CRIME
Bandits Defy Air Strikes, Kill Seven in Niger
From Dan Amasingha, Minna
There was palpable tension in Niger East senatorial district on Tuesday as Armed bandits continued their killing spree in defiance to air strikes launched by the Military against them.
The attacks continued as the Federal and state government authorities concentrated efforts on battling the spread of the dreaded coronavirus.
DAILY ASSET at Munya, Rafi, Shiroro and part of Paikoro Local Government Areas of the state, the criminal elements killed not less than Seven persons in the last 48 hours.
The attacks came at a time the Nigeria Airforce jets have been carrying out bombardment of the bandits and cattle rustlers in the area.
A security source, who prefers to remain unanimous confided in DAILY ASSET on Tuesday that, the Nigeria Army had also deployed infantry soldiers to the troubled enclave to flush out the bandits once and for all despite operational difficulties.
However, despite the security measures put in place, the bandits have been running riot in the area since Sunday, the April 19 and Monday evening, where no fewer than Seven persons were gunned down, cattle herds were rustled and properties worth millions of Naira carted away.
An eye witness disclosed to DAILU ASSET that two people were killed in Rafi local government Area on Sunday night, while another five lost their lives to the rampaging bandits in the Niger East senatorial district of the state.
“The most horrifying thing about what is happening is that, the bandits are now so bold that they attack villages in broad day light and some times send advance messages to their would be victims unchallenged,” the sourced said.
The first incident according to the source from the area was when some bandits numbering about 50 stormed the area on motorbikes and started shooting randomly on the defenceless villagers before kidnapping some and dipossessing others of their valuables before fleeing the village.
In the second incident, it was gathered that men of the local vigilante, who are the only reliable security presence in the area, were angered by the first attack and killings, and therefore, decided to assemble themselves to counterattack the bandits.
The vigilantes who are ill equipped, decided to lay ambush for the bandits but an informant leaked the plan to the invaders who attacked them from behind killing five of them on the spot.
After killing the vigilantes, the bandits had a field day in the community as they looted shops and rustled not less than 100 cattle.
This latest attack is coming barely one week after three people were killed and six others abducted by armed bandits in manta and Jiko communities in Shiroro local government area of the state.
As at the time of filling this report, over 1,000 villagers, mostly women and children were displaced from their homes in and were taking refuge in primary schools in Minna, the state capital.
“We are now living in fear because there is no one to come to our rescue, we cannot sleep in the night, in the day time we are also being attacked,” one of the villagers told our correspondent on phone.
He said the security personnel mobilized to the areas are only stationed at the local government headquarters in Kagara, while the Bandits are in the villages unleashing terror on the people.
He appealed to the government to come to their aid by giving specific instructions to the security operatives on what to do to stop this “killings and stealing”.
Confirming the development, the Director General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmed Inga said government has deployed additional security operatives to the areas, saying that the security agents were on top of the situation.
Inga also commiserated with those that lost loved ones, assuring that relief materials will be sent to those displaced without delay.
Chairman of the Rafi local government, Alhaji Ismaila Musa Modibo, who also confirmed the story said a report has been made to the appropriate quarters about the worsening security situation in the local government area.
According to the Chairman, the council was overwhelmed by the incessant attacks on communities in the area by the bandits, stressing that “the people can no longer sleep with eyes closed any longer.”
“Apart from lose of of innocent lives almost on daily basis, the people have lost everything to the bandits. I can tell you that the situation is better imagined than experienced, the entire local government is under siege despite the presence of security personnel”.
The Police Command in Oyo State has arrested 11 suspects over alleged cultism, armed robbery and unlawful possession of firearms in various locations within the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Olayinka Ayanlade disclosed this to newsmen while parading the suspects at the Command’s headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan on Monday.
Ayanlade said the exhibits recovered from the suspects were five guns—including a revolver pistol, a Beretta pistol, a pump-action gun, and a locally made cut-to-size pistol—along with four cutlasses.
He said that the arrest formed part of the ongoing investigations and operation of the Command in ridding Oyo State of crime and criminal activities, especially violent crime.
He disclosed that one of the arrested suspects was a very bright physics student of an institution in the state, who had won several awards, but turned out to be the leader of a cult group, Eiye confraternity.
The PPRO said that the student was arrested together with his colleagues in possession of a firearm, a cutlass, and ammunition.
He added that other arrested suspects were a syndicate who specialised in robbing unsuspecting Nigerians of their possessions, especially phones, in different locations within Ibadan and its environs.
He said the leader of the suspected armed robbers had earlier been arrested, prosecuted and currently in a correctional facility.
Ayanlade said that the suspected armed robbers were arrested as a result of painstaking intelligence gathering with the support and collaboration of members of the public.
He said that the suspects were arrested in their various hideouts by operatives of the command monitoring unit.
One of the armed robbery suspects, a 35-year-old, told journalists that his gang operated with cutlasses to instill fear in their victims before snatching their mobile phones.
The suspect said that the gang had snatched a total of 10 expensive phones, which were eventually sold for between N40,000 and N50,000.
Also speaking in an interview, the suspected cultist student said he was initiated as the leader of the group a year ago after graduating from an institution in Apata area of Ibadan.
The suspect said that he could not really say what pushed him into joining the cult group. (NAN)
The 51-year-old comedian and actor is facing several charges of rape and sexual assault against six women, which are alleged to have occurred between 1999 and 2009.
The trial at Southwark Crown Court, which could last up to 10 weeks, is expected to begin with the process of jury selection on Monday morning.
Brand pleaded not guilty to the charges during pre-trial hearings.
The comedian and actor arrived at court wearing a navy suit and sunglasses, accompanied by his wife Laura.
There was a large media presence at the court for the start of the trial, which is expected to last up to 10 weeks.
He has been charged with three counts of rape, three charges of sexual assault and one allegation of indecent assault.
He rose to fame as a stand-up comedian and became a household name as host of TV shows such as Big Brother’s Big Mouth, and with his own radio programmes on stations.
Brand went on to establish a Hollywood career, starring in films including Forgetting Sarah Marshall and getting him to the Greek. In recent years, he has turned to podcasting.
From Wins Charity, Owerri
A woman, Peace Jonah has been granted N500, 000 bail by a chief Magistrate in Imo State, C.J Nkwoada after she was arraigned by the police in the state.
The suspect was arraigned on Friday by the police on one count charge bordering on inflicting grievous harm on a 14 year old girl, Chilaka Osinachi.
The operatives of the State Criminal Investigations Department in Owerri had in August arrested Jonah following a petition written against her by a human rights organization, Sand For Humanity Foundation.
Arraigning the suspect, the police prosecutor, Sampson Obodo, told the court that the woman used boiled water to batter the minor’s breasts and other parts of her body.
Obodo told the court that the suspect’s action was illegal as punishable under section 355 of the criminal code Cap C38 laws of the country and prayed the court to remind her in prison while Counsel to the woman, Innocent Onyekwere, asked the court to release the woman on bail,
In his ruling, the Magistrate granted the suspect N500, 000 bail, deposition of recent passport photographs and verification of the house address of her surety.
The charge sheet read ” that you Peace Jonah on the 21 day of August, 2026, at Umuamadi Nguru Mbaise, triable in the Ngor Okpala Magisterial district did unlawfully assault one Chilaka Osinachi by pouring on her hot water on her belly and her breasts which caused her grievous harm and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 355 of the criminal code Cap C38 laws of the federation of Nigeria 2004 as applicable in Imo State of Nigeria.”
The president of the human rights organization, Chidiebube Okeoma, which initiated the arrest of the woman, disclosed in a statement in Owerri on Sunday that the organization was seriously fighting all forms of child abuse in the state.
Okeoma, a child rights advocate, said that using boiled water to batter a girl child was a criminal offense.
Saying that bail is not exoneration of crime, Okeoma said that his organization would pursue the court proceedings to its logical conclusion so as to serve as a deterrent to others who abuse children.
Okeoma disclosed that Stand For Humanity Foundation got wind of the abuse on the minor through its whistleblowing policy, urging members of the public to keep reporting abuses on children to the organization
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