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Tag: Attack

  • Maiduguri: Troops repel invasion, attack by Boko Haram insurgents

    The Nigerian army has confirmed that its officers on Thursday successfully repelled a planned attack by the Boko Haram insurgents on Maiduguri following their failed invasion of the town.

    Recall that there was an attack on Thursday night with sporadic gunshots fired into the air.

    The head of the Nigerian Army’s operations in the North-east, Rogers Nicholas, later released a statement confirming that the attack had been repelled.

    “The troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE are currently in pursuit of the Boko Haram Terrorists and have dominated the area while also patrolling the general area of Jidari,” he said.

    Read the army’s full statement below:

    Troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE have in the late hours of today, Thursday 26 April 2018 successfully repelled Boko Haram Terrorist incursion in the outskirt of Jidari Polo area of Maiduguri.

    Troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE with the support of the Air Task Force, Nigerian Police Force, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies including the Civilian Joint Task Force quickly mobilised to the area and cleared the terrorists incursion.

    The troops of Operation LAFIYA DOLE are currently in pursuit of the Boko Haram Terrorists and have dominated the area while also patrolling the general area of Jidari.

    Therefore, the general public and residents of the area that have earlier flee are enjoined to return to their residence. They are further encourage to report any suspicious persons to security agencies currently patrolling the area.

    Major General ROGERS NICHOLAS

    Theatre Command Operation LAFIYA DOLE

  • Gunmen attack on Kogi community spreads, death toll now 16

    The violence unleashed on Kpanche community in Bassa Local Government of Kogi State in the early hours of Sunday has spread to two other communities with death toll jumping from10 to 16.

    The traditional ruler of Mozum community in the area, Alhaji Khalid Bukar told newsmen in Lokoja that the violence has spread, by Sunday afternoon, to Ozugbe and Biroko, two villages under his domain.

    He said that a number of houses in both villages were completely razed by unknown hoodlums while five persons were shot dead.

    The ruler said that one person, he simply identified as Musa, was also missing.

    He said that those killed included the Madaki of Biroko, Alhaji Mohammed Umar and four of his subjects.

    Bukar said that so many houses including that of the late Madaki were also razed by the invaders.

    The traditional ruler said that he immediately informed security agents of the development but said that the damage was already done before their arrival.

    Also the police, in an update on the incident, said that six of the bandits that invaded Kpanche earlier in the day were killed and not five as earlier announced.

    The state police command’s spokesman, ASP William Aya said in a statement that 15 houses were also burnt down in Kpanche.

    He said upon receiving distress calls from residents, mobile policemen and soldiers were promptly dispatched to restore peace and order.

    “ On sighting the security personnel, they opened fire at them, but were vehemently resisted by the fire power of the security personnel where six of the attackers were killed,” he said.

    However, the release was silent on the attacks and killings at Ozugbe and Biroko communities.

    Aya said the Commissioner of police, Mr Ali Janga has ordered a thorough investigation into the unfortunate incidents.

    “ He vowed to prosecute anyone linked to the attacks no matter highly placed so as to serve as a deterrent to others.”

    Janga urged the affected residents of the affected community to remain calm as the security agencies are determined to ensure adequate security of lives and property in the state.

     

  • Senate Invasion: Labour condemns attack; says democracy at risk

    Senate Invasion: Labour condemns attack; says democracy at risk

    A NEC Member of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Issa Aremu has condemned the invasion of the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly and disruption of the Senate plenary by unknown persons on Wednesday, April 18, 2018.

    Comrade Aremu said “an injury to the National Assembly is an injury to the nation’s democracy” adding that the “Federal government probe of the invasion should be prompt and conclusive with the objective of prevention of future acts”.

    The labour leader said the unfortunate senate event was a rude awakening to all for good governance with respect to security of lives and property as contained in 1999 constitution. Comrade Aremu said what the Senate just witnessed had been “the routine lots of many defenseless Nigerians” who are daily physically assaulted by criminals in homes, on the roads and in their communities.

    Comrade Aremu said while nothing could justify thuggery at the Senate, the leadership of the National Assembly must also stop criminalizing dissenting views of democratically elected members. “The serial suspension of any members of the hallowed Chambers who hold contrary views amounts to legislative dictatorship which is also unacceptable in a democracy” he observed. Democracy is about cooperation as much as contestation and the National Assembly is the true symbol of both, he said.

    Thugs suspected to be loyal to the suspended Senator representing Delta Central Senatorial district, Ovie Omo-Agege have invaded the red chambers and forcefully taken away the mace. They broke into the chambers when plenary was going on, thereby creating serious confusion and tension.

    The Senate plenary was disrupted after suspected thugs invaded the chamber and made away with the mace. Aremu said the mass condemnation of the Senate invasion shows “there is a national consensus that democracy despite some of its shortcomings remains the best form of good governance and development for Nigeria.”

  • Reps condemn attack on Senate, says NASS won’t be intimidated

    Sequel to Wednesday’s attack on the Senate and subsequent hijacking of the mace, the House of Representatives has called for a total overhaul of the National Assembly security system.

    The lawmakers condemned the porosity of the National Assembly complex where adequate security was said to be grossly lacking.

    While reiterating their solidarity, the lawmakers, however, vow that they won’t be intimidated by the attack.

    The call followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance by the House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, who described the invasion of the Senate by hoodlums as attack on the highest arm of the institution.

    He said: “In every democracy, the mace is vital to the parliament. We don’t know the facts yet, though it has started to unravel.

    “What we do know is that thugs came into the floor of the Senate while members are sitting, picked up the mace and took off with it into a waiting car in front of the White House.

    “How this happened is a cause for concern because it is easier for the camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for anybody to walk into the chamber and pick up the mace.

    “It is sad that on this day we have visiting parliamentarians from the Gambia and we have to apologise to them because they should not leave with a bad taste in their mouth.

    “So, we have to join the Senate in solidarity because as it is now, we are sitting ducks and we will be forever if something is not done on the matter.

    “This moment should be used for what we should have done long ago. This place is porous. Things we should not see are happening everywhere. You see people hawking, some selling clothes and suya. How did they get in?

    “There is a need to discuss how to beef up the security at the National Assembly.

    “This attack is sacrilegious and could have been worse. This is akin to a terrorist attack but we will not be intimidated.

    “This attack is meant to stop us from performing our job but we will sit and do our job.”

  • Presidential visit: Herdsmen kill 11, burn 50 houses in fresh attacks in Plateau

    There was pandemonium again in Plateau State on Friday as herdsmen invade two separate villages killing eleven people with over 50 houses burnt.

    Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari was in the state on a working visit from Wednesday to Friday.

    He had barely left the state on Friday when the attacks were launched on Ganda village of Daffo District in Bokkos Local Government Area and Miango village in Bassa Local Government Area. The communities were attacked few hours after the inauguration of Plateau State Peace Building Agency by the President, who was in Jos, the state capital, on a working visit.

    The Spokesperson for the Miango Youth Development Association, Lawrence Zongo, identified the five persons killed in Miango as Emmanuel Joseph (16), Christopher Joseph (16), Peace Joseph (6), Henry Audu (25), Illa Isa Peter (52). Three of them were siblings, out of which two of them were a set of twins.

    He added that Cenka Amos, four, who he said was seriously injured, was receiving treatment at Enos Hospital, Miango.

    He said, “What happened to us is very bad, (it happened) despite the presence of President Muhammadu Buhari. The state government has been preaching peace but Plateau State went up in flames. Five persons, including a set of twins (Emmanuel Joseph and Christopher Joseph) and their brother, Peace Joseph, were killed.

    “We have been devastated and shocked. Despite all the peace meetings with the Fulani people, the assailants keep killing our innocent people without provocation. It is sad that the military cannot arrest the Fulani persons behind the killings. The government has failed in protecting lives and property of citizens. Our demand is that the perpetrators should be arrested and prosecuted.”

    The National President of Irigwe Development Association and a former member of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Sunday Abdu, also confirmed the casualty figure of the Bassa attack, while the Spokesperson for Bokkos Local Government Area, Jerry Datim, confirmed that of Ganda.

    Abdu said, “Yes, it is true that five people were killed in Miango by Fulani herdsmen in an attack which took place on Thursday night and lasted till the early part of Friday. Others were wounded in the unprovoked attack. The bodies of the five slaughtered people have been deposited at the hospital morgue. We are no longer in a hurry to bury our dead. Whenever we are going to bury them, we will let you people know.

    “The Fulani herdsmen are killing us but they are the ones crying. What kind of pretence is that? I still appeal to the security personnel not to relent, but to step up vigilance and surveillance to stop this pogrom and unwarranted carnage.”

    Datim said that “over 50 houses were burnt, six persons killed at Ganda, while several persons were also injured and rushed to the hospital.”

    A lucky survivor, Matawal Mangut, who lost five brothers to the attackers in Ganda, lamented that their house was burnt completely and that everything they ever worked for was gone.

    He called for “assistance from the federal and state governments” to help protect them from the persistent Fulani herders’ attacks in the area.

    When contacted, the Spokesperson for Plateau State Police Command, Matthias Tyopev, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, confirmed the killings, describing it as “culpable homicide and grievous hurt.”

    Tyopev also gave the names of some of the deceased persons but some of the details were different from the information provided by Zongo.

    He said, “Yesterday (Thursday), March 8, 2018, at about 8 pm, some unknown gunmen attacked and killed four Irigwe people at Datanko village and one Fulani Christian at Nzharuvo village in Miango District. The deceased persons were identified as Emmanuel Joseph (male, 16 years), Christopher Joseph (male, 16 years), Peace Joseph (male, six years), Henry Audu (male, 25 years) and Samuel Isah (male, 48 years).

    “Meanwhile, Samuel Isah has been buried, while four other corpses have been deposited at the Jos University Teaching Hospital’s mortuary. Chenka Amos, four, is still lying unconscious at Enos Private Hospital, Miango. The investigation is in progress; intensive patrol is being sustained.”

    The Chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (Plateau State), Mohammadu Nuru Abdullah, had on Wednesday alleged that there was a fresh attack on his kinsmen, which claimed three lives.

    Abdullah, had in a statement, said he was “overwhelmingly shocked” that the Irigwe militias, in an effort to accomplish their mission of terrorising Fulani herdsmen in Bassa Local Government Area, had on Monday, April 5, 2018, again attacked Fulani cattle herders and mercilessly killed three persons without any provocation.

    He had identified the persons as Abubakar Shehu, Abubakar Gidado and Ishaq Yusuf.

    “It is also disturbing that the Irigwe community would always trespass into other neighbouring local government areas, launch their attacks and kill our people for no reason.”

    He had said, “On the same Monday when three of our kinsmen were killed, the same militias attacked and killed a total of 38 cows; 20 of the cows belonged to Wada Alh Audu, while 18 belonged to Umaru Ibrahim.

    “The Irigwe militias usually cross into Riyom, Jos South and part of Southern Kaduna to strike. In this particular incident, they operated from Rukwechungu village of Miango district in Bassa Local Government Area into Gero village of Gyel district in Jos South Local Government Area.

    “They also beat up and wounded Haruna Zakariya, who is now receiving treatment in a clinic at Rafin Bauna. It is on record that this militia group has been unleashing terror on our innocent cattle herders in the area.”

     

  • Assailants kill 7, wound 50 in Burkina Faso attack

    Assailants killed five people and wounded around 50 others during an attack on Burkina Faso’s military headquarters in the capital Ouagadougou on Friday, said government spokesman Remi Dandjinou.

    Speaking on state television, he said that two paramilitary gendarmes were also killed defending the French embassy, which also came under attack.

    Authorities said armed assailants attacked several targets in Burkina Faso’s capital, including the army headquarters and the French embassy, in a coordinated assault that France’s ambassador to the West African region called a terrorist attack.

    It was the third major attack in Ouagadougou in just over two years.

    There was no immediate claim of responsibility but previous attacks were conducted by allies of al Qaeda in reprisal for Burkina Faso’s participation in a regional fight against Islamist militants.

    A government statement said four gunmen were“neutralised” at the French embassy, adding that operations were continuing and there was no immediate information on civilian casualties.

    The defence minister said three assailants were killed at the army headquarters.

    Witnesses said masked gunmen attacked the downtown army headquarters at around 10 a.m. (1000 GMT).

    “I saw people with sacks on their backs attack the guard. Then I heard the explosion.

    “I saw soldiers flee the army headquarters building running,” witness Kader Sanou told Reuters.

    The explosion rocked the compound, setting the building on fire and sending up a thick column of black smoke.

    Panicked residents fled the city centre on foot or motorbikes as dozens of Burkina Faso special forces and armoured vehicles took up positions in the area.

    A Reuters reporter saw an ambulance entering the army compound.

    “Burkinabe security forces are mobilized against the attackers with the support of security forces at our embassy,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in a statement.

    The French targets attacked are symbolic given that French President Emmanuel Macron chose to outline his Africa strategy, including the fight against militants, in November in Ouagadougou.

    France’s ambassador to Burkina Faso Xavier Cabanes confirmed to Reuters that the embassy compound, around two km from the army headquarters, also came under attack but gave no further details.

    The embassy initially said on its Facebook page that an attack was underway at the embassy as well as Ouagadougou’s French cultural institute.

    However it later amended the message to say it was“not clear at this stage which sites are targeted”.

    France’s embassy and cultural institute in Ouagadougou are no longer in danger, an aide to Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian said.

    Police took up positions near the offices of the prime minister where gunfire was also reported.

    French President Emmanuel Macron was being kept up to date with events in Ouagadougou, the Elysee Palace said in a statement.

    A Reuters reporter said gunfire had largely ceased by noon.

    Jean-Marc Châtaigner, France’s ambassador to West Africa’s Sahel region, tweeted:“Terrorist attack this morning in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso: solidarity with colleagues and Burkinabe friends.” He urged people to avoid the city centre.

    Islamist militants have stepped up attacks in major cities in West Africa the last few years, including deadly assaults in Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast and Niger.

    Suspected jihadists killed at least 18 people in August 2017 during a raid on a restaurant in Ouagadougou, and militants have targeted Burkinabe security forces along its remote northern border region with Mali.

    Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for an attack on a restaurant and hotel in Ouagadougou in January 2016 in which 30 people were killed.

    Five countries, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Mali and Mauritania, launched a new task force in 2017 to tackle Islamist militants in the arid Sahel region, to which international donors have committed half a billion dollars.

     

  • Rann: U.S. condemns Boko Haram attack, condoles with Nigeria

    The United States Government has condemned the killing of UN aid workers in a Boko Haram attack on Rann, Borno State.

    Recall that the attack occurred late on Thursday.

    In a statement posted on the website of its embassy, the U.S. said it “strongly condemns the killing of three Nigerian aid workers in a Boko Haram attack on a military installation in Rann, Borno State.”

    “We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and to every family whose loved ones have been affected by this and other terrorist acts. We voice our heartfelt solidarity with all those humanitarian workers who work every day to help Nigerians affected by the ongoing insurgency, and also with all those security forces and Nigerian citizens working together to end this terrorist violence.

    “The United States remains firmly committed to ensuring humanitarian workers are protected and able to do their lifesaving work and to supporting Nigerians as they bravely work to ensure their nation’s security.”

  • Parents storm Yobe school, evacuate students over Boko Haram attack

    Parents of the students of Government Girls Secondary School, Dapchi, Yobe state, have started evacuating their children.

    This is as a result of the attack on the school by Boko Haram.

    Ninety-four students have been reportedly missing after the raid which happened on Monday night.

    Out of fear, parents started arriving the school as early as 7am on Tuesday, according to The Cable.

    Babagana Gujba, a parent, said he decided to take away his daughter because of her safety.

    “I can not risk my daughter for anybody. She will not return to this school until adequate security measures are put in place,” Gujba told TheCable.

    Muhammad Ismaila, an official of the college, said most students and teachers fled to nearby communities.

    He, however, said he could not confirm if some girls were abducted.

    “Some of our students ran as far as 15- 25 kilometers. We have 1,000 students in this school. As I speak to you, some have returned,” Ismaila said.

    “Efforts are in place to locate those that are still at large. We are not certain whether any of the girls were abducted or not. The state government has closed the school for one week because of the incident.”

    Aisha Kachalla, one of the students who fled, narrated the incident to TheCable.

    “Immediately we started hearing sporadic gunshots, we realised that all was not well. We did not wait for anyone to tell us what was going on before taking to our heels,” Kachalla said.

    “I can’t remain in this school, I just want to go home. I am scared.”

    The attack on the school happened a few days after the army placed a N3 million bounty on Abubakar Shekau, leader of the insurgent group.

     

  • BREAKING: Boko Haram attacks UNIMAID

    Barely over two weeks after the Boko Haram terrorists released three lecturers of the University of Maiduguri, UNIMAID, they abducted, the terrorist group has again attacked the university.

    Reports said a suicide bomber of the terrorist group, around 7:50pm on Monday, detonated an explosive close to one of the hostels in the university.

    The three lecturers earlier released by Boko Haram were kidnapped while searching for oil in July last year.

    Their exploration team was ambushed by Boko Haram in an attack that killed at least 69 people, one of the bloodiest assaults of 2017.

    But, after their release, the terrorist group has struck the school again.

    Details soon…

  • 11 killed in fresh Benue attack

    11 killed in fresh Benue attack

    Suspected herdsmen on yesterday killed 11 persons in a fresh attack on Tombu village in Logo Local Government Area of Benue State.

    The state governor, Mr Samuel Ortom, confirmed the renewed killings shortly after an emergency meeting with the joint socio-cultural groups in the state.

    “Two days back, four persons were killed in Guma Local Government, and this has continued,” he said.

    Governor Ortom commended the heavy presence of the police as well as the military in the state in a bid to prevent a reoccurrence of such incident.

    He, however, lamented that more than 40,000 people have been displaced for fear of unprovoked attacks.

    “We appreciate the fact that now we have the massive presence of the police, we have an additional deployment of the military.

    “They are on ground and deployment is being done; we are also providing logistics to ensure that these do not continue. As at now, over 40,000 people have been displaced and we are still counting.”

    Meanwhile, the police are yet to confirm the attack.

    Socio-cultural groups in Benue have also challenged the leadership of the Nigeria Police to visit Tombu village to be sure that the series of attacks carried out in the state were beyond communal crises as claimed.

    Spokespersons for the group and President General of Mzough U-Tiv, Mr Edward Ujege, called on the United Nations and the international community to come to the rescue of Benue indigenes.

    “Benue people are law-abiding and have remained so even in the face of frequent armed provoked attack by the herdsmen.

    “We want any assistance from anywhere in the world to avert the killings in Benue State. And we are calling on the United Nations, United States, European Union, African Union, and any other person to come to our aids,” Ujege said.

    Tombu village was attacked barely 24 hours after the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, met with President Muhammadu Buhari over the killings in Benue, Rivers and other parts of the country.

    Mr Idris had told State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa in Abuja that the police were working hard to address the issues.

    He attributed the crises to communal misunderstanding in the affected communities and maintained that “Nigeria is well secured”.