will also not submit the results of both the first and second semesters of the 2020/2021 academic session.
“There will be no computation of academic status by coordinators of parts 1-4, 5 or 6, as applicable. “Government said ‘no-work, no-pay; we say ‘no-pay, no-work.”
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa has accused the federal government of using uncompleted projects as bait for next year’s elections.
Appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily to discuss issues related to INEC and the elections on Tuesday, November 8, Adegboruwa asked why the federal government is taking so much time to complete certain projects.
He said;
“The federal government is using projects as bait to tie the hands of Nigerians so they can get continuity which is wrong.
“They promised to complete the Second Niger Bridge in 2022, we are already in December and it’s still there. How long will it take to complete a Lagos-Ibadan expressway that is about 200 km?
“I’ve been on that road and nearly lost my life. You see people sandwiched between trucks and inhaling fumes. I know people who have died and have various degrees of health challenges from using that road.
“This is the longest project anyone has embarked on in the world. Being probably the busiest road in Sub-Saharan Africa, it shouldn’t take up to the time it has taken now. Anyone who has suffered a health challenge should take the FG to court because they are liable.”
Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has said there’s no reason why the federal Government should still be in the oil and gas sector.
Channels Television reported that, in his speech at the seventh edition of KadInvest, an annual event organised by the Kaduna State Investment Promotion Agency, the Kaduna state Governor noted that some sectors doing well in the country like entertainment, telecoms, fintech and others have no government involvement.
According to the Kaduna state Governor, whatever the government manages turns out bad. El-Rufai who fruther averred that the commercialization of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company in July 2022 has changed nothing, also said that the NNPC is Nigeria’s biggest problem and should be privatized.
The Governor pointed out that Nigerian Telecommunications Limited achieved nothing until the private sector came in and revolutionalized the telecoms business.
He reportedly also called for the privatization of the power sector so the country can overcome the hydra-headed and decades-long challenges of the sector.
He said;
“I am giving this example so that when I say government should get out of oil and gas, people should not think it is crazy; it is not.
There is no reason why the Nigerian Government should still be in the oil and gas sector. It should just get out, it has failed. By every measure it has failed.
“This year, NNPC has not brought N20,000 to the federation account. We are living on taxes. It is PPTs, royalties, income tax and VAT that is keeping this country going because NNPC claims that subsidy has taken all the oil revenues. I don’t believe it.
“So, the government should sell everything in oil and gas sector…The government should get out of everything that is left of electricity, leave it to the private sector, create the environment, the money will come. We did it in the telecoms sector.
“Nothing has changed, it’s just a change in name with limited at the end.“Nothing has changed, they are still taking our money, declaring profit that we don’t see the dividends.”
Nigeria’s economic growth will slow down next year, a World Bank report said.
According to the report released in Washington yesterday, October 4, and tagged Africa’s Pulse, the growth will be down from 3.3 per cent to 3.2 per cent.
World Bank blamed the development on inflationary pressures. The report reads:
“The Nigerian economy is projected to slow in 2023, down to 3.2 per cent (from 3.3 per cent) and persist at this level the following year.
“Growth will be supported mainly by the rebound in private consumption prompted mostly by accommodative monetary policy as inflationary pressures subside.
“Private consumption expenditure is forecast to decrease this year and grow next year. This performance will likely continue in 2024.
“On the production side, growth in 2023 will be supported by industry (with growth of 5.1 per cent) with the mega-refinery project.”
The report added that the South African economy will weaken further because of structural constraints.
It said global headwinds are slowing Africa’s economic growth with countries contending with rising inflation.
It added that high interest rates and debt are forcing African governments to make difficult choices to protect people’s jobs, purchasing power and development gains.
An aide to the governor of Delta state, Ossai Success Ovie, has said that Bobrisky is a bad influence on the youths in Nigeria and has called on the Federal government to pay urgent attention to the lifestyle of the popular crossdresser.
In a post shared on his Facebook page, Ossai said;
”Bobrisky is a bad influence to our youths .
The case of Bobrisky should be looked into by the Nigeria Government because he is affecting our generation negatively.
He is a bad influence to our youths.
Today, some of our youths want to emulate him because they are seeing the kind of lifestyle he is displaying.
It seems we have lost our core value as a people.
What he is doing is against our tradition, country laws , Christianity and Muslim.
We want reduction in crime yet some persons who are acting against the law are walking freely and influencing others negatively.
The kind of lifestyle Bobrisky is living needs urgent attention from our government.
The Federal Executive Council, on Wednesday, September 28, approved N580.50m for the purchase of four armoured vehicles for the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, disclosed this to State House correspondents shortly after the weekly Council meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to Abubakar Malami, the decision to procure the armoured vehicles was taken to encourage and safeguard the lives of NDLEA operatives. Speaking with journalists at the end of the FEC meeting, Malami said operatives of the agency have been working hard with lots of results to show for their efforts.
“Today, a memo was presented by the office of the attorney general of the federation, that is, the Federal Ministry of Justice, which was relating to a parastatal under the supervision of the office of the attorney general; the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA),” he said.
“The purpose of the memo was to seek approval of the council for the award of contract for the supply of four customised armoured security vehicles of 14-seater model for the NDLEA and the contract sum is N580,500,000 only inclusive of 7.5 per cent value added tax with a delivery period of 16 weeks.” He continued:
“It is common knowledge that recently, the NDLEA has been repositioned and arising from the support both in terms of our capacity building, hardware and associated things, they have been recording an extra-ordinary or unprecedented success.
Recently they seized about 1.8 tons of cocaine having a market value of about N194 billion.
“So, with all these successes recorded, it is only logical that the criminals and their syndicate are now devising means inclusive of attacks on NDLEA personnel and it is with that in mind that the memo was presented for the procurement of such vehicles for the NDLEA and the council approved.”
Some chieftains of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State have been reportedly abducted in an attack along Kaduna-Kachia highway in Kaduna State.
According to Daily Trust, the attack happened on Thursday, September 22, at Tashar Icce, which is some meters from Kujama community in Kajuru Local Government Area of the state.
The team was on its way back from Kafanchan after a political meeting with Christian leaders in Southern Senatorial District.
On the entourage were; the DG Campaign Uba Sani Campaign Organization, Prof Sani Bello, Mainan Zazau, Director of Organization , Engr Namadi, Special Adviser to the Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Maiyaki, Engr Jamilu, Personal Assistant to Senator Uba Sani, other aides and security operatives.
A politician who escaped the attack, described the incident as terrible, saying about five vehicles were affected.
He said the bandits opened fire sporadically. He also said some of thee people in the entourage sustained gun injuries while two persons were abducted.
It was gathered the governorship candidate, Senator Uba Sani, was not part of the team that was attacked as he had travelled to Abuja from Kafanchan.
His Campaign DG, Sani Maina, Ahmed Maiyaki, a Chieftain of the party, and a few others escaped unhurt.
Among those abducted are the APC House of Assembly candidate in Kajuru simply identified as Mr Madaki and the Vice chairman of APC in Kajuru Local Government Area, Ruben Waziri. Ben Maigari, a relative of the Vice Chairman, confirmed the incident and said they were yet to be contacted by the bandits.
“They were attacked; the bandits blocked the road and opened fire on the entourage and other moving vehicles.
My brother, Ruben, was abducted alongside Madaki because they were in the same vehicle,” he said.
The publication also gathered that two other buses were attacked around the same time, with two people feared killed while others were taken into the forest.
Members of the Association of Concerned Benue Pensioners have cried out to the Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly and the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Rt. Hon Titus Uba to come to their rescue as they are losing their wives to Motorcycle riders (Okada) because of inability to take care of them.
The protesters carrying various placards with different inscriptions marched to the assembly complex in Makurdi on Wednesday, September 21, 2022.
The pensioners were first denied access on the ground that the Speaker was not on seat but after refusing to back down, they were allowed to meet with management of the assembly.
Presenting their grievances contained in a letter, they said,
“This is for your information and necessary action. It is no longer news that the Government of Benue State is owning her pensioners 37 and 74 months pension arrears at the State and Local Government Levels respectively. Our backlog of gratuity remains a no go area and is totally forgotten,”
“As a result of non-payment of pension and gratuity, pensioners are dying on a daily bases as most of them are on special diet and drugs but could not afford even a maintenance ration or drugs.
“This has caused untold hardship to pensioners, including the inability to afford decent food, Housing, payment of hospital bills as well as inability to pay children’s school fees leading to their being sent out of school by the school authorities, thereby frustrating their future.
“The concerned Benue State Pensioners have become scavengers, Refugees destitute and beggars on our fatherland that we served with zeal and meritocracies, if we do not beg, we will not eat.
“Because of hardship occasioned by non-payment of Pension and gratuity, we have lost our wives to Okada Boys, ‘because we are no longer economically viable to carter for them.
Life has become miserable, meaningless and unbearable.” they added.
The Nigerian police force has confirmed the arrest of a Professor who reportedly ordered the assault of her female police orderly.
The legal practitioner and human rights activist, Prof. Zainab Duke Abiola and her domestic staff comprising the house maid, one Rebecca Enechido and a male suspect currently at large, reportedly caused grievous assault of a female Police Officer, Inspector Teju Moses.
A statement released by Police Spokesperson, Adejobi Olumuyiwa revealed that the Mbaise born activist grievously assaulted her orderly in company of some accomplices on Tuesday 20th September, 2022 at her residence in Garki, Abuja, due to the refusal of the orderly to breach professional ethics by carrying out menial and domestic chores at her house.
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba has directed the express prosecution of the arrested suspects who are currently in Police custody, as the preliminary investigation shows overwhelming evidence of culpability on the part of the Professor and her domestic staff.
The IGP has equally tasked the investigative team to ensure that the fleeing suspect is arrested and made to face the wrath of the law.
The statement read;
Ref No. CZ.5300/FPRD/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.4/177
22nd September, 2022
The Director of News…………………………….
PRESS RELEASE
GRIEVOUS ASSAULT ON WOMAN POLICE: IGP CONDEMNS ACT, ORDERS EXPRESS PROSECUTION OF CASE
As Professor, Other Culprit Arrested
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc (+), NPM, fdc, has strongly condemned the grievous assault of a female Police Officer, Inspector Teju Moses, by her principal who is a Legal practitioner and human rights activist, Prof. Zainab Duke Abiola and her domestic staff comprising the house maid, one Rebecca Enechido and a male suspect currently at large.
Zainab Duke, an Mbaise born activist, grievously assaulted her orderly in company of some accomplices on Tuesday 20th September, 2022 at her residence in Garki, Abuja, due to the refusal of the orderly to breach professional ethics by carrying out menial and domestic chores at her house.
The IGP has directed the express prosecution of the arrested suspects who are currently in Police custody, as the preliminary investigation shows overwhelming evidence of culpability on the part of the Professor and her domestic staff.
The IGP has equally tasked the investigative team to ensure that the fleeing suspect is arrested and made to face the wrath of the law.
It is pertinent to clarify that the suspect, Prof. Zainab, who name-drops the IGP, his family members, and other officers in the top hierarchy of the Force has no acquaintance with the Police in any form as erroneously peddled on social media.
The Inspector-General of Police who similarly ordered the withdrawal of all Police personnel attached to the Professor, expressed consternation at the fact that an individual who claims to be an advocate for Human Rights could stoop so low to violate the rights of another individual, a police officer tasked with ensuring her protection.
Five persons, comprising four male adults and a housewife, drowned while fleeing from bandits who stormed Chakumi village in Gurdi ward of Abaji area council of Abuja and attempted to kidnap them on Wednesday, September 21.
Daily Trust reports that the village chief of Chakumi, Mohammed Magaji, who confirmed the sad incident, said the bandits stormed the village at about 11 am.
Magaji stated that the deceased victims, including a middle-aged house wife were working on the farm, when they sighted the bandits.
He said they rushed to board the canoe in order to escape to neigboring Daku village, but in the process of trying to cross the river Gurara, the boat capsized.
“And even as I am talking to you right now, the corpses of the victims have not been recovered yet as fishermen from Daku and my village are still searching for the corpses” he said.
Magaji, who decried activities of bandits in the area, said farmers could no longer go to their farms over fear of being kidnapped by bandits.
Vice-Chairman of Abaji LGA, Ibrahim Abubakar, also confirmed the incident, disclosing that one of his relatives was among those who drowned.
“In fact, one of my relatives was among those that got drowned and their bodies are yet to be recovered up till this moment that I am talking to you,” he said
Apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has warned the Federal Government against allowing the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to die in custody of the Directorate of State Services (DSS).
This comes after his brother Emmanuel Kanu and attorney Ifeanyi Ejiofor had raised the alarm on Kanu’s health condition following a routine visit at the Department of State Service cell.
They said the Biafra leader is critically ill and has not been allowed access to his doctors by the DSS.
Ejiofor said Kanu “is currently suffering from gastrointestinal illness, which necessitates the constant use of antacids and other available medical treatments.”
“The DSS has refused to allow him to have even the smallest amount of prescribed painkiller, which could have given him short-term respite.”
Reacting in a statement titled, “Nnamdi Kanu Must Not Die in Prison,” Ohanaeze described the report as worrisome to any fair-minded patriotic Nigerian.
Signed by the National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze, Dr Alex Ogbonnia, the pan-Igbo body warned the Federal Government that nothing untoward should happen to Kanu in detention.
According to the statement, the group’s President General, Ambassador George Obiozor, has on several occasions advised President Buhari on Kanu’s issue beyond the courts or the use of force, stating that it requires a political solution.
The statement read,
“The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, and several eminent Igbo have repeatedly appealed to the heart of Mr President to release Nnamdi Kanu on the premise of a political solution.
The only living legend among those that fought for Nigeria’s independence and the Minister of Aviation in the First Republic, Chief Mbazulike Amechi, presented the request to Buhari when he visited Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, as his last wish.
“Earlier before that, Mbazulike had also met the President in Aso Rock, Abuja for the same reason. In the interim, common sense will ask – why deny Nnamdi Kanu the necessary access to a medical doctor? This is very curious and raises a lot of questions.
“Finally, it is common knowledge that the incarceration of Nnamdi Kanu has rather contributed to the enormity of insecurity in the South-East and one wonders what will happen if, by the utter carelessness, negligence or unnecessary victimisation, something untoward happens to Nnamdi Kanu.”
Members of the House of Representatives have expressed concern over the rising debt profile of Nigeria which currently stands at N42.84 trillion.
A breakdown of the debt figures released by the Debt Management Office DMO shows that the bulk of the federal government borrowings were done domestically, with 72.53 percent being FGN bonds.
According to the DMO, Nigeria’s total public debt stock, comprising the debt obligations of the federal, state governments, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) rose by N1.24 trillion within three months, from N41.60 trillion ($100.07 billion) as at March 30, 2022 to N42.84 trillion ($103.31billion) by June 30, 2022.
The DMO also indicated that domestic debt stock for the review period stood at N26.23 trillion ($63.24 billion) due to new borrowings by the federal government to part-finance the deficit in the 2022 Appropriation (Repeal and Enactment) Act, including fresh borrowings by state governments and the FCT.
According to the DMO, Lagos state retained its top spot as the state with the highest debt stock with N797, 305,312,602.53 in its debt profile.
Delta State is second with N378, 878,236,830.75, followed by Ogun State with N241, 782,021,304.96; Rivers State, N225, 505,011,356.83; and Imo State, N210, 394,836,519.93.
Akwa Ibom was next on the debtors’ scale with N203, 951,611,822.07, while Jigawa retained its least-indebted state profile with 45,135,377,621.30, and Ebonyi State trailed with N59, 111,939,636.77.
Reacting to this development, Gbajabiamilia at resumption of plenary yesterday, expressed concerns over the rising debt profile of the country and crude oil theft.
Gbajabiamila stated that the concerns emerged from interactive sessions of the Senate and House Committees on Finance with the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the government on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP).
He said the issues emerged while considering the scope of deficit financing to be proposed in the new budget and the decline in crude oil production due to theft and sabotage.
Gbajabiamila said while the House appreciated that the current fiscal conditions necessitated borrowing to finance budgetary expenditures, there should be worry about the long-term effect of the debt burden on the country and the ability to pay in a responsible and sustainable way.
Gunmen suspected to be Fulani militias have killed a 60-year-old woman identified as Laraba Dauda, at Mere village, in Rahoss community, Riyom local government area of Plateau State.
A witness said the incident occurred on Monday, September 19, 2022, when the deceased went to fetch firewood.
“The deceased woman went to fetch firewood yesterday, but was not back home up to late evening hours.
The alarm was raised and the villagers went out in search of her, but couldn’t trace her until this morning when we were able to stumble on her corpse in the bushes this morning,” the witness narrated.
“After a vigorous search when there was still heavy dew, we never knew we were almost getting to the spot where the slaughtered woman was laying.
We spotted armed Fulani amongst whom is one of the suspects arrested. He threatened to fire at us immediately the dew varnished but we hurriedly took to our heels for escape until the arrival of security agents shortly after the suspected attackers had fled,”
The witness added that security men who arrived the community pursued the armed men and eventually arrested eight of the militia.
The eyewitness further commended the men of the Operations Safe Haven alongside the personnel of Divisional Police Headquarters in Riyom local government for their swift response when intimated about the incident.
Meanwhile, the national leadership of the Berom Youth Moulder Association has called for calm and made a passionate appeal to the security agencies to fish out other militias still hibernating in the locality.
Spokesman of the State Police Command, DSP Alfred Alabo, who confirmed the incident, stated that seven people have been arrested in connection with the killing.
He added that the community is under the surveillance of the security agencies with the aim of arresting more of those terrorising the local government area.
The corpse has been evacuated to the village for funeral according to Christian rites as directed by license Pst. Caleb Gandu of COCIN LCC Mere.
The federal government has hinted at increasing the salaries of civil servants in the country to meet the current economic realities.
Minister of labour and employment, Chris Ngige in his speech at the public presentation of NLC’s 40 publications titled, ‘contemporary history of working-class struggles’ held in Abuja on Monday September 19, said the federal government knows that the N30,000 national minimum wage has lost its value.
Ngige said;
“Yes the inflation has increased worldwide and it is not confined to Nigeria, that is why in many jurisdictions, it is an adjustment of wages right now.
“As the Nigerian government, we shall adjust in conformity with what is happening in wages.
“More importantly, the 2019 national minimum wage act, right now has a clause for the review, which we started then, I do not know whether it is due next year or 2024.
“But before then, the adjustment of wages will reflect what is happening in the economy, just as the government has started the adjustment with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).”
The Jigawa State Police Command in collaboration with a local vigilance group, have arrested two suspected kidnappers in in Taura Local Government Area of the state.
Spokesman of the command, DSP Lawan Shiisu, who disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, September 20, said the suspects, aged between 35 and 40, were arrested on Sunday following reliable intelligence and credible information.
“Those arrested are believed to members of criminal gang that have been terrorising parts of the state and neighbouring Kano,” he stated.
“The police arrested them during a special operation in Larabawa village, Gabasawa area of Kano and Larabar Gurgunya village in Taura, Jigawa,”
The PPRO said that preliminary investigation showed that the suspects were responsible for the August 9 attack on personnel of the Nigeria Immigration Service.
“Investigation is also showing that the suspects killed two police officers at Kwalam village in Taura on January 23,” he said.
The police spokesman further stated that four magazines with 83 rounds of 7.9mm live ammunition, two locally made pistols, bows, arrows and two sticks were recovered from them.
He also said that cellular phones, clothes, lubricating oil, three Nigerian National Identity Cards and four photographs were recovered from the suspects.
Shiisu urged the public to always avail the police of credible and reliable information concerning suspicious persons around their environment.
He said the suspects would be arraigned in court as soon as investigation in the matter has been concluded.
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’abba, has said that Governors have been the country’s issue since 1999.
Na’abba made the claim while hosting a delegation of the Na’abba Youth Organization.
He claimed that Nigerians are now running from politics because Governors have pocketed political parties and now decide who would contest for positions in elections.
The former speaker also said that the action of these Governors is crippling the country’s democracy as what they are doing is rotating power among themselves without considering competency.
Na’abba said;
“Since 1999 governors have been the problem of the country. They contributed to the death of democracy within the political parties.
And when there are no elections within the parties, then incompetent leaders will emerge and that will affect the whole political system and the country’s development too.
The governors have caused all these. They will hardly hold primaries. Rather they will ask you to go for consensus; which is wrong.“If we really want to see changes in the country, we must change our democracy and give equal chances to all.
Give chances for elections within parties so that the masses and the rich will have roles to play. Only that can bring changes. Not what they (governors) are doing. That will not lead us anywhere.
Rather it will deteriorate the situation of the country.” Also acknowledging that youths have lost confidence in politicians, he added that he returned to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the All Progressives Congress (APC) after realizing the ruling party is not doing the right thing.
He said;
“When I realised that APC is not doing the right thing, I stepped aside.
Later I was contacted by some of my associates to go back to where I belong; that was why I returned to PDP.”
Alhaji Usman Abubakar, Chairman of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) has said that primary and secondary schools in rural communities in the capital territory are not safe for resumption of academic activities.
Speaking to Daily Trust on Friday September 16, Abubakar said activities of bandits and kidnappers in some rural communities especially at Abaji rural communities, which share boundaries with neighbouring villages in Niger State, are quite worrisome.
He said;
“In fact, schools within Yaba axis and some other communities that share boundaries with neighboring villages in Niger State are still shut because report coming from those axis over security threat as a result of activities of bandits and kidnappers is quite worrisome.”
Abubakar also told the publication that even before the resumption of academic activities, some of the rural schools across the axis had been facing security threat.
He added
“we expected that before resumption, government should be able to put in place security measures in these schools.”
The PTA Chairman who disclosed that they are happy with FCT administration’s directive for schools to resume, further stated that the administration ought to have put in place security measures in such rural schools.
He called on the FCT administration to liaise with community leaders in mobilizing local vigilantes to safeguard the affected rural schools to facilitate resumption of academic activities.
Men of the Oyo Security Network codenamed Amotekun Corps have arrested two suspects allegedly found in possession of human skulls in Oyo town.
The two suspects, Ganiyu Maruf, an indigene of Laguna family in Oyo town, and Alfa Basiru Bashit of Abu Compound, Oyo; were almost lynched by residents of Ori-awo Yidi.
Upon interrogation, Maruf, a bricklayer said one Dauda ‘Baba Ato’, a carpenter had supplied them with the skulls. He claimed the man had initially refused him because he had earlier been arrested by SARS but later asked him to pay the sum of N50,000 for the skulls.
Maruf said not long after Dauda supplied them the skulls, he was arrested again by operatives of SARS, but was later released weeks later after confessing his crimes.
According to his confession, he had escaped to the village but returned about two months later when he heard Baba Ato had been released.
However, Baba Ato reportedly died the night of his release.
The suspect recounted how that they hid the skulls around the area while he kept watch over it for it not to be stolen about five days ago.
Unknown to him, residents of Ori-Awo area where he resides, had been watching him patrolling the spot where he buried the skulls.
The alerted residents reportedly attacked Maruf and his accomplice while they were on their way to Yida.
On his part, Bashit confessed contributing N15,000 to the money to get the skulls from Baba Ato, who is related to Maruf’s family.
When asked who was going to perform the money rituals for them, Maruf said he has the knowledge of rituals from his maternal grandfather and was going to try doing it for himself first.
Bandits kill vigilante, abduct several villagers in Niger state Bandits killed a vigilante and shot another in Ebbo community in Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State.
It was gathered that several villagers were also abducted in several attacks on communities in the state.
According to Daily Trust report, the bandits stormed Ebbo community around 10:45 pm on Wednesday, Septemeber 14, and went straight to the vigilante office where they killed one of the vigilantes and shot another one in the leg.
It was also learnt that the Wednesday attack came four days after the neighbouring communities of Kpada and Yaba, border communities to the Federal Capital Territory, were attacked during which at least one person also lost his life while several residents fled their homes.
Residents said attackers also raided Angwan Dajin Gomna in Kpada community and kidnapped five persons before moving to Zago village and lafiyan Zago where they abducted 10 others after operating for hours.
Residents said the area had been under constant attacks in the last few months, scaring residents and farmers away from going about their normal duties.
“We were at a viewing centre watching football when we heard sporadic shooting of guns. We all ran out and it was bandits in their numbers. We had to run for our dear lives. But as I speak with you, our vigilantes are after them in the bush,” a resident told Daily Trust.
The leader of the vigilantes in Ebbo community, Mallam Yusuf Adalami, told Daily Trust that the injured member had been rushed to Gulu General Hospital while his men were on the trail of the bandits who fled into forests.
He said the attackers arrived on motorcycles and opened fire on his members. “They came on motorcycles in their numbers and came straight to our office.
They started shooting sporadically at our office. Our major challenge is lack of weapons. We don’t have the kind of weapons they use,” Adalami said.
“Even when we were to take one of our members who sustained severe injuries, we didn’t get vehicle easily. And on our way, the car broke down again.
It took hours before we could get another car to take him to the hospital. His condition is severe; we may have to take him to another place for treatment.”
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