Eight security personnel were reportedly killed by bandits on Thursday near the Tazame village of Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State. An indigene of the area, Mubarak Mohammed told PUNCH Online that the security personnel, consisting of five policemen and three soldiers, were attached to a road construction company, Satraco Nigeria Limited, when the armed bandits suddenly came out of their hiding place and opened fire. Mohammed explained that the deceased police and military personnel were always on the road to give protection to the construction workers who were repairing the Gusau-Tsafe-Zaria road. He said, “The bandits laid an ambush in a nearby farm close to the main road and immediately the police and the military personnel arrived at the place, they (bandits) opened fire instantly, killing some of them. Health 360: Monkey Pox0.00 / 0.00 “There was a heavy fight between the bandits and the security personnel which further led to the killing of other security personnel. “Some of the bandits were also killed during the encounter.” Muhammad stated that there was pandemonium on the road as motorists ran helter-skelter, leaving their vehicles on the road, and running to the bush for their lives. According to Mohammed, the construction work has been going on since last year but only a few kilometres were covered because of the constant bandits attacks. “This work has been going on for several months ago, but only a few kilometres were covered because the bandits are always here to attack either the construction workers or those travelling on the road,” he added. The Zamfara State Police Command confirmed the attack on Thursday. Confirming the incident in a telephone interview with PUNCH Online, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Yazid Abubakar, said efforts were on to ascertain the causalities involved. Abubakar could however not confirm the number of officers killed as he was yet to get a field report from the team deployed to sequel the attack. He said, “There was an attack that happened today and we are on the issue now. Inshallah, when we conclude our report I will send a release; right down we are on the issue.” On the number of causalities, Abubakar said, “As we speak, I haven’t received the actual number yet but we are on it. I will inform you in detail as soon as our officers return. “Since morning our officers have been in the bush for the rescue operation. I’m expecting them to call me. I tried calling but no network there. Once they have a network I will contact them because I want to get the actual thing that happened.”

Seventeen of the 18 political parties contesting the September 21 Edo governorship election have signed a peace accord ahead of the election. PDP Chairman Anthony Aziegbemi and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who were present during the signing of the peace accord, declined to sign. Aziegbemi told newsmen that they were declining because 10 members of the party were currently being detained by the police in Abuja. According to him, “We are here to register our protest before the peace committee and to say that the PDP will not sign a peace accord when 10 of our members have been arrested and detained by the Police in Abuja.” Recall that the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on Wednesday, during the stakeholders meeting, said he was not aware that PDP members were arrested in the state. “However, I am aware that individuals who committed crimes and political violence in the state have been arrested, ” Egbetokun said. The signing of the peace accord is coming barely nine days before the governorship election in the state. KukahThe Convener of the National Peace Committee, Bishop Matthew Kukah, charged the candidates to see peace as a foundation for a credible election. Kukah said that the task before the committee was to support the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to ensure a peaceful election devoid of violence. He said: “We should be thankful for our country because some other African countries are in crisis because of unresolved political issues. ”Let us thank God that we have the opportunity in Nigeria to stretch our hands in search of justice. ”I am happy that Nigerians have confidence in the electoral process. The worst election is remedied by another election.” Kukah urged Edo people to go out and cast their votes, saying that Edo should count themselves lucky having produced top politicians in Nigeria. In his welcome remarks, the Chairman, the National Peace Committee, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (Rtd), said the ceremony was a commitment to uphold the peace, unity, and democratic values of the nation Abubakar noted that since the committee’s formation in 2014, it had worked tirelessly to foster an environment where every Nigerian could exercise their constitutional right to vote without fear of violence or intimidation. He appealed to candidates, parties and their supporters to remember that peace was the foundation upon which progress and development were built and established. “Without it, none of the promises made to the people of Edo state can be fulfilled. ”I encourage everyone to uphold this commitment beyond the elections and accept the outcome of the election,” he said. Also speaking, the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu assured that INEC would continue to play its part in line with the electoral laws. Yakubu thanked the Peace Committee for bringing the political parties and their candidates together to agree to a peaceful election. The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, noted that the police in collaboration with other security agencies would be supporting INEC in conducting the election. According to him, “We will remain impartial, professional and vigilant while providing a level playing ground for political parties and their candidates.” Also, Governor Godwin Obaseki assured the Peace Committee of the safety of all stakeholders during and after the election. Obaseki, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Joseph Eboigbe, expressed concern over the continuous detention of PDP members in Abuja.

Severe flooding in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri has claimed at least 30 lives and forced 400,000 people from their homes, officials said Wednesday. “The death toll is 30,” National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) spokesman Ezekiel Manzo told AFP a day after water from an overflowing dam swept away thousands of homes in the capital city of Borno state. “The situation in Maiduguri is quite frightening,” said Manzo’s NEMA colleague Zubaida Umar. “The flood has taken over around 40 percent of the entire city. People have been forced out of their homes and are scattered everywhere. “From our statistics, we have 414,000 displaced people,” Umar said. He told the BBC’s Hausa language service that officials feared that number could reach one million. The UN refugee agency in Nigeria said on X Tuesday the flooding was the worst to hit the city in 30 years. ‘Scattered everywhere’Maiduguri, at the epicentre of a more than decade-long jihadist insurgency, serves as the hub for the responses to the humanitarian crisis in the northeast. The crisis was caused by the rupture of the Alau dam on the Ngadda River, 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of Maiduguri over the weekend. According to NEMA, more than 23,000 households, and upwards of 150,000 people, were hit by the subsequent rapid rise of waters. “We have also sent our mobile clinics with medical supplies along with medical doctors from the military hospital to attend to the displaced in the camps who need medical care,” said Umar. “This is important because the main hospital in Maiduguri has also been affected by the flood. “We have provided canoes and fishermen who have been going into flooded communities and rescuing residents who are trapped,” she added. “We have deployed our water trucks to provide clean water because we are concerned about the possible outbreak of water-borne diseases.” “I never pray for even my enemy to experience such a thing,” said one resident, Aisha Aliyu, who had managed to reach one of eight camps NEMA has opened to take in survivors.

Four hundred Nigerians have been deported from the United Arab Emirates and arrived in Nigeria, according to a report by the Nigerian Television Authority. The deportees were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by officials from the Office of the National Security Adviser, in collaboration with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, the National Emergency Management Agency, and other relevant stakeholders. “Four hundred Nigerians, including 90 females and 310 males, have been deported from the United Arab Emirates back to Nigeria. “They were received at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, by the office of the National Security Adviser in collaboration with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and other stakeholders,” the news media said in a Wednesday post on X. The Federal Government repatriated a total of 190 Nigerians from the United Arab Emirates in July 2024, PUNCH Online reported. The diplomatic tension between Nigeria and the UAE has been ongoing, with the UAE imposing a visa ban on Nigerians nearly two years ago, stemming from various diplomatic disputes. One major issue involved Dubai’s Emirates Airline halting flights to Nigeria after the Central Bank of Nigeria was unable to remit an estimated $85 million in revenue to the UAE. In June, after several rounds of negotiations with UAE authorities, the Nigerian government assured its citizens that the visa ban would soon be lifted. Around the same time, it was announced that Nigeria had paid 98 per cent of the $850 million owed, signalling progress in resolving the dispute. The recent deportation of 400 Nigerians comes amid these lingering diplomatic tensions, even as both nations have reportedly reached an agreement to lift travel restrictions on Nigerians. The United Arab Emirates Government in July 2024 announced it had finally lifted visa restrictions imposed on Nigerians with immediate effect.

Thursday 12 September 2024 Edo guber: Tension as IGP, Obaseki, PDP disagree over Police alleged bias Back to school: Women, children struggle for food, transportation No division in Reps, says deputy spokesman, Agbese UK to nominate Nigerian-born Dapo Akande to ICJ Borno flood: One million persons affected, 414,000 displaced Student loan beneficiaries lament delayed allowance Hunger protesters get N10m bail, barred from further demonstrations FG votes N47.5bn to upgrade 50 secondary schools’ facilities Nigerians Got Military Out Of Power, Will Vote Out Tinubu In 2027 – Lukman CDS Inaugurates Joint Security Team To Meet FG’s 2.2mbpd Oil Production Court Postpones Whistleblower PIDOM’s Bail Application Hearing Appeal Court Upholds Akpata As LP’s Gov Candidate In Edo ’28 bandits’ killed as NAF foils ‘attack on DSS facilities’ in Niger state Ghana oil marketers project reduction in petrol, diesel prices from September 16 Nigeria’s trade surplus increased to N6.9trn in Q2 2024, says NBS Man commits suicide in Nasarawa over ‘wife’s infidelity’ Afenifere To Tinubu: It’s Wrong To Jail People Protesting Against Hardship More Troops Deployed In Zamfara As Turji’s ‘N30m Protection Levy’ Deadline Elapses Court Remands Man To Enable Him ‘Think Of How To Provide For His 4 Children’ ‘You’ve Disappointed Those Who Saw You As Messiah’, Gani Adams Writes Tinubu ASUU embarks on indefinite strike in Gombe varsity Tinubu okays N108b for states to tackle flooding, erosion Consumer commission, stakeholders join forces against pricing exploitation Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…