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Tag: bandits

  • Troops rescue 3 farmers in Kaduna, kill bandit

    Troops rescue 3 farmers in Kaduna, kill bandit

    Troops of Operation Thunder Strike have rescued three villagers abducted from their farms on Wednesday in Maro village along Kaduna-Abuja highway.
    The Deputy Director Army Public Relations, 1Division Nigerian Army Kaduna, Col. Ezindu Idimah told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Kaduna that one of the kidnappers was killed in the operation.
    “Acting on a credible information, troops raided the hideout of the bandits where they held the farmers and engaged them in a firefight.
    “Following, the firefight, one bandit was neutralized and others escaped with gun shot wounds leaving behind the victims.
    “The rescued farmers had since been handed over to their families.” he said.
    Idimah said an AK 47 rifle with two 7.62 special ammunition were recovered at the scene.
    “The General Officer Commanding, 1 Division , Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya has again called on the general public to report any person with gun shot wounds to the nearest security post for prompt action.”

  • Bandits free kidnapped councillor, family, two others in Katsina

    Repentant bandits in Katsina State, Friday night, freed a local government councillor, Alhaji Gambo Sama’ila Yarliyau, his wife and one-year-old daughter, along with two others after nine days in captivity.

    A press release signed by the Director General, Media to Governor Aminu Bello Masari, Malam Labara Malumfashi, and made available to newsmen in Katsina on Saturday, said the councillor, who represents Barkiya Ward of Kurfi local government area and the two members of his family, were presented to the governor, Friday evening, by the Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Council, Alhaji Jabiru AbdulLahi Tsauri.

    The other two freed captives, whose names were not disclosed, looked traumatised and were taken to Kurfi Hospital for medical attention.

    Receiving the victims, Masari expressed confidence that very soon there would be no more kidnap victims in captivity in Katsina State, as all those known to be gang-kidnapped have regained their freedom, saying that the bandits have been gradually fulfilling their promise to release all the victims in their captivity.

  • Bandits release another batch of 15 kidnapped victims in Katsina

    Bandits have released another batch of 15 people they kidnapped from Katsina State as part of the peace deal with the state government.

    The 15 victims have been in the kidnappers den located in Dansadau forest in Zamfara, for 44 days.

    Those released include 13 women, a one-year-old, and a baby born a day before their release.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 30 kidnapped victims were earlier released as part of the peace deal.

    The state government initiated the peace dialogue with the bandits to end sustained attacks on communities in eight local government areas in the state.

    A statement signed by the Director General on Media, Mr Abdu Labaran, said the victims were handed over to Gov. Aminu Masari by the Transition Committee Chairman of Jibia Local Government Area, Alhaji Haruna Musa, on Sunday afternoon in Katsina.

    “The victims claimed to be ill treated by the bandits who fed them with only little, and half cooked and barely corn gruel, twice a day.

    “According to the released captives, their captors did not only keep on threatening to kill them for the failure of their relatives to pay ransom demanded by the bandits, but also shot guns in the air consistently with a view to scaring and intimidating them,” he said.

    Narrating her ordeal, mother of the day-old-baby, Murja, said that they were kept in a camp which initially contained 150 captives, but gradually shrunk to only 13 of them.

    She said that they never believed they would regain freedom as their abductors were always in a nasty mood, threatening to kill them since their relatives have failed to pay for their release.

    According to the statement, the governor declared that the 15 victims were the last of those known to be in captivity anywhere.

    He said that now that all the kidnapped victims from the state had been released, “the next phase of sustaining the peace in Katsina is the surrender of arms and ammunitions by the bandits, and their rehabilitation and integration.

    “The last phase, the governor added, will involve further provision of amenities like schools, clinics, roads, water points for human and animal consumptions, as well as re-demarcation of cattle routes, encroached by some farmers and converted into farm lands.”

    The statement added that the government would meet with officials of Zamfara State and their counterparts in neighbouring state of Maradi in Niger Republic at the weekend to discuss on how to sustain peace process.

  • Bandits kidnap 14 bus passengers, driver in Osun

    Bandits kidnap 14 bus passengers, driver in Osun

    Bandits, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, have reportedly kidnapped 14 bus passengers, including the driver, along Otan/Imesi-Ile road in Osun.

    All the eighteen occupants of the bus were initially, but four of them escaped. Police said they were rescued by their men.

    NAN reported that the kidnapping was carried out following a tip-off from one of the occupants in the bus, who disguised as a passenger.

    The driver and occupants of the commercial bus, who were said to be travelling from Osogbo to Abuja, were kidnapped by the bandits at Ajeoku Junction, Otanle\Imesile expressway on Sunday night.

    The passengers were said to have been whisked to the forest and no contacts have been made with the family members of the victims.

    Osun Police Public Relations Officer, Folashade Odoro, said the total number of the victims could not be ascertained yet.

    “For now, we cannot confirm the number of people, who were kidnapped until we get feed back from our officers.

    “But I can tell you that we are on top of the situation and all the kidnapped persons will be rescued,” Odoro said.

    The PPRO, however, in a text message later sent to NAN, confirmed that four of the victims had been rescued as at the time of filing in this report.

    Odoro called on the people of the state to pomptly report any suspected movement to the police.

  • Bandits attack three communities in Niger

    Armed bandits have attacked three communities in Rafi local government area of Niger State in a renewed attack in the state.

    The communities attacked by the bandits include Rafin-wayam, Rafin-kwakwa and Gidan Dogo-Gurgu villages.

    This is bringing the number of communities attacked in Niger to four in the past one week.

    According to reports, the armed bandits, whose number could not be ascertained, invaded the town in three motorcycles which carried two or three people in some cases.

    Residents said that they were forced to run to Kagara which is the headquarters of Rafi local government area.

    The victims claimed that their foodstuff and properties were taken away.

    One of the affected residents, who spoke to newsmen, Mallam Sani, said the incident occurred on Tuesday evening alleging that after the attack, the bandits left for Pandogari community.

    “The bandits encircled us at Rafin Wayam village and took all our foods especially breads and beverages before they left for Pangu-Gari community. The attack began at about 6:45pm on Tuesday.”

    In a related development, Youths in Kagara town in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger state took to the highway protesting over the incessant banditry and kidnappings in the community.

    The youths blocked the Lagos-Kaduna Highway lamenting that the federal and state governments have left them to their fate.

    The youths carried various placards with inscriptions like “We need help”; “Government save us”; “Help us with food and water’.

    Also some of the youths lamented the poor conditions in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps where the people had to stay over because they could not return to their villages due to fear of renewed attack.

    The youths called on the state government to send in food and other basics necessities to the affected displaced persons from Kukoki, Rafin Wayam, Rafin Kwakwa, Gidan Dogo-gurgu, Maranji and Hanawanka.

    The Police have confirmed these attacks through its Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muhammad Abubakar.

    The Police were reviewing the security architecture of communities adding that the Police has swung into action and would bring the situation under control.

  • Katsina swaps six detained bandits for dozens of kidnapped residents

    Katsina swaps six detained bandits for dozens of kidnapped residents

    Six bandits detained by security agencies have been released by the Katsina State Government as part of a peace deal with bandits terrorising eight local government areas in the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Dandume, Sabuwa, Faskari, Kankara, Safana, Danmusa, Batsari and Jibiya local government areas in the state have come under intense bandits attacks for long.

    The situation prompted the state government to initiate dialogue with leaders of the bandits a week ago, during which agreements were reached including the release of some of the bandits held by security agencies.

    Gov. Aminu Masari recalled during the handover of the six bandits that for the last one week, he and Security Chiefs had been visiting the LGAs that shared borders with Rugu forests, which served as hideout for the bandits.

    Masari explained that part of the agreement was the handover of bandits in detention who had not been prosecuted.

    According to him, the bandits would in return, handover to government people they kidnapped and were in their custody.

    He said the process started on Monday, with the release of five people, two females and three males, while 20 more will be released before the end of Sept. 10.

    He added that many more kidnapped victims would be released as part of the peace deal.

    Masari expressed the hope that the process would be completed within the next one or two days, so that government would start the second phase of the peace initiatives which started with his visit to their hideouts.

  • Kidnappers, bandits operating in Southwest ’ll suffer – IGP

    Kidnappers, bandits operating in Southwest ’ll suffer – IGP

    The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, has assured that the prevailing security challenges afflicting southwestern region of the country will soon be conquered.

    Adamu said his men are battle ready to combat headlong the spate of kidnappings, banditry and attendant killings with the institution of Special Forces in the region.

    The Inspector General of Police who spoke in in Ado Ekiti on Thursday during a security Stakeholders’ meeting held in Ado Ekiti capital city, warned those criminals terrorising the region to surrender or meet their waterloo.

    Adamu added that the country’s policing system has been redesigned and rejigged to be community-based, so that all Nigerians can see the issue of security as their responsibilities.

    “Our strategy for policing has changed. The community is now working with us and we are going to ensure that all the communities are represented whether you are traditional rulers or you belong to any socio cultural group.

    “We are going to train people from each community who will have the power of the police and power to arrest. They will be deployed to help the police in fighting crimes. When it comes to recruitment, we will come to your communities”.

    On why the police decided to interact with the stakeholders, Adamu said: “there are isolated cases of robbery, kidnapping and cultism in the southwest of recent and we believe the traditional rulers and the state governors must show commitment and we are ready to do anything to mitigate the security problems.

    “We believe that if we all work together by way of robbing minds and share ideas, our society will be free of crimes”

    The IGP added that the government is seriously concerned about the welfare of the officers, saying ” We have bought patrol vehicles and with the state of the earth technology that can checkmate crimes.

    “We believe no officer should die in the course of fighting crimes. To this end, body armour have been procured to protect us while confronting the evil doers. If you kill one police officer, the government has lost the money spent to train such man”.

    Defending the arrest of 36 Nigerians vandalising businesses belonging to South Africans in reaction to the xenophobic attacks, Adamu explained that the arrest was lawful and justifiable.

    He said Nigeria is a country being governed by laws, adding that the arrest was done to portray Nigerians as law abiding citizens before the global community.

    “The arrest showed that Nigeria is a country that has laws and it shows that we can never behave the way others behaved.

    “No individual is allowed to take law into his hands. The Federal government is dealing with the issue of killings and attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

    “The fact that Nigerians are being attacked over there shouldn’t be a reason for anybody to attack the businesses of South African nationals.

    “Those who did that are unpatriotic and they are criminals and that was why we arrested some of them and we will prosecute them,” he said.

    The Ekiti State police Commissioner, Asuquo Amba, said the police have been able to reduce crimes in Ekiti due to hardwork displayed by his men.

    He said his command has also maintained robust and smooth collaborations with other sister agencies to maintain security of lives and property.

    The Chairman of the Ekiti State Traditional Rulers and the Alawe of Ilawe Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Alabi, said the commended the IGP and promised that the body will continually support the police to make Ekiti safe.

    “It is herculean task to combat pocket of insecurity in the state but we will continue to support you in the discharge of your constitutional responsibility to guarantee security of lives and property.

    “And the priority should be on the welfare of the police to be able to discharge their onerous responsibilities expected of them because an hungry man is an angry man, ” he added.

  • Bandits to Masari: Soldiers, policemen fueling kidnapping, banditry in Katsina

    Bandits to Masari: Soldiers, policemen fueling kidnapping, banditry in Katsina

    Repentant bandits on Wednesday told Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari that some soldiers and policemen are fueling banditry and kidnapping in the state in return for monetary gain.

    They warned that unless the security operatives stopped their activities and extortion of money and cattle from them, the situation in the state would not change.

    The bandit groups spoke on Wednesday during a dialogue session with the governor at Gbagegi Primary School, Dankolo in Dandume local government area..

    The repentant bandits who met with the governor were drawn from two of the local government areas in the state – Dandume and Sabuwa – worst affected by banditry.

    The state has been under relentless banditry, cattle rustling and kidnapping forcing Governor Masari to initiate the dialogue with bandits.

    Leader of one group of bandits, Idris Yayande ,told the governor that large scale extortion perpetrated by the security operatives had seriously undermined the efforts of government to address the security challenges.

    He said: ‘Soldiers, policemen and other security agencies are fueling banditry, kidnapping and other heinous crimes through large scale extortion in return for their support to us. We have lost confidence in them. We prefer to work with the local vigilante’’

    Corroborating him, leader of Volunteers (Yan-sakai), Lawal Tsoho, accused soldiers, policemen, other security agencies and some politicians in the state of working against the ongoing dialogue between the bandits and the state government because they are benefiting from banditry. He explained: “I have all evidence to prove my statement”,

    He urged the urged the State to facilitate the release of their members arrested by security agencies and detained in various prisons across the country.

    He said: “Some of our members were apprehended in villages across the state and detained for years without committing offence.”

    Another repentant bandit, Idris Yayande, gave the “names of some of our members arrested and detained in different prisons across the state” and urged the government “to release them before the dialogue.”

    He listed those in detention as: ” Alhaji Lawal Bandu, Ibrahim Nabutamu, Sani Marji, Sani Zafi, Lawal Mairuwa and there are some of our children that were arrested by soldiers in layin-Mahuta last year; Juro, Ali, Adamu, Abdulrahman and since then nobody told us where they are and what happened to them.

    “So, we are pleading with the state government to release them to us. We don’t have anybody in our custody now. We promised before that nobody will farm within this area but because of the dialogue we surrendered. If you hear of any attack it is not from us”.

    Another repentant bandit, Haruna Mazge, blamed the prevailing security problem of the state on farmers “who blocked 70 per cent of the cattle routes”

    “Farmers in the state have blocked all cattle routes. If you look at our problem, consider that of farmers too”, he said.

    Mazge called on other bandits who he said were terrorizing villages in the state to surrender their arms for the sustainability of peace.

    He said: “This forest that we are hiding from is not beyond government’s power. Since the governor has forgiven us, we should not betray government in this dialogue by attacking another village in this state again.”

    Masari assured residents of the state that the dialogue would bring peace to Katsina State, North-West and Nigeria, saying “we believe that we have started well and there is nothing better than peace”.

    The governor restated his commitment to rendering assistance to the Fulani living in the Forest and urged them to embrace dialogue and live peacefully with one another. He promised to rebuild the schools and other decayed infrastructure and address other requests.

  • Security: South East Governors approve joint air operations to flush out bandits from all forests

    Security: South East Governors approve joint air operations to flush out bandits from all forests

    …Commend Gov. Ugwuanyi for pioneering establishment of Forest Guards

    …As Aviation Minister assures standard reconstruction of Enugu Airport

    Governors of South East geo-political zone, on Saturday, rose from an expanded meeting with the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, representative of the Minister of Works, heads of security agencies at the national, zonal and state levels, Managing Director of FAAN, the President General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, Prof Barth Nnaji, among others and resolved to commence a joint air operation to flush out bandits from all forests in the zone, “and to make it a continuous one”.

    The governor also restricted inter-state movements of herdsmen and their cattle as well as foot movement of cattle and herdsmen from communities to communities across farmlands in the zone.

    In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting which was attended by Governors Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, David Umahi of Ebonyi State/Chairman of the Forum, Willie Obiano of Anambra State, Emeka Ihedioha of Imo State and Deputy Governor of Abia State, Rt. Hon. Ude Oko Chukwu, the forum commended Gov. Ugwuanyi for being the first to commence the operation of Forest Guards in the South East and encouraged the remaining states to launch theirs.

    The governors “banned herdsmen who move about with AK-47 guns and cutlasses” and asked security agencies in their various states to ensure the implementation.

    On Operations Python Dance, the South East Governors Forum, through its Chairman, Gov. Umahi, who read the communiqué said they “never invited the Army nor were South East Governors informed of their Operations Python Dance until the operations were already started in the states”.

    The governor agreed to write President Muhammadu Buhari for a meeting with him and all the Service Chiefs on security to douse tension in the region.

    On the closure of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, the governors disclosed that the Minister of Aviation assured them in the meeting that the airport would be reconstructed to meet the Abuja International Airport standard, adding that the runway repairs and other renovation works will be completed by December this year.

    The governor further disclosed “the Sam Mbakwe Airport in Owerri, will be given face-lift to accommodate flights that would be diverted from Enugu Airport to Owerri Airport”.

    While acknowledging the safety reasons given by the aviation minister for the closure of Enugu airport, the governors stated that “we support him for closing the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu to save the lives of our people and our visitors”.

    They therefore agreed that “palliative and security measures to be worked out between FAAN, Ministry of Aviation, South East State Governors, Security Agencies and FMoW to ease out inconveniences and make the routes safe through a joint committee”.

    “South East Governors and security agencies to patrol all routes leading to where flights will be diverted from Enugu and also provide escorts to all travelers to the airports,” the communiqué added.

    Consequently, the governors constituted two committees to interface with Ministry of Aviation, FAAN, Security Agencies and Federal Ministry of Works, while Maj. Gen. Abel Obi Umahi (Rtd.), Capt. Awa Agwu (Rtd.), IGP Ogbonna Onovo (Rtd), CP Ikechukwu Aduba (Rtd.) and Mr. Raymond Nkemdirim, were inaugurated as chairman and members of the joint security committee, respectively, to be located in Enugu State.

  • Buhari vows to respond 'fiercely' to massacre of 37 people by bandits in Sokoto

    President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to respond fiercely to the killing of 37 innocent people by bandits in Goronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
    He described the the bandits as brutal and remorseless enemies of humanity, while condemning the killing and commiserating with families of the victims.
    In a statement by Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Saturday, the president commiserated with the victims of the unfortunate attacks, the government and people of Sokoto state.
    “This frequent and large scale killings of poor villagers by gangs of mass murderers must be met with the fiercest force the government can mobilise,” Shehu quoted the president as saying.
    The presidential spokesman announced that troops had been deployed to the affected areas and aerial security measures put in place.
    “The Police commissioner as well as the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has since visited the affected local government area, Goronyo.
    “The Presidency is consulting with states rocked by this tit-for-tat violent attacks with a view to complementing the security measures being put in place by getting the communities to dialogue with one another.
    ‘‘The results we are getting from Zamfara State where this sort of engagement is ongoing at the instance of the local authorities working with the police and other security agencies are very encouraging.
    ‘‘Other states in the federation where there are similar security challenges are encouraged to emulate Zamfara in the hope that the solution to the problems will be found,” the spokesman said.
    According to him, the Buhari administration would continue to encourage dialogue and disarmament of communities and bandits.
    He, however, warned that the government would not tolerate ”any situation where the spirit of ceasefire is made a mockery of by continued violence against innocent people”.