Nigeria: Bandits, Herders On the Loose, Kill 128 in 4 States

It was a bloody Monday as bandits and armed herdsmen raided communities in the four states of Benue, Plateau, Niger and Anambra, killing about 128 person and destroying property.

Over 100 Killed in Benue

Suspected armed herdsmen attacked four council wards in Kastina-Ala local government area of Benue State, killing over 100 residents, injuring scores of others and setting several houses ablaze.

Our correspondent gathered from the locals that the rampaging herdsmen overwhelmed security personnel in the area and laid siege to the four council wards.

When contacted, the chairman of Kastina-Ala local government area, Alfred Atera, said from all indications, the security personnel were overwhelmed by the herdsmen’s new strategy of multi-pronged attacks.

He said, “As I speak with you, over four council wards in Kastina-Ala, which include Yooyo, Mbayongo, Mbatyura/Mberev and Utange are under siege and over 100 persons have been killed. Thousands of others have been displaced and several houses razed while the herders are occupying most of the houses in the affected communities as residents fled for safety.

“I am suspecting connivance between the aggrieved boys of the late Terwase Akwaza (a.k.a. Gana) with the herdsmen to attack and kill people here because the strategies of multiple attacks adopted by the herders is strange, because before the security personnel would arrive at a particular scene of attack, the herdsmen would have left there and gone to another place

“As they are attacking and killing, that is how they are dropping the dead bodies and moving ahead. We are trying to recover the dead bodies for burial but it is not easy,” he said.

When asked whether the authorities were aware of the invasion, the chairman replied ‘yes’, adding that all the concerned authorities had been informed.

“As I am speaking to you now, my traditional rulers are also here with me to see what we can do to salvage the situation,” he said.

Atera recalled speculations that the late Gana’s Boys had some time ago given the state government a condition for peace: they wanted the state authorities to hand over to them all the markets in the Sankera axis for them to be in charge of collecting revenue from them – a demand the government refused.

The commander of “Operation Whirl Stroke”, Brig. Gen Clement Apere, said the narrative of the killings was wrong and asked LEADERSHIP to call the Kastina-Ala local government for clarification.

The state police public relations officer, DSP Catherine Anene, said he was yet to get the details of the attacks.

14 Killed In Plateau

Meanwhile, a week after the acting inspector general of police, Usman Alkali Baba, warned about an impending terrorist attack in Jos, Plateau State and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja,14 people were gruesomely murdered by undentified

gunmen in two separate attacks in Dong village of Jos

North and Kwi community of Riyom LGA of Plateau State.

LEADERSHIP’s investigation revealed that the unknown gunmen came out suddenly from a nearby bush and invaded Dong Village, killing nine persons at about 9pm on Sunday night.

Plateau State Police command’s spokesman ASP Gabriel Ogaba told our correspondent that only seven people were killed in the Dong attack.

A worker at Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC) who did want his name in print told our correspondent that he counted nine dead bodies on his way to the office in Dong village.

Similarly, armed men invaded villages of Kwi community in Riyom LGA of Plateau State and killed a family of five.

Meanwhile, Plateau State government said it was deeply saddened by the reoccurrence of violence in parts of Dong Kasa in Jos North LGA and Kwi in Riyom where innocent citizens, including children and women, were murdered in cold blood.

State commissioner for information and communication, Dan Manjang, in a statement described the act as barbaric, callous and a desperate attempt to breach the peace and security of the state.

Manjang said Governor Simon Lalong is deeply distressed by the incident and has vowed to ensure that the sanctity of life remains sacrosanct in the state.

According to him, the governor’s administration would continue to take measures and work hand in hand with security agencies for the protection of life and property of citizens.

He disclosed that as soon as the government was informed about the attack, it quickly reached out to security agencies which responded immediately and have been in pursuit of the attackers with a view to apprehending them and bringing them to justice.

The commissioner reiterated that the capacity of the security agencies for rapid response and intervention would be boosted once the approved 50 patrol vehicles and 200 security motorcycles are supplied.

Similarly, Senator Istifanus Gyang of Plateau North whose constituency and constituents have been suffering sustained attacks, losses of lives and displacement from ancestral homes, strongly condemned the renewed attacks, describing it as dastardly, wicked and unwarranted.

The senator, in a statement issued in Jos by his special assistant on media, Musa Ibrahim Ashoms, expressed concern that available information indicated that some persons at a meeting with the police the week preceding the attacks vowed to unleash mayhem on the helpless communities.

Senator Gyang further called for decisive action against all those known to security agencies for the serial killings, displacements and forceful occupation of ancestral homelands of communities in Plateau North.

The management committee chairman of Jos North

local government, Shehu Bala Usman, also condemned the killing of innocent citizens by unknown persons in Dong village.

Senior information officer, Jos North local government area, Philip Eplong, in a statement, described the gruesome murders as condemnable, unacceptable and a setback to the peace process in Plateau State.

12 Killed In Niger, 25 Others Abducted

Also, bandits killed 12 people and abducted 10 others in two different attacks at Munya local government area and abducted 15 others in another attack in Gauraka, Tafa local government area of Niger State.

The bandits, yesterday morning, stormed Guni and Kuchi communities killing seven and five people respectively in the two different but serial attacks.

It was learnt that the bandits were shooting randomly commando- style, leaving the villagers scampering for safety.

A villager, Mohammed Aliyu, told LEADERSHIP: “The members of the two communities have abandoned their ancestral homes for safety in different locations.

“The villagers had recently gone back to the villages from the internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp with the assurance to continue their farming as the rainy season had set in but they were attacked barely three weeks after they returned from the camp.”

Also, in another attack on Gauraka in Tafa local government area of the state and a suburb of Suleja, 15 people were abducted by bandits.

It was gathered that the bandits, in large numbers, stormed the community, abducted the residents and left many others injured.

According to one of the residents, one Joseph Emmanuel, “A large number ran away for safety while many are presently protesting, blocking Kaduna-Abuja road demanding government’s urgent action.”

When contacted, the Police public relations officer, Wasiu Abiodun, could not be reached but a senior police officer who preferred anonymity, told LEADERSHIP that “we are aware of the attacks, and we are trying to control the protesters who blocked the Kaduna road in Gauraka.”

Gunmen Attack INEC Office In Anambra, 2 Killed

In Anambra, there was blood stains and several empty bullet shells all around INEC headquarters, Awka, Anambra state yesterday morning following the hot exchange of gunfire between a gang of gunmen and security operatives.

The gunmen had attacked the INEC office at about 9pm on Sunday, and set ablaze about seven operational vehicles, over 100 power generating sets and a collation centre at the office.

The hoodlums stormed the INEC office in three Hilux vans, blocked both entry points into the INEC office with the Hilux vans, before gaining entry into the premises from an adjoining bushy plot of land through a part of the INEC perimeter fence they destroyed.

The state commission of police, CP Chris Owolabi, did not confirm the number of casualties and if the police had made any arrest.

He said investigation was still ongoing when he was interviewed by newsmen when he visited the INEC office yesterday morning. However, LEADERSHIP’s correspondent saw two corpses being driving away in one of the police operational vehicles.

The CP, however, stated that eight guns, which included two AK-47 rifles, were recovered from the hoodlums.

Meanwhile, two male suspects were also sighted being whisked away in another police vehicle.

The hoodlums also abandoned their three hilux vehicles and ran away.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji told newsmen that he was yet to take an inventory of the destruction.

The gunmen also attempted attack the nearby “B” police station but were successfully chased away by the operatives attached to the station.

Only traces of smoke on the wall of the entrance to the police station were noticed, indicating their attempt to set the station ablaze.

Both the INEC and police station have been cordoned off by a combined team of security operatives, including police and army.

Residents of Niger Communities Block Abuja-Kaduna over Rampant Kidnappings

Angry residents of Gauraka Community along Kaduna-Abuja expressway yesterday staged a protest against what they described as persistent kidnappings in the area, calling on the federal government to intervene before things get out of hand.

The residents in their hundreds barricaded the Kaduna- Abuja expressway and burnt vehicle tyres on the road, thereby subjecting hundreds of vehicles to hours of gridlock.

Lamenting their woes, they said they can no longer sleep with their two eyes closed for fear of their community being invaded by armed men and kidnappers who, they believe, reside not too far from their communities.

One of the protesters, Suleiman Danladi, told LEADERSHIP they decided to stage the protest in order to make known their plights, as they no longer feel safe in the community with kidnappers raiding the community almost on weekly basis.

“We are no longer safe again in Gauraka village because whenever we sleep, we expect that there will be one attack or the other from bandits or kidnappers; because the rate at which these armed men invade our communities, it is as if there are no

security personnel in Nigeria. It has become almost a weekly thing.

“We woke up this morning to hear of another kidnap incident in our community; this is too much. Everywhere we go around this Kaduna road, we always hear of plans by bandits to invade our communities and kidnap people. We are worried and scared. We can no longer sleep in our houses at nights, even during the day, for fear of being attacked by kidnappers.

“The government should come to our aid before things get out hand. Things have become so bad that we no longer have confidence in the police to protect us. I will tell you that even the police are scared, because they do not have enough personnel and weapons to tackle this problem,” he said.

Another protester, Lateef Babajide, appealed to the government to be serious in the fight against banditry and kidnapping, saying that at the rate at which kidnapping is thriving in Nigeria, there is the need to question the security agencies about their duty to protect the lives of Nigerians.

“Our communities that used to be safe have become a nightmare; people no longer feel safe to stay in this community. We are always troubled because we do not know when our community would be invaded by kidnappers and bandits.

“The government should declare a state of emergency in the security system to ensure that we are safe in our communities. We cannot continue to live in fear in our communities and we do not have anywhere else to run to, for us to be safe. These kidnappings in our communities have become too much for us to just sit down and wait for it to get to our turn,” he said.

Another resident of the community, Segun Jacob, said that youths of Gauraka community were angry because of some armed gunmen who invaded the community recently to kidnap some residents.

“As I was taking my children to school this morning, that was when I saw the protesters and when I asked the reason for the protest, they told me that it was because of the incessant kidnappings happening in our community. I had no choice but to join in the protest because it concerns all of us.

“Our community has become a target for kidnappers; gunmen or Fulani herdsmen will just come to our community and kidnap people the way they like and nobody stops them.

They come with sophisticated weapons that even the police do not have. This is sad and the government or security agencies are not doing anything about it.

“We are living in serious fear in our own country. How long will this kind of thing continue in our community? The government and security agencies should come to our rescue before bandits send us out of Gauraka,” he said.

37 Gunmen Arrested By EbubeAgu In Ebonyi

The Ebubeagu Security Outfit, Ebonyi State Chapter yesterday arrested about 37 suspected criminals in Agubia axis in Ikwo local government area of the state.

The 37 criminal suspects were arrested during a joint operation coordinated by the Commissioner for Internal Security, Border Peace and Conflict Resolutions, Chief Stanley Okoro Emegha, and the Ikwo local government council chairman, Elder Steve Orogwu, in conjunction with the Ikwo Divisional Police Officer.

Confirming the arrest, Chief Emegha said that the suspects were arrested following a tipoff that they were about to attack a police station in the area and set ablaze some of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) offices and the some courts in the local government area.

The commissioner noted that the suspects came from different parts of South East states like Imo and Enugu, adding that others also came from the different local government areas of Ebonyi State.

“We got information that there are some people gathering to go and burn some police stations, burn some INEC officers and courts in the area and then the EbubeAgu quickly mobilised and swooped on them”.

“It was discovered that they had a map and came from different places like Enugu, Imo and others, and from different local government areas of Ebonyi State. We asked questions, they said they have the authority of whoever they called their boss to burn those places.

“But unfortunately, luck ran out of them and they were all arrested and have been handed over to the police.”

Chief Emegha noted that the suspects confessed to the crime, alleging that they were working on the instruction of their boss who the security agencies would unravel.

He added that the suspects had been handed over to the police.

Unidentified persons attempt to raze INEC office in Imo

Unknown assailants on Sunday attempted to burn down the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ahiazu Mbaise in Imo State.

Though they succeeded in throwing a burning tyre into the building in attempt to ignite the office, heavy rain stopped the intended damage. However, some windows were burnt.

According to INEC’s public relations officer, Mrs. Emmanuella Ben-Opara, the downpour quenched the fire, saying it did not cause much damage.

She said: “A part of the Conference Room was burnt, window protectors destroyed and Alumaco windows smashed.”

The incident, she said, was a clear case of “attempted arson presumably in the early hours of Sunday.”

Meanwhile, the incident has been reported to the Ahiazu Mbaise Police Division for further investigation.

Security Remains My Top Priority- PMB

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday hosted the president of Central African Republic, Professor Faustin-Archange Touadera, at the State House, Abuja, telling him that his first concern for his people is their security and wellbeing.

“At all times, that is my first concern, my priority,” President Buhari said in a statement by presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina .

“That is why we are hosting a summit of Lake Chad Basin Commission in Abuja, to discuss the situation in Chad, and the implications for neighbouring countries. “The recharge of Lake Chad with water from Congo Basin is another issue, as it holds great implications for security, since about 30 million people are affected.”

President Touadera commiserated with Buhari over the military plane crash last weekend which claimed the life of the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, and 10 others.

He said Central African Republic is on the verge of rebuilding its Army, and would need Nigeria’s help, as well as for Nigerian businessmen to come into the country to invest in diverse areas.

“We want closer ties with Nigeria, and that is one of the reasons I am here,” President Touadera said.

By Leadership.