The Nation Newspaper

Tag: attack

  • The attack on the Mbula, Adamawa

    SIR: The recent attack by alleged herdsmen on the Mbula community of Gwampa in Adamawa State has left the entire Mbula Kingdom aghast.

    The peace-loving Mbula people, who are mostly given to their local trade and art, did not expect any incursion from any ethnic group mostly because they have constantly lived in peace with tribes around them.

    When I saw the videos and pictures of the evil done to defenseless citizens in their own community, images from a poem that I read in University titled ‘Massacre, October ’66’ by Wole Soyinka returned to me.

    For one thing, the Mbula district chiefly consists of fishermen and farmers, and is highly influenced by Christianity which inspires the doctrine of loving your neighbor as yourself. The people encourage peace, hard work and abhor ergophobia.

    So then, why the masquerade of genocide, which has been dancing at liberty across regions in Nigeria, suddenly shifted its concentration to a village hidden around rivers and mountains in Southern Adamawa is something I am yet to assimilate.

    To avoid a backlash from the angry Mbula community, concerned sons and daughters, led by Mijah Stanley and well supported by concerned citizens of Adamawa, decided to express their freedom of speech in peaceful rally to express their concern on the lethargic security response and inadequate protection of lives in that part of the state.

    As a response, the security agencies invited and detained. Mijah. As I write, he is still in custody.

    At this point, one is forced to wonder to what extent do prevailing constitutional provisions and security practices foster government’s commitment to the common good of the poor masses and vulnerable communities.

    As we disagree over how and when to respond to constituted authority while expressing our views, it is fitting to mention that the quirky decision to arrest the son of a massacred community in mourning may sooner or later create more tension and clamor among the people.

    While it holds true that the government is constitutionally empowered to enforce law and order in the land, we the Mbula people respectfully demand that Mr Stanley Mijah be released immediately.

    The cost of depriving citizens of their constitutional rights to freedom of speech outweigh the benefits of brashly wielding and abusing authorities created to serve and protect the masses at all levels. This is the case in every state or country that truly understands respect for rule of law and adequate law enforcement.

    With this in mind, it is central that injustice and abuse of power by security operatives should surely be frowned upon by all.

    By the way, many underhanded foot soldiers and keyboard warriors have since taken advantage of the current situation to spread differing and disturbing narratives with impish intent.

    I like to swiftly remind members of such group that problems such as herdsmen and farmers’ strife requires intelligent solutions that mostly involve courting and encouraging peace, open-mindedness and harmony amongst communities torn by conflict. In other words, evenhanded discharge of justice should be promoted over abuse of power and propaganda.

    I also like to remind my beloved people of Adamawa State that indigenes of a state do not preserve or exercise their freedom by killing their fellow citizens by hiring mercenaries or carrying out the act by themselves. Tolerance is a responsibility that all members of communities should have toward one another.

    While we may disagree over the application of the principle of rights and freedom of speech in this circumstance, we need to simultaneously share a strong commitment to restore peace and harmony in our warring communities.

    It is important to keep reminding ourselves that tolerance is central to the peaceful coexistence of our people.

     

    • David Dimas

    Laurel, Maryland, U.S.A

  • El-Rufai, Ganduje, Bello under fire over ‘attack on senators’

    El-Rufai, Ganduje, Bello under fire over ‘attack on senators’

    Three governors – Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna) and Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano) – came under fire in the Senate yesterday.

    They were accused of unleashing unwarranted attacks on senators from their states. The lawmakers said the governors should be called to order.

    The senators took turn to describe what they tagged “despicable and unacceptable politically-motivated attacks on senators in various states.”

    They warned that except the trend was halted; there could be mayhem which would affect the 2019 elections.

    The position of the upper chamber followed the adoption of a motion by Senator Ahmed Ogembe (Kogi Central), who alleged disruption of his empowerment programme.

    Saying that mayhem was visited to his supporters, including the destruction of their houses in Okene, the lawmaker lamented that the Police Area Commander, Okene and the Divisional Police Officer of Okehi and Adavi local government areas were aware of the empowerment programme but refused to rein in the invaders.

    Ogembe said the programme took place on March 3 in Okene.

    He expressed worry that “indeed, political violence, kidnapping, killings, assassinations of my constituents and supporters in Kogi Central have become the order of the day and the police have chosen to turn a blind eye.”

    Hardly had Ogembe concluded his submission when another senator from the state, Dino Melaye, took the floor to speak on his ordeal in the hands of Governor Bello

    Melaye recalled how he was last week arraigned on the order of the Federal Government over alleged misinformation.

    Other senators who contributed to the motion narrated their experiences in the hands of their governors and insisted that Ogembe’s case should be used to cut the “excesses of governors.”

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who also narrated his experience in the hand of a former Enugu State governor said: “I want to tell our brother Ogembe that some of us passed through the route before, but by the grace of God, we are here and those oppressors are at home because it is God that gives power.

    “Sometimes in life, people think they are God. They play God because people have given them opportunity to superintend over the affairs of men. “So, they think that they became what they are by their special power and assume God. But ultimately, God intervenes to show them that they are not God.

    “So, the problem in Nigeria now is that our democracy is receding, and the international community needs to know this.

    “Who says that the Army cannot take over in Nigeria? It is possible. So, let us not joke with our democracy, especially with the way they going.

    Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio was uncomfortable with the mention of military intervention.

    Akpabio raised Order 23(4): which says a senator should restrict himself to the subject under discussion.

    He said: “The mention by the Deputy Senate President, saying, ‘who said that the military cannot take over’. We believe strongly that with the will of all Nigerians and the support of God, that we have confined the idea of dictatorship to the background and our democracy will thrive forever.

    “Never again shall we go into military rule. And that is not even contemplated in Africa, not to talk the most populous nation in the black race.”

    But Senate President Bukola Saraki ruled that Akpabio took Ekweremadu out of context.

    He said: “It is not really just about Kogi State but it is clear from what we are seeing that Kogi is coming to a point where it is becoming a threat to our democracy and we are going to be very serious about it; and it cannot be seen to be defying our democracy because this is not what our democracy is about.

    “For the role that we continue to play in the comity if nations, we must be seen to make good examples to other parts of the world. We must get to the bottom of this; we must take action that must stop this thing from happening, and we must condemn this in the strongest term because this kind of action is totally unacceptable. It cannot be allowed to continue because it just starts with one state.

    “Some of us have been privileged to be governors before; we are almost 20 years in democracy. This cannot be the democracy that we should be talking about after 20 years, and it is totally unacceptable. And we must make sure that we use this opportunity to address the issue.

    “We saw the case in Kaduna State, how a governor can proudly say that he is going to bulldoze a house in Nigeria. At this time… and we are all still keeping quiet. These are things that we must condemn totally.”

    The Senate resolved to set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate the disruption of Ogembe’s empowerment programme and the role of the police during the programme.

    It said the committee should submit its report to the Senate in plenary in two weeks.

  • Couple dies as suspected herdsmen attack community

    Couple dies as suspected herdsmen attack community

    A victim, allegedly attacked by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government of Delta State, has died of injuries.

    The victim, Mrs. Patience Akpomiemie, who was attacked on her farm, died last weekend at Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH),Oghara.

    The Nation learnt that the victim’s husband, Mr. Happy Akpomiemie, who was also allegedly attacked by suspected herdsmen, died on the spot. He was shot in the back.

    It was gathered that the couple and son were shot while working on their farm.

    The President-General of Abraka Development Union, Dr. Joseph Tedwins, condemned the violence wreaked on the community by suspected herdsmen, saying “we have lodged a complaint at the police station.”

    He added: “We are mourning the deaths. The law forbids us to retaliate. We have lodged a complaint at the police station. The police commissioner has visited our community. The police are investigating the incident. No suspect has been arrested. It appears these people are operating guerilla warfare, they attack and disappear. No culprit has been nabbed. We keep losing our people. Our farm produce are destroyed and farms torched. The killings have continued again. Until the government decides to do something about it, it is going to be a difficult thing.

    “As a community, we cannot take the law into our hands. We do not have any faith in the security agencies. The area commanders, most of the security agents that should take decision on this matter are of northern extraction. They pretend to be doing one thing or the other about the matter, but they are not doing anything. But if you raise your hand to slap or insult a Fulani man, the next minute they (police) will want to arrest everyone. This is the situation we find ourselves.”

    Police spokesman Andrew Aniamaka said: “We have not arrested any suspect

    “We have gone beyond making arrest. But never again will this happen in Abraka. We are working with other security agencies and stakeholders, including the traditional institutions, to solve the problem.

  • Yobe school attack: We’re yet to locate 105 girls — Parents

    Yobe school attack: We’re yet to locate 105 girls — Parents

    No fewer than 105 students may be missing in the aftermath of Monday’s invasion of the Government Girls’ Science Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State, by suspected Boko Haram terrorists,The Nation gathered yesterday.

    The names were personally submitted to the school’s authorities by the  parents of the  affected students, according to the Chairman, Forum of Parents of the missing Dapchi Girls, Mallam Bashir Manzo.

    Governor Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State said 84 students remain missing .

    The list obtained by The Nation contains the name of each missing student,her local government area and telephone numbers of her parents.

    A mix of tension and mourning pervaded the community for the fifth day running yesterday when The Nation visited the area.

    Residents  said it was clear from the behaviour of  invaders  on Monday that their mission was solely to abduct the students.

    Manzo said when the gunmen  demanded that they be shown the way to the school, some residents tried to play a fast one on them and sent them in a wrong direction.

    However the  gunmen soon found out their destination  when they heard the students shouting.

    Manzo, recalling the sequence of events on the fateful day, said:  “On Monday, Boko Haram entered our town and started shouting. We just came out from Magrib prayers when the shooting started.

    “The shooting by Boko Haram sparked  confusion at the school with everyone running helter-skelter.

    “When they came, they didn’t even know where the school was located. They came and asked some people to show them the girls’ school.

    “The first person they asked  to show them the school took them to Central Primary School.

    “They eventually found out the girls’ school when the students were screaming and trying to jump over the fence in a bid to escape.

    “They rounded up as many girls as they could lay their hands on and packed them into their vehicles.

    “They then escaped.

    “The following day, the school authorities  took a roll call of children in the school, but they did not  give us the figure.

    “The list we have here is from the parents that came themselves and reported that they had not seen their children up till this moment (yesterday).

    “When a parent comes, he gives us his name himself, the name of his child, his town, local government area and his phone number. We are not collating these names by any phone call or text message. You have to come yourself and give your name and the name of your daughter that is missing, otherwise  we will not accept anything short of that.

    “The list we have got now is one hundred and five students that have not been found up till today (yesterday).

    “We had a report that these children were found at Gaidam and people celebrated. We even gathered that the children would be handed over to the governor here in Dapchi.

    “When the governor came, we were gathered at the house of the District Head and the governor told us that none of the girls had been rescued. The governor said he was not sure whether our children are in Boko Haram’s captivity, but we are sure that Boko Haram took our children. We have evidence.

    “When they took them (children), they were crying and screaming for help. They came through the Gumsa Road and went back on the same road.

    “Residents of  villages along that road heard the children crying and screaming in the vehicles.

    “In one of the villages, residents overheard the insurgents saying they needed  to  tie the children well  so that they won’t  escape.

    “We are calling on those  that would help us get back our children to help us. We are sure Boko Haram took our children. This one is an undisputable fact. That is the truth. We gave our children to the school authorities and so they should bring back our children. We will go as far as meeting President Buhari .

    “They only came to get the girls and not to do anything in this town.

    “We took the photographs  of the store of the school and everything is intact. No single food item was removed.

    “We are not happy with the delegation of the Federal Government. They did not look for the principal or the parents of the missing girls or enter  any office of the principal or a classroom in the school when they visited Dapchi.”

    Governor Gaidam, however, said yesterday that from the figures available to him, 84 students remain missing.

    He put the students’ population at 906 out of which 822 were marked present after the attack.

    Gaidam spoke yesterday when his Kano State counterpart, Abdullahi Ganduje paid  him a visit in Damaturu.

    The Yobe governor expressed surprise that security men  were  unexpectedly withdrawn from the town a few hours before the attack.

    He said the attack is a major setback in  the war against  Boko Haram.

  • Suspected herdsmen attack woman, daughter

    Suspected herdsmen attack woman, daughter

    Suspected Fulani herdsmen have attacked a woman and her daughter at Ofumwengbe village in Ovia South West Local Government of Edo State for reporting them to the police.

    The woman, Mrs. Patricia Toweh, 52 and her daughter, Hannah, 18, were injured with a machete.

    Hannah had a deep cut on her forehead and right hand, while her mother had her left ear cut. She also suffered a deep cut on her forehead.

    Narrating her ordeal to reporters, Toweh said they were attacked because she reported the suspected herdsmen to the police after they destroyed her two hectares of cassava.

    She said the herdsmen pointed a gun point at her and threatened to shoot her dead, but she grabbed the gun and they used machete to attack her.

    The woman said her daughter, who attempted to rescue her, was also attacked.

    She recalled that in January, she complained to the leader of the herdsmen at Ofunwengbe,  Alhaji Jubrin that her farm had been destroyed by suspected herdsmen.

    This, Toweh said, led to the arrest of herdsmen, who were detained at the Police Divisional Station in Okada, but one of the suspects, Alhaji Yellow, was later released.

    Police Commissioner Mr. Babatunde Kokumo, who confirmed the incident, said the command had begun investigation.

    He said justice would be done.

    “The woman was brought to me today. We will ensure justice is done.”

  • Governor: There is a threat to attack Taraba in 10 days

    Governor: There is a threat to attack Taraba in 10 days

    A governor cried out yesterday over a threat to attack his state within the next 10 days.

    Taraba State Governor Darius Ishaku, whose state has witnessed some violence in recent months, said he received a letter from suspected insurgents of an impending attack.

    Ishaku, who spoke when he received Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman Uche Secondus, said: “We are on notice that in 10 days, we (Taraba) shall be attacked. I have alerted all security agencies. We are waiting.

    “A helicopter has dropped arms and ammunition in the night without its mission established. It is not a time to keep quiet; we are living in fear,” he added.

    Commissioner of Police David Akinremi has dismissed the report of an arms-filled chopper landing in a Taraba village at night as “an unfounded and misleading rumour”.

    But the state government is not satisfied.

    Ishaku lamented that his pain as a governor, is in the fact that he promised to develop the state if the people could give him peace. “Unfortunately, I have provided development but peace has been elusive,” he said.

    The governor said he had been given a crown without a sword, so he cannot fight and keep control of his power, since he relies on the Federal Government for help.

    “Here, we rely on people who, when you give them instructions, they tell you to wait until they get a clearance from above.

    “Before the clearance comes from Abuja, you have lost hundreds of lives. This is absolutely absurd and disappointing, particularly when you meet people like me who want to work with zeal,” he said.

    The governor is asking for an investigation into the killing of over 68 persons by herdsmen and the killing of a member of the House of  Assembly, Hosea Ibi, who was kidnapped in Takum directly opposite a military barracks. No suspect has been arrested for this murder, Ishaku said.

    He said: “We are sad and angry because there is no security in our land. Taraba buried 68 persons when Benue was burying 73. Should we continue like that? The choice is ours.

    “But we shall continue to cry and scream. If we are not heard in Nigeria, we might be heard in Chad, Egypt, England and or US.”

    Secondus urged the National Assembly to investigate the allegation that a helicopter loaded with firearms and ammunition landed  in Jubu village on January 20.

    Secondus said: “In the last two years, we have witnessed in our country how the lives of innocent people are being taken away in our communities.

    “The poor are being killed with no justification. They have lost their homes and sources of income. And there is a total breakdown of law and order in the country.

    “It is important to note that when situations like this degenerate into a magnitude where the people are fear gripped, without the government coming to their aid, they can resort to self-help to protect themselves.

    “We are not asking them to do that, but we are crying loud and praying for the government to return to its senses and heed our advice and protect our people.

    Secondus urged the Federal Government to reform the country’s security architecture in the country to end the killings.

    “Let the lawmakers find out its mission, aim, objective and purpose. I believe this will expose those who are behind the killings in Taraba and other places.”

  • 15 shot dead in New Year’s Day attack on worshippers

    15 shot dead in New Year’s Day attack on worshippers

    Police arrest 10 after Ilorin attack

    Ruler, wife killed in Southern Kaduna

    A Man, his wife, five children and eight others were killed yesterday in Omoku, headquarters of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State.

    Over 52 persons, who were also injured in the New Year’s Day attack by some gunmen, were in critical condition in hospitals.

    The victims had just concluded a service in an unnamed church when the gunmen opened fire on them.

    The bodies of the 15 victims, as at press time, were still at the pavilion of the secretariat of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Council in Omoku, their relatives and friends making efforts to identify them.

    The rampaging gunmen were suspected to be militants working for a man the military described as “a notorious kidnapper, militant, cultist, ardent illegal oil bunkerer”, Mr. Igwedibia Johnson, aka Don Waney, who is on the run, following the raid of his camp and shrines on November 20, last year, as part of 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt’s continued efforts to rid the Niger Delta of criminals.

    In Southern Kaduna yesterday, a ruler Mallam Gambu Makama and his wife were gun down by mask-wearing gunmen in their home after midnight.

    Crude oil and gas-rich Omoku hosts the Federal College of Education (FCE) Technical, many multinational oil firms, oil servicing companies and other establishments, but most of the commercial banks in the ancient town have been closed for months, in view of insecurity, without the hope of the bankers returning to the city.

    An indigene of Omoku, who yesterday gave details of how the 15 worshippers were gunned down but would not want his name in print, to avoid his being trailed by the criminals, said as the Christians were leaving their various churches on January 1, the gunmen were spraying them with bullets at close range.

    The source said: “Since 2014, when the crisis started in Omoku and its environs, over 500, mostly innocent people, have been killed.

    “I am calling on President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Nyesom Wike to take immediate action to secure the lives and property of residents of Omoku and its environs, especially with the forthcoming primaries of political parties and general elections.

    “We do not deserve the killings in Omoku and its environs. We are not in a state of war. Don Waney’s boys have regrouped and are terrorising innocent citizens. Over 52 wounded victims of New Year Day attack in Omoku are now in various hospitals and clinics.”

    Police spokesman Nnamdi Omoni, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said he was yet to get details of the New Year’s Day’s incident from the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Omoku.

    Omoni said immediately he got information about the killings in Omoku, he contacted the DPO, who promised to get back to him, but yet to do so, as at press time.

    Peterside laments Rivers killings 

    The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dakuku Peterside has lamented the killings  in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) of Rivers State by unidentified gunmen shortly after attending New Year’s Eve service.

    Dr Peterside sympathised with the families of the deceased, saying its another set of deaths too many in a local government area that was held hostage by cult groups claiming supremacy and allegedly enjoying support from some politicians.

    He expressed regret that while other parts of the state were in celebratory mood, the people of ONELGA were mourning the passing away of their beloved in the most gruesome manner.

    ”My heart goes the people of ONELGA and the immediate families of the deceased. This is an act that must be condemned. The good people of Omoku have suffered enough and this has dealt a further blow on their sufferings,” he stressed.

    The NIMASA boss stated that the latest killings have exposed the lack of capacity and competence on the part of Governor Nyesom Wike to provide adequate security for Rivers people.

    ”I have said it time and again that Governor Wike lacks the capacity and competence to guarantee the safety and security of Rivers people. It is unfortunate that over 1,000 persons have been killed in questionable circumstances in the last two years under his watch. He should stop playing politics with the lives of Rivers people and face governance.

    ”Since the governor is not rising to the occasion to show competence, we will henceforth partner with all relevant security agencies to bring peace, law and order to ONELGA and other parts of Rivers State.

    ”This is indeed a sad day for the people of ONELGA and the only way we can assuage their feelings is to ensure that this does not happen again. Governor Wike can rise above his partisan politics and display the hallmark of a statesman by openly condemning this murderous act and stop at nothing to arrest the criminals,” he said.

  • Police arrest 10 after attack on worshippers in Ilorin

    Police arrest 10 after attack on worshippers in Ilorin

    The police in Kwara State have arrested 10 people following the New Year’s Eve  attack on worshippers in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

    Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and Speaker Ali Ahmad condemned the attack.

    Some youths in Ibrahim Taiwo,  Ilorin, during their annual carnival, allegedly attacked worshippers performing their religious activities.

    Three persons were injured. Vehicles and other properties worth millions of naira were destroyed.

    Christian worshippers at the Methodist Church and others in the area and Muslim faithful  under the aegis  of Quareeb Muslim Society that had their New Yer’e Eve worship at one of the secondary schools on Taiwo Road, were attacked.

    Police spokesman Ajayi Okasanmi confirmed that three people.

    He added: “It is important to note that the attack has no religious undertone. It is simply an unlawful act by the disgruntled youths of the area, as both the Christian and Muslim gatherings were attacked”.

    He said the police had beggan a probe, adding that anybody found culpable would face the law.

    Governor Ahmed in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary Abdulwahaab Oba, described the attack as criminal, satanic and alien to the state.

    He said “peace is sine qua non for the development of any society and the government will not tolerate any act capable of breaching the peace, unity and tranquility of the state”.

    Speaker Ahmad said those involved “must be brought to book to serve as deterrent to others.

    “Peace is the pivot of socio-economic transformation of any society and one of the indices of development.”

    He commended Police Commissioner Ado Lawan for the prompt intervention which brought the situation under control.

    The speaker called for investigation into the incident with a view to apprehending those behind the attacks on the innocent worshippers.

    He urged Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Kamaldeen Ajibade to ensure that those arrested in connection were prosecuted.

  • Musician held for alleged Xmas Day attack, theft

    A30-year-old musician, Peter Chinedu, was yesterday arraigned in an Ojo Magistrates’ Court for allegedly attacking a pedestrian and dispossessing him of his Samsung phone and money with a total value of N86, 000.

    Chinedu is facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and theft.

    He pleaded not guilty.

    Prosecuting Inspector Uche Simeon told the court that the accused committed the offence on December 25 at about 3:30 a.m. at First Gate, Festac Town, Lagos.

    He said the accused and two others presently at large attacked the complainant, Mr Chikezie Nwakwo, who was returning home from a party, and dispossessed him of his phone and money.

    He said the accused and his accomplices waylaid Nwakwo and collected his Samsung phone and money.

    “While Nwakwo was struggling with the accused, his other two accomplices fled with the phone and money.

    “But the complainant held on to one of his attackers and raised the alarm, while people around came to his rescue, which led to the arrest of the accused,” he said.

    Magistrate A. A.  Adesanya granted the accused N200,000 bail with two responsible sureties.

    He said that one of the sureties must be a relative of the accused and the other a well-known musician in the country.

    The magistrate adjourned the case till February 13.

  • Ondo govt condemns attack on Igbokoda monarch

    The Ondo State government has condemned the attack on the monarch of Igbokoda in Ilaje Local Government Area, Oba Ayowole Odidiomo, by suspected hoodlums.

    A statement yesterday by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Yemi Olowolabi, said the government viewed the attack as an unwarranted assault and a desecration of the exalted stool of the Igbokoda traditional monarchy and “the time-tested tradition of our forebears”.

    It added: “The government will leave no stone unturned in its determination to ensure the protection of the lives and property of the citizens and has given directive to security agencies in the state to ensure the arrest and prosecution of the people responsible for the attack on the monarch.

    “The government will also wish to make it known to all criminally-minded people that no part of the state is safe for them to operate any longer.

    “It should be noted that Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) has always shown respect for the traditional monarchy and will continue to protect the exalted stool.”