Crime Facts

France Deploying Forces, War Equipment In Preparation To Invade Niger – Junta

  The Niger military administration has accused France of building up forces, and war equipment in several neighbouring West African countries in preparation for an aggression against the country. Relations with France, Niger’s former colonial power, soured after Paris stood by ousted President Mohamed Bazoum following the July coup. In a statement broadcast on national television late Saturday, putchists’ spokesman Colonel Major Amadou Abdramane said, “France continues to deploy its forces in several ECOWAS countries as part of preparations for an aggression against Niger, which it is planning in collaboration with this community organisation.” Abdramane added that France had deployed military aircraft, helicopters and 40 armoured vehicles to Cote d’Ivoire and Benin. Military cargo aircraft have enabled large quantities of war material and equipment to be unloaded in Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire and Benin, to name but a few,” he said. Niger is also embroiled in a standoff with the West African bloc ECOWAS, which has threatened to intervene militarily if diplomatic pressure to return Bazoum to office fails. However, the regional bloc has said it does not want Niger to repeat “the experiences of Mali, Guinea and Burkina”, with which it had to haggle over the durations and conditions of transition periods. On August 3, the coup leaders renounced several military cooperation agreements with France, which has about 1,500 soldiers stationed in the country as part of a wider fight against militants. They maintained that France’s forces are now “illegally” stationed in Niger. Paris, which refuses to recognise the military regime in Niger, does not consider the mutinous soldiers who ousted President Bazoum as party to those cooperation deals. France is engaged in a tug of war with Niger, which has also withdrawn the diplomatic immunity of French ambassador Sylvain Itte and ordered police to expel him. France has refused the demand on several occasions, saying the military regime has no legal right to make such an order

Fubara places N100m bounty on criminal gang for ‘killing’ Rivers DPO

  Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers, has placed N100 million bounty on the killers of Bako Angbashim, a superintendent of police, in the state. Angbashim, a divisional police officer (DPO) in Ahoada, Ahoada east LGA of Rivers, was killed on Friday when his team ran into an ambush while returning from an operation. In a statement issued on Saturday, Fubara said intelligence from the security agencies has linked one Gift David Okpara Okpolowu and his criminal gang for being responsible for the murder of the senior police officer. The governor said Okpara and his gang have established camps in the area and are responsible for the resurgence of violent crimes, including kidnapping and terrorism in Ahoada east LGA of the state. As a responsible government, we cannot fold our arms and allow criminals and crimes to rear their ugly heads and thrive in any part of our state,” the governor said. “First, the prime suspects, Mr. Gift David Okpara Okpolowu (a.k.a. 2-Baba) and all members of his criminal gang are hereby declared wanted. “Secondly, a bounty of one hundred million (N100,000,000.00) naira is hereby placed on his head for anyone who gives useful information that would lead to his arrest and prosecution.” The governor also suspended Cassidy Ikegbidi, a traditional ruler in the area, indefinitely for “acts of complicity in ceding control of his territory to the notorious David Gift and his gang to freely operate and carry out their criminal activities”. IGP ORDERS IMMEDIATE ARREST OF ANGBASHIM’S KILLERS Meanwhile, Kayode Egbetokun, inspector-general of police, has condemned the murder of Angbashim, while demanding the immediate arrest and prosecution of the culprits. In a statement issued by Muyiwa Adejobi, the force spokesperson, Egbetokun said the killing of the DPO is not only an affront to the nation but a reflection of a lack of patriotism and gross illegality. The IGP said any nefarious acts against any officer of the force will not be treated with levity as perpetrators will be made to face justice.

Morocco mourns quake victims as death toll passes 2,000

  Moroccans on Sunday mourned the victims of a devastating earthquake that killed more than 2,000 people, as rescue teams raced to find survivors trapped in the rubble of flattened villages. The strongest-ever quake to hit the country has killed at least 2,012 people and injured over 2,059, many of them critically, according to the latest official figures. Friday’s 6.8-magnitude quake struck 72 kilometres (45 miles) southwest of the tourist hub of Marrakesh, wiping out entire villages in rural areas.   “I’ve lost everything”, said Lahcen, a resident of the mountain village of Moulay Brahim, whose wife and four children were killed. Rescue workers recovered the bodies of Lahcen’s three daughters from the rubble of what was once their home, but have not yet found the bodies of his wife and son. “I can’t do anything about it now, I just want to get away from the world and mourn.” Troops and emergency services have scrambled to reach remote mountain villages where victims are still feared trapped. Al-Haouz province, where the epicentre of the earthquake was located, suffered the most deaths with 1,293, followed by the province of Taroudant with 452. – First funerals – Bouchra, another resident of Moulay Brahim, dried her tears with her scarf as she watched men digging graves to bury the victims. “My cousin’s grandchildren are dead”, she said in a knotted voice. “I saw the devastation of the earthquake live, and I’m still shaking. It’s like a ball of fire that has swallowed up everything in its path,” she said. “Everyone here has lost family, whether in our village or elsewhere in the region”, she added. Fatema Satir, a resident in Marrakesh, told AFP many were sleeping in the street for fear of their houses collapsing. “Look where all these people are sleeping. There is no help for us, our houses have been cracked, others destroyed like my daughter’s house, which was wiped out. We are in a chaotic state.” Authorities declared three days of national mourning, while several countries, including Israel, France, Spain, Italy and the United States, have offered aid. Neighbouring Algeria, which has had rocky relations with Morocco, opened its airspace, which had been closed for two years, to flights carrying humanitarian aid and the injured. – ‘Years of aid’ – The Red Cross warned that it could take years to repair the damage. “It won’t be a matter of a week or two… We are counting on a response that will take months, if not years,” Hossam Elsharkawi, the organisation’s Middle East and North Africa director, said in a statement. The village of Tafeghaghte, 60 kilometres southwest of Marrakesh, was almost entirely destroyed by the quake, the epicentre of which was only about 50 kilometres away, an AFP team reported, with very few buildings still standing. “Three of my grandchildren and their mother are dead,” said 72-year-old Omar Benhanna. “They’re still under the debris. It wasn’t so long ago that we were playing together.” Residents buried around 70 victims in the nearby cemetary on Saturday, as the funeral rites were punctuated by cries and screams. In the evening, television channels broadcast aerial images showing entire villages of clay houses in the Al-Haouz region completely destroyed. “The public authorities are still mobilised to speed up rescue operations and evacuate the injured,” the interior ministry said Saturday evening. The tremor was also felt in the coastal cities of Rabat, Casablanca, Agadir and Essaouira, where many panicked residents took to the streets in the middle of the night, fearing that their homes would collapse. This earthquake is the deadliest in Morocco since the 1960 quake that destroyed Agadir, in which more than 12,000 people, about a third of the city’s population at the time, died.

Police grill DSS operative over Abuja market shooting

  The Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory Command, Haruna Garba, has revealed that an operative of the Department of State Services who was involved in a shooting incident that left several persons injured and hospitalised, has been arrested and detained. Garba disclosed this in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Saturday, noting that investigation was still ongoing into the incident, while denying allegations that the DSS operative was walking free. “The DSS operative is still in our custody; he has not been released, and investigation is still ongoing,” the CP said. Meanwhile, Sunday PUNCH can confirm that victims of the market shooting are currently receiving treatment at some hospitals in Abuja. A violent protest which was subsequently quelled by the police had erupted on Thursday night following the shooting of a fashion designer by a DSS operative who also shot indiscriminately and also injured several others. It was learnt that a client brought the operative to the fashion designer’s shop for allegedly failing to deliver some clothes on an agreed date. A trader in the market, who did not want her name in print for fear of victimisation, said some of the fashion designer’s colleagues, who learnt about the matter intervened but that their interference did not go down well with the DSS operative. According to her, the security agent was arrested and detained by the police after he allegedly shot the fashion designer. “A female customer of the fashion designer brought the DSS. She said the fashion designer did not sew her clothes. Her colleagues joined and defended her. The issue led to a serious argument. The DSS operative was arrested and detained at Wuse Market Police Station,” the trader added. The spokesman of the DSS, Peter Afunanya, had in a statement on Thursday said the secret police was investigating the matter. He said, “The attention of the Department of State Services has been drawn to an incident that occurred a few hours ago between its staff and a mob at the Garki Market, Abuja. Information at the disposal of the Service was that its FCT Command responded to an SOS from their field operatives who allegedly came under a mob attack in the said market. “Consequently, the Service has commenced an investigation into the matter. The public is assured that details of the inquiries will be communicated as soon as possible. The Service assures that it will not hesitate to mete out a proper disciplinary measure(s) to its staff if found culpable or running foul of Standard Operating Procedures on dealing with a member of the public.”

IN THE NEWS: Why power outage in some parts of Anambra – EEDC

  The Management of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) has expressed regret over the power outage being experienced by its customers in Awada, Anambra and other locations. This is contained in a statement by the Head, Corporate Communications of the Company, Mr Emeka Ezeh, in Onitsha on Saturday. He said, “EEDC wishes to inform its customers that the fault at Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) Awada station, which was the reason for the blackout being experienced for some days now, is receiving attention. “Currently, the TCN engineers are transferring our 3-3, Obosi, and Ossamala 33KV feeders from the faulty TR11, 60MVA 132/33KV power transformer, to the newly commissioned 100MVA power transfomer in Awada TCN station. “In order to create a safe working space for the engineers, the TR13 60MVA and Mobitra 40MVA 132/33KV power transformers are switched off, thereby affecting Niccus, Nnewi-Oba, Nnewi Industrial, Awada 2 and Army Barracks 33KV feeders. “All customers that receive electricity supply from these feeders are currently out of supply.” Ezeh said that the company regrets any inconveniences the development has caused its customers and assured them that once the maintenance is completed, supply will be restored. He noted that EEDC remains committed to providing improved service delivery. (NAN)

PENGASSAN, NUPENG to withdraw services over sale of Agip, Eni Nigeria to Oando

  Barring any last-minute change, members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers will begin withdrawal of their services from offices and oil locations. They said the threat was against the sale of the Nigeria Agip Oil Company and Eni Nigeria to Oando Plc without due process being followed. The threat is from oil and gas workers in the PENGASSAN branch in Mobil, Chevron, NUPENG, Total Energies and Shell companies. They said the planned withdrawal of their services was in solidarity support of NAOC staff over the purported sale of Agip company to Oando Plc. This was contained in a solidarity letter, on Saturday, to the PENGASSAN Agip branch Chairman, signed by Shell branch Chairman, Ikechukwu Onyefuru, Chevron branch secretary, Pepple Soparaipirim, Total Energies branch secretary – Abubakar Ibrahim, NUPENG General secretary, Afolabi Otawale and Mobil branch Chairman, Aniete Udoh and sent to our corr correspondent. According to the letter, they are ready and willing to take any step including withdrawal of services to drive home their demand and ensure the right thing is done. The letter read: “We write to express our absolute solidarity with all your members after reading with shock and consternation; the purported treacherous route chosen by your Management in dealing with our NAOC Comrades in the disposal of its equity in its JV assets to Oqndo Oil Ltd without recourse to outstanding financial obligations to workers. “We share in the pains and emotional trauma which you are currently facing and humbly state that you should continue to stand very firm and resolute as you go through this phase of the struggle against this injustice meted to staff and contracted staff members of PENGASSAN. “In line with the principles of fairness, equity, and social partnership, we believe that all the in-house unions in NAOC should be engaged by Management before, during and after the divestment to address the necessary employee welfare and benefits as will be reasonably demanded by the Unions. “Furthermore, and to forestall any negative precedence in the industry, we plead that you continue to insist that issues of comprehensive and proper compensation, Pension and Redundancy be exhaustively addressed transparently to the satisfaction of the in-house unions and in full compliance with the provisions of the Pension Reform Act of 2014. “The CBA must be treated with the sanctity it deserves at this moment. “We hereby express full solidarity with our comrades and other affected Nigerian Staff of NAOC and wish to declare that we are willing to take any step including but not limited to service withdrawal to show our resolve on this subject.”

Many are contemplating returning to bush – Repentant insurgents tell FG

  Repentant Boko Haram terrorists have called on the government to provide them with a means of livelihood as they resettle back into communities having undergone series of rehabilitation. Speaking exclusively to Channels Television at the Bulumkutu Rehabilitation Centre, Maiduguri where the Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, distributed food items to them and some rescued Chibok girls, the former insurgents expressed concerns on their current status, adding that some of them are thinking of returning to the bush. “I am still living in the camp although I have been freed by the authorities but I have nowhere to go, many of us are idle to the point that some are contemplating returning to the bush. “I was a welder and gun repairer while in Sambisa, when I was surrendering I brought five guns with me as my contribution to the Nigerian government,” said one of the repentant Boko Haram fighters, Ali Kaka. Another repentant Boko Haram fighter, Suleiman Abubakar, said, “I am one of those that surrendered their guns and I did it because I got tired of killing and stealing and needed to start a new life. “We took up arms because of lack of jobs or tangible source of livelihood as such I will plead with the government to provide us source of livelihood so that some of us that have genuinely surrendered will not be tempted again.” While responding to their plea, the Minister said the Federal Government is working tirelessly to alleviate poverty amongst poor masses in the society starting with the provision of grants and soft loans which will soon commence. Both the repentant insurgents and rescued Chibok girls and others assembled in their numbers to receive the minister. The Bulumkutu Rehabilitation Centre is where rescued persons including Chibok school girls and repentant insurgents are kept for monitoring and evaluation before being re-integrated into the society

UPDATE: Morocco earthquake kills more than 1,000 people – Interior Ministry

  Morocco’s deadliest earthquake in decades has killed over 1,000 people, authorities said Saturday, causing widespread damage and sending terrified residents and tourists scrambling to safety in the middle of the night. The 6.8-magnitude quake struck a mountainous area 72 kilometres (45 miles) southwest of tourist hotspot Marrakesh at 11:11 pm (2211 GMT) Friday, the US Geological Survey reported. Strong tremors were also felt in the coastal cities of Rabat, Casablanca and Essaouira.   “I was nearly asleep when I heard the doors and the shutters banging,” said Ghannou Najem, a Casablanca resident in her 80s who was visiting Marrakesh when the quake hit. “I went outside in a panic. I thought I was going to die alone.” It is the strongest-ever quake to hit the North African kingdom, and one expert described it as the region’s “biggest in more than 120 years”. “Where destructive earthquakes are rare, buildings are simply not constructed robustly enough… so many collapse, resulting in high casualties,” said Bill McGuire, professor emeritus at Britain’s University College London. Updated interior ministry figures on Saturday showed the quake killed at least 1,037 people, the vast majority in Al-Haouz, the epicentre, and Taroudant provinces. Another 1,204 people were injured, including 721 in a critical condition, the ministry said. The ministry also recorded deaths in Ouarzazate, Chichaoua, Azilal and Youssoufia provinces, as well as in Marrakesh, Agadir and the Casablanca area. – ‘Unbearable’ screams – Faisal Badour, an engineer, said he felt the quake three times in his building in Marrakesh. “There are families who are still sleeping outside because we were so scared of the force of this earthquake,” he said. “The screaming and crying was unbearable.” In Moulay Brahim village, in the mountains of Al-Haouz province near the quake’s epicentre, rescuers were searching for survivors in the rubble of collapsed houses, AFP correspondents reported. On a nearby hill, residents began digging graves for the victims, the correspondents said. Frenchman Michael Bizet, 43, who owns three traditional riad houses in Marrakesh’s old town, told AFP that he was in bed when the quake struck. “I thought my bed was going to fly away. I went out into the street half-naked and immediately went to see my riads. It was total chaos, a real catastrophe, madness,” he said. Footage on social media showed part of a minaret collapsed on Jemaa el-Fna square in the historic city. An AFP correspondent saw hundreds of people flocking to the square to spend the night for fear of aftershocks, some with blankets while others slept on the ground. Mimi Theobold, 25, a tourist from England, said she was with friends on a restaurant terrace when the tables began shaking and plates went flying. Houda Outassaf, a local resident, said she was “still in shock” after feeling the earth shake beneath her feet — and losing relatives. “I have at least 10 members of my family who died… I can hardly believe it, as I was with them no more than two days ago,” she said. The interior ministry said authorities have “mobilised all the necessary resources to intervene and help the affected areas”. The regional blood transfusion centre in Marrakesh called on residents to donate blood for those injured. The army has set up a field hospital in Moulay Brahim and deployed “significant human and logistical resources” to support search and rescue efforts in Al-Haouz, state news agency MAP said. – Significant damage likely – “We heard screams at the time of the tremor,” a resident of Essaouira, 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of Marrakesh, told AFP. “Pieces of facades have fallen.” The USGS PAGER system, which provides preliminary assessments on the impact of earthquakes, issued a “red alert” for economic losses, saying extensive damage is probable. Foreign leaders expressed their condolences and many offered assistance, including Israel with which Morocco normalised relations in 2020. US President Joe Biden said in a statement he was “deeply saddened by the loss of life and devastation”. Chinese leader Xi Jinping expressed “deep grief for the victims” and hope that “the Moroccan government and people will be able to overcome the impact of this disaster”, according to Beijing’s state media. Pope Francis expressed “his profound solidarity with those who are touched in the flesh and heart by this tragedy”. The earthquake was also felt in neighbouring Algeria, where the Algerian Civil Defence said it had not caused any damage or casualties. In 2004, at least 628 people were killed and 926 injured when a quake hit Al Hoceima in northeastern Morocco, and in 1960 a magnitude 6.7 quake in Agadir killed more than 12,000. The 7.3-magnitude El Asnam earthquake in Algeria killed 2,500 people and left at least 300,000 homeless in 1980.

NSIB begins probe on incident involving United Nigeria Airlines

  The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau has been notified and commenced an investigation into a serious incident involving an Embraer ERJ145 with registration number 5N-BWY belonging to United Nigeria Airlines. The Bureau noted that the incident, which occurred around 06:33 p.m. on September 8, 2023, had 51 passengers and four crew members onboard. According to a statement on Saturday morning by the NSIB General Manager, Public Affairs, Tunji Oketunbi, signed by the Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, James Odaudu, the aircraft upon landing on Runway 18R of Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, skidded off. He, however, noted that there there was no injury or fatality recorded. The PUNCH reports the aircraft skidded off the runway at Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos on Friday evening while trying to land during the downpour on Friday night. In a statement by the Head of Corporate Communications of the airlines, Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu, the flight had successfully operated and landed at its destination, having arrived from the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport in Owerri. However, upon touching down in the downpour, the plane’s tires lost grip on the wet surface, causing it to skid off the runway. Meanwhile, the NSIB has appealed to members of the public to assist with any information that would further shed light on the incident. The statement read, “The NSIB, hereby, solicits information from the general public in the form of pictures, video or recording evidence to assist in conducting a comprehensive investigation. “The Bureau can be reached through info@aib.gov.ng and NSIB_Nigeria on its social media platforms. The Bureau can also be reached on its emergency line +234-807-709-0909. “The NSIB will appreciate that the general public and press respect the privacy of the people involved and not assume the cause of the serious incident until the formal report is released. The NSIB is a multimodal investigation agency charged with the mandate to investigate transportation accidents and serious incidents in Nigeria with the aim of identifying the probable causes and proffer safety recommendations that can prevent reoccurrence. “The Bureau will release the preliminary report soon.”

African Union Formally Joins G20 At Delhi Summit

  The African Union formally took its seat as a new member of the G20 Saturday at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The expansion of the bloc is a notable diplomatic victory for Modi, who faces national elections next year and has used hosting rights for this year’s forum to burnish his image as an international statesman. Before his opening speech, Modi greeted African Union chair and Comoros President Azali Assoumani with a warm hug. India put a proposal to give permanent membership of G20 to the African Union. I believe that with we have everyone’s agreement on this,” Modi said in his opening address to the summit. “With everyone’s approval, I request the African Union head to take his seat as a permanent G20 member,” he added, banging a ceremonial gavel. Assoumani then took his seat among world leaders at the invitation of India’s foreign affairs minister S. Jaishankar. Finding consensus among members has been increasingly difficult in recent years with deep divisions on the Ukraine war. “The world has a huge crisis of trust,” Modi said in his opening remarks. “War has made this trust deficit deeper. If we can defeat Covid, we can also conquer this mutual trust crisis.” AFP