The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Gunmen

  • Gunmen kidnap Chinese engineer in Nasarawa

    Gunmen, numbering about seven, have kidnapped a Chinese project manager, Mr. Cui Fu Long X, in Toto, headquarters of Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

    It was learnt that the gunmen stormed the project site at Adadu road in Toto, shooting sporadically while the workers fled in different directions.

    Speaking with our correspondent on Wednesday, the state Focal Person in charge of the Millennium Development Goals, sponsors of the state water project, Dr. Salisu Raj, said the firm handling the water project, CCGC Nigeria Limited, had yet to make an official report to  him.

    According to him, the MDGs in the state received an “unofficial report” that the Chinese expatriate was kidnapped and taken to an undisclosed destination.

    He denied knowledge of any ransom, adding that the CCGC had not communicated to him on the incident.

    It was also gathered that the victim was working on the rehabilitation of a water scheme, completed in 1983.

  • Gunmen abduct Bayelsa traditional ruler

    •Amaechi’s aide kidnapped in Rivers

    Gunmen have abducted a paramount ruler of Ikeinghenbiri, a coastal community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Collins Agikoko.

    It was learnt that three gunmen stormed the home of the monarch at 2am on Saturday and whisked him away.

    He was reportedly forced into a waiting speedboat by his assailants, who shot sporadically into the air.

    A source, who spoke in confidence for security reasons, said: “They arrived the home of the traditional ruler in the early hours of Saturday.

    “There were three of them. We saw them clearly: two were wearing the uniform of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the other was wearing a reflective jacket used by young vigilantes.

    “They fired several warning shots and abducted the monarch. They escaped by a waiting speedboat anchored at the nearby waterside.”

    Police spokesman, Mr Asinim Butwat, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), confirmed the incident.

    He said the police had begun a manhunt for the gunmen to rescue the victim and arrest the culprits.

    Also, the Commander of the Joint Task Force (JTF), code-named: Operation Pulo Shield, Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Atewe, assured that the hoodlums would be apprehended.

    Atewe said the task force had received reports of the incident and alerted its security network in the creeks to fish out the kidnappers.

    Also, Freddy Ndigbara, a journalist and senior aide to Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, was kidnapped yesterday in his Kaani-Ogoni hometown in Khana Local Government Area.

    Ndigbara, a Press Officer with the Government House Press Corps and a popular Master of Ceremonies (MC), was seized by the gunmen in Ward 6 of the local government when he was covering a rally of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    It was learnt that the gunmen came in a red Toyota Highlander Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) and whisked the journalist, popularly called Freddie, to an unknown destination.

    His abductors had not demand for a ransom at the time of filing this report last night.

    His mobile phones rang several times our reporter called them but they were not answered.

    It was learnt that Ndigbara travelled from Port Harcourt, the state capital, to his hometown yesterday morning to participate in the rally.

    The organisers were reportedly arranging the canopies at the venue when the kidnappers seized the journalist.

    A former Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Blessing Wikina, an indigene of Kono-Ogoni in the same local government area, said the kidnappers were suspected to be thugs working for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Wikina also described Ndigbara as a gentleman, who was hardworking and easygoing.

    The former governor’s aide condemned the abduction.

    He urged Ndigbara’s abductors to release him immediately and unconditionally.

    Wikina said: “Ndigbara is a journalist serving the society. Kidnappers should not go near journalists. Journalism is a noble profession. Ndigbara is doing his job. He should be released unharmed, immediately and unconditionally.”

  • Gunmen attack Benue APC guber candidate’s vehicles

    Gunmen in Adikpo on Friday shot and damaged three vehicles on the convoy of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Benue State, Chief Dr Samuel Ortom, at the funeral of the late Dr Samson Sambe which they also disrupted.

    Chief Dr Ortom was delivering funeral oration when sporadic gunshots were heard and sympathizers started to scamper for safety.

    Elder brother of the deceased and Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dr Asen Sambe, had to appeal for calm as the funeral was hurriedly concluded.

    In spite of the shots which intensified, Chief Dr Ortom concluded his speech before he was informed that three of his vehicles parked near the Magistrate Court close to Adikpo Comprehensive College, ACC, Adikpo had been targets of some of the shots.

    The glass on the owner’s side of a branded Ford Hillux van was shattered and the bullet exited through the roof even as another branded pick up was hit at the tail board and the bullet went through, came out of  the left side and brushed a journalist’s car parked close by.

    Another bullet flattened the right front tyre of the third vehicle.

    The gunmen sped off through the street that passes by the side of ACC.

    While inspecting the vehicles an informant told Chief Dr Ortom that the gunmen belonged to a group headed by a prominent Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, thug in Adikpo town.

    The former Minister of State, Industry, Trade, and Investment, proceeded to the Adikpo police station where he lodged a formal complaint to the Divisional Police Officer.

  • Two killed as police repel gunmen attack in Kano

    Two suspected terrorists were confirmed to have been killed by Police in Kibiya, about 60 kilometre away from Kano city on Saturday when police repelled an attack on police division in the area.

    Six terrorists suspected to be Boko Haram members stormed the police station on two motorcycles but the police repelled the attack.

    Police spokesman in Kano, Assistant Superintendent of police (ASP) Musa Magaji Majia said on Sunday that one of the gunmen was killed during an exchange of fire while the other was lynched by the community while the gunmen were trying to escape.

    Majia said on Sunday that the incident happened on Saturday around 5:30 pm when gunmen stormed the police station in Kibiya but we’re repelled by policemen on duty.

    According to him, two of the gunmen were also arrested and were now assisting the police in their investigation.

    “No policeman was killed or injured during the incident”.

    Majiya said the gunmen had also abandoned one of their motorcycles before fleeing the area.

    He said security had since been beefed up in the area pointing out that the neighbouring states had been alerted in order to arrest the fleeing hoodlums.

  • Gunmen kill two Okomu Oil Palm workers

    Gunmen suspected to be Ijaw boys have killed two workers of Okomu Oil Palm Plc.

    The gunmen invaded the Okomu Oil Palm plantation where about seven workers were working and shot at them, killing two instantly.

    Okomu Oil Palm plantation is located at Udo village in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State.

    Five other workers escaped with bullet wounds and are receiving treatment.

    Sources told The Nation that workers of Okomu had refused to go to work for fear of being attacked.

    The source said a large portion of the plantation was set ablaze by the unknown Ijaw youths following the alleged refusal of the company’s management to settle them.

    A worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said several workers had been attacked in the past but the management usually kept mum about the incidences.

    He said the killing of the two workers on Tuesday occurred at a place not far from security operatives.

    According to him, “this matter does not concern us. We are just workers but the Ijaw boys always attack us and leave the management staff alone.”

    “The boys need something from the management but this managing director is too stubborn. The security men on ground have not exchanged gunshot with the attackers since trouble started last year.”

    “We decided to cry out so that management can do something about these killings.”

    Public Relations Officer for Okomu Oil Palm Plc Ikponmwosa Osunbor confirmed the killing and said the Ijaw hoodlums had been warning the oil firm to leave the land.

    Ikpomwosa said the Ijaw gang had not made any cash demand but only threw leaflets into the firm asking them to leave.

    He urged the state government to intervene in the situation to avoid tribal attacks because relatives of the slain workers were spoiling for war.

    “They have burnt 300 hectares of matured rubber and oil palms. We have 120 army personnel in our plantation but the boys are still attacking our workers in the bush.”

    “Government should provide more security for us. Our fear is that it will not turn into a tribal war.”

  • Gunmen kidnap The Nation marketer

    Gunmen kidnap The Nation marketer

    Two gunmen abducted yesterday, a marketer with The Nation, Mrs Joke Ajayi.

    She was said to have been abducted in the Latoogun area of Ijebu Ode in Ijebu Ode Local Government area of the Ogun State.

    The woman was said to be on her way to where newspaper agents converge to collect papers around 5.30am when she was abducted.

    A colleague, who was with her, said she was asked to lie face-down when they were taking her away.

    She said the gunmen came in an Opel Astra car.

    The witness said she could not identify the car’s colour because it was still dark.

    Mrs Ajayi’s colleague, Abdul-Rasaq Oyeneyin, who spoke with the abductors, said they initially demanded N50 million, but when he called back, it was reduced to N20 million.

    He said the woman’s abduction paralysed activities yesterday as most of the marketers were running around to ensure her release. The incident has been reported at Igbeba Police Station.

    “We have been praying since morning and we could not even eat. We are helpless. We are going through hell. We are sad. We need help. She is a single mother who is struggling to survive. Where do you think she can get such amount of money?” he queried.

    Police spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi could not be reached for comment.

  • Suspected gunmen kidnap pastor

    •A day after wedding

    Four suspected gunmen kidnapped an Aba, Abia State cleric, Pastor Jasper Ohuoba, a day after his wedding.

    Ohuoba, it was learnt, was accosted and whisked away when he was about to drive into his compound near World Bank Housing Estate, Abayi, Aba.

    The cleric, said to be a pastor at the Church of God Seventh Day, was reportedly forced into the back seat of his Toyota Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) and taken to an unknown destination.

    A source said luck ran out on the suspected kidnappers when the engine of the SUV stopped and refused to start.

    The source said the gunmen called their boss, who told them to leave.

    He added: “In anger, they beat up the cleric, snatched his ipad, two phones, N40,000 and escaped into a nearby bush.

    “When the pastor realised that his abductors had fled, he beckoned to a passerby, who assisted him to contact his family.”

    A member of the church, who preferred anonymity, thanked God for rescuing Ohuoba.

    Policemen from the Eastern Ngwa Police Division in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State have rescued a woman kidnapped by three armed men.

    The victim, whose name was given as Onyemereze Patricia, was said to have been abducted by the gunmen in her home at Umuafor village in Obingwa Council.

    A source said the victim was taken to an unknown destination.

    It was learnt that when the police were conducting stop- and-search on cars plying the new Umuahia Road, the gang abandoned the woman and fled. The police rescued her.

    A policeman, who would not want his name to be mentioned, said efforts were on to arrest the abductors.

  • Gunmen kill eight in Kaduna village attack

    Gunmen on Tuesday night killed eight persons and injured 14 others at Yangal village, 200 kilometres South of Kaduna, the Kaduna State capital.

    The gunmen reportedly opened fire on a crowd at a ceremony in the village.

    Yangal is in Yangal District, under Kamanton Chiefdom in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area in Southern Kaduna.

    The local government’s Acting Chairman Jonathan Asake confirmed the incident yesterday.

    He said he got a distressed call at 11pm on Tuesday that an armed “Fulani man” and another unarmed accomplice had attacked Yangal.

    Asake said: “When I got there, I saw the tragedy. I helped in evacuating five bodies and 12 injured persons to St. Luis Hospital in Zonkwa, about 15 kilometres from Yangal village.ý

    “I reached Yangal village around noon today (yesterday) and met scores of angry, stick and knife-wielding youths who wanted to descend on me for coming late.

    “I was told that an old woman had died and had been buried. They said it was the people’s tradition for the grandchildren of the deceased to organise a small celebration to honour dead, if he or she is over 80. “According to the villagers, two Fulani men were sighted around 9pm on Tuesday night near the venue of the celebration. One had a gun and the other without a weapon.

    “Not suspecting anything, the group went on with the celebration.

    “Then, the armed man opened fire on the crowd with his AK 47 riffle. He killed five people on the spot and two others later died in the hospital. I saw the bodies and the 12 that were injured. We evacuated them to St. Luis Hospital. I left the hospital around 5am today (yesterday). Of those injured, nine were critically hit. We have taken them to a more equipped hospital in Jos, the Plateau State capital.

    “By the time soldiers arrived in the village, the two men had fled. The village was in confusion.ý

    “A Fulani man, under the protection of the police approached me when I was in the village; he appeared distressed. He claimed that the two suspects rustled his cows. But security report reaching me has not confirmed that.ý”

    ýGovernor Mukhtar Yero has condemned the attack.

    A statement by his media aide, Ahmed Maiyaki, said the governor noted that the attack was aimed at heightening tension in the state.

    “It is rather sad that some people will stop at nothing in achieving their selfish goals, including shedding the blood of innocent citizens of the state,” Yero said.

    The governor directed the State Emergency Management Agency to attend to the victims of the attack.

    He advised the affected community to remain calm, adding that security agencies were investigating the matter to bring the perpetrators to justice.

  • Gunmen invade Cross River speaker’s house

    The residence of the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Mr Larry Odey, was invaded by unknown gunmen on Tuesday night, it was gathered yesterday.

    It could not be ascertained if it was a robbery or an assassination attempt. But sources said the gunmen fired at his bulletproof door.

    The lawmaker was home when the incident occurred, it was learnt.

    His police orderly was shot in the hand. He is receiving treatment in a hospital in Calabar, the Cross River State capital.

    The invaders jumped over the fence into the speaker’s compound on Parliamentary Road and shot at him but the bullet hit the door, the source said.

    Police Public Relations Officer Hogan Bassey said it was a robbery attempt and investigations had been launched into the matter.

  • Two killed by gunmen at Bauchi checkpoint

    A soldier and a civilian were yesterday afternoon killed at Takanda-Giwa village on the Bauchi-Jos highway by some unknown gunmen who attacked a checkpoint manned by soldiers. Another civilian was injured.

    The attack, it was learnt, has caused panic on the highway as commuters from Bauchi and Jos were forced to abandon their vehicles and ran for their life’s while some turned back.

    But Unconfirmed report said about five soldiers were killed in the attack while the attackers made away with the soldiers’ operational Toyota Hilux van parked at the checkpoint.

    A Military source  in Bauchi,however, insisted that “a soldier, who was the driver of the van, was killed in the encounter.

    The civilian was caught in the cross fire between soldiers on duty at the checkpoint and the unknown attackers.

    The source observed that the ” the Sunday attack could be retaliatory as security personnel have being chasing the gunmen suspected to be a small cell of the insurgents that were driven away from Balmoral Forest in Darazo local government of Bauchi state last year”.

    He added: “even on Saturday, security operatives chased the gunmen from a certain spot within the area.

    He added that the Army and other security agencies were on top of the situation. More security personnel have been deployed, he added.