The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Gunmen

  • Gunmen shoot OAU student

    A CHEMICAL Engineering student of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife,who was identified as Pelumi Taiwo, has been shot by unknown assailants outside the campus.

    Acording to a statement by the Security Unit of OAU, the victim was in his car with his girlfriend about 9pm on Friday when the incident occurred.

    Pelumi, it was learnt, initially stopped his vehicle on the Ede Road to pick a female acquaintance. While he was waiting for his friend at a bushy part of the road, the assailants approached him and pointed a gun at him.

    He was ordered to move to the back seat. Pelumi was said to have pleaded with the gunmen, but the attackers riddled his body with bullets. As Pelumi was bleeding, the attackers, who witnesses said were robbers, left with the victim’s girlfriend.

    The victim, drenched in blood, crawled to the security post at Road One Gate, where he called for help. He was immediately rushed to the university’s Teaching Hospital. His girlfriend was, however, dropped on the Ife-Ibadan Expressway near Oduduwa University.

    CAMPUSLIFE gathered the shot student has been discharged and recovering at undisclosed location. The university has beefed up security around the campus and urged students to be alert and security conscious.

     

  • Gunmen abduct ex-perm sec’s wife

    Palpable fear has gripped is fear among residents of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, following the abduction of the wife of a retired Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Anne Ziwariote, on Saturday night.

    Mrs. Ziwariote was abducted barely hours after gunmen attacked Mrs. Vivian Benson, wife of a Special Assistant to Governor Seriake Dickson.

    Security sources said the incidents occurred around Otiotio and Biogbolo axis of the state capital.

    It was gathered that Mrs. Ziwariote’s abductors contacted the family on Sunday , demanding N5 million for her release.

    Family sources said the kidnappers were apparently after one of the victim’s children, who recently returned from the United States (U.S.).

    “Having failed to capture the young man, they obviously went for the mother,” our source added.

    It was gathered that Mrs. Benson was beaten to a pulp by gun-wielding youths when she refused to hand over the keys to her Toyota Sienna van to them.

     

  • Gunmen kill two businessmen in Kano

    Two gunmen have killed a businessman and a vulcaniser at an electronics shop in Baban Layi, Kurna Asabe, Kano.

    The gunmen reportedly opened fire on the two at the electronics shop, killing them instantly.

    The victims were identified as Ibe Ugwuanyi, 30, a vulcaniser and Eke Osita Joseph, 35, an electronics dealer.

    It was learnt that Ugwuanyi left his shop on Ibadan Road, Sabon Gari, Kano, to visit Joseph, said to be his tribesman at Baban Layi in Kurna Asabe.

    Joseph was said to be watching a movie in his electronics shop and holding a private business discussion at the close of the day’s business with Ugwuanyi. Some other people were said to be in the shop watching the movie with the two friends.

    The gunmen reportedly invaded the electronics shop in the middle of the discussion and opened fire on the people.

    Ibe, it was learnt, was shot on the forehead, while Joseph was shot and injured on the chest. The shots resulted in their instant death.

    Relatives of the victims reportedly contacted security agents, who conveyed the bodies to the Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital from where they were said to have been transferred to the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital’s mortuary for autopsy.

     

  • Gunmen abduct ASUU chair

    Gunmen abduct ASUU chair

    The Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUT MINNA), Dr Abdulfatai Jimoh was on Friday abducted by gunmen in Ibadan while he was going to an international conference being held in honour of Dr Oladipo Fashina, a lecturer in the department of Philosophy, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).

    He was kidnapped alongside the union’s Financial Secretary, Mr Ganiyu Olanrewaju, at Macmillian bus-stop in Ibadan at about 6:45pm. The duo was dumped in a forest near Ogun State, where the police later found them.

    The gunmen made away with Jimoh’s official car, a Sienna 2005 model, which contained several documents including his laptop. The items were yet to be recovered at press time.

    Jimoh explained that he left Minna on Friday morning for the conference en route Ibadan as it was a shorter way to get to Ile-Ife.

    “I don’t believe I won’t be dead by now because we were attacked by four hefty armed men. If it is not the assigned time for a man to die, he would not die,” a bemused Jimoh submitted.

     

  • Gunmen abduct doctor

    The former Medical Director of the Stella Obasanjo Women and Children Hospital, Emmanuel Uwoghihen, has been abducted in Benin, the Edo State capital.

    The police are silent on the abduction of Mrs. Adedoyin Rhodes-Vivour, the wife of the Supreme Court judge who was kidnapped about 11 days ago at the Ekiadolor axis of the Benin/ Lagos road.

    Police spokesman Moses Eguavoen said the police are keeping mum in order not to endanger the victims.

    On the issue of ransom, Eguavoen said the police are not aware of what the family is doing.

    It was gathered that the gunmen waylaid the former MD at the entrance of his home in Ugbor and shot sporadically before taking him away.

    It has not been ascertained if his family has been contacted.

  • Gunmen raid police station, bank in Katsina

    Gunmen stormed a police station and a bank in a town in Katsina, just outside a region covered by military crackdown on the Boko Haram sect.

    It was not clear who carried out the attack.

    Several gunmen were killed during a clash with police in the remote town in Katsina State, army spokesman Ikedichi Iweha told Reuters, without giving specific figures or police casualties.

    Security experts believe a crackdown in the northeast could push insurgent attacks into other regions, or awaken smaller cells that operate in other parts of the north.

    “It’s difficult to tell if this is a criminal attack or part of another Islamist cell,” one security source said.

    “There have been incidents in the past in Katsina but it certainly hasn’t been an insurgent stronghold.”

    Another security source said a bank was raided and prisoners were freed from the police station.

     

  • Gunmen kill 11 in Kaduna village attack

    Gunmen on Monday night killed 11 people in Zangang village of Attakar chiefdom in Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Several others were injured.

    This is the second time in less than two months that villages in the chiefdom, which lies on the boundary with Plateau State, have been attacked by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

    Last month, gunmen, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, attacked three Attakar villages, killing 28 people and occupying the villages for several days.

    The injured have been taken to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), in the Plateau State capital, for treatment. Several others were yesterday said to be missing.

    The gunmen reportedly burnt houses, including the homes of the district head, during the attack that was said to have started on Sunday and continued till Monday. The Kaduna State Government has condemned the attacks. It said measures were being taken to ensure lasting peace in the area.

    The district head of Zangang, Mr Yohanna Daniel, narrowly escaped from the attackers and was initially declared missing.

    He said the attack started on Sunday, adding that the Monday invasion was deadlier, with more casualties.

    The district head alleged that the gunmen, who he identified as Fulani herdsmen, stormed the village in large numbers, shouting “Allah Akbar (Allah is Great)“ and shooting sporadically at residents.

    Daniel said the attackers, who wore black dresses and red bandana, wielded AK 47 rifles, chased the residents about as if they were chickens.

    According to him, security agents deployed to the area were not present when the gunmen arrived and even when they came after the attack, they complained that they were hungry and left soon after.

    He said: “On Saturday, the Fulani herdsmen came to our premises with their cows. One of the boys in the community asked them why they were bringing their cows into our homes. They opened fire on him, but the boy was lucky as the bullet missed him and he escaped.

    “On Sunday, we did not go to church because they attacked us again. Two of our boys were shot and were rushed to the JUTH. We sat down and discussed the incident. We concluded that there was need for us to find a solution to the problem, because the attackers were carrying sophisticated guns.

    “They entered our farms and when we talked to them, they opened fire on us. We felt this would not help us; we thought there is need for us to address the issue.

    “Soldiers from Jos (the Joint Task Force) in Plateau and Kaduna states gave order that we should not use the dane guns we normally use for hunting again. Today, they were armed with AK 47. This is not an assumption; this is what they are using…”

     

  • Gunmen kill five in Jigawa

    Gunmen kill five in Jigawa

    Ringim, headquarters of Ringim Local Government Area, Jigawa State, was on Sunday night the scene of violence, unleashed by a gang of gunmen.

    They attacked a police station and a bank, killing three policemen and two civilians.

    The state government said the deadly attack lasted for over five hours.

    Also attacked was the family house of the immediate past Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Hafiz Ringim, a branch of Unity Bank and the Ringim Divisional Police Headquarters.

    Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) were hurled at the police headquarters and the bank. Two police vehicles and other properties were destroyed.

    Acting Governor Ahmed Mahmoud Gumel, who visited the scenes of the incident, confirmed the death of five persons.

    Gumel described the attack as a robbery, adding that the criminals resorted to attacking innocent citizens, after their attempt to rob the bank failed.

    The acting governor, who described the incident as “unfortunate”, urged residents to go about their businesses without panic, adding that measures had been taken to ensure security of lives and properties.

    The gunmen struck with explosives and guns at about 8pm on Sunday, immediately after Ishai ­– the last prayer of the day.

    Residents said multiple explosions rocked the town for about five hours.

    A resident said: “Policemen at the station tried to repel the attack but the gunmen had the upper hand because of their equipments and number. It took some time before more troops were deployed in the area.

    “The gunmen fled after the attack; and they killed three policemen and two guards at the bank. What I cannot say is if they carted away money from the bank; and it is not also confirmed if arms were taken from the police station.”

    But police spokesman, Abdul Jinjiri, confirmed the incident.

    He said: “After attacking a police station and killing three of our men, they then moved to nearby Unity Bank and killed two civilians there. They were not able to steal any money from the bank.”

    The Ringim attack came days 25 people were killed in a separate clash between security forces and suspected Islamists, who robbed a bank and attacked a police station in northeastern Yobe State.

    Authorities believe insurgents are increasingly targeting banks to fund their operations, as support from local politicians dries up and Sahara-based groups are in disarray after a French military intervention kicked them out of Mali.

    Jinjiri, however, declined to say if Boko Haram, which operates across the North, was suspected of being behind the latest attacks.

  • Gunmen kill five in Jigawa

    Gunmen kill five in Jigawa

    Jigawa state government on Monday confirmed the death of five persons in Sunday night dusk raid in Ringim Local Government Area of the state during which  gun men suspected to be members of Boko Haram launched a deadly attack that lasted for over five hours.

    The family house of immediate past Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim, a Branch of Unity Bank and the Ringim Divisional Police Headquarters were their targets.

    While the former IGP’s house was not badly touched, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) wrecked havoc on the Police headquarters and the Bank, destroying two police vehicles and other properties.

    The state Acting Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Mahmoud Gumel who visited the scene of the incident confirmed the death of five persons.

    Gumel described the attack as a robbery incident, adding that the criminals resorted to attacking innocent citizens, after their failed attempt to rob the bank.

    The Acting Governor who described the incident as unfortunate, urged residents to move about their businesses without panic, adding that adequate measures had been taken to ensure security of lives and properties.

    The Nation reports that at about 8 P.M. Sunday, immediately after Insha’ I , unknown gun men stormed Ringim town with explosives and guns.

    Residents said multiple explosions were heard for about five hours, with sporadic gun shots, “the police men at the attacked station tried to repel the attack, but the gun men had upper hands because of their equipments and numbers. It took sometime before more troops were deployed to the area.

    “The gun men fled after the attack; and they killed three police and two guards at the Unity Bank. What I cannot say is if they carted away money from the bank; and it is not also confirmed if arms were taken from the police station,” a resident told our Reporter.

     

     

  • Gunmen kidnap nonagenarian in Ondo

    Former President of the Master Bakers’ Association of Nigeria, Ondo State chapter, Alhaji Musa Adisa, popularly called Labaika, has been kidnapped.

    He was abducted in Akure, the state capital, yesterday morning by three gunmen.

    The nonagenarian was said to be on his way to a mosque near his home on Isolo Street, when the gunmen, who were in a red Toyota Camry car parked besides the mosque, seized him.

    An eyewitness, who was at the mosque, said the gunmen covered Adisa’s mouth and forced him into their car.

    The witness said the hoodlums fired many shots into the air as they drove off.

    The incident was reported at the Ijapo Police Station, where other police formations were notified and a team of detectives was dispatched to the scene of the abduction.

    One of the victim’s sons, Alhaji Musibau Iyiola, who took over as the State President of the Master Bakers, urged the kidnappers to release his father.

    He said the old man had been sick for some time and could not walk well.

    This brings the number of abductions in Akure to four in the last six weeks.