Crime Facts

How Security Operatives Killed 80 Bandits In Kebbi – Vigilante Leader

The Head of Vigilante of Zuru Emirate, John Mani, on Saturday, narrated how the bandits that abducted the students of Federal Government College Birnin Yauri, suffered a heavy casualty, saying over 80 of them have been killed. Bandits numbering 150 were reported to have broken into the school on Thursday and made away with a yet-to-be ascertained number of students. Mani, who made this known on Saturday while speaking with Daily Trust on phone, said the bandits were killed in a gun duel while the security operatives were making a frantic effort to secure the abductees from their captors. He said the bandits were killed in ‘Insen forest’ of Sakaba Local Government Area of the state in a gun duel that took place between Thursday and Friday. “Over 80 of the bandits were killed in a fire exchange as we have counted their corpses. “The bandits were killed in ‘Insen forest’ in Sakaba LGA. They were killed in an effort to secure the release of the abducted students.” ‘Sustain onslaught’ Meanwhile, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, who is representing Kebbi South, had called on the military to sustain its onslaught on bandits terrorizing Yauri and Zuru Emirates. The senator commended the security agents and other local groups who aided in the onslaught in his senatorial district. “I also commend the timely intervention of the federal government and Governor of Kebbi State, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, and all those who contributed in hunting down these criminal elements. “I assure all security agents that the Zuru and Yauri community will cooperate fully and render all necessary support in the task of hunting down the bandits and other criminal elements in our society.

Owerri jailbreak: ‘Match and die’ captured in Imo

One of the suspected gang members alleged to have led the operation of attacking and freeing thousands of inmates from Owerri correctional facility, one Godwin Chukwuemeka, popularly known as “Match and die” has been apprehended. The Imo state commissioner of Police, Abutu Yaro, said this yesterday in Owerri, while parading the suspect at the Police headquarters, he added that “match and die” was arrested along Owerri /Nekede road in Imo state, from his hideout. The police said that the suspect was arrested based on the intelligence it gathered on his activities and that from their preliminary investigation “Match and die” had confessed to being part of the hoodlums who attacked the Owerri correctional centre. The command said: “Following reliable information, Tactical teams of the Imo Command stormed the hideouts of a notorious suspected criminal along the Owerri Nekede Axis where one Godwin Chukwuemeka AKA “Match and Die” ‘male’, 35years old was arrested inside the ceiling compartment of his residence. “The suspect is alleged to be a dismissed Soldier of the Nigeria Army. On interrogation, he confessed to being part of the hoodlums that attacked the Imo State Police Command Headquarters and Correctional centre Owerri early this year.” “Meanwhile the following items were recovered from the suspect. A cut to size double barrel gun, A black browning pistol, Two live cartridges, One expanded cartridge, Military camouflage and Desert boots. “The Commissioner of Police urged the officers and men of the command to sustain the tempo of the moment. He commends the good people of the state for their undaunting support and solicits for an all society approach to improve security in the state,” Police concluded.

Biafra: Southeast leaders disown IPOB, MASSOB, others

Southeast leaders Saturday reaffirmed their commitment to one united Nigeria under the platform of justice, equality of rights, fairness, love and respect for one another. The leaders also used the opportunity to disown secessionist activities of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and other pro-Biafran agitators, saying the groups were never speaking for the Igbo. Rising from a close door security meeting at the Enugu State government house, the leaders made up of Southeast present and past governors, ministers, National Assembly members, other leaders of political, religious and traditional institutions from the zone, the leaders condemned in totality the violent secessionist agitations in the southeast and firmly proclaimed that “we do not support them. They do not speak for Southeast”. In a communiqué read to journalists at the end of the four-hour meeting, by the chairman of the Southeast Governors Forum and Ebonyi State governor, Engr. Dave Umahi, said the leaders have set up a committee to engage such youths leading secessionist agitations to stop and allow the elders of the Southeast to address their fears. Umahi also assured non-Igbos living in the southeast of their security and protection. The fully attended meeting also directed southeast governors and Ohanaeze Ndigbo to liaise with indigenes from Northern part of Nigeria and other indigenes of other regions that are living in the southeast to come out openly to assure their people and Nigerians that they are very safe and well protected while living in the southeast. According to Umahi, the meeting was a follow-up of the meeting Presidential delegation, led by the Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi had with the Igbo leaders, on June 11, 2021, on the security challenges confronting the region in particular and Nigeria in general. The meeting, he added, was to enable the leaders to articulate their position to enable them not only to engage the presidential team but to also engage their people overall burning issues. The communiqué reads in part: “We, the southeast leaders condemn in totality the violent secessionist agitations in the southeast. We firmly proclaim that we do not support them. They do not speak for the Southeast. “The impression that Southeast leaders are silent over the agitations of our youths for secession is not correct. Southeast governors, Ohanaeze Ndigbo president and our national assembly members, our ministers and our leadership from southeast, notable leaders from southeast had come out publicly many times in the past to speak against such agitations. “In order not to mismanage the unfortunate situation we found ourselves, Southeast leaders have set up a committee to engage such youths to stop and allow the elders of Southeast to address their fears. “Meeting directed our governors and Ohanaeze Ndigbo to liaise with indigenes from Northern part of Nigeria and other indigenes of other regions that are living in the southeast to come out openly to assure their people and Nigerians that they are very safe and well protected while living in the southeast. “The meeting also set up a committee under Ohanaeze to articulate and address all burning issues to further meet amongst ourselves and further meet with the presidential team “We the Igbos reaffirm commitment to one united Nigeria under the platform of justice, equality of rights, fairness, love and respect for one another.” The communiqué also noted the threats by some groups in some other regions against the people of Southeast even as the leaders firmly promised to protect everyone either from the Southeast or anywhere living in the southeast. “We plead with the leaders of other regions to please note the threats against our people and protect them. “We condemn the killing of security agents, burning of security infrastructure and killing of civilians in Southeast and even other regions. We request the security agencies to discharge their duties within the rules of engagement under the rule of law.” The communiqué endorsed the Southeast joint security outfit, Ebube Agu and asked all the personnel of Ebube Agu to work with security agencies and respect the rights and privileges of all those living in the southeast and her visitors. The communiqué also requested national assembly members from the Southeast to support state police creation in the ongoing Constitutional amendment. It commended Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State for taking the pains of hosting them at all times without complaining. Other governors present in the meeting included Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State while Governor Hope Uzodimma and his Anambra State counterpart, Chief Willie Obiano were represented by their deputies, Prof. Placid Njoku and Nkem Okeke respectively. Other leaders present were former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu; Senate Minority leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe; former governor of Ebonyi State, Senator Sam Egwu; former Governor of Imo State, Dr. Ikedi Ohakim, former governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo and president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Prof. George Obiozor and his predecessor, Chief Nnia Nwodo. Others were: Minister of labour and productivity, Senator Chris Ngige; Minister of state for mines and steel, Uche Ogah; former secretary to the government of the federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim; elder statesman, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu; Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma and Bishop Callistus Onaga of Enugu Anglican and Catholic Dioceses; Southeast CAN Chairman, Bishop Emmanuel Ede and Former INEC Chairman, Maurice Iwu. The rest included Allison Madueke, Mark Wabara, Senators Julius Ucha and Obinna Ogba, traditional rulers.

Mob Sets Truck Ablaze For Killing Motorcycle Rider, Passenger

An angry crowd has set a truck ablaze following an accident that led to the death of two persons in Ogun State. The incident occurred along the Ibeshe Road in Yewa North Local Government Area of the state on Saturday. Sources said the truck had veered off its lane and faced an oncoming motorcycle before it crushed both the rider and the passenger to death. The spokesman for the Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), Babatunde Akinbiyi, also confirmed the incident to Channels Television on Saturday in Abeokuta, the state capital. He noted that an angry mob descended on the truck and set it ablaze while the driver of the vehicle took to his heels. “It took the intervention of the police and officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to calm the angry mob,” said Akinbiyi, adding that “The case is being handled by the Dangote Plant Police Post.” He disclosed that the body of one of the victims was deposited at the morgue of the General Hospital in Ilaro while the other victim has been buried by the family members. The TRACE spokesman condoled with the families of the victims over the loss and warned motorists, especially truck drivers against reckless and dangerous driving. He stressed that this was important to reduce avoidable crashes and deaths on all roads in the state.

Some external forces behind agitations for Nigeria break up, says Fayemi

Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has revealed that some external forces are behind the vociferous agitations for balkanization of Nigeria across ethnic lines. Fayemi said that the agitations were part of calculated plans by external forces in collaboration with their conspirators in the country to disintegrate Nigeria and cause an untold humanitarian crisis. He stated this in Ado- Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital at a colloquium held to mark this year’s June 12 with theme: “June12: Securing the Freedom of Democracy”. The Governor explained that the rising tide of agitations for secession in some parts of the country could be curtailed when leaders are challenged to promote issues that unite the country through fairness, equity, and justice rather than issues of division. “For me, the most striking lesson is that unity of purpose and open-mindedness are needed for our country to escape the relentless efforts of some elements to subvert our country’s corporate existence. “There is hardly any doubt that there are calculated plans by some external forces in collaboration with domestic conspirators to dismember Nigeria and cause untold humanitarian crisis. “The continuing proliferation of conflict centers and the exacerbating divisive rhetoric are all parts of a grand plan to ground Nigeria to a halt. The security challenge that confronts us today is a direct threat to the future of our country because of its asymmetric nature. And worse, because of the disunity among the Nigerian elite on how to confront what is clearly a threat to their survival,” he said. He underscored the need for members of both the political class and non-state actors to practice the ethos the 1993 June 12 poll epitomizes where sectional, sectarian and partisan interests were set aside in the interest of the country. Fayemi said such a unity of purpose and togetherness as well as patriotic positive disposition to the overall wellbeing of the country were needed in dealing with the current agitations for secession. The colloquium which was chaired by the National Chairman of Afenifere Renewal Group, Hon Wale Osun, had veteran journalist, Dare Babrinsa, a member of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon Lateef Akanle and Chairperson, Ado Local Government, Mrs Omotunde Fajuyi as panelists. The Governor who reminisced on the struggles of some political class for the reign of democracy in the country noted that the June 12 elections revealed the strength of the nation’s diversity as it betrays the theoretical postulations about ethno religious influence on electoral outcomes in the country. Drawing lessons from the June 12 1993 elections, he said; “For me, the most striking lessons is that unity of purpose, open-mindedness are needed for our country to escape the relentless efforts of some elements to subvert our country’s corporate existence. “The security challenges that confront us today is a direct threat to the future of our country because of the disunity among Nigeria elite on how to confront what is clearly a threat to their survival. “Toxic mentoring that glorifies criminality, exacerbating hatred and divide our people should be scrupulously avoided. Nigeria was at such as a precipice in 1993 after the exit of Gen Gbadamosi Babangida but it was at this moment that conscientious leaders came together under the National Democratic Coalition and other various organisations to provide a national direction and a pathway to democracy. The political class elite of the time intentionally involved to curtail the rhetoric of internal issues and to avoid the distraction of subverting elements. “That is why we must all come together both those who are in government and those outside the government to challenge our leaders to do the right things. Confront the issues that divide us, promote the issues that unite us, ensure fairness, ensure equity, and ensure justice in our polity. Even as we fight to end criminality, let us unite all forms of bigotry in order to build a nation where peace and justice shall reign.”

2021 UTME begins nationwide as 1.3 million candidates sit for exam

THE 2021 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination commenced on Saturday nationwide with a total of 1.3 million candidates expected to sit for the two-week long examination conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB). The examination is scheduled to take place between Saturday, June 19 and July 3, 2021. While a total of 1,338,687 candidates registered for UTME, 75,328 registered for UTME bringing the total number of candidates registered to 1,414,015. The number of registered candidates for this year examination fell drastically below the 2 million mark of registered candidates for both UTME and Direct Entry, recorded by the Board in the previous years. The examination commenced as early as 7am at Global Distance Learning Institute, Abuja, with minor hitches. Details later…

Pressure Mali To Return To Civilian Rule, Buhari Tells ECOWAS Leaders

Pressure Mali To Return To Civilian Rule, Buhari Tells ECOWAS Leaders Channels Television Updated June 19, 2021 President Muhammadu Buhari attends the 59th Ordinary session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS in Accra, Ghana on June 19, 2021. President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday called on West African leaders to exert pressure on the military leadership in Mali to ensure that the transition process in the country is not aborted. He made the call in his statement delivered at the 59th Ordinary session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS in Accra, Ghana. The Nigerian leader spoke on the situation in Mali which was recently suspended from the regional bloc due to a military coup. “At this Summit today, we are expected to review a number of important reports dealing with various issues of concerns to our organisation and people. In doing so, we must take realistic and practical decisions which will positively impact our citizens,” he was quoted as saying in a statement by his spokesman, Garba Shehu. President Buhari added, “Some of those decisions, necessarily will have to do with evolving political and security situations in our sub-region as well as evaluate the health of our organisation with the hope of repositioning to serve our people and sub-region better. “While democracy continues to develop in our sub-region, recent events in Mali are sad reminders that vigilance remains a crucial imperative to protect people’s aspirations to freely choose the form of government they want. “Pressures are needed to ensure that the transition process in Mali, which is halfway to its conclusion, is not aborted. “A further slide in Mali could prove catastrophic to the Sub-region, considering that about half of that country is unfortunately under the grip of terrorists.” The Nigerian leader, therefore, appealed to the military leadership in Mali to understand the critical state of their country, which he described as being ‘clearly under siege’. Noting that the principal responsibility of the military must be to protect and guarantee the sovereignty of the West African country, the President cautioned them not to perpetuate acts that would facilitate the destabilisation and destruction of Mali. “I urge our organization to remain engaged with all stakeholders in Mali through our astute Mediator, former President Goodluck Jonathan, who, I congratulate warmly, for his untiring efforts thus far. “I encourage him to sustain these efforts to ensure that the transition is completed as scheduled,” he said. On Libya, President Buhari faulted the recent United Nations Resolution to expel all foreign fighters in Libya, without first ensuring that they were disarmed. He lamented that while the decision was aimed at bringing about sustenance of peace in Libya, non-collaboration with regional stakeholders has created newer threats to peace, security and stability in the region. The President warned that this could lead to lack of coordinated management of huge humanitarian crisis across the Sahel, North, Central and West Africa, including the Lake Chad region. He said, “It is imperative that ECOWAS leaders, at this Summit, decide how the UN-Sub-regional organisations partnerships should be reviewed to address the dangers that this UN Resolution poses to the region.” The statement by the Nigerian leader at the Summit also addressed other pertinent issues of concern in the organisation, including the ongoing institutional reforms in ECOWAS. Declaring Nigeria’s unequivocal support to the reforms process, he said he looked forward to an ECOWAS that would be ‘fit for purpose’, delivering services to the satisfaction of the community citizens. He commended the President of the Commission and his team, the Ad-hoc Ministerial Committee on Institutional Reforms as well as the Council of Ministers for the excellent report presented to the Authority of Heads of State. In his capacity as the ECOWAS champion on the fight against COVID-19, President Buhari also drew attention to the need for more citizens in the region to be vaccinated, stressing the need for adherence to other non-pharmaceutical interventions. He said the West African region was in the grip of a third wave, warning against complacency in national and regional initiatives to address the pandemic. President Buhari reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the noble objectives of the organisation, saying, “I encourage us to take bolder steps towards ensuring that the organisation fulfils the aspirations of its founding fathers, which include a truly integrated sub-region, economically, politically, socio-culturally united and secured to permit its sustainable development and growth.”

Grazing routes: FG driving Nigeria to anarchy, says Gani Adams

The Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, says the people of the South-West geopolitical zone are against the Federal Government’s move to recover grazing routes for herders to graze their cattle in the country. According to him, the government of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), will be “creating an unnecessary tension” in the region if it goes ahead with the move. Adams, who spoke in a chat with The PUNCH on Saturday, also alleged that the Federal Government is driving the country to a point of anarchy through its unpopular policies and actions. The PUNCH had reported that the President in a recent television interview supported open grazing and directed the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), to produce a gazette which delineated grazing routes in all parts of the country in the First Republic. Some human rights activists including Femi Falana (SAN), subsequently kicked against the move, saying grazing routes existed only in Northern Nigeria and not in the southern part of the country. Although some of the routes are believed to have been encroached upon due to human activities, The PUNCH found out that the government had embarked on a process of identifying monuments along the routes in order to get them back as locations for cattle grazing. Officials of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also said that the routes’ recovery would go on despite stiff oppositions to it. Speaking with The PUNCH on Saturday, Adams said grazing routes “cannot work because the entire Southern Nigeria has spoken and we are against open grazing; the governors in the region have banned it already and lawmakers have started enacting laws in their state assemblies to ban it. “The Federal Government should recognise that we have three tiers of government and should not create an impression that every law is in the hands of the Federal Government. The issue of open grazing should be a state law and a local government law because it is about the security of the state. “Open grazing has been constituting security threats and has caused a lot of deaths of citizens and this is giving Nigeria a very bad image before the international community. The Federal Government should go against anything which threatens lives and property of Nigerians. If it encourages anything that will create insecurity, then, those in government have hidden agenda towards Southerners.” “The Federal Government is driving the country to the point of anarchy and political instability by confronting the southern governors on the ban of open grazing. Open grazing is an insecurity of the highest order in the country. “I don’t know why the President is bringing up an old law that was not even reflected in the 1999 Constitution. It is impossible for him to bring it up now. We will take a necessary position if that happens,” he added.

Forgive Buhari’s ‘Dot-In-Circle’ Remarks, Cleric Tells Ndigbo

The ministerial leader of the World Zionist Union in the Southeast, Prophet Godfrey Gbujie, has called on the Igbo people to forgive the recent remark of ‘dot in circle’ made by President Muhammadu Buhari in a recent TV interview. Daily Trust gathered that the Igbo people are disturbed by the President’s description of Southeast zone as ‘a dot in a circle’ while explaining that the Igbo are scattered everywhere in Nigeria with their businesses and properties located everywhere. But, in a statement issued in Enugu weekend, Prophet Gbujie appealed to the Igbo people to forgive the president and understand that everything happening in the country currently is an act of God. He said: “I feel irresistibly persuaded to passionately appeal to the much aggrieved Ndigbo to more Christianly understand, appreciate the plight of and forgive His Excellency, our spiritually overwhelmed President Muhammadu Buhari’s unpresidential verbal declaration of June 10, 2021, where he referred to Southeast as ‘a dot-in-the circle’. “This ministerial appeal is motivated by my appreciable insight into and understanding of the mysteries of the long-prophesied and graphically unfolding ‘plan of divine intervention in Nigeria’s affairs’ as they incorporate and affect his (Buhari’s) personality, presidential and governmental roles which he can neither fully understand, alter nor fail to execute”. Describing President Buhari as a “very nice, decent and nationalistic gentleman”, Gbujie, however, explained that Buhari’s presidential characters and policies were dictated and controlled by the powers beyond him. “Therefore, let us understand and appreciate the spiritual and socio-political plight, disabilities and helplessness of His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari – most of whose erroneous presidential policies, actions and utterances are complaints to the revealed plan of God. “Let us stop blaming him for the negativities because he is only a mere human vessel of service to god and cannot wriggle himself out of the mysterious spiritual web in which he helplessly finds himself. “Rather, I appeal for both private and collective spiritual intercession to God for divine mercy and grace to enable him to successfully finish his own part and role in the divinely scripted and unfolding national socio-political tragicomedy.”

Ikpeazu: I’m Willing To Engage With Nnamdi Kanu For Peace To Reign

Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has declared his willingness to engage with the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, for peace to reign. He said he would speak with Kanu, not on the basis of IPOB, but as Citizen Nnamdi Kanu, who happens to be an Abian. “I am the governor of Abia State and he is a citizen of Abia State,” he said. “I have nothing personal against him and I don’t think he has anything personal against me. All of us are saying the same thing, that there is injustice, marginalization, but our point of divergence is the approach. “If one is taking up arms Against the Nigerian Nation, what capacity does the person have to conclude it? Because I, as an individual, I am not a suicide Candidate. I saw a bit of the civil war and I don’t want to get people on a boat that is sailing to nowhere. “Kanu is entitled to his opinion, views and approach, but I am also saying to him, that as a young boy who went to Maiduguri at the age of 16, the boundaries of the South East and Northern Nigeria is not in Umuahia or Ubakala Police Station, neither is it in Bende or Ohafia. We cannot afford to allow our territory be used as a battle field when the home of our opponents is thousands of mile away from our home. If properties are going to be destroyed during the battle, they will still be our property which we shall suffer to replace at the end of the whole exercise. “Fighting in one’s kitchen is one of the indices that defines lack of appreciation of the first rule of self-preservation, because after the fight, with which pot and plates, are you going use to eat? “If you have a perceived enemy and you embark on such a voyage and your son kills you, your enemy will just attend your funeral and save his gunpowder for another enemy. I think there is need for good reason to prevail, so that we can sit down and talk about it. If there are things you want us to vocalize about the way things are going in this country, raise the tune a little bit, I think there are people who are willing to say that and do that. For me, I think we need to change a few things in this country and I think we need to be smart about the way we change it. There is somebody who said that those who resort to violence have exhausted the capacity of their intelligence to resolve the matter. I don’t think we have exhausted the capacity of our intelligence to resolve the matter. Violence cannot be the First option.”