The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Gunmen

  • Gunmen kill two policemen, driver

    GUNMEN yesterday killed two mobile policemen, who were on patrol on Nnamdi Azikiwe bypass, Kaduna.

    The Nation learnt the incident occurred about 5am when the gunmen fired at the policemen on sight.  Five were injured. A driver was also killed.

    Kaduna State Police Command confirmed the incident.

    It said detectives had been sent to the area.    Spokesman Yakubu Sabo said the slain policemen were on foot when the incident occurred.

    He said: “The police commissioner is sad over the incident. He has vowed to bring the perpetrators to book.

    “The CP sympathises with the families of the gallant officers, who laid their lives for their country. He prays for the repose of their souls.

    “We are investigating the incident. The culprits will be arrested and prosecuted.”

  • Gunmen kill two policemen on patrol, driver in Kaduna

    ….five others injured

    Unknown gunmen on Wednesday morning killed two mobile policemen and driver who were on patrol along Nnamdi Azikiwe bypass, Kaduna.

    The Nation gathered that the incident occurred around 5:00 am when the gunmen appeared from nowhere and started firing at the policemen in sight, leading to instant death of two men and a driver, while five others were critically injured.

    Kaduna State Police Command has confirmed the incident, saying that, detectives have been mobilized to the area to track down the fleeing killers.

    The Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Yakubu Sabo said the slain policemen were on foot of the area when the incident occurred.

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    According to DSP Sabo, “Today at about 0525hrs, some unknown armed men attacked our policemen who were on foot patrol along Nnamdi Azikiwe Express way by IBBI company of Kakuri Area in Kaduna.

    “After a fierce gun duel, two of our men and a civilian driver were killed. Five other policemen sustained gun injuries and are receiving treatment at a hospital in Kaduna.

    “No arm was taken away by the attackers due to the repelling gun power of our men. Some of the attackers escaped with gun injuries. They quickly retreated and fled the scene.

    “Detectives have been mobilized to the area with a view to track down the fleeing killers and bring them to justice.

    “The commissioner of Police Kaduna State Command is saddened by the ugly incident and vowed to bring the perpetrators to book.

    “The CP also sympathizes with the families of the gallant officers who laid their lives for their country and pray for the repose of their souls.

    “We are investigating the incident and the command will update the public in due course.” Said DSP Sabo.

  • Cultists kill policeman, three others in Bayelsa

    …New police boss vows to tackle menace

     

    Rampaging gunmen suspected to be cultists have killed an unnamed policeman and three others in two separate incidents in Bayelsa State.

    It was gathered that the policeman attached to the Police Mobile Force, was gunned down in Yenagoa, the three others were killed in Otuesiga in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state.

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    The policeman was said to have run into cultists protesting and shooting randomly at Tombia area of the state following the alleged arrest of their leader.

    Sources said on sighting the policeman, the cultists saw him as their enemy and reportedly shot him.

    At Otuesiga, it was gathered a group of suspected cultists stormed the community to kill two of their rival members.

    The gunmen were said to have located their enemies, shot them while an innocent passerby was hit by a stray bullet.

    The new Commissioner of Police, Bayelsa State Command, Mr. Ebere Onyeagoro, confirmed the killing of the police personnel during cultists’ show of force.

    Onyeagoro said: “The command regrettably lost one of its men on way to duties. That is one of the hazards of the job. We are doing our best to make sure such incident does not occur. It is essentially as a result of cult activities. It was unfortunate that the officer ran into them and lost his life to that encounter.

    “We will do our best; we will sustain all patrols to make sure that we curtail the acts of these rival cults. The fact is that crime does not pay in any way. We will not reward crime.

    “The parents and the good people of Bayelsa should also advise their wards, children, privies, parties to abstain from criminalities and all forms of violence because it does not anybody any good. We are on top of the situation and we are also working on intelligence and at the end, all those concerned will be brought to book.”

    Onyeagoro said that cult activities, robberies and associated crimes would be dealt with in the state.

    He said on assumption of duty last Friday, he noticed that the prevailing crimes in the state were cultism, armed robbery, rape, indecent assaults, chieftaincy tussle, communal disputes, among others.

    He said:  “I have started consultations with relevant non-actors to source information and actionable intelligence with a view to establishing a functional security framework that will assist the command in identifying leaders and members of cult groups and to reduce cases of cult activities and armed robberies in Yenagoa and other parts of the State.

    “We will initiate community engagement programmes designed to embrace members of the communities for effective policing.”

    He said that the police tactical teams had been reinvigorated to deal decisively with serious and violent crimes in the state.

    He equally said that the special anti-robbery squad had been rebounded and that the personnel had recently undergone intensive training in international standards and best practices in policing and would limit their scope to investigation of armed robbery case.

     

  • Gunmen kill policeman in Plateau

    •21-year-old abducted

    A policeman attached to Plateau State Police Command, Lance Corporal Abdullahi, has been killed by gunmen. The gunmen also kidnapped a 21-year-old, Hafsat Gambo.

    A statement by the police spokesman, Tyopev Terna, said the incidents happened at Corner Soja in Jos North Local Government Area.

    The statement reads: “On October 9, about 21:00hrs, Alhaji Idris Gambo of Corner Soja, Jos, reported at the Laranto Police Division that gunmen went to his house about 19:50hrs and forcefully took his daughter Hafsat Gambo, 21, away.

    “After his report, we mobilised to the crime scene and on arrival, we discovered that the gunmen injured L/Cpl Abdullahi S. attached to STF Sector One, Zaria Road, Jos. He was immediately rushed to Bingham University Teaching Hospital but was confirmed dead by the doctor on duty. His body has been deposited in the hospital’s mortuary.”

    He added that investigation is on

  • Gunmen abduct Agip workers in Bayelsa

    Gunmen have kidnapped two Nigerian Agip Oil Company’s (NAOC’s) workers.

    They also abducted two persons.

    The incident occurred along the creeks of Azuzuama in Southern Ijaw Local Government of Bayelsa State.

    The Nation learnt the victims were in the area last weekend to carry out a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV), usually done by stakeholders after an oil spill, when the gunmen kidnapped them.

    The hoodlums reportedly accosted the officials, seized four of them and took them to an unknown place.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, said the victims included an employee of the Ministry of Environment and an official of the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA).

    He said the kidnappers had contacted the Agip management, demanding ransom.

    The source said following the development, the company sent a letter to the director, Petroleum and Pollution Department, Ministry of Environment.

    NAOC and Ministry of Environment could not be reached last night for comments.

    It was gathered soldiers had been deployed in the area to rescue the victims.

    Spokesman for the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Niger Delta, Operation Delta Safe (ODS), Maj. Ibrahim Abdullahi, said he was not aware of the abduction.

  • Gunmen attack Iran military parade, kill 24

    GUNMEN disguised as soldiers attacked an annual Iranian military parade yesterday in the country’s oil-rich southwest, killing at least 24 people.

    Fifty-three others were wounded in what is believed to be the bloodiest assault on the country in recent years.

    The gunmen sprayed gunfire into a crowd of marching Revolutionary Guardsmen, bystanders and government officials watching from a nearby riser at the Ahvaz parade.

    Security agencies are suspecting the region’s Arab separatists as the brains behind the attack.

    The separatists had previously only attacked unguarded oil pipelines under the cover of darkness.

    Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused regional countries and their “U.S. masters,” of having a hand in the assault.

    He claimed the gunmen were “terrorists recruited, trained armed and paid” by foreign powers. “Iran will respond swiftly and decisively in defence of Iranian lives,” Zarif wrote on Twitter.

    The attack came as rows of Revolutionary Guardsmen marched down Ahvaz’s Quds, or Jerusalem  Boulevard, which like many other places around the country saw an annual parade marking the start of Iran’s long 1980s war with Iraq.

    Images captured by state television showed journalists and onlookers turn to look toward the first shots, then the rows of marchers broke as soldiers and civilians sought cover under sustained gunfire.

    “Oh God! Go go go! Lie down! Lie down!” one man screamed as a woman fled with her baby.

    In the aftermath, paramedics tended to the wounded as soldiers, some bloodied in their dress uniforms, helped their comrades to ambulances.

    The state-run IRNA news agency said the attack killed 24 people and wounded 53, citing “knowledgeable sources” without elaborating. It said gunmen wore Guard uniforms and targeted a riser where military and police commanders were sitting.

    “We suddenly realized that some armed people wearing fake military outfits started attacking the comrades from behind (the stage) and then opened fire on women and children,” an unnamed wounded soldier told state TV. “They were just aimlessly shooting around and did not have a specific target.”

    Details about the attack remained unclear immediately afterward. The semi-official Fars news agency, which is close to the Guard, meanwhile said two gunmen on a motorcycle wearing khaki uniforms carried out the attack.

    Khuzestan Gov. Gholamreza Shariati told IRNA that two gunmen were killed and two others were arrested.

    State TV hours later reported that all four gunmen had been killed, with three dying during the attack and one later succumbing to his wounds at a hospital.

  • Gunmen kill Police Sergeant in Imo 

    Unknown gunmen Tuesday killed a Police Sergeant in Owerri, the Imo state capital and made away with his AK47 Riffle.

    According to eye witness account, the slain Police Officer, Christian Nnamani, was said to be on duty with other of his colleagues at the Assumpta Catholic Church roundabout when the gunmen opened fire on them at about 9am.

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    Confirming the incident, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Andrew Enwerem, a Superintendent of Police, said the assailants fled with the Riffle belonging to the victim after killing him.

    Enwerem also disclosed that a passerby was also hit by bullet from the hoodlums and was rushed to Federal Medical Center, Owerri, where he is receiving treatment.

    He stated that the Police had commenced investigation into the matter, adding that that the Commissioner of Police, Dasuki Galadanchi “had given marching orders to the investigators to quickly arrest the fleeing killers”.

    According to him, “it is true; we lost a Police Sergeant last night (Tuesday). Sergeant Christian Nnamani attached to Mobile Police 18 Owerri was a -stop-and -search duty with his colleagues at Assumpta Catholic Church Roundabout when the incident happened”.

    He continued that, “on sighting the Sergeant who was the last guard man, the hoodlums who were in a green golf car shot him dead and made away with his AK 47 riffle.

    “A passerby (civilian) was equally hit by bullet. He was quickly rushed to Federal Medical Center Owerri, where he is being attended to.

    “We are on the trial of the criminals. The Commissioner of Police who is pained by the death of the officer has activated the Tactical Units of the Command to go after the fleeing criminals. I assure you that we will get them.”

  • Gunmen kill five at Plateau mining site

    Gunmen have killed five persons at a mining site in Gana-Ropp village of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.

    Police spokesman Terna Tyopev, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Jos, the state capital.

    He said: “At 12.30 p.m On Tuesday, we got a distress call from Da Gyang Pam, the village head of Gana-Ropp village in Barkin Ladi, that there were sporadic gunshots at a mining site in the area.

    “A team of policemen, led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Barkin Ladi, was dispatched to the scene of crime.

    “It was discovered that five persons were shot by gunmen who fled the scene before the arrival of policemen.

    “Our men immediately moved those with gunshots to the general hospital in the locality but were confirmed dead by the doctor on duty.”

    The spokesman said the bodies had been released to their families for burial.

    He added that investigation had begun on the incident to arrest the perpetrators.

     

  • Gunmen demand N15m ransom for Catholic priest

    The parish priest of Emmanuel Catholic Church, Oviri-Okpe in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State, Rev Christopher Ogaga, has been abducted.

    The abductors of the cleric have demanded N15 million ransom for his release.

    It was gathered that Ogaga, who is the priest of two other parishes of the church – St Luke’s Catholic Church, Oviri Okpe, and St Jude’s Catholic Church Aghalopke – is also the head teacher of St. Peter’s Clavers College, Aghalokpe.

    A source told The Nation that the cleric was abducted on Saturday night while traveling to Warri to help the parish priest of Mother of Redeemer Catholic Church, Airport Junction, Effurun, in the three masses slated for Sunday morning.

    The source said Ogaga was driving on the Arava-Oviri-Orere-Okpe Road, the normal route to Warri, when he was seized. No one could identify the exact part of the road where he was abducted.

    “He left the house and he was heading to Warri through Arava-Oviri-Orere-Okpe Road. That is the route he used to take to Warri. We are suspecting that he might have been kidnapped along this route.

    “He was driving alone when the incident happened because he usually travels to Warri alone on Sundays. We were supposed to go with him that Saturday but we did not go with him,” the source said.

    Police Commissioner Muhammad Mustafa said the command had begun a search for the abducted priest.

    He added: “Yes, we are searching for the kidnappers. The cleric was kidnapped two days ago.”

  • Gunmen kill two policemen, driver in Rivers

    •Hoodlums abduct expatriate

    Gunmen have killed three persons and abducted another around Woji community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.

    The victims are said to be two policemen and a driver in the convoy of a foreigner, who was also abducted by the bandits.

    Eyewitnesses said the kidnappers ambushed the convoy on Akom Road, shot and killed the policemen and the driver.

    A resident Rachel Reginald said the gunmen abducted the foreigner after the shooting at 9.47 p.m on Wednesday.

    This happened barely 12 days after two soldiers, a policeman and a driver were killed in Abua Local Government Area while attempting to foil the abduction of an expatriate.

    But their target escaped.

    Reginald said two passers-by sustained bullet wounds in the shooting, which lasted about 15 minutes.

    Police spokesman Nnamdi Omoni, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the death of the two policemen. He said another victim was recuperating in hospital.

    The spokesman denied any abduction.

    Omoni regretted that the hoodlums carried out a surprise attack on the police team.

    He said the command had intensified the search for the perpetrators to bring them to justice.