The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Gunmen

  • Gunmen kill two policemen in Kaduna

    Unknown gunmen, who were said to have been terrorising Kaduna villages for some time, have killed two policemen at a road block in Tudun Wada, Kaduna, the state capital.

    The Nation learnt that the gunmen, who rode a motorcycle, opened fire on the policemen at about 10pm on Tuesday.

    The critically injured policemen were said to have been rushed to a hospital where they later died.

    While one of the injured policemen was said to have died at the St. Gerard’s Catholic Hospital, the other reportedly died at the Army Reference Hospital, both in Kaduna.

    Police spokesman, Aminu Lawan, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said he was attending a function in Akwa Ibom State when our correspondent called him for confirmation last night.

    Lawan said he was not in a position to comment on the incident. Also, Police Commissioner Adenaike Olufemi did not pick his calls when our correspondent called for his comment on the incident.

    The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of St. Gerald’s Catholic Hospital, Mr John Sunday, confirmed that one of the policemen died shortly after he was brought to the hospital.

    Gunmen have been on the prowl in Kaduna villages since the beginning of the current insecurity in the North. They have attacked mainly southern Kaduna villages. The recent attack has been blamed on Fulani herdsmen.

    Though the Kaduna State Government, in the last one year, has banned the movement of motorcycles after 9pm, investigation showed that the ban has not been effectively obeyed.

    Commercial motorcycles are always seen carrying passengers from one point of the city to the other.

  • Task Force kills gunmen, loses soldier

    Task Force kills gunmen, loses soldier

    The Joint Task Force on Friday said it killed six gunmen but lost a soldier during a raid of a hideout at Sheka in Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State.

    JTF spokesman Capt Ikedichi Iweha told newsmen in Kano that the incident occurred in an early morning raid on Friday.

    He said the operation followed the arrest of a suspected gunman at Mariri in Kano on Thursday.

    He said the suspect who revealed the hideout, had earlier planned to attack the popular Kantin Kwari Textile Market, Kano.

    Two AK-47 rifles were recovered, while five women and three children were evacuated from the house during the three-hour operation, he said.

    He called on residents to continue to cooperate with security agencies for peace to be restored in the state.

  • Gunmen kill four policemen in Yobe

    Gunmen kill four policemen in Yobe

    Gunmen struck in the early hours of Thursday, killing four policemen near their station in Babangida, headquarters of Tarmuwa local government area in Yobe, Police Commissioner in the state

    Sanusi Rufai said.

    Rufai told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the policeman were attacked as they took guard behind the sand-bags which provided barriers at the entrance of the station.

    He said five of the gunmen were, however, killed.

    He said that although they failed in their plan to burn down the station, the gunmen carted away some rifles.

    “The gunmen came around midnight trying to enter the police station with an intent to burn it down, but were resisted by the police.

    “We lost four policemen and their rifles were carted away but the station was protected,” Rufai said.(NAN)

  • Gunmen injure policeman in Borno church attack

    FIVE gunmen, suspected to be Boko Haram sect members, yesterday injured a policeman when they attacked the Ekliziyar Yan’uwa a Nigeriya (EYN), aka Church of Brethern, in Bulumkutu Ward of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

    The gunmen allegedly arrived on the church premises in a tricycle, popularly called Keke NAPEP, at 11.02am when the sermon was ongoing.

    They reportedly opened fire on the Joint Task Force (JTF) troops guiding the church. The troops repelled the attack.

    An eyewitness, who spoke in confidence, said the gunmen arrived on the church premises on a tricycle and started shooting.

    The eyewitness added that he believed the targets were the JTF security personnel attached to the church.

    It was learnt that the quick response by the JTF operatives forced the gunmen to flee the scene. No arrest was made as at time of sending this report last night.

    The eyewitness said he could not get the details of the attack to know if any member of the sect was injured.

    But the eyewitness confirmed that a policeman was shot in the leg, adding that he noticed this when the policeman was being rushed to the hospital for treatment.

    JTF spokesman, Lt.-Col. Sagir Musa confirmed the incident.

    He said some suspected Boko Haram members attacked the JTF location at the EYN Church in Bulumkutu Ward of Maiduguri, but were repelled.

    The JTF spokesman added that the policeman was injured in the leg, was treated and immediately discharged from the hospital.

  • Gunmen kill unimaid lecturer

    UNKNOWN gunmen shot dead a lecturer in the Mass Communications Department of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) at his home in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

    Eyewitnesses told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Malam Murtala Mohammed was shot at his 202 Housing Estate, opposite the university campus.

    “He was shot at a close range by a group of teenagers after observing the Suhri (2pm) prayers in front of his house,” a witness said.

    Also, Malam Yusuf Ibrahim, a neighbour of the deceased, said the victim appeared to have been trailed by his killers from the university campus before coming to his house.

    “Apparently, the killers must have trailed him from the university campus where he had gone to perform some official assignment in the morning,” he said.

    Ibrahim also said the killers fled after shooting the deceased several times.

    Malam Ahmed Mohammed, the UNIMAID Chief Information Officer, said he heard about the incident in the afternoon.

    He said the university authorities could not take immediate action because the lecturer was killed outside the campus.

    “I learnt that his remains were taken to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) mortuary by operatives of the Joint Task Force (JTF), who were alerted by neighbours following the event,” Mohammed said.

     

  • Gunmen kill university lecturer in Maiduguri

    Gunmen on Sunday shot dead Malam Murtala Mohammed, a lecturer at the Mass Communication Department of the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) at his residence in Maiduguri.

    Eyewitnesses told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri that Mohammed was shot at his 202 Housing Estate, opposite the university campus.

    “He was shot at close range by a group of teenagers shortly after observing the Zuhr Prayers in front of  his house,.’’ the witness said.

    Also speaking, Malam Yusuf Ibrahim, a neighbour of the deceased, said the victim appeared to have been trailed by his killers from the university campus before coming to his house.

    “Apparently the killers must have trailed him from the university campus where he had gone to perform some official assignment in the morning,” he said.

    Ibrahim also said the killers fled immediately after shooting the deceased severally at close range.

    Also confirming the incident, Malam Ahmed Mohammed the UNIMAID Chief Information Officer, said he heard about the sad event in the afternoon.

    He said however that the university authorities could not take immediate action as the lecturer was killed outside the campus.

    “I learnt that his remains were taken to the University Teaching Hospital (UMTH) mortuary by a team of operatives of the Joint Task Force (JTF) who were alerted by neighbours after the event,” Mohammed said. (NAN)

  • Gunmen kill many in Plateau

    Gunmen kill many in Plateau

    Gunmen on Wednesday night killed unconfirmed number of persons in a attack on Mile-Bakwai village in Bokkos, Plateau State.

    The Media Officer of the Special Task Force (STF) maintaining the peace in Plateau, Navy Capt. Jude Akpa, confirmed the attack and said that the attackers shot and injured two officers of the STF, all of them mobile policemen.

    He, however, said the casualty figure was “still being verified,’’ but confirmed that men of the STF killed six of the attackers and made some arrests.

    However, the Chairman, Bokkos Local Government, Mr. Zakka Akos, confirmed that 18 bodies were recovered at the scene of the attack.

    Also Dr. Kumbem Temang of Cottage Hospital, Bokkos confirmed that 18 people were killed and among them was a 70 year old woman known as Kaka Kiwo.

    A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent quoted a victim of the attack, one Majau Yohanna, as saying that the attackers invaded the village “from 7pm not long after we returned from our farms and were resting in our respective houses.

    “They (attackers) came in large numbers and had very sophisticated weapons,’’ Yohanna, currently on admission at the Bingham University Teaching Hospital (BUTH), Jos told NAN.

    According to him, “the attackers just descended on the villagers and started shooting everyone on sight.’’

    “We had to run for our dear lives. In the process, some of us were shot down while trying to escape.

    “I was shot on my right rib and it was just God that saved me. It is a miracle that I am still alive,’’ he said.

    Mr. Thomas Mafai, a relation of Yohanna, who rushed him to BUTH because of the serious injuries he sustained, claimed that he counted 20 bodies, including two policemen that were killed during the attack on the village.

    “Some of the victims are being treated at the Dung Hospital, Bokkos,’’ he said.

    Mafai however confirmed that six of the attackers were killed by men of the STF maintaining peace in Plateau.

    When contacted, the Plateau Police Commissioner, Mr. Chris Olakpe, said I’m “very busy strategising with my Divisional Police Officers and will not want any encumbrances.’’

    Akpa, while confirming the attack, said that the two policemen shot by the attackers were currently on admission at the Barkin Ladi General Hospital.

  • Gunmen kill 15 Berom, two police officers

    •Sack two villages in Jos

    Gunmen suspected to be Fulani militia have allegedly invaded two villages in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, killing 15 people.

    The two villages, Atakar and Dajak, were said to have been attacked simultaneously on Monday.

    Twenty people were reportedly killed in the villages last week when people suspected to be Fulani militia allegedly launched the first attack.

    Two policemen, Corporal Jibril Muhammed and Constable Aliyu Abubakar, were also killed during the attack.

    Police Commissioner Chris Olakpe confirmed the incident.

    He said his men were killed when on a peace mission.

    A lawmaker representing Riyom Constituency and the Majority Leader in the House of Assembly, Mr. Daniel Dem, said most of the houses in the two villages had been torched. The villagers have fled to Kaura Local Government in Kaduna State to seek refuge.

    He said six people were killed at Dajak and nine at Attackar. He described the attack as sad, noting that the villages had been under a siege by suspected Fulani militia since last week.

    Dem accused the Special Task Force (STF) deployed to restore law and order in the local government as being part of the problem.

    He said: “My people are being killed everyday, yet the Special Task Force is not doing anything about it.

    “I call for the withdrawal of the STF since it cannot handle the crisis.”

    Also confirming the incident, the acting spokesman for the STF, Navy Lt. Jude Akpa, said two mobile policemen attached to the STF were killed. He, however, could not confirm the number of civilians killed.

    Navy Lt. Akpa said nobody had been arrested.

  • Gunmen kill policeman in Jos

    Gunmen on Monday shot dead a police corporal, Munir Jibril, at Ganawuri village, near Jos, in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.

    The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Chris Olakpe, who confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Jos on Tuesday, said Jibril was killed while on patrol along with his colleagues.

    “The incident happened around 2pm on Monday when the patrol vehicle was attacked by the gunmen,’’ he said.

    The police officer said the corpse of the slain policeman had been deposited at the Plateau Specialist Hospital for autopsy.

    “There are no arrests as yet, but we are already combing the area in search of the culprits,’’ he told NAN.

    Olapke described the incident as “very sad and unfortunate’’, but assured members of the public that the command would not be deterred in its effort to restore peace in Plateau.

     

  • Unknown gunmen kill policeman

    •Telecoms masts burnt in Yobe

    Unknown gunmen yesterday invaded the Divisional Police Station in Barack, Yobe State, killing one policeman.

    Barack is the headquarters of Gulani Local Government.

    Eyewitnesses said the gunmen stormed the police formation about 1am and lunched an attack on the station, which lasted over two hours.

    They reportedly razed the station to the ground and driven away three cars.

    Police Commissioner Sanusi Rufai confirmed the attack. He said the gunmen were repelled by his men despite burning the station, adding that they killed the police corporal at his home at 5am after the station was attacked, by slitting his throat.

    Rufai said the hoodlums destroyed MTN and Glo masts and stole three vehicles, including a Hilux van, which belongs to the local government.

    He said no suspect has been arrested.

    No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack.