REWARDING CRIMINALS !! Nigeria’s north west governors want to negotiate with bandits

 

Governors in Nigeria’s north west are considering reconciliation with bandits to end the security challenges facing the region.

The suggestion was made by Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, during a visit to his counterpart in Zamfara, Bello Matawalle.

It comes amid reports that Al Qaeda and ISIS elements are operating in the region.

Banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling in Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto States have taken a disturbing dimension in recent times.

Governor Matawalle first experimented with it and he said it was yielding positive results.

The Katsina governor Aminu Masari also tried a policy of rapprochement with the bandits and kidnapper, but the results have been mixed.

Killings and kidnapping have continued in the state.

In Kaduna, one of the major challenges, is the incessant killings in southern Kaduna and clashes between the sedentary population and peripatetic herdsmen.

On Thursday, the Northern Governors Forum condemned yet another attack on Wednesday, in which about 22 persons were reportedly killed.

Chairman of the Forum, Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau via a statement issued by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr Makut Macham, described the attack as unfortunate.

He expressed concern that the yet to be arrested gunmen, attacked four Atyap villages in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

Lalong expressed worry that the attacks on the villages were persistent in spite all efforts by the Kaduna State Government and security agencies to end the violence.

He said the attacks in the villages showed the desperate attempt by criminal elements to not only cause pain and sorrow among innocent citizens, but also frustrate the efforts of the Kaduna State Government at fostering peace and harmony.

“We are deeply saddened by this cycle of violence and blood-letting that is carried out against unarmed and helpless people. This is reprehensible and regrettable.

” While we call on the security agencies to rise up to the occasion and apprehend these criminals, we also encourage the citizens to assist with relevant intelligence that will lead to the arrest of these blood thirsty people,” he said.

- PM NEWS

Gunmen kill couple, 2 others inside church, burn cars

 

Nigerian Police have begun a massive manhunt for unidentified gunmen, who stormed a church in the southern state of Bayelsa on Wednesday night, leaving a trail of blood and destruction.

The attackers, suspected to be cultists killed a couple and two worshippers in the church in Azikoro Village, near the capital of Yenagoa.

The rampaging hoodlums also burnt down the nearby house, church properties, cars and injured other worshippers before fleeing the scene of crime.

The motive was not clear. But two suspects have been arrested

But Bayelsa State Police Command said it has launched a manhunt for the gunmen as it also identified their victims.

They were Mr Gabriel Ejimofor 45 years old and his wife, 38 year-old wife Uchechukwu Ejimofor.

Also killed were Alfred Marcus, 30 years old and 25 year-old Imomotimi, whose surname is unknown.

In a press statement by SP Asinim Butswat,Police Public Relations Officer,PPRO of the
Bayelsa State Police Command said that Operatives of “Operation Puff Adder” had earlier traced the hideouts of the cultists in the bush, dislodged them and burnt their camp.

It was believed that this could be a reprisal attack by them.

The Commissioner of Police Mike Okoli visited the crime scene on Thursday.

He gave an assurance that his team would unravel the motive for dastardly attack.

- PM NEWS

How village head allegedly had sex with own daughter for four years in Ogun

 

Police have arrested a village head, Rasheed Sholabi, who is the Baale of Oose Agbedu Ajibawo, in Owode-Yewa area of Ogun State, for having unlawful carnal knowledge of his 15-year-old biological daughter (name withheld).

DAILY POST learnt that the Baale was arrested following a report by the daughter at Owode Egbado police station.

The Ogun State Police Image Maker, Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident to DAILY POST on Thursday.

According to Oyeyemi, the daughter had reported that her father had been having sex with her since when she was eleven years old.

The ugly incident has affected the daughter as she now finds it difficult to control her urinary system, it was said.

The victim reportedly told the police that she lost her mother when she was barely two years old, adding that the suspect did not allow her to know any relation of her late mother and she was left with no option, other than to continue staying with her father, who eventually used that opportunity to sexually abuse her from time to time.

“Upon the report, the DPO Owode-Egbado, SP Olabisi Elebute, quickly led her men to the place where the Baale was promptly arrested.

“On interrogation, he first denied the allegation, but when he was confronted by the victim and one of his ex-wives, who corroborated the victim’s statement, the suspect fainted and was taken to the hospital for resuscitation,” Oyeyemi disclosed.

He added that the ex-wife had informed the police that she caught the village head red-handed while having sex with his daughter, saying that was the reason she left him.

He informed that the victim has been taken to Stella Obasanjo Motherless Babies Home in Abeokuta for safety.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Edward A. Ajogun has ordered the transfer of the suspect to the anti-human trafficking and child labor unit of the State CIID for investigation and prosecution.

- DAILY POST

Women, children killed as gunmen raid Kaduna villages

 Thirty-three people, including women and children, have been killed in fresh attacks on five communities in Zangon Kataf local government area of Kaduna state.

The attack took place despite the 24 hour curfew imposed on the local government area by the Kaduna state government.

Following persistent attacks, the government had imposed curfew on Zangon Kataf, Kauru, Jama’a and Kaura LGAs.

Sources told TheCable that besides killings, the attackers also set many houses on fire.

A community leader, who did not want to be quoted, listed the affected villages as Apyiashyim, Atak’mawei, Kibori, Kurmin-Masara, and Magamiya, all in Atyap chiefdom.

He said the attackers, who stormed one of the villages around 11pm, operated unchallenged till 4am.

“Information available to me showed that a total of 33 people were killed. In Apyiashyim, six people were killed, in Atak’mawei, 12 people were killed, in Kibori, seven people were killed, in Kurmin-Masara, three people were killed and in Magamiya five people were killed,” the community leader said.

“They were on rampage, they went from village to village, unchallenged by the soldiers and policemen deployed to enforce the 24 hour curfew imposed on our communities about two months ago.

“They don’t obey the curfew, the curfew has emboldened them to invade our villages and kill people, the government must adopt a new strategy to stop the killings. This curfew is not working, it is causing serious pains.

“They are killing us with guns and at the same time hunger is killings us because we cannot go to our farms.

“Our farms are being destroyed. They graze on our farms and use cutlass to cut down the crops, it is a systematic plots to eliminate us. It is should be very obvious to anybody who is in doubt before that this is genocide.

“We are being being killed with guns and are dying of hunger because of the rigidly enforced curfew by the state government targeted at our people.”

Muhammad Jalinge, spokesman of the Kaduna police command, did not not respond to a text message sent to his phone, seeking reaction to the incident.

The Southern Kaduna Peoples Union has, however, condemned the latest killings.

In a statement on Thursday, Luka Binniyat, spokesman of the group, said “33 Atyap natives were killed under the rigidly imposed curfew by the Kaduna state government”.

He said communities in the area had been “shutdown with fierce armed military men patrolling and enforcing the 24 hours curfew” noting that “when the gunmen struck, they were not on ground.”

“Last night, (Wednesday) around 11pm, trucks loads of armed militia made their way through military check points under the curfew and stormed Apiashyim and Kibori village . They lay siege to Apyaishyim killing, looting and burning houses,” he said.

“In the wake of the cruelty, they left six people dead, and 20 houses burnt. In nearby Kibori village, 7 persons were killed by the marauding, pampered militia.

“Around 12am, they struck Atakmawei sleeping community and carried out another carnage after which 12 persons were killed and ten houses burnt. They also went to Apyiako and killed 3 person, and burnt homes, including the home of late Col. Bobai Ishaku among others.”

- THECABLE