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Tag: bandits

  • Army intercepts bandit heading to Ogbomosho inside vehicle

    Army intercepts bandit heading to Ogbomosho inside vehicle

    The Nigerian Army on Tuesday said that its troops along Mokwa-Jebba road intercepted and arrested a fleeing bandit in a vehicle travelling from the Northern part of the country to Ogbomosho, Oyo State, during a stop-and-search operation.

    This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by the Directior Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu.

    He stated that the troops sighted an occupant of the vehicle who claimed to be “Sergeant Aminu Sule.”

    He added that the suspect had a pair of camouflage, military boots, a knife and substance suspected to be charms.

    He said on further interrogation, the suspect disclosed that he was travelling to Ogbomosho and further claimed that the uniform and boots belonged to his brother, who he said was a soldier.

    According to him, the suspect was fleeing from the ongoing military operations in Niger State to a safe haven.

    The army statement further said the troops handed over the fleeing bandits to the police at Mokwa for further investigation.

    According to him, “the heat on bandits and other criminal elements in Niger State has caused them to start fleeing to supposed safe havens

    “Members of the public, particularly around Niger and contiguous states are, therefore, enjoined to be vigilant and report any suspected movement of fleeing bandits to security agencies.”

  • Hell fire awaits you – Fani-Kayode fumes as Sheikh Gumi warns government to stop killing bandits

    Hell fire awaits you – Fani-Kayode fumes as Sheikh Gumi warns government to stop killing bandits

    Former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has attacked Sheikh Ahmad Gumi for asking the government to stop killing bandits.

    TheNewsGuru recalls that Gumi had in an interview on Monday warned the government against the killing of bandits, maintaining that the criminals were victims too.

    Gumi further made it clear that no school was safe in the North West for now until the government negotiated with the bandits.

     

    Reacting to Gumi’s statement, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain described the Islamic scholar as a heartless defender of child-abductors, a dark and wicked soul.

    “Just listen to this heartless defender of child-abductors and cold-blooded killers. He is a dark and wicked soul, a callous Philistine and an unrepentant barbarian,” he tweeted.

    “Every bloodthirsty terrorist and Janjaweed bandit should be brought to justice, exterminated and sent to hell.

    “Those that speak for them, defend them and attempt to rationalize or justify their barbaric actions like this unconscionable and evil creature deserve worse. Hell-fire awaits you,” he added.

     

  • FG needs to engage bandits to ensure safety of schools – Gumi

    FG needs to engage bandits to ensure safety of schools – Gumi

    Controversial Islamic cleric, Ahmed Gumi has urged the federal government to engage bandits in order to guarantee security in schools.

    Gumi, who made the remarks in an interview with PUNCH, said aerial bombardments of bandits will only worsen the security situation at hand.

    “To secure schools, why not engage the bandits. Engage them; they are not many. You can count them with your fingers. How can you guard schools? It is not possible. In the whole north-west, they may not be more than 100,000 bandits. And that is just a drop in the ocean,” he said.

    “That is talking about those with weapons; because not all of them have weapons. Ninety per cent of those who have weapons use them to protect themselves against cattle rustlers.

    “They are victims too. Aerial bombardments will only worsen the situation because when you start killing their children, you remember they also have our children.”

    Speaking on the abducted Islamiyya students of Niger state, Gumi said he is still trying to “talk sense” to the abductors not to collect “dirty money” from the parents of the kidnapped students.

    “But we are trying to talk sense to them that these are just innocent schoolchildren. We don’t even have any idea of the condition of the children. We are just saying these are young children trying to study and they did nothing, so why are you trying to take dirty money from their families?

    “This (kidnap of Islamic pupils) actually proves to the nation that the bandits are not really indoctrinated, they are just looking for money and I think that this is a good prognosis.

    “They are not targeting a religion; they are not ideologues, which are difficult to deal with. We should not forget that they are not educated, formally or informally. They are just going about with cattle, and suddenly they found a lucrative way of finding money.”

  • One bandit killed as troops rescue more kidnapped students of Kebbi College

    One bandit killed as troops rescue more kidnapped students of Kebbi College

    Nigerian troops have gunned down one bandit and rescued more kidnapped students and teacher of Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri, Kebbi state.

    Bandits invaded the school last Thursday and abducted dozens of students and five teachers from the school.

    The army had on Friday rescued five students and three teachers after a gun-duel with the bandits while one student died.

    Spokesperson of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement on Sunday said three more students and a teacher have been rescued.

    He said the feat was carried out by troops of Operation HADARIN DAJI supported by Nigerian Air Force component.

    Nwachukwu disclosed that the troops killed one bandit and recovered nine motorcycles and four handsets from the fleeing bandits.

    He said additional troops had also been deployed to dominate the forest and deny the bandits freedom of action.

    In his words: “Troops of the Nigerian Army operating under the auspices of Operation HADARIN DAJI supported by Nigerian Air Force component have rescued more abductees of the FGC Birnin Yauri.

    “One teacher and three students were rescued yesterday at Makuku, in the ongoing search and rescue operations. The troops also killed one bandit and recovered nine motorcycles and four handsets from the fleeing bandits.

    “Additional troops have also been deployed to dominate the forest and deny the bandits freedom of action.

    “Recall that two teachers and five students were earlier on Friday 18 June 2021 rescued by the gallant troops in a coordinated fire fight with the kidnappers.”

  • Bandits shoot village head dead after raiding residence in Kaduna

    Bandits shoot village head dead after raiding residence in Kaduna

    The village head of Dogon Daji community in Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Mallam Anja, has been shot dead by bandits.

    The bandits were said to have raided the residence of the village head and shot him at close range, after which he died on the spot.

    Confirming the incident, the state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said investigation into the incident is ongoing to unravel the perpetrators of the heinous act.

    Meanwhile, Governor Nasir El-Rufai has expressed sadness over the death of the village head and prayed for the repose of his soul.

    The governor also sent his condolences to the family of the deceased, and the entire community of Dogon Daji over the shocking and brutal killing.

  • Kebbi Gov. Bagudu vows to lead hunters, vigilates in battle against bandits

    Kebbi Gov. Bagudu vows to lead hunters, vigilates in battle against bandits

    Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, has vowed to lead hunters and vigilantes in the battlefield against bandits ravaging the state.

    He also joined his counterpart in Ekiti, Dr. Kayode Fayemi to charged the hunters and vigilantes to be ready to defend the territories of states against frequent attacks by bandits.

    The governors stated this on Saturday in Birnin Kebbi while addressing hundreds of local hunters and vigilance groups from different parts of the state

    The groups had converged on the state capital to declare their readiness to wage war against bandits.

    Bagudu, in an emotion laden-voice, told the hunters that he and other governors were ready to be on the battle fields to defend the lives of the people, their property and territories of the nation.

    “We are not military yet and we are not police. We commend and respect what the security agencies for what they are doing and they are doing a great job; but, sometimes, remember security agents are human beings.

    “They also want the community support; they want the support from the vigilantes. So, if we can go to electioneering campaign rallies and gather 100,000 people, what has taken place in Birnin Yauri should be the last strike.

    “We should follow these bandits wherever they are and deal with them all. And I call on all my colleagues in other states too, to do same. How many are they (bandits)? How many of us can they kill?

    “So, we will discuss with the security agencies so that we don’t interfere in the commendable jobs they are doing. But we will go out there, like I promised you; on the day we move out, I will not be in office; I will join you in the field.

    “And I am sure other governors will be leading their people so that we can all meet in the fields. It is not the weapons that win the war, it is the will of the people. Bad people cannot trample upon the will of good people, and we will show them that we have the will power,” he charged.

    Bagudu also commended President Muhammadu Buhari and security agencies for doing their best with limited resources, stressing the need for the people to mobilise themselves and take on the bandits.

    “Yes, we are afraid of death; nobody wants to die. But who will not die? We are afraid not to be hurt, but who will not be hurt?

    “Which one is more tragic? To die like a coward. I think that should be the greatest fear; or to die without faith?

    “Because, as the people of faiths, we know that our Scriptures, both Christians and Muslims, especially Muslims, Islam teaches us to put our lives at risk in defending our honours, or our property or our faith.

    “In all what these bandits are doing to us, they have challenged our faiths, our property and our honours and we can’t allow them to go.

    “So, go back to your communities and mobilise your people because I will get clearance from the security and we will meet them on the field,” the governor urged.

    In his remarks, Fayemi, who is also Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), charged the hunters and people of the state to use all power within their possession to end bandits attack in the state.

    He said: “Our governor (Bagudu) has put on a good fight. That is the demonstration of his commitment to the welfare of his people.

  • How I made N70,000 daily supplying bread to bandits, their victims in Kaduna – Baker

    How I made N70,000 daily supplying bread to bandits, their victims in Kaduna – Baker

    A syndicate allegedly supplying drugs, bread and other food items to bandits operating in Zaria, Kaduna State and its environs has been smashed by operatives of the FIB Intelligence Response Team (FIB-IRT).

    An alleged member of the syndicate, who admitted to making about N150,000 weekly from supplying bread to the bandits, said his income from the venture rose sharply at a point to N70,000 a day while some university students abducted in Kaduna were in their custody.

    A police source, who said the suspects would be charged with criminal conspiracy and kidnapping, revealed that the syndicate was busted by the team of FIB-IRT at the Rigachikun base after supplying bread to the bandits in their hideout in the forest at about 5pm on June 8, based on reliable information.

    Among the arrested suspects were Abubakar Ibrahim a.k.a Abu Rewire of Kuregu village in Wasasa Zaria; Auwal Abubakar of Zaria City; Hassan Magaji of Galadimawa village and Ibrahim Kabiru a.k.a. Abba of Galadimawa village.

    On interrogation, the suspects confessed to being the ones supplying bread to the bandits at Galadimawa, Damari, Kidandan and Awala camps in Birnin Gwari and Giwa local government areas, Kaduna State.

    The suspects were said to have led the detectives to their factory where 150 loaves of bread were recovered.

    In his confessional statement, Auwal Abubakar, was said to have admitted that the syndicate was giving information to bandits on account of which they carried out kidnapping and cattle rustling in the Zaria axis.

    Hassan, a native of Galadimawa village who is married with two wives and three children, said: “I started the bakery business in 2018. Before then, I was an okada (commercial motorcycle) rider, but I was always losing them to bandits who sometimes ambushed us.

    “Some time ago, one of my relatives, Mustafa Magaji, came to our area and taught me how to operate a bakery, and with the little money I had saved, I started the business.

    “I started with about N21,000 and now make about N400,000 a month. The boom in my business began when I started supplying bread to bandits.

    “I was born and brought up here in Galadimawa, and I know most of our young men who decided to become bandits.

    “Initially I was going around the area to sell bread in small quantities. That was when I met one Mohammed from Galadimawa.

    “The community has a good relationship with them because they do not attack us. Initially, they were raiding our villages, but some of our community heads made them understand that we were not the cause of their problem; that we are poor villagers also struggling to survive. That was why they stopped attacking us and most of them started coming out to mix with the villagers.

    “I normally stay close to the part of the forest where they are camped. It was during one of such movement in 2019 that I met Mohammed and he bought 10 loaves of bread and took my phone number. I sold the bread for N200 each instead of the regular market price, which was N170. The next day, he called me, saying that the bread was so sweet and asked me to bring 20 more loaves.

    “The day I took the 20 loaves to him, I saw him with three others and they told me that they would like to be buying in larger quantities, but I told them that I did not have enough cash. We agreed that they would pay the entire money before I bake.

    “They started with N20,000 worth of bread and gradually increased it to N50,000 a day. After removing the cost of the ingredients, I make as much as N150,000 in a week.

    “We had a meeting point close to their hideout in the forest, but I was not allowed to enter the bush. It is not even accessible by car, so I had to stop there and share the bread to those that contributed money.

    “They never threatened me because I minded my business. They know that people are avoiding them; that was why they normally encouraged me by paying for the bread before I baked it. So, I do not know about their kidnap business; I only sell my bread and leave.

    “It was my workers that were arrested by the police while they were on their way to delivering bread, and they brought them to my factory.”

    Hassan said he observed that whenever the bandits kidnapped a lot of people like they did some university students in Kaduna, the quantity of bread they bought would increase.

    “During that period, I supplied up to N70,000 worth of bread every day till recently when it dropped to about N50,000,” he said.

    Since December last year, armed men have attacked many schools and universities in the Northwest, abducting more than 700 students. Among those abducted were about 20 students of Greenfield University in Kaduna kidnapped on April 20, about one month after attackers stormed a forestry college in the same city, seizing dozens of students.

    The abducted students of the university spent as many as 40 days before they were released after their parents had paid heavy sums as ransoms.

    Hassan, however, said there was not much he had done with the money other than marrying a woman “I had always loved. And I was able to save money to take care of my two wives.”

    Another suspect, Abubakar from Galadimawa, said: “I am married with a daughter. I only attended Arabic school. I am a farmer, and while we are waiting for the crops to grow, I normally look for other sources of making money for my family.

    “I started working for Magaji about three months ago. I am paid N500 and a loaf of bread every day. My job is to join and bake the bread and also sell them in the various communities.

    “Most of our bread was sold to bandits. I know that they are bandits. Everyone knows them. I did not fear that they would kidnap me because we minded our business.

    “They don’t cover their faces. We know their villages. The only thing is that they now live in the forest.

    “They have no families. It is only some of their commanders that are married with children.

    “I do not know that it is a crime to sell. I am only selling my wares and nothing more. I am aware that they are kidnapping people up and down, but since I did not participate in it, I never cared to know whether what they were doing was right or not.

    “There was never any need for me to worry. It was at the police station that they told me that I was encouraging them by giving them food.”

    He said the only way to stop banditry was for the government to give them what they want. “They are so many in the bush, and the more you kill them, the more they recruit.

    “I did not join them because of my family. My relatives had warned me that one day, the army would bomb the place and I would die.”

    The third suspect, Ibrahim, a 17-year-old indigene of Galadimawa, said: “I dropped out of Galadimawa Primary School. My parents are farmers and they made me join them in the farm instead of sending me to school.

    “I have been saving money to buy a motorcycle to start a commercial motorcycle business, but I could not save enough money. Luckily, I got a job at Magaji local bakery about a year ago.

    “I am paid N500 and a loaf of bread daily. Sometimes I would sell the bread instead of eating it.

    “Part of my job is to sell it in the neighbouring communities every day. The bandits are our best customers. Instead of trekking around and begging people to buy bread, we just deliver everything to them and go home.

    “I am not a bandit because if I try it, my father will hunt me down and hand me over to the police. He has warned me that those bandits kill innocent people, which is wrong.

    “I know a lot of them who have since relocated into the forest. They only come out when they have money; to look for girls and visit their families.”

  • How bandits fulfilled promise to attack Kebbi school – Lawmaker

    How bandits fulfilled promise to attack Kebbi school – Lawmaker

    A member of the House of Representatives representing Ngaski/ Shanga/ Yauri Federal Constituency of Kebbi State, Tanko Sununu has described the attack on the Federal Government College, Birnin-Yauri in Kebbi State as a promise fulfilled by bandits.

    The lawmaker explained while featuring on a monitored Channels Television that Thursday’s incident was the latest in the chains of attacks on communities in the area.

    “What really happened is that about two weeks ago, we had an episode when bandits residing within parts of the areas bordering Zamfara, Niger, and Kebbi came up through one of the villages in my constituency.

    “They killed a policeman and found their way until they reached Ibeto area where we have a quarry, killed some security men and kidnapped some of the foreign workers in the quarry and left.”

    He added, “10 days later, they came back to the same area and entered into my constituency bordering some villages, and they had more than a seven-hour field operation going from house to house, room to room, collecting money, phones, cows, and any machine they deemed useful for their operations, and they left a message behind that they would soon be back.

    “To fulfill their promise yesterday, we had intelligence that they were on their way coming. Around 10:30 in the morning, they reached their final destination – the Federal Government College, Birnin-Yauri.”

    Sununu noted that as soon as the bandits got to the school, they were faced with a tough task as they were initially resisted and engaged in a gunfight by operatives of the Mobile Police and Police Counter-Terrorism Unit stationed at the school.

    He disclosed that the fire exchange lasted for a long period before the bandits overpowered the security operatives due to their large number.

    The bandits, the lawmaker stated, succeeded in killing a policeman and gained access into the school and abducted an unspecified number of students and five teachers.

    He explained that it was difficult to ascertain the exact number of students abducted as parents from nearby villages and towns raced to the school to take their children away immediately after the incident.

    Sununu, however, gave an assurance that the military has swung into action, noting that progress has been made.

    He said, “As at last night, I had a discussion with the Field Commander of Operation Hadarin Daji who said that they have succeeded in entering into the den of the kidnappers and I think this is a major success because the security agencies are now taking the fight to the base of the kidnappers.

    “I was also told that over 800 cattle that were rustled some days back have been recovered and as of now, the military has combed the area where we are expecting that the students are with the bandits. They have also succeeded in creating many casualties on the part of the bandits.”

  • Bandits collect N16m for 11 victims, demand N17m for release of others

    Bandits collect N16m for 11 victims, demand N17m for release of others

    Bandits have released 11 women out of the 28 kidnapped in the Kabode Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

    The kidnappers had initially demanded N30m as ransom, the community said.

    Sources said the abductors dragged the women out of their houses and zoomed off.

    According to one of them: “They released 11 women after we paid N16m ransom, but they are still demanding N17m before releasing the other 17 women.”

     

  • Sad! Bandits shoot AAU female graduate to death on her way to pick NYSC call up letter

    Sad! Bandits shoot AAU female graduate to death on her way to pick NYSC call up letter

    A female graduate of the Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Miss Ella Williams, was gunned down by suspected herdsmen along the Benin-Ekpoma expressway last Monday.

    Williams was said to be travelling from Benin, her base, to Ekpoma to pick up her call-up letter, preparatory to the compulsory one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme, when the herdsmen opened fire on the bus she was travelling in, killing her on the spot while other passengers were abducted.

    Announcing Williams’ death on his Facebook wall, Andrew Egbuonu, wrote: “I received the devastating news of the demise of a young lady and a promising future of the Nigerian nation, Ella Williams in the hands of bloodthirsty and heartless herdsmen on the Benin-Ekpoma road in Edo State.

    “All over Nigeria, criminals and kidnappers plan and find ways of stopping vehicles before kidnapping their victims. This appears to be too much work for these roaming marauders who prefer to use their bullets indiscriminately to stop vehicles on highways, killing the drivers and any other unfortunate passengers, before kidnapping the leftover survivors and herding them into our vast ungoverned bushes and forests.

    “What a country where human life has no value, especially to these emotion-less invaders!”

    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) recalls that barely two ago there was a clarion call by Hon Dagomie Abiante to put an end to NYSC over the state of insecurity across the country.