The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Gunmen

  • Gunmen abduct monarch in Akwa Ibom

    The paramount ruler of Esit Eket, His Royal Majesty, Edidem Ubong Peter Assam, was yesterday kidnapped by unknown gunmen, who stormed his palace about 2am.

    The gunmen, who were about seven, stormed the palace and shot into the air. They dragged Assam out of his bedroom into an unidentified car and drove to Unyeghe in Mbo Local Government Area, where he was picked up by a speedboat and taken to the Oron high sea.

    An eyewitness said although no casualty was recorded during the operation, people sustained injuries when scampering for safety.

    “The gunmen surrounded the chief’s compound and shot into the air. One of the gunshots sounded like a bomb. I thought it was a war. My daughter and I ran into the bush. She sustained injuries when running. We saw them drag the chief like a goat. I thought they came to kill him. But they put him in a waiting car and sped off to Unyighe in Oron. The police arrived when they had left,” Mrs. Ime Akpe, a mother of three, told this reporter.

    The Esit Eket Police Divisional Officer was not available for comment, as he was said to have travelled to Uyo for police weekly briefing.

    But a senior police officer, who gave his name as Inspector Ogar, said he got distress calls from sources about 2am yesterday, but before they arrived the scene, the kidnappers had escaped with the monarch.

    “There were a lot of calls from different quarters informing us of the operation of the kidnappers, but before we could mobilise our men from Uquo to Akpa Utong, they had fled the scene with the chief. We will send our men to comb the community in search of the abducted monarch,” Orga said.

  • Gunmen invade Kaduna village, kill 15

    Gunmen struck again yesterday in Zangang community of Kaura local government area of Kaduna State, killing about 15 persons and leaving several injured.

    The police, however, said those killed by the unknown gunmen who invaded the community in the early hours of yesterday were 11.

    Survivors of the attack said that the invaders came to the community through two routes, killing and injuring many while also burning houses.

    A villager, Enoch Adong, said many residents were still missing.

    According to him: “The attackers came in two batches. One batch came through the hills side while the other group came through the eastern part, surrounded the community and started shooting.

    “They placed the village under siege while using knives and guns to kill and maim the villagers.”

    During the attack, which he said took place between 6:00am and 8:00 am, the invaders “burnt down our houses and destroyed our properties.”

    Among the killed, he said, were Christopher Bakwap, Benjamen Ganda, Ladi Madugu, Adam Yakubu, Julius Barnabas, Garba Kushuwah, Martha Musa, Michael Aboi, Gaje Lufuwai, Kefas Yusfu, Dauda Yusu, Joshua Bikau, Andrew Bikai, Sheying Immanuel and Gideon Adamu.

    Another resident, Isuwa Jiga, said those killed were mainly youths on the way to their farms.

    He claimed that several villagers in the community have fled their homes and are now taking refuge in neigbouring communities.

    The local government chairman, Mr. Kumai Badu, who confirmed the attacks said about 15 people were killed and several unknown injured.

    Spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, DSP Aminu Lawan, also confirmed the attack.

    He, however, said that 11 persons have been confirmed killed by the gunmen.

    Lawan said: “It is true that Zangang community was attacked this morning by unknown gunmen. The number of those killed is 11.

    “Our men are already there. You know that place is hilly and bushy. But they are combing the hills, and we expect them to come out with some results.”

    Similarly, over 2000 people from Nimbia communities along Kaduna/ Plateau border in Jema’a local government area of the state have fled their homes following shootings and burning of houses by another set of gunmen.

    Chairman of the Jema’a local government, Dan Amos, appealed to the people to return to their homes as government was committed to rebuilding the damaged homes.

    He said: “I am speaking to you here on behalf of Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, who is working tirelessly to ensure that peace returns.

    “The security operatives were drafted here to help curtail this situation. Please let us live in peace and harmony because there is nothing better than peace.

    “I am assuring of security and you should report anything suspicious to them and not take laws into your hands.”

  • Gunmen kill policeman in Kano

    … Another wounded

    The Kano State Police Command on Monday confirmed the killing of a police corporal by gunmen in Kabuga area of Kano metropolis on Sunday night.

    The command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Magaji Majiya, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano that some policemen were attacked in their patrol vehicle by the hoodlums around 7.52pm.

    ‘’One police corporal lost his life and another one had some bruises and the injured had been treated and discharged.’’

    According to him, the suspects who hid in the dark, opened fire on the vehicle soon after it reached the area.

    ‘’When our men responded, the gunmen took to their heels and escaped in the dark,’’ Majiya said.

    He said investigation had since begun while security was beefed up in the area to ensure the arrest of the hoodlums.

     

  • Two killed,10 houses razed in Plateau

    Two people have been killed in fresh attack in Wase local government of Plateau state when unknown gunmen invaded the village early Friday morning.

    The gunmen numbering about twenty launched attack on Nbiyak village of Kadarko district of Wase LGA setting residential houses on fire and shooting sporadically as the residents make efforts to escape.

    Nniyak is said to be a community inhabited by the Tarok ethnic group of wase. At the end of the attack which lasted about an hour, two people lay dead.

    A member of the community Samuel Wuyep who confirmed the attack to THE NATION said, “There have been rumor that some people suspected to be Fulani were planning to attack our village, we reported the rumor to security agencies in the area but they ignore the threat. The attack was actually carried out as rumored and they killed two people, I also know some people are missing and have not been found.

    However, the special task force STF on JOS crises code named operation safe haven was not available to confirm the attack as the line of the STF spokesman, Captain Salisu Mustapha was not available.

  • Gunmen kill policeman in Ogun

    The Assistant Head of the Anti-robbery Squad in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, Mr. Tosin Oyekan, has been killed by gunmen.

    It is not clear if the gunmen are robbers or cultists.

    A source, who pleaded for anonymity, said Oyekan was killed at his home yesterday during a gun battle with robbers in Irewon, Ijebu-Ode.

    He said the area was no longer safe, adding that three people were killed recently.

    The victims include a student of the Tai Solarin University of Education, simply identified as Olawunmi; a secondary school teacher and a business man.

    Police spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi said the command was investigating the killing.

    He said it was not clear whether the gunmen were robbers or cultists.

    Adejobi said 11 suspected cultists were arrested yesterday in Ijebu-Igbo, adding that two guns and some charms were recovered from them.

     

  • Gunmen kill six in fresh Plateau attacks

    Gunmen kill six in fresh Plateau attacks

    •Police confirm killing of five family members

    The Plateau State Government yesterday said gunmen, on Sunday night, killed six members of two families in the state.

    A statement in Jos, the state capital, by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr Yiljap Abraham, confirmed the killings.

    Yiljap said: “The Plateau State Government has received reports of attacks on some communities in the state with great indignation.

    “The unprovoked killing of six members of two families in their homes in Kungte village, Kanadap (near Marraraban Jama’a) in Kuru District of Jos South Local Government Area by gunmen on Sunday, September 1, is an evil and wicked act that should be condemned by all members of society.

    “It is also a display of cowardice by the perpetrators who, under the cover of darkness, deliberately chose to visit violence on vulnerable members of society – women and children – to achieve clearly devilish designs.

    “Such attacks, coming at a time the state has been mostly peaceful for quite some time, appears a desperate attempt to reverse the gains of our hard-earned efforts in breaking down the barriers of ethnic and religious intolerance and thereby rebuilding the bridges of communal consensus.

    “Such intentions will fail because Plateau people have made up their minds to live in peace with one another and, together with the state government and security agencies, they will frustrate every attempt at taking the state back to the days of bloodshed and gloom. The current level of peace in the state is for consolidation, not evaporation!

    “The government shares the pains of victims of these heinous crimes and declares that those behind such acts will face justice in the long run. We call on communities to remain alert always and work closely with security agencies in the sustenance of peace.

    “Meantime, security agencies have intensified their cordon-and-search operations and will take other steps to enforce their constitutional responsibility of maintaining law and order.”

    The Plateau State Police Command yesterday confirmed the killing of five members of a family at Kunte village, near Maraba Jama’a, in Jos South Local Government Area of the state, by some gunmen.

    Police spokesman, Felicia Anslem, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos, the state capital, that the murder took place around 10.45pm on September 1.

    Anslem said those killed were a “father, mother and three children”.

    The spokesperson said investigation into the killings has begun, adding that the police were doing their best to apprehend the culprits.

    “The police had dispatched a team to search for the perpetrators of this criminal act, so that they would be brought to justice,” she said.

    Anslem said the incident was neither a crisis nor connected with religious or ethnic inclination but was purely an act of criminality.

    “The moment something like this happens, many people tend give other meanings, but it was purely a criminal act, which must be taken as such,” she said.

  • Unknown gunmen kill 10 in Kaduna

    Unknown gunmen kill 10 in Kaduna

    Ten people were killed yesterday at Addu in Attakar chiefdom, Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State, by unknown gunmen.

    Police spokesman Aminu Lawan said some of those suspected to have carried out the attack were being interrogated.

    This is the third time the area has been attacked this year.

    Residents said a family of four was killed.

    A couple was killed but their children escaped.

    It was learnt that the gunmen stormed the village early in the morning while the villagers were still sleeping, shooting indiscriminately and killed their victims with knives and swords.

    The National President of the Attakar Students Association, Raphael Soja said: “We have recovered eight bodies and are looking for the remaining two people missing. We have the bodies of a couple and their two children; another couple whose children escaped, some children and women. Four injured persons have been rushed to the Kafanchan General Hospital.”

    In a letter to Governor Mukthar Yero, the Centre for Development and Rights Advocacy (CEDRA) condemned the killings.

    It said: “Once again, Addu came under assault by murderers at the wee hours of yesterday. Report reaching us suggests that five suspects have been apprehended by the vigilant people of Bondom in their attempt to escape from their operating theatre (the hills of Attakar).

    “The suspects were nabbed in the blood-stained cloths they wore during the operation and were handed over to the police. The car and suspects are now in Kaura Police Division.

    “When previous incidents occurred, we petitioned those in charge of protecting life and property. Yesterday’s attack shows there is a genocide agenda against the people of Southern Kaduna by local and international terror groups.

    “Our genocide treatise was not given serious attention. On each incident, the government promises to fish out the perpetrators and punish them. Beyond those superficial tension cooling talks, nothing is done or heard until the next ugly incident is recorded.”

    Security operatives have been deployed in the area.

     

  • Gunmen shoot Rivers commissioner

    Gunmen shoot Rivers commissioner

    The Rivers State Commissioner for Sports Fred Igwe was at the weekend shot near Port Harcourt. He was taken to an undisclosed hospital where he was receiving treatment last night.

    Igwe, who was with two other persons in the Toyota Corolla saloon car, marked: GCG 11, was shot by the gunmen on Sunday evening at Akpajo-Eleme (near Port Harcourt) in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers state.

    It was learnt yesterday in Port Harcourt that the commissioner’s vehicle was riddled with bullets. The attack took place around 8:15 pm.

    Rivers police Spokesperson Angela Agabe, who confirmed the shooting, said Igwe sustained “minor” injuries.

    Agabe assured that the police would soon apprehend the criminals and prosecute them.

     

  • Gunmen kill four policemen, others in Kaduna attacks

    •Yero condemns attacks

    •Govt to pay survivors’ hospital bills

    Unknown gunmen have killed four policemen and an unidentified person in two attacks on a Divisional Police Station in Kajuru, the headquarters of Kajuru Local Government Area, and in Nungu community, Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

    It was learnt that three policemen died in the attack in Kajuru. Two others, including a police officer, died in the Nungu attack.

    The gunmen were said to have arrived in Kajuru at 11.30pm. They reportedly attacked the police station and freed the detainees.

    Two of the policemen on duty were reportedly killed. The third, a policewoman, died on the way to the hospital.

    Governor Muktar Ramalan Yero has condemned the attacks.

    He urged security operatives to fish out the perpetrators.

    The governor described the attacks as unfortunate.

    He assured the residents of his administration’s readiness to tackle criminals.

    Yero urged the people to remain calm, assuring them that the government was equipping security agencies to secure the lives and property of the people.

    In a statement yesterday in Kaduna by his spokesman, Ahmed Maiyaki, the governor sympathised with the police command and the residents on the attacks.

    He said: “This ugly trend has to stop. We are committed to bringing the perpetrators of the attacks to book by all means possible.”

    Yero condoled with the families of the policemen, saying: “At such sad moments, our hearts and prayers are with the immediate families of those that died in the ugly incident. We pray that Almighty God repose their souls and give their families the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”

    The governor promised to pay the bills of those receiving treatment at St. Gerald’s Catholic Hospital in Kaduna.

    One of the surviving policemen, who spoke in confidence, told reporters that the gunmen stormed the station in several vehicles and started shooting.

    He said: “We were not many; we couldn’t stand their sophisticated weapons. They killed three of our colleagues, including an Inspector and a Sergeant. Three of our colleagues sustained serious injuries and were rushed to the hospital in Kaduna. A female police officer died on the way to the hospital.

    “They (the gunmen) came around 11:30pm yesterday (Monday) and they operated for about an hour. It was the mobile policemen from various locations that saved the situation. Otherwise, the gunmen would have also attacked the other residents.

    “If not for the intervention of the mobile policemen, the situation could have been hellish for the residents. They were many. They came in several vehicles. They released all the detainees in the cell. Some of us immediately removed our uniform and pretended to be among the suspects in the cell. That was how we survived. Others managed to escape into the bush.”

    Police spokesman, Aminu Lawan, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the attack.

    He said the command was investigating the incident and that its details would be made public later.

    In a telephone chat with our reporter, Lawan said: “We are still assessing the details. We will let you know when we are through.”

    There had been rumours of an anonymous letter sent to the police command in which they allegedly threatened to attack places like Sabon-Tasha, in the Southern Kaduna and other communities in the area.

     

     

  • Gunmen kill four policemen in Kaduna

    … Detained criminals released

    Unknown gunmen have killed four policemen in two separate attacks on a divisional police station in Kajuru, headquarters of Kajuru local government of area and in Nungu community in Sanga local government area of Kaduna State.

    The Nation learnt that while three policemen died in the attack in Kajuru, two persons, including a police officer died in the attack on Nungu community in what appeared to be a renewed wave of attack in the state.

    The gunmen who were said to have arrived Kajuru at about 11.30pm and armed with sophisticated weapons, launched an attack at the police station and freed all the suspected criminals detained there.

    Sources said that two of the policemen on duty died on the spot while the third one said to be a police woman died on the way to hospital.

    The Nation was informed that some of the policemen on duty at the time of the attack had to disguise as criminals to escape the superior fire power of the attackers, while others ran into the bush.

    One of the policemen who survived the attack told journalists that the gunmen stormed the police station in several vehicles and started shooting sporadically as they arrived the police station.

    “We were not many and we couldn’t stand their sophisticated weapons. They killed three of our colleagues; an inspector and a sergeant were killed. Two or three of our colleagues sustained serious injuries and were being rushed to the hospital in Kaduna. A female police officer died on the way to the hospital.

    “They (gunmen) came around 11:30pm yesterday (on Monday) and they operated for about one hour. It was the mobile police located in a different location that safe the situation; otherwise they would have started attacking residents of the town.

    “If not for intervention of the mobile police, it could have been hell for the residents of the area. They were many, they came in vehicles, they released all the suspects being detained in the cell and some of us immediately removed our uniforms and pretended as if we were also some of the suspects in the cell. That was how we survived, others managed to escape into the bush.”