The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Militants

  • Navy kills 12 pirates in gun battle

    Navy kills 12 pirates in gun battle

    Nemesis has caught up with a gang of sea pirates who specialised in hijacking oil vessels off the coast of Nigerian waters.

    At least 12 of them were on Saturday night killed in a gun battle with the operatives of the Nigerian Navy along the waterways of the region, close to the Excravos waters in Warri, Delta State.

    The bandits numbering 16 were said to have hijacked an oil vessel, MT NORTE, loaded with 17,000 metric tonnes of Petrol Motor Spirit (PMS), off Nigerian waters in the Gulf of Guinea.

    Four of them were, however, captured alive in a coordinated operation that involved the three naval commands and the air force.

    The leader of the gang identified as Ben were said to have been killed in the gun duel that lasted for over 30 minutes.

    Operatives of the navy were said to have been on the trail of the pirates and the hijacked ship for about four days before carrying out the operation.

    Immediately the ship was stolen, it was learnt that signals were sent to the Presidency which alerted the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba.

    Ezeoba was said to have swiftly informed all the commands and ordered them to rescue the vessel and arrest the suspects.

    The ship which was carrying imported fuel was said to be on a voyage to the Lagos harbour when the bandits took control of her.

    The Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral I.E Ibas, was said to have first dispatched two vessels, NNS ANDONI and NNS IKOT ABAS to pursue the pirates.

    To ensure a more coordinated response, the Flag Officer Commanding, Central Naval Command, Rear Admiral Sidi-Ali Usman, was said to have ordered NNS Delta in Warri, Delta State, and the Forward Operation Base FORMOSO at Egweama Brass, to dispatch more vessels.

    Usman confirmed the incident and said one of the gunboats involved in the rescue was riddled with bullets.

    He said FOB FORMOSO dispatched two of its three recently acquired OCEA boats, NNS BADAGRY and NNS BOMADI to the scene while NNS Delta ordered NNS OBULA to relocate to the area to join the rescue.

    He said eight naval vessels encircled the hijacked ship and the pirates.

     

     

  • Militants warn Soyinka, Falana to keep off Rivers

    Militants warn Soyinka, Falana to keep off Rivers

    •Say their safety can’t be guaranteed
    •Ahead of pro-democracy protest

    A  militant group, Ijaw Freedom Fighters (IFF), and a non-governmental organisation, Ijaw People’s Development Initiatives (IPDI), yesterday, warned Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka and human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), to steer clear of Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

    Several civil rights groups have scheduled a rally for that day in the city to protest against what they see as repeated assaults on democracy in the state by some people.

    IFF and IPDI said they cannot guarantee the safety of Soyinka, Falana and other non Niger Deltans if they decide to participate in the protest.

    The two groups described the position of the civil rights groups on the Rivers crisis as vexatious.

    IFF leader, Sese Gideon, said his group “will not allow non-Niger Deltans to add insult in a matter that can be settled without bloodshed.”

    Gideon, in a statement, entitled ‘We will not take your coming to Rivers kindly’ said: “We are a group of youths along the creeks, waterways and uplands of the states in the Niger Delta region. We are committed to the protection of rights, privileges and freedom of the Niger Delta people.

    “We met and observed with interest the continued frivolous and vexatious statements credited to perceived egg heads and civil activists like Wole Soyinka, Femi Falana and many others on the current crisis rocking the Rivers State House of Assembly.

    “While we blame the political class in Rivers and Abuja for allowing such comments due to their indiscretion and show of shame, we will not allow non-Niger Deltans to add insult in a matter that can be settled without bloodshed. We have listened to the name-calling and tongue-lashing of the President and his wife by the civil society but what we will not take kindly to is the invasion being planned by the non-Niger Deltans in Rivers State.

    “If the people of Rivers want to protest, they should protest and demand for what is right. But when it is shown, as clearly displayed, that it is targeted to ridicule and further discredit the South-South and its quest for Presidency in 2015, we cannot guarantee anyone’s safety again. We are not interested in who impeached whom but we will not fold our hands and allow the sponsored onslaught in the Niger Delta under the guise of civil society gathering.

    “We cannot guarantee the safety of anyone interested and plotting to throw Rivers or any other Niger Delta States into turmoil”.

    The IPDI leader, Austin Ozobo, called the planned protest “ill timed” and “ridiculous”.

    He said his group has met with over 50 civil society groups in Warri, Delta State and appealed to the people Rivers State to shun the protest to avert further bloodshed.

    “We urge the police and other security agencies in the state to endeavour to put off the protest to avoid rival group clash and stop planned further cause of disaffection in the state.

    “The crisis in Rivers State is a minor issue that does not need external solution as warring leaders could resolve their differences if they mean well for Rivers.”

    They warn external forces interference as such will add fire to the situation at hand. We are a body of civil activists in the six states of the Niger Delta and were never part of any planned protest in Rivers State.”

    Professor Soyinka and Mr. Falana had condemned the Presidency, the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, the state Police Command and the five anti-Amaechi members of the State Assembly for their roles in fuelling the crisis in the state.

  • Group condemns killing of Itsekiri by militants

    Group condemns killing of Itsekiri by militants

    A group, the Warri People Democratic Movement (WPDM), has condemned the recent attack by suspected Ijaw youths on some Itsekiri communities in Warri North Local( Government Area of Delta State which left four persons dead.( In a statement signed by the Publicity Secretary of the group, Mr. Greg Numa, on behalf of WPDM, it stated that the Itsekiri people were the ones suffering from government policies.

    He said the crisis has thrown up a challenge to our states and National Assembly the need for people at the lowest level to be at liberty to choose their leaders without external influence.( “We want to advise government at all levels, especially the state government to stop appointment and( imposition of candidates for elective positions. The people should be allowed to do their rotation, zoning and choosing themselves,” the statement said.( The group appealed to the state government to be serious with the rebuilding of all the houses and communities burnt down in 2003, 2007 and 2013 as a result of the lingering crises.( Meanwhile, a community leader and local government chairmanship aspirant, Mr. Andrew Aganbi, has frowned at the recent attack on some Itsekiri villages by suspected( Ijaw youths in the council area which led to the death of over 12( persons.( Aganbi, in a statement stated that he does not want the crisis which he( described as agitation to escalate.

    He said: “There are better and peaceful ways that issues can be resolved without loss( of life and destruction of property. The issue at stake couldn’t have( led to crisis; we can resolve this matter without of bloodshed. I strongly condemn the act.”( He called on leaders of Ijaw and Itsekiri to wade into the crisis and resolve it amicably to enable them live in peace as brothers and sisters just like it used to be in the past.

  • Niger Delta militants steal crude oil to buy arms, says Dickson

    Niger Delta militants steal crude oil to buy arms, says Dickson

    Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa has said oil theft is a threat to national security and responsible for the proliferation of arms in the Niger Delta.

    Militants who engage in oil theft, according to him, use the proceeds to finance their operations, recruit members, and buy arms and ammunition.

    Receiving the new Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Central Naval Command, Yenagoa, Rear Admiral Sidi-Ali Usman, in his office at the weekend, the governor expressed concern over the rising incidence and sophistication of illegal bunkering, sea piracy and pipeline vandalism and condemned the negative impact of the crimes on the nation’s economy.

    “What is going on is more of a threat to national security than even the loss of revenue that everybody is shouting about. Let me tell you that all the violence, brigandage and criminality that we experience in the Niger Delta states, particularly Bayelsa where I know more, have their roots in the activities in the creeks.

    “It is from there they have easy funds to recruit followers; it is from these activities of crude oil theft and illegal refining that people are able to sustain such large number of youths and put them into various cult groups.

    “What is going on has a direct effect on the proliferation of small and light weapons because they need an army of youths to protect their territories, to be able to withstand the onslaught of legitimate security personnel.”

    Oil bunkering and pipeline vandalism has been on the rise in the Niger Delta leading to dwindling revenue by government. Oil majors in the region have shut down or threatened to shut down some of their operations because of the vandal’s activities.

    President Goodluck Jonathan has also set up a committee made up of some state governors and ministers to look for ways of solving the problem, which persists despite the hundreds of billions of naira spent by the government on the amnesty programme for militants.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said Dickson also warned cult members who rejected government’s plea to have a change of heart, as his administration would not hesitate to bring them to justice.

    “For those who have defied the Cultism Proscription Law, in spite of the olive branch we have put forward and arrangement for their renunciation and eventual integration, but still want to go ahead with cult activities, I am sounding a clear note of warning that this government will not succumb to blackmail or propaganda.

    “This government will work with security agencies in this state to ensure that those who violate the laws of this state and country will be brought to book,” he said.

    He called for maximum cooperation from the security operatives, especially the Nigerian Navy, to achieve the administration’s policy of zero tolerance for violence and criminality.

    Governor Dickson described the establishment of the Central Naval Command in the state as strategic, considering its maritime nature. He said the navy had a crucial role to play in policing the waterways.

    While commending the former Flag Officer Commanding, Rear Admiral Olutoyin Johnson, for serving the state creditably, he assured his successor of government’s continuous support.

    The new FOC spoke of the determination of the Navy to combat oil theft and other criminal activities in line with the Federal Government’s mandate.

  • Suspected Islamist militants attack Niger prison

    Suspected Islamist militants attack Niger prison

    Gunmen have attacked the main prison in Niger’s capital, Niamey, killing at least two guards, officials say.

    They are thought to be members of the Islamist militant group, Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao).

    Officials said several inmates were overpowered and detained after what appeared to be an attempted breakout.

    The attack comes days after Mujao said it was behind suicide bombings at a military base and a French-operated uranium mine which killed 25 people.

    Another group affiliated with al-Qaeda, the Signed-in-Blood Battalion of Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar, later claimed that the assaults in Agadez and Arlit had been joint operations with Mujao.

    It also said the attacks were retaliation for Niger’s role in the French-led military offensive which drove Mujao and two other Islamist groups out of northern Mali earlier this year.

    ‘Wanted for terrorism’

    Residents said the gunmen launched the attack on the prison in Niamey at around 15:00 local time on Saturday.

    “We were sitting there when we saw these armed men start to shoot at the guards… I saw several of them fall and not get back up,” Ila Yaye, who lives near the prison, told the Reuters news agency

    Officials told the BBC the incident started when a prisoner grabbed a gun from a guard, and shot dead three guards and a civilian. The prisoner was believed to be a Sudanese member of Mujao.

    Members of the group stationed outside the prison then opened fire, the officials said. Some were reported to have entered the building.

    Nigerien gendarmes are reported to have later arrived at the prison to help the guards, who remained under fire for around 45 minutes. Police meanwhile blocked off roads leading to the facility.

    Later, Niger’s Justice Minister, Marou Amadou, said only two guards had been killed and another seriously wounded by four inmates.

    Mr Amadou said the inmates had been captured and the incident was being investigated.

    “There are two versions of what happened, and right now we think it’s more likely that they came from inside the jail,” he said.

    “These are people who are wanted for terrorism. We do not know how they were able to arm themselves inside the prison, and how they were able to get out to attack the guards.”

    Mr Amadou said it was too early to say which group was behind it.

    Mujao is a splinter group of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which formally announced its existence following the abduction of three aid workers in Algeria in October 2011.

    It says its objective is to spread jihad to West Africa rather than confine itself to the Sahel and Maghreb regions – the main focus of AQIM.

  • Militants escape with bodies of 12 JTF men

    •Ex-MEND leaders go into hidding

    Militants who killed 12 policemen in Azuzuama, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, escaped with their bodies, arms, ammunition and uniforms, The Nation learnt yesterday.

    None of the bodies of the policemen had been recovered by divers – as at press time last night.

    The Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, Kingsley Omire, said the slain policemen comprised two inspectors, four Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) and six constables. He did not name them.

    Omire said a search party had been sent to the scene. They include divers, who are expected to go under water to search for the bodies.

    The policemen were on escort duty from Yenagoa, the state capital, in a speed boat heading for Azuzuama for the burial of the mother of an ex-militant leader, Kile Torughedi, aka Young Shall Grow, who is also a Special Assistant to Bayelsa Governor on Maritime Security.

    The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) claimed responsibility for the killing of the policemen. It had earlier threatened to resume hostilities and sustained attacks, codenamed: “Hurricane Exodus” as a result of the 24-year jail term slammed on one of its leaders, Henry Okah, in a South African court on March 26.

    Okah was sentenced for his involvement in the October 1, 2010 twin bomb blasts at the Eagle Square, Abuja during Nigeria’s golden independence anniversary. Twelve persons died in the incident.

    The militant group declared that its fighters killed the policemen, because the Joint Task Force (JTF) dismissed its Hurricane Exodus as an empty threat.

    Some former leaders of the MEND in Delta and Bayelsa states have gone into hiding, following the controversy surrounding the killing of the policemen.

    Renowned MEND commanders, such as Mr. Victor Ebi (aka Boyloaf) and Paul Eris (Ogun Boss), have stayed away from public glare since the weekend incident.

    Those who venture out do so with more civilian and police escorts.

    A top source at the Joint Task Force, “Operation Pulo Shield”, the special security outfit in the area, told our reporter that at least one of the former ex-warlords made “an informal appeal for inclusion of soldiers in his security guards” after the incident.

    Former militant leaders, under the auspices of Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative (LPCDI), have condemned the killing, describing it as an attempt to rubbish the amnesty programme.

    The group’s leader, Wilson Reuben (aka Pastor Reuben), also debunked Jomo Gbomo’s claim, saying: “We that are freedom fighters in Bayelsa are saddened that such incident happened in Bayelsa State. We want to state that the purported MEND claim is false.

    “MEND is not involved and the Amnesty Office is not involved. This is pure misunderstanding between a leader and his boys. While conceding that there are cases of deductions from the monthly stipends of the former armed youths, Pastor Reuben blamed the development on the Federal Government’s refusal to implement the terms of the amnesty deal to the letter.

    “Nevertheless, our independent investigations revealed that leaders of the Henry Okah-faction of MEND instigated the attack, using aggrieved former militants.

    “There is no doubt that there is disharmony in the rank and file of the amnesty beneficiaries in Bayelsa State. Those who are entrusted with the windfall from the struggle are buying cars and building houses and this has left many of their former ‘boys’ disillusioned.”

     

  • Militants storm Afghan court as Talibans stand trial

    Militants storm Afghan court as Talibans stand trial

    Five militants stormed a court in Afghanistan on Wednesday where Taliban insurgents were standing trial, killing seven people and wounding 75, officials said.

    At least one of the attackers blew himself up and a gun battle between Afghan security forces and an insurgent holed up inside the court was going on in the capital of the western province of Farah, near the Iranian border, said provincial

    deputy governor Mohammad Younis Rasouli.

    “They stormed the court as a trial was being held to convict 10 Taliban fighters,’’ he told Reuters, adding that four

    civilians and three members of the security forces were killed.

    The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a text message to media, spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said, adding that the insurgents standing trial had been freed in the attack.

    Concerns are growing over how the 352,000-strong Afghan security forces will manage once NATO-led combat troops withdraw by the end of next year.

  • 20 militants surrender arms in Akwa Ibom

    20 militants surrender arms in Akwa Ibom

    Twenty militants in Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State have surrendered arms to the Federal Government’s Inter-Agency Task Force on Militancy.

    The leader of the Task Force, Air- Vice Marshall Jim Gbum, spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Eket yesterday.

    AVM Gbum said the committee received the militants at the Ibeno Jetty.

    He listed the arms surrendered as six browning machine guns, rocket launchers and AK-47 rifles.

    The chairman said the militants responded to the Federal Government’s second phase of the amnesty programme.

    He alleged that the group had been responsible for crimes in the high sea between Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.

    The state Chairman of Artisan Fishermen Association of Nigeria, Samuel Ayadi, has praised the Federal Government for extending the programme to those who did not embrace its first phase.

    He said the group’s action would bring peace to the state’s waterways.

    The disarmament record and documentation of the ex-militants would be done today at the stadium in Eket.

  • North’s governors urge militants to lay down arms

    North’s governors urge militants to lay down arms

    The Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF), in a statement by its chairman, Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, said it was worried about “senseless killing of innocent citizens” in the North.

    The statement, signed by Aliyu’s Chief Press Secretary, Danladi Ndayebo, asked the terrorist groups to embrace dialogue.

    The statement said: “The Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) has appealed to terrorist groups in the country to give peace a chance, saying a situation where aggrieved individuals take laws into their hands will not advance the course of peace.

    “The chairman of the forum and Governor of Niger State said the senseless killing of innocent citizens from Thursday last week through the weekend in various parts of the North negated all efforts to restore peace to the region.

    “The forum expressed serious concern at the renewed attacks on citizens, beginning from a fire incident caused by bomb blast at Gamboru Market in Borno State on Thursday, as well as the killing of 10 people at Kogom Village in Plateau State on the same day.

    “The forum said it was equally alarmed at the killing of five young men playing card game in Gombe town on Friday and the killing of another five persons and burning of houses when Hausas and Jikuns reportedly engaged themselves in a bloody combat in Wukari, Taraba State on Saturday.

    “The forum said it is saddened by the news on Sunday of the death of five persons in Zangon Kataf Local Government of Kaduna State which took a violent pattern like the ones before it.

    “It decried the rising wave of murders of innocent Nigerians and increasing propensity of citizens to resort to violence to settle their differences.

    “The forum said the surest way to resolve differences is through dialogue and therefore challenged those with grievances in all parts of the country to follow the path of dialogue instead of violence.

    “The forum commiserated with the families of those killed or injured during the blast and called on all security agencies to double their efforts in the discharge of their responsibilities of protecting the lives and property of the citizens.

    “It said Northern Governors were working closely with the federal government to ensure that normalcy returns to the region.”

     

  • Two dead as militants attack Navy in Onitsha

    Two people were killed yesterday when suspected militants attacked a Naval outpost in Atani, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.

    The outpost is located on the outskirts of Onitsha.

    The Commanding Officer, Onitsha Naval Outpost, Navy Capt A. Ahmed, confirmed the attack yesterday when he addressed reporters in the commercial town.

    He said the hoodlums had been abducting residents and engaging in other criminal activities.

    The Naval officer said his men overpowered the militants as they advanced towards the base to disarm his men and take over the base.

    Ahmed said some of the militants were arrested while the others fled into nearby bushes.

    He said the Navy would sack the hoodlums from Onitsha, especially during and after the Yuletide.

    The Naval officer urged the residents to give useful information on the various camps of the hoodlums.

    Ahmed said the items recovered from the suspects included cutlasses, various weapons, charms and two bags containing substances suspected to Indian hemp and cocaine.

    Those arrested have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID) in Awka for further investigation.

    The Nation learnt that the Naval officers were on a routine check following a distress call from the police at Zone 9, Umuahia, that a suspect had evaded arrest.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, said the policemen trailed the suspect, who was identified simply as Mmeso, to the area.

    Mmeso had allegedly committed various crimes.

    The police reportedly raised the alarm when the suspect was fleeing.

    The source said: “Policemen from Zone 9 stormed this area at 5am and cordoned it off in search of a suspect, whose name was given as Mmeso. He allegedly resisted arrest. With his gang members, he drove towards the Naval checkpoint. But the policemen raised the alarm. When the Naval officers got the information and saw a vehicle, a Volkswagen Golf car, they stopped the car.

    “It was at that point the policemen arrived and identified Mmeso as the suspect they wanted to arrest. They presented a warrant and arrested him.

    “Unknown to the Naval officers, the fleeing hoodlums had regrouped. They emerged with full force to attack the Naval outpost. They started pulling down the Naval checkpoints.”