No fewer than 21 military personnel including senior officers were reportedly killed by the suspected bandits at Kundu via Zungeru in the Wushishi Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger state. It was gathered that 13 of them were killed in an encounter on Sunday, while eight others were killed on Monday in an ambush in which a two-star captain and a major were reportedly involved. According to reports, the security operatives were trying to block the Kundu route of the criminals who were about to cross with some rustled cattle when they were ambushed, leading to the casualties including five vigilantes who were injured with bullets. It was reliably gathered that the bandits had rustled several animals from several communities and tried to cross from Akere to the northern parts of the country. An eyewitness told Channels Television that the corpses of the 21 military personnel were deposited at the same Zungeru hospital where the injured vigilante group were receiving medical treatment. An injured vigilante, Sani Adamu, in a phone interview, said they had a gun battle within a range of less than 100m but they were challenged because the criminals’ weapons were more sophisticated than theirs, leading to casualties.

  The West African bloc ECOWAS on Monday lashed threats by Niger’s military rulers to prosecute ousted president Mohamed Bazoum, saying this contradicted the regime’s declared willingness to resolve the crisis peacefully. The coup leaders who toppled Bazoum said late Sunday they had gathered evidence enabling them to prosecute Bazoum for “high treason and undermining the internal and external security of Niger.” This, it said, was based on “contacts” Bazoum had had with “nationals… foreign heads of state… (and) officials in international organisations.” In a statement on Monday, ECOWAS said it had learned of the threats “with stupefaction”. “It represents yet another form of provocation and contradicts the reported willingness of the military authorities in the Republic of Niger to restore constitutional order through peaceful means,” the bloc said. Bazoum, 63, and his family have been held at the president’s official residence since the coup, with international concern mounting over his conditions in detention.

  President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Acting Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Folashodun Shonubi to come up with measures that can improve the liquidity in the foreign exchange market. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says new measures will be taken to stabilise the naira against the dollar. Folasodun Sonubi, acting governor of the CBN, spoke with journalists after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja on Monday. Sonubi said Tinubu was worried about the consistent fall of the naira against the dollar, hence efforts would be made to curb the situation. Shonubi hinted that in a few days, far reaching policies would be put in place to prevent speculators from engaging in acts detrimental to the general wellbeing of the nation’s monetary and financial market. In some days to come, there are indications that there will be some injections into the foreign exchange market towards reversing some ongoing momentum for better stability. More to follow…

  Irate soldiers, in the early hours on Monday at Ojota area of Lagos State, pounced on one of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, officers, beating in to stupor over a yet-to-be determined traffic offence. The incident, according to an eyewitness, happened at 8a.m., when soldiers numbering eight, got hold of the LASTMA officer and beat him for several minutes.   In a video that has gone viral, the soldiers were seen beating up the LASTMA officer as he begged profusely to be left alone. One of attackers was seen battering the officer to the ground as other LASTMA officers fled the scene. Revenge beating Meanwhile, it was gathered that the action was in retaliation over am incident where LASTMA officers were alleged to have beaten up a soldier in same Ojota area last week. On today’s incident, they invading soldiers, armed with guns, descended on the officer with punches and planks before disappearing from the scene. It was gathered that the victim, in a state of stupor, was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. Contacted, General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Bolaji Oreagba, through the Director Operations, Mr. A. Peter, confirmed the incident to Vanguard. He said: “We have reported the incident to the higher authorities of the army. They are already intervening in the matter. “We will update you in due course. The act is totally condemnable.”

  The Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Mojisola Adeyeye has raised alarm that drug hawkers and fruit sellers are endangering the lives of Nigerians. Adeyeye raised the alarm at a one day media sensitization workshop on the dangers of drug hawking and ripening of fruits with Calcium Carbide. The sensitisation workshop was organized by the North-East Zone of NAFDAC in Bauchi on Monday. The NAFDAC DG while making remark, warned Nigerians against patronizing drugs from hawkers as well as buying sellers of fruits riped with calcium carbide due to the dangers they pose to health. She lamented that fake drugs and ripening of fruits with chemicals were two dangerous practices by unscrupulous persons that is killing unsuspecting citizens. She explained that the workshop was to inform journalists to create public awareness on the dangers lurking around for Nigerians to stop patronizing them. Adeyeye, who was represented by NAFDAC’s Director, Chemical Evaluation and Research of the Agency, Dr. Leonard Omokpariola, revealed there had been calls by well-meaning Nigerians on the need to take stringent regulatory actions to stem the dangerous tide of drug hawkers and sellers of ripened fruits with Calcium Carbide. The DG explained that there had also been several concerns on the looming danger and health implication of these two nefarious activities in the country. “Since 2019, we immediately took some decisive steps such as sensitization of the public through different media outlets, enforcement through intelligence and raids in fruit markets that have resulted in seizures and destruction of violative products”, she said. The DG said that the workshop with media was in fulfilment of the agency’s promise to sustain and strengthen NAFDAC’s existing collaboration journalists towards mobilizing, educating, sensitizing, and conscientizing members of the public on the dangerous practice. “We are doing it for Nigerian journalists to play frontline role in our concerted efforts to eradicate the menace of Drug Hawking and Ripening of Fruits with Calcium Carbide in Nigeria”, she said. The NAFDAC DG said that bulk industrial food or food ingredients that includes cereals (Cornflakes, Oat, Milk, and Beverages) were issued import permits for end-users in the manufacturing industry. She said that NAFDAC had observed that bulk industrial food not in retail pack were being sold illegally in our markets.. “These bulk items are openly displayed and measured to unassuming buyers with little or no care from contamination”, she said. Adeyeye said that the agency was currently addressing such market practice through monitoring of the utilization rate and capacity (installed) of end-users to block the gas/leakage of the non-retailed packaged product from being sold in our markets. She advised members of the public against buying dangerous non-retailed packed items from the market to prevent the risk of taking contaminated, substandard, expired and adulterated food or food fraud with grave health implications.

  Bandits have invaded Chukuba Ward in the Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State and killed 13 Soldiers, the Tribune reports. Recall that the aircraft crashed enroute Niger State. But a youth leader in the community said the criminals brought down a fighter helicopter and killed the pilot. The Convener, Shiroro Concerned Youths, Mr Sanni Kokki, disclosed this in a telephone interview with journalists in Abuja on Monday afternoon. They ambushed and killed 13 soldiers along the Zungeru-Tegina road in Madaka Ward of Rafi Local Government Area of the state. He said the unfortunate incident happened on Monday morning. Kokki said, “As we are talking now, the villagers living around the area are all now moving towards Erena. “This is another problem again because people are being displaced from their traditional homes to unknown destinations. “We are having another humanitarian crisis on our hands with the economic challenges confronting our people.” When contacted, the Senator representing Niger East Senatorial District, Mohammed Sani Musa, lamented the situation, describing it as highly unfortunate. He called on the federal government to dispatch all its military and security arsenals to the troubled areas in order to save innocent lives and their property. Musa said, “This is a very serious situation happening at a time when we are happy that the issue of banditry is subsiding in our various communities in Niger State. “The Federal Government should, as a matter of urgency, deploy all its arsenal in order to curtail further spread. “We have been having a reduction in cases of attacks but now it appears as if there is a serious escalation of the situation “The most alarming situation now is that the attacks look like a planned work because the bandits are carrying out their operations simultaneously in many parts of Niger State. “The government should please, as a matter of urgency, take drastic action on it and save the lives and property of our people.”

  An aircraft belonging to the Nigerian Air Force has crashed. The Nation learnt the aircraft took off from Kaduna en route to Minna, the Niger state capital when the incident occurred. Details of the crash are still sketchy as of the time of filing this report. Details shortly…