The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Clash

  • 10 injured in Ibadan NURTW clash

    10 injured in Ibadan NURTW clash

    Ten people were injured at the weekend in a free-for-all among rival members of transport workers at Agbeni, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    The former Chairman, Oyo State chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Lateef Akinsola (Tokyo), escaped unhurt in an attack said to have been targeted at him.

    Akinsola, who accused the incumbent Chairman, Alhaji Taofeek Oyerinde (Fele) of masterminding the botched attempt on his life, was rescued by a team of riot policemen.

    Oyerinde denied the allegation. He told this reporter on phone yesterday that those Tokyo mentioned were at the second Ramadan lecture of Alhaji Arisekola-Alao at the NTA Ibadan when the incident happened.

    He urged the police to conduct investigate the matter.

    “We have met Alhaji Tokyo on several occasions and we have never attacked him. We are not a violent union again. We will continue to maintain the peace in the state,” Oyerinde said.

    Akinsola, with some of his supporters, was at Sheikh Haruna Suara, the Chief Imam of Ibadanland’s residence to honour an invitation when the alleged attempt was made on his life.

    He was whisked away from the Chief Imam’s residence in an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) on the intervention of the Oyo State Police Command.

    Akinsola said: “I was at the Chief Imam of Ibadan’s residence to honour his invitation with some of my supporters when they attempted to kill me. My supporters were attacked while I was being attended to by the Imam in his house at Agbeni area of Ibadan.

    “Thank God that my supporters were outside when I was inside with the Imam, maybe I would have been dead now.”

    Among Tokyo’s supporters who were injured are Bashiru Saheed, Agboola Rasak, Liadi Akande, Rilwan Akinsola and Alani Adaramola.

    Eyewitnesses account revealed that no fewer than 20 suspected thugs unleashed the terror.

    They said the suspected thugs arrived at the scene of the incident with several dangerous weapons.

    Oyerinde said: “We appeal to the state government to call him to order so as not to plunge the union into another avoidable bloodletting of the past.”

    The Public Relations Officers (PPRO), DSP Olabisi Clet-Ilobanafor, confirmed the incident.

    She told reporters: “The command dispatched combined police teams and an Armed Personnel Carrier to the scene of the incident to quell the violence and rescue Akinsola.

    “We are yet to make arrests because the place was very rowdy and we have to stop that first and later make arrests based on identification by the witness. We have advised those injured to go for treatment and later come back help us in our investigations at tracking down the culprits. We will get them and make them face the full wrath of the law to serve as deterrents to others in the act.”

  • Eight killed in Rivers clash

    Eight people have died in a supremacy clash in Oyorokoto, Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State.

    Sources said there was a clash between suspected members of Icelanders and the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) at the weekend.

    The bodies of seven of the victims have been recovered; several others were injured.

    The sources said the suspected MEND members allegedly invaded Oyorokoto and attacked Icelanders members, who have their base in the town.

    “At the end of the fight, seven bodies were brought to the community waterfront for their relatives to claim them.

    “The Oyorokoto community has been deserted by residents, who have fled to neighbouring communities.

    “Apart from Oyorokoto, people in other neighbouring communities in Andoni now live in fear as the two groups have their members in all communities in the area.

    “Oyorokoto had suffered from cult-related crises in the past  but this is the worst, going by the number of casualties.

    “Residents are to blame for refusing to chase the miscreants out of town. Members of the Icelander group are known to almost every resident of Oyorokoto, yet nobody is ready to do something about them. What we need is a military outpost in the area,” they said.

    Police spokesman Ahmed Mohammed could not be reached for comments.

  • Moses: Iran clash, a must win

    Moses: Iran clash, a must win

    Chelsea winger Victor Moses has spoken of the importance of the Super Eagles getting all three points when they clash with Iran at Arena da Baixada today.

    The 23 – year – old has made it clear that a victory in today’s match will compensate the team for the rigorous training the squad  embarked on since the beginning of camping.

    “The most important thing for us is the first game. If you combine the determination of the places where we live with hard work, you will know that we only need to do so in the field. If we get three points we will be very happy,” Moses said.

    He admitted that the last group match against one of the tournament favourites, Argentina will test the Super Eagles to their limit.

    “To be honest with you, this game will not be easy. Against Iran it will not be an easy game, against Bosnia, it will not be an easy game.

    “We just need to be a strong team. If we can win those three games, it would be great, but it’s very important to win the first game and get the three points,” he added.

    Ahead of the clash with Iran, the Super Eagles are currently familiarising themselves with the pitch at Arena da Baixada.

  • Mali army, rebels clash

    Three Malian soldiers were wounded in clashes with separatist Tuareg rebels, the army said, the first clashes since the two sides signed a ceasefire deal in June.
    The fighting took place near the western town of Lere and comes a week after President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was sworn in, highlighting simmering tensions as he seeks to end cycles of uprisings by northern rebels.
    Last year’s rebellion triggered a coup and the resulting vacuum was then hijacked by better-armed al Qaeda-linked Islamists, who seized northern Mali.
    France sent thousands of soldiers to its former colony in January to halt the Islamists’ march southward.
    A UN peacekeeping mission is now rolling out to ensure stability as French troops gradually withdraw.
    “An army patrol came across some gunmen in four-wheel drives. They refused to follow the army’s orders and opened fire on the troops,’’ said army spokesman Capt. Modibo Naman Traore.
    Traore said three soldiers were wounded.
    Attaye Ag Mohamed, one of the founders of the Tuareg-led MNLA rebellion, accused the army of starting the fighting by surrounding their position. He did not give any toll.
    According to the ceasefire deal signed to allow elections to take place in July and August, Keita has 60 days from the naming of his government last Sunday to start talks over a final deal with the rebels.

    Keita has promised national reconciliation but will be under pressure from southern Malians not to make major concessions to the Tuareg, whom many blame for sparking their country’s collapse last year

  • Five dead as ‘civilian JTF’ groups clash in Borno

    Five people were feared following a clash between two groups of Volunteer Vigilance Youths, popularly called “Civilian JTF” in Biu, Borno State.

    The Maiduguri-based ‘Civilian JTF’ men were on a manhunt of a suspected Boko Haram insurgent in Biu, about 185 kilometres south of Maiduguri, the state capital.

    Biu is reputed to be a major base of the insurgents.

    An eyewitness, who spoke in confidence, said two people who sustained gunshot injuries during the incident were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Gombe, for treatment.

    He said trouble started when the Maiduguri-based “Civilian JTF”, assisted by soldiers, invaded Biu in search of the Boko Haram suspect”.

    The eyewitness added: “The Biu-based ‘Civilian JTF’ reportedly asked those from Maiduguri to leave because their presence would create tension among Biu residents.

    “It was in the process that a fight ensued between the two youth groups. It led to the killing of five persons.

    “I saw five bodies before we rushed the two injured victims to the FMC in Gombe. It is possible the casualty figure could be more than five, but I cannot tell exactly where the bodies were deposited.”

    The identity of those who died could not be ascertained last night.

    Last Tuesday, eight persons, including a lecturer with the College of Education, Waka, Biu, were allegedly killed by suspected Boko Haram insurgents.

    The military Joint Task Force (JTF) and the Borno State Police Command could not be reached for confirmation of the incident last night.

    GSM services have been epileptic in Borno State since the declaration of state of emergency in May.

  • One dead as MASSOB, Igbo youths clash

    One person was reportedly killed when members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) clashed with members of the Association of Igbo Youths Organisation (AIYO) in Onitsha, Anambra State.

    Several others were injured in the attack, which allegedly occurred in a forest on the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway.

    A source said the MASSOB members invaded an “illegal torture camp”, which allegedly belongs to AIYO inside the forest to dislodge them.

    The police confirmed the incident but insisted that there was no casualty.

    Police spokesman Emeka Chukwuemeka said the presence of the police and other security agents on the scene was to maintain law and order.

    He called on MASSOB and AIYO members to maintain the peace and called on the public to go about their businesses without fear.

    MASSOB’s Director of Information Uchenna Madu confirmed the operation but denied any death.

    Madu said MASSOB, acting on complaints from the public about the activities of AIYO, moved in to restore peace and security in Onitsha.

    He said: “MASSOB, as the genuine Igbo group genuinely fighting for Ndigbo, has heard reports of rape, kidnapping, illegal arrest and detention and robberies by a group of miscreants who call themselves AIYO members.

    “We decided to move into the illegal camps where even security agents could not enter and as I am talking to you, we have taken over the area and dislodged them.

    “These boys were also responsible for crimes on the Onitsha-Owerri Road and other parts of Onitsha. Several times, they had kidnapped people, including our men, took them to these “illegal torture camps”, where the victims were forced to part with money and other valuables to regain their freedom.

    “When MASSOB stormed the camp, we discovered so many people kidnapped and tied to stakes.”

    But an AIYO member, who pleaded for anonymity, accused MASSOB members of trying to dominate Igbo land, adding that AIYO was working for the government through its national leader, Rommy Ezeonwuka.

    “MASSOB, in its usual criminal way, invaded some camps of our members around 2am yesterday, wielding weapons and brutalised our members.

    “The members burnt the makeshift camp we use as our operational base.

    “They said AIYO is an illegal group but they forgot that we are the only group recognised by the Anambra State Government through our national leader, Rommy Ezeonwuka (Ogirishi Igbo),” he said.

     

  • 17 injured in Anambra communal clash

    Seventeen people have been injured in renewed clashes between Onitsha and Obosi communities in Anambra State.

    It was gathered that the communities had been at war over who owns a piece of land called Ogbodogbo on the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway, where the Nigeria Metallurgical Institute (NMI) is located.

    Eyewitnesses said youths clashed in front of NMI and during the fight, Obosi youths allegedly burnt a bus, belonging to Onitsha youths.

    The youths barricaded the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway, causing a gridlock.

    An eyewitness said: “I was in a bus travelling to Owerri, when we got to Metallurgical school gate, some youths came out of the bush, armed with cutlasses, with palm fronds tied around their heads.

    “Another bus fully loaded with armed youths ran into them. There was a fight and the bus was set ablaze by the other faction.

    “Some policemen came and dispersed them with teargas.

    “We didn’t know who the boys were and what they were fighting for. It was after the police dispersed them that we continued our journey.”

    The Police Area commander for Onitsha, Benjamin Wordu, said the two communities had been having cold war over the ownership of land.

    Wordu said no one was killed but a bus belonging to Onitsha youths was burnt by Obosi youths.

    The Obi of Onitsha, Alfred Achebe, could not be reached for comments, but the Palace Secretary, P. Agusiobo, said he was not aware of the incident.

    Also, the traditional ruler of Obosi community, Chidubem Iweka, could not be reached for comments, but his personal assistant, Okwudili Oguegbu, said the land belongs to Obosi community.

     

  • Four UNIBEN students killed in cult clash

    Four students of the University of Benin have been reportedly killed in a renewed cult war between two rival cult groups.

    It could not be ascertained what led to the recent killings.

    Sources said two were killed at Osasogie Street close to the university main campus at Ugbowo along the Benin-Lagos Express Road.

    The source said several shots were fired in other areas around the university including the staff quarters.

    Apparently in a reprisal attack, another two students were shot inside the university campus where students have queued for biometric registration at the University Sports Complex.

    One of the victims, who is a 200-level Mathematics student and simply identified as Snazzy, was shot in the neck.

    The attackers were said to have dropped the gun and escaped in the ensuing stampede.

    The identity of the other student could not be ascertained as at press time.

    Snazzy was rushed to the University of Benin where doctors battled to save his life to no avail.

    The Public Relations Officer of the university, Harris Osarenren, did not pick calls made to his cell phone for comments.

     

  • Police, soldiers clash in Ibadan

    Police, soldiers clash in Ibadan

    Soldiers yesterday beat up policemen at Mokola Police Station in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    It was learnt that the soldiers were retaliating an attack on their colleague by the police.

    It was gathered that on Wednesday, policemen stopped a soldier for a routine check in front of the station. Sources said the soldier refused to obey them and the police shot him in the ankle.

    Yesterday afternoon, eyewitnesses said about 10 soldiers stormed the station and beat up the policemen on duty.

    A few minutes after they left for their barracks, a reinforcement of policemen arrived at the station and started shooting into the air. The gunshots caused panic and people scurried for safety. The police cordoned off roads leading to the station, causing a traffic gridlock in the area.

  • Two killed, six injured in Kwara communal clash

    •Police arrest 15 suspects

    The communal crisis, which erupted at Ganmo in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State on Sunday, continued yesterday as two people – Shifaw Raji and Raheem Kolawole – were allegedly killed.

    Six people, including two policemen were said to have been injured. One of the policemen, said to be recuperating in an undisclosed hospital, was reportedly shot in the stomach.

    It was learnt that seven houses and three vehicles were torched during yesterday’s mayhem.

    The clash was said to have been caused by a dispute over a chieftaincy tussle between two groups claiming ascendancy to the title of Oluganmo of Ganmo and seeking the relocation of the community market to another place.

    The police command confirmed the death of two persons, but said no policeman died in the fracas.

    It said it arrested 15 persons in connection with the crisis.

    Police spokesman Olufemi Fabode said the command had ordered that the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in charge of Operations should take control of the situation.

    He said those arrested would soon be charged to court.

    Fabode urged residents and community leaders to ensure peaceful co-existence in the community.