A Member representing Giwa west constituency in the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Honourable Rilwanu Aminu Gagadau has been reportedly killed by gunmen suspected to be bandits.
Honourable Gadagau who is the Chairman of House Committee on Local Government was said to be among those recently attacked by the bandits along the Zaria-Kaduna highway leading to his death.
The Clerk, Kaduna State House of Assembly confirmed the development.
Details later …
No fewer than 10 people have been reportedly killed while scores of others sustained various degrees of injuries on Sunday evening when suspected bandits attacked Pinau town in Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State.
According to reports, the incident happened after the villagers had finished from their weekly community market.
A member of the community, Hamman Sale, who confirmed the development, said the suspected bandits were from Zamfara State.
The spokesperson of the Plateau State Police Command, Gabriel Ubah, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, who confirmed the incident, added that the Command was yet to get full details on the attack.
Details shortly…
Sheikh Ahmed Gumi has dismissed reports that his brother was kidnapped by bandits.
The controversial cleric in a statement signed on his behalf described the reports as mischievous, misleading and diversionary.
Gunmen suspected to be bandits have demanded over N1 million as levies from different communities in the Zurmi, Kaura Namoda and Birnin-Magaji local government areas of Zamfara State.
The communities are Birnin Tsaba, Gabaken Mesa, Gabaken Dan-Maliki, Turawa, Askawa and Yanbuki
A resident, Aliyu Abdul said the people of Askawa have paid N5 million for 18 abducted persons and to prevent further attacks on their community.
While noting that some communities are yet to raise the money before the December 11 deadline given by the gunmen, he said the situation has caused panic in the affected areas.
“Gabaken Mesa has paid N1 million, Gabaken Dan-Maliki N1 million and Birnin Tsaba N1 million, just to mention but few,” Aliyu said in an interview with Channels Television.
He explained that the Yanbuki community was told to pay N19 million but after negotiation, it was reduced to N10 million.
When asked whether the community has informed security agencies, he said: “No one is going to police to report, knowing full well that nothing will be done but to tell them to pay the money.
“I personally went to the military on Friday evening in Kaura Namoda to report the incident; I almost ended up fighting with one of the soldiers. I can categorically tell you nothing has been done, till now.”
Meanwhile, the Zamfara State Commissioner for Information, Ibrahim Dosara, confirmed the development.
He said the state government is aware of the levy imposed on these communities but assured that the government is working with the security agencies to ensure that the communities are secured.
“The said government is working with the security agencies to make sure that these communities are secured,” the commissioner said.
The Police Command in Kaduna State, says its operatives foiled bandits attack in Sabon Tasha in Chikun Local Government Area (LGA) of the state, in the early hours of Saturday, Dec. 11.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Mohammed Jalige, made the disclosure in a statement issued on Saturday in Kaduna.
Jalige said, “in the early hours of Dec. 11, at about 0105 hrs, the Kaduna Police Command, through Divisional Police Officer at Sabon Tasha Division, acted on a distress call received from a good Samaritan to the fact that some suspected bandits numbering about 30, were in the area.
According to him, the 30 bandits, with some in military gears and bearing dangerous weapons, were making ferocious effort to break into a residential area in an attempt to commit heinous crime.
“On receiving the distress call, operatives were immediately mobilized with the support of other security agents to the scene with a view to thwarting the intention of the bandits.
“The criminals, on sensing the presence of security agents, started shooting indiscriminately.
However, the operatives did not hesitate in returning fire and succeeded in foiling the attempt.
The criminals, frustrated by the Police and other security agents, set the residence on fire and fled.
“Unfortunately, it was discovered that the bandits operated simultaneously with another gang at oil village in the same Sabo Location where they kidnapped a woman and her four children to an unknown destination,” he said.
He explained that investigation into the two incidents has since commenced while effort is ongoing to facilitate safe rescue of the abducted victims.
The Command is deeply saddened by the setback but is doing everything possible to restore normalcy within the public space in line with the directive of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Baba Alkali.
Jalije urged citizens to promptly report suspicious situations and incidences as that will elicit a quick and positive response from the Command.
Bandits have killed one Pastor Dauda Bature who was in charge of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) parish in the Narayi area of Chikun Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State.
Bature, who was initially abducted by the armed men, was killed despite the payment of an unspecified amount of money to his captors as a ransom for his release.
Although police authorities in Kaduna have yet to react to the killing, a top member of the church confirmed the death of the clergyman on Saturday.
The source who does not want his identity disclosed explained that the bandits kidnapped Bature on November 8 while he was working on his farm.
His farm is said to be situated at a location not far from the Rigasa Train Station on the outskirts of the Kaduna metropolis.
According to the church member, the body of the pastor was found some days ago after his family had paid the ramson demanded by his abductors.
In a related development, bandits invaded Oil village in Chikun LGA where they forcefully took away a woman and her four children to an unknown location.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Kaduna, Muhammed Jalige, who confirmed the incident in a statement, revealed that the assailants carried out simultaneous attacks on a residential area at Sabo GRA in the LGA.
“In the early hours of 11th December 2021 at about 0105hrs, the Kaduna Police Command through Divisional Police Officer Sabon Tasha Division Kaduna acted on a distress call received from a good Samaritan to the fact that some suspected armed bandits numbering about 30 with some in military gears and bearing dangerous weapons, were making ferocious effort to break into a residential area at Sabo GRA in Chikun LGA of the State in an attempt to commit a heinous crime,” he said.
On receiving the distress call, Jalige stated that operatives were immediately mobilised with the support of other security agents to the scene with a view to thwarting the bandits’ intention.
He added that the criminals, on sensing the presence of security agents, started shooting indiscriminately while the operatives swiftly returned fire and succeeded in foiling the attempt.
The command’s spokesman explained that the criminals, who were frustrated by the police and other security operatives, set the residence ablaze and fled into the bush.
“Unfortunately, it was discovered that the bandits operated simultaneously with one at oil village in the same Sabo location where they kidnapped a woman and her four children to an unknown destination,” he said.
According to Jalige, the police have launched investigations into the two incidents and effort is ongoing to rescue the abducted victims.
He assured the residents that the police were doing everything possible to restore normalcy in the area and called for the support and cooperation of the people.
President Muhammadu Buhari has restated the Federal Government’s commitment to flush out banditry perpetrators and protect citizens from the onslaught of all forms of criminal activities in the country.
Buhari gave the assurance on Friday when the Federal Government delegation paid a condolence visit to Gov. Aminu Tambuwal over the killings of 23 travellers by suspected bandits.
This is contained in a statement by Malam Muhammad Bello, Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Publicity, on Saturday in Sokoto.
The president’s condolence message was delivered through the Head of the Federal Government delegation and National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno.
Monguno commended Tambuwal for shoving an official trip, to receive the federal government delegation at a short notice.
”We are in Sokoto on a specific mission instructed by President Buhari, to condole you and the very good people of Sokoto State as well as the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, over the unfortunate incidents that have been occurring over the last couple of weeks.
”Mr President views the occurrence as unfortunate series of developments in which very innocent lives have been lost.
“Every life of a citizen is important, it gives great concern to the president that lives are being lost in inhuman conditions.
“Mr President is conveying his profound condolence over the loss of all the citizens who have departed.
”He also wants us to express his deep sympathy as well as his determination that the perpetrators of this gruesome, wicked activities are apprehended and brought to book.
“Mr President is deeply troubled that fellow citizens had to go through this trauma. He has charged to make sure that all the relevant agencies do not rest until we are able to flush out the perpetrators of not just these last two incidents that occurred, but also previous incidents.
“Each of the top security chief in the country is here, an indication that Mr President wants us to address this issue in order to provide comfort to the people of Sokoto State,” Monguno was quoted as saying in the statement.
Responding, Tambuwal said Sokoto State was in the appalling grip of bandits and kidnappers marauding and scaring the populace in recent times.
Tambuwal said the situation was exacerbated by the influx of bandits and criminals displaced by the ongoing “Operation Hadarin Daji,” to end the nefarious activities in neighboring Zamfara.
”This has left Sokoto State vulnerable to the deadly and inhuman activities of criminal elements.
”The consequences of Operation Hadarin Daji has resulted, before now and in the last four days in broad daylight attacks and kidnappings occurred in parts of Isa, Sabon Birni, Tangaza, Illela and other local government areas of the state.
“The timing of the operation might not be conducive as security agents might not have enough equipment to move and contain those that moved to Sokoto State. So the timing and way the operation was being carried out left Sokoto vulnerable.” the governor said in the statement.
According to the statement, members of the federal government delegation include the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Usman Baba-Alkali, Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Maj.-Gen. Samuel Adebayo, Director-Generals of the State Security Service (DSS) and National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr Yusuf Bichi and Amb. Ahmed Rufa’i, respectively.
The Sokoto State Police Commissioner, Kamaludeen Okunola, has confirmed twenty-three deaths following an attack on travellers in Angwan Bawa, Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
He confirmed the figure shortly after briefing Governor Aminu Tambuwal in an emergency security meeting summoned by the governor on Wednesday.
The CP described the incident as unfortunate, noting that security personnel have been mobilized to the area to fish out the perpetrators and prevent a recurrence.
Earlier, the spokesman of the Sokoto Police Command Sanusi Abubakar had narrated that a vehicle, which was conveying twenty-four passengers, was attacked by bandits, leading to the death of eighteen persons.
He, however, explained that after verifying from local authorities and police officers on the ground, it was confirmed that the vehicle was conveying thirty passengers.
The police spokesman said only nine of the occupants survived while twenty-one were burnt beyond recognition.
Villagers said the vehicle conveying the travellers was ambushed and shot at before the suspected bandits burnt the vehicle and its occupants.
The victims were said to be local migrant traders heading to the Kaduna village market in Gadan Gayan.
Sokoto State, just like other states in the North-West region has been ravaged by banditry of recent, which has led to the loss of lives and properties.
As part of measures to contain the situation, the state government shut down telecommunication services in some selected local governments, perceived to be the worst hit by the bandits.
An unspecified number of armed bandits on Saturday blocked the Kontagora-Minna Road in Niger State, causing gridlock in the area.
This left many vehicles and travellers stranded around the Yakila and Garun Gabas areas near Kundu in Rafi Local Government Area of the state.
According to reports, the blockage of the road lasted about one hour and there were no security personnel to clear the road in the area at the time.
Travellers were said to have fled into nearby villages as they could not continue their journey over fears of being kidnapped by the armed men.
Despite this, the bandits reportedly abducted an undisclosed number of persons and moved them to an unknown destination.
But witnesses said a team of security operatives later arrived at the scene to clear the road in a bid to ensure it was safe for travellers and motorists.