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Tag: niger

  • Gunmen kill 9 worshipers, injure 6 in Niger

    Gunmen kill 9 worshipers, injure 6 in Niger

    The Police Command in Niger said gunmen had killed nine worshippers and injured six others in an attack on a mosque at Tungan Ba’are village in Mashegu Local Government Area of the state.

    The Commissioner of Police in the state, Monday-Bala Kuryas, who confirmed the incident, said the worshippers were killed during early morning prayer on Thursday.

    He said a primary school teacher was abducted by the gunmen, adding that those killed were aged between 65 and 30.

    The police commissioner said the six injured persons were evacuated to Kontagora General hospital for treatment.

    He gave their names as, Umaru Sahabi, Mohammed Maikasuwa, Isa Abu, Mohammed Danbarau, Mohammed Dandangi and Alhaji Dan Mairini.

    “We can’t ascertain the number of victims kidnapped, as only one primary school teacher of Tungan Ba’are was revealed to be kidnapped by the armed gunmen during the incident.”

    According to the commissioner, the incident might be a reprisal attack resulting from a long standing communal feud.

    He said that additional armed security personnel had since been deployed to the area to track and arrest the gunmen and all other miscreants undermining peaceful coexistence among the residents.

    Kuryas urged the people to support security agencies with credible information on the activities of criminals around them.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that an attack on worshippers on Oct. 25, in a mosque at Mazakuka village in Mashegu Local Government Area, left many people dead.

  • 9 die, 11 others injured in auto crash in Niger State

    9 die, 11 others injured in auto crash in Niger State

    Nine persons were killed and 11 others injured in an auto crash on Kutigi-Mokwa Road in Niger State on Monday.

    The Sector Commander of the FRSC in the state, Mr Musa Mohammed, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Minna that the four vehicles involved got burnt.

    “Two Daf tankers, a Sharon bus and a Volkswagen Golf car, were involved,’’ he said.

    “Twenty people were involved in the mishap; nine were burnt to death, while 11 others sustained injuries,’’ he explained.

    The sector commander blamed the accident on fatigue on the part of some of the drivers and loss of control of their vehicles.

    Mohammed advised motorists to exercise caution and adhere strictly to speed limits to avoid crashes. (

  • How gunmen killed worshipers, abducted seven others in Niger

    How gunmen killed worshipers, abducted seven others in Niger

    The Police Command in Niger said gunmen killed an unspecified number of people who were observing early morning prayers at a Mosque at Mazakuka village in Mashegu Local Government Area of the state.

    The Commissioner of Police in the state, Monday Kuryas, who disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Monday, said the hoodlums also abducted seven other worshipers at the mosque.

    Mr Kuryas said the incident occurred on October 25 at about 0530 hours when the gunmen attacked the village.

    He said the gunmen later destroyed property worth millions of naira belonging to Abubakar Maigandus in the village.

    He said security personnel, however, shot dead one of the bandits.

    The commissioner said the incident was understood to be a reprisal attack resulting from a long standing communal feud.

    He said that already additional armed security personnel had since been deployed to the area to ensure the arrest of the gunmen “and all other miscreants undermining the peaceful coexistence among residents”.

    He urged the residents, especially those in the rural areas of the state, “to come forward with reliable information that could aid the personnel deployed across the state to ensure the arrest and prosecution of all those involved in criminal acts.”

    ”We are battle-ready to confront any form of criminal elements as long as good residents will volunteer credible information on movement of dubious characters in their midst,” Mr Kuryas said.
    The country is battling worsening insecurity and rising crimes, with the swathes of the north badly affected by banditry, kidnappings and insurgency.

  • Niger Police capture three gun runners, recover 567 ammunition

    Niger Police capture three gun runners, recover 567 ammunition

    Niger Police Command says it has recovered 567 ammunition from three suspected gun runners arrested in the state.

    The Command said that two of the suspects, 32-year-old Muhammadu Bello and 30-year-old Nura Umar, were arrested by the Police Safer Highway patrol team during a routine patrol along the Makera-Mokwa road.

    “The two suspects refused to stop for the routine check, making the Police team chase them to Sabon Makera village where they abandoned their vehicles and continued running, but were arrested with the help of the community.

    “During the search of the vehicle, the Police found two AK-47 rifles, two AK-49 rifles, 16 magazines, 417 live ammunition of 7.63 calibres and 150 RPG live ammunition.

    “The third suspect, 25-year-old Habib Sani, was arrested at Swashi village while trying to transport 14 locally fabricated rifles from Kanti village in Mashegu Local Government Area to Guffanti in New Bussa LGA, all in Niger State,” the Commissioner of Police, Monday Kuryas, said while parading the suspects.

    Kuryas further said that the 14 locally fabricated guns comprised of six double-barrel and eight triple barrel guns, concealed in a sack.

    “The first two suspects confessed to the crime, saying that they were taking the arms from Sokoto to someone called Yellow in Mokwa.

    “Sani confessed that the guns were given to him by a local fabricator called Bilya to deliver to one Bulus of Guffanti village, adding that he was offered a commission of N1,000 on each gun if he delivered them successfully,” Kuryas said.

    The Police commissioner said that effort is still going on to apprehend Bilya and Bulus who are currently at large.

    He, however, revealed that the cases are under investigation and that the suspects would be arraigned in court for prosecution as soon as the investigation is concluded.

     

  • JUST IN: Bandits burn 10 alive, kidnap seven after bloody raid of Niger communities

    JUST IN: Bandits burn 10 alive, kidnap seven after bloody raid of Niger communities

    Ten people have been reportedly burnt alive, several others killed while seven women were said to have been kidnapped by bandits during an attack in the Kachiwe community in Sarkin Pawa Ward of Munya Local Government Area of Niger state during the week.

    The Secretary of Munya the Local Government Area, James Jagaba narrated the ordeal which he described as ‘an ugly incident’.

    He said, “The bandits set all the houses ablaze, burnt ten people alive, abducted ten women and slaughtered the others. On their way after carrying out their heinous act, they met two people whose vehicle broke down, they stopped and killed those two people then burnt down their vehicle. In the process, three of the abducted women escaped and the bandits went with the other seven women.

    “The whole community was wiped out by the bandits, nobody survived. We got to know about how they carried out the activities from the women who escaped and are still in shock.”

    The Secretary added that the bandits moved to Shapè village under the Sarki Pawa ward and slaughtered nine people while others in the community took to their heels adding that they also killed seven people in the Gogope ward.

    It was learnt that the bandits were able to carry out their activities unabated due to the seizure of mobile networks in the affected communities.

    “We were told that all efforts to reach the security personnel proved abortive because, for some days, there has not been mobile network service in Munya local government. The people could not reach out to the security agencies neither could they reach out to the council. At the council, we got the message very late and efforts to get the security was not possible”, James said.

    He said that the women are currently in a state of shock and have been showing signs of trauma.

    “The three people who survived are currently in shock and suffering from trauma. They need to be helped medically and otherwise because all they have has been burnt down by the bandits,” he said

  • UNGA 76: Niger says climate change is another pandemic with devastating effects

    UNGA 76: Niger says climate change is another pandemic with devastating effects

    Apart from disastrous economic consequences, the COVID-19 pandemic has also amplified the climate and security crisis in the Sahel, said Niger’s Minister of Foreign Affairs during the country’s turn to speak at the UN General Assembly.

    Hassoumi Massoudou highlighted that his country and region are suffering recurrent droughts and flooding, as well as locust infestations and the annual loss of thousands of hectares of agricultural land due to degradation.

    Citing recent words of President Mohamed Bazoum, he said to win the fight against climate change, the world needs more political will.

    “It is the hope of Niger that COP26 in Glasgow will serve as a framework to reaffirm political will to battle the effects of climate change,” he said, noting that some of the big hurdles include finance and technology transfer for developing countries.

    As a current non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, the Foreign Minister noted that his nation is co-chairing with Ireland an expert group that aims to adopt a resolution regarding the climate crisis.

    “It is our conviction that fragility linked to climate change is an aggravating factor in conflicts and humanitarian crises,” he said.

    Massoudou added that Niger understood this correlation clearly since it currently finds itself surrounded by “hotbeds of instability” and facing the attacks of “terrorist hordes”.

    He said, however, that despite the size of their country and the lack of resources, Niger has shown itself to be resilient by safeguarding its territorial integrity and stability.

    This was due to the foresight of Niger’s Government, the courage and determination of its Defense and Security Forces and the invaluable support of bilateral partners such as multilateral organizations, he explained, extending “sincere thanks” for such efforts.

    The Foreign Minister also informed the Assembly that as part of a pilot programme last June, Niger had been able to return almost 6,000 people to their homes after six years of displacement.

    “We also aim to eventually repatriate around 130,000 displaced people from Diffa to Borno state in Nigeria,” he stated.

    Massoudou said his Government remained convinced that terrorism and organised crime were the consequences of other ongoing challenges that must be overcome, especially poverty and inequality.

    “It is not only military actions that will allow us to definitively defeat terrorism, but also our ability to implement development programmes and meet the essential needs of our populations,” he emphasised.

    The Foreign Minister said that while 2021 continued to be shadowed by COVID-19, the year has been a turning point for the consolidation of democracy in his country.

    “Niger was able to succeed in the first peaceful political transfer of power from one elected president to another,” he explained.

    Massoudou called on the international community to show the same disposition it had in the fight against COVID-19 to tackle other challenges such as climate change, “another pandemic with devastating effects”.

    “In Niger, we believe that our commitment to the defense of ideals of the [UN] Charter and the values of peace, solidarity that it embodies, will allow us to carry out this fight in order to build a world of peace, justice, and prosperity,” he said

  • Terrorists kill 15 soldiers in ambush

    Terrorists kill 15 soldiers in ambush

    Fifteen soldiers were killed as a result of an ambush in southwestern Niger on Saturday, the country’s defence ministry said.

    It blamed the attack on “armed terrorist groups.”

    The assailants ambushed a supply mission at 1100 local time in Torodi commune after which soldiers evacuating the wounded hit an improvised explosive, the ministry said late on Sunday.

    “We regret that unfortunately 15 soldiers were killed, seven were wounded and six are missing,” it said.

    Like its neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger is a regular target for militant groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State.

    The Jihadist threat has grown stronger despite the deployment of thousands of regional, Western and U.N. troops across West Africa’s Sahel region.

    Suspected Islamic State fighters killed at least 100 civilians on Jan. 2 in raids on two villages in western Tillabery region .

    In March, at least 137 people were killed in coordinated raids in neighbouring Tahoua region.

    The two attacks were among the deadliest in recent memory.

  • PDP disowns illegal inauguration of LG party chairmen in Niger

    PDP disowns illegal inauguration of LG party chairmen in Niger

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has disowned the inaugurated local government area chairmen of its Niger chapter.

    The party in a statement issued by its National Vice Chairman, North Central, Mr Theophilus Shan, in Abuja on Friday said the inauguration was not authorised by the PDP National Working Committee (NWC).

    “PDP alerts members and the general public that it did not authorise the inauguration of some unidentifiable persons as local government area chairmen in its Niger state chapter.

    “The PDP condemns this action in the strongest terms possible and it is considered an abuse of privilege which cannot be condoned under any guise whatsoever.

    “It came to the party as a shock that some leaders, operating without the mandate of the party, conducted the said illegal inauguration at the PDP Secretariat in Minna, the Niger State capital.”

    The party said the exercise was without the approval of the NWC which had the statutory powers to direct any of its organs to undertake such functions.

    Theophilus said that the Niger State Caretaker Committee, acting on the directive of the NWC, would not tolerate the activities of such individuals who had no legal powers to preside over the affairs of the party in the state.

    “Accordingly, the purported inauguration of some unidentifiable persons as LGA party Chairmen in Niger state is unknown to the party, illegal, of no effect and should stand disregarded.

    “Furthermore, such persons are advised, in their own interest, not to parade themselves as officials of our party, as such would attract unpleasant consequences.”

    Theophilus cautioned those behind the illegal inauguration to desist from actions that undermined the dictates of the constitution of the PDP, as such would attract very stringent sanctions by the NWC.

    He advised PDP members in Niger State to be wary and to distance themselves from such persons as their activities were without the consent of the party.

    “We urge the members of our PDP in Niger State to remain steadfast and await further directives from the National Working Committee.”

  • JUST-IN: Bandits kill 15 in fresh attack in Niger

    JUST-IN: Bandits kill 15 in fresh attack in Niger

    No fewer than 15 people including two policemen and an Islamic cleric have been killed by bandit in in Beri village, Mariga local government area of Niger State on Monday.

    It was gathered that about 600 bandits on motorcycles invaded the village at about 7am and operated up till 11am without any resistance.

    The Director-General of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), Ahmed Inga, confirmed the attack in a memo sent to newsmen on Monday.

    Those who lost their lives to the incident included Idris Ahmed Kwata, Hadiza Umaru Tunga, Momi Dalladi, Ibrahim Dalkadi, Yau Dalladi, and Saadiya Garba.

    Others were Garba Umar Tashanjirgi, Garba Umar Tjirgi, Hussaini Shuaib, Ayuba Garba, Abdullahi Jodi, Alhaji Isah Kasakohi; Fatima Nasiru Kwata among others.

    Inga noted that the bandits also attacked Unguwan Malam Bako in Kotonkoro district and abducted an unspecified number of residents.

    On the otherside, Lapai Emirate Council in Niger State has removed the village head of Muye, Abdulqadir Maigari, for breaching the law of the traditional council despite several warnings.

    In a statement on Monday, the Secretary of the emirate, Ibrahim Sheikh, noted that the dismissal took effect from May 25, 2021.

    He explained that the emirate had written to the Niger State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs on May 28, seeking the approval of Governor Abubakar Bello, to remove Maigari as the village head of Muye.

    According to Sheikh, the dismissal of the village head was conveyed to him in a letter dated May 29 and signed by the Etsu Lapai, Umar Bago Tafida III.

    “I write on the directive of his Royal Highness, Etsu Lapai and Chairman Lapai Emirate Council to inform you that in exercising the powers conferred on the Emirate Council under Section 80 Sub- Section 2 of Niger State Local Government Law, 2001 (as amended), and on the approval of the Executive Governor of Niger State that you are dismissed and removed as the Village Head of Muye,” the letter read.

  • FCT Police rescue 14 kidnap victims in Niger

    FCT Police rescue 14 kidnap victims in Niger

    The Police Command in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has successfully rescued 14 kidnapped victims at Gauraka area of Niger during a joint operation at Byhazin-Bwari axis of Abuja.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the FCT, ASP Mariam Yusuf, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

    She said the joint operation was carried out in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS) and local hunters in the FCT.

    Yusuf said the operation led by the FCT Police Command’s Anti-Kidnapping Squad, combed the forest, engaged in a fierce gun duel with the suspected kidnappers, dislodged them and arrested two kidnap suspects.

    She said other suspects escaped with bullet wounds, adding that exhibits recovered from the kidnappers’ den were two AK-47 magazines and cooking utensils.

    Yusuf said the victims who appeared frail after several days in captivity were currently receiving medical attention at the Police Medical Facility.

    She said the Commissioner of Police (CP) in charge of the FCT, Mr Bala Ciroma, pledged commitment of the command to ensure protection of lives and property within the FCT.

    The PPRO said the command would continue to partner with sister security agencies and key community stakeholders to achieve its obligations.