TheNewsGuru

Tag: Residents

  • Bandits kill police officer, kidnap 23 residents in Kaduna

    Bandits kill police officer, kidnap 23 residents in Kaduna

    A police officer has been killed with 23 others abducted when bandits attacked Ungwan Maje and Ungwan Laka villages in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

    The bandits stormed the villages in the early hours of Wednesday and opened fire on the residents who were still sleeping at that time.

    According to eyewitness accounts, the gunmen first attacked Ungwan Maje where they abducted 16 persons, majorly women and children.

    They later proceeded to the Ungwan Laka community where they killed a mobile police officer identified as Joshua Markus.

    It was gathered that the slain officer was on a visit to his family from the Rivers State Command where he was serving.

    The bandits thereafter kidnapped the wife and daughter of the deceased.

    The spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command, Mohammed Jalige also confirmed the incident.

    He said security operatives were on the trail of the bandits with a view to arresting them and rescuing the kidnapped victims.

  • Video: Heavy downpour submerge major highways in Lagos, commuters stranded

    Video: Heavy downpour submerge major highways in Lagos, commuters stranded

    Residents of Lagos State, Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre are not having the best of time at this moment.

    For close to three days now, the entire state has been experiencing torrential rainfalls that takes significant toll on its productivity and status as mega city.

    Videos shared widely on social media showed residents struggling to reach their various destinations with most vehicles parked after the roads were submerged for fear of being swept away by the heavy downpour.

    From Island to Mainland and other parts of the state, residents have different stories to tell of their messy day at work and home thanks to the heavy downpour.

    Meanwhile most commuters were stranded as commercial vehicles avoided flooded routes and hiked fares to certain routes.

    Flooding is common in Lagos, a coastal city home to over 20 million people.

    Despite government efforts to construct drainages and advise against dumping refuse in them, flooding is almost certain during heavy rainfall.

    On Thursday, the state government said it was stepping up cleaning of canals – blocked by human refuse – in four local government areas.

    Lagos has about 176 primary and secondary water channels that require regular cleaning.

    On Friday, the flooding also affected traffic flow in many parts of the city as commuters groaned.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Media/News Company (@thenewsgurung)

  • COVID-19: Obaseki vows to appeal court orders stopping vaccination of residents

    COVID-19: Obaseki vows to appeal court orders stopping vaccination of residents

    The Edo State Government has cleared the air over what it described as the “purported compulsory vaccination” of its residents with the COVID-19 vaccine.

    In a statement signed on Wednesday, Governor Godwin Obaseki said it was an “obvious misconception” that the directive issued by the government was to make vaccination compulsory for all citizens.

    Governor Obaseki had given residents up to the second week of September to get a vaccine or risk being barred from public places such as banks, receptions, churches and mosques.

    But in Wednesday’s statement, the governor said the order which was given last Friday was, at best, speculative and pre-emptive as the scheduled date for the commencement of the enforcement of the directive by the state government is the second week of September.

    He said this in reaction to an order by a High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, directing the Government to maintain the status quo on the purported compulsory vaccination.

    Governor Obaseki said: “Although the State Governor, in truth, has the power to make such an order under the Gazetted Quarantine Regulations, this directive is actually only a denial of access to public places of persons who chose not to be vaccinated.

    “We believe government’s overriding concern is the safety and health of its citizens”.

    The government’s intervention comes as Nigeria experiences a fresh spike in infections, and Edo becomes one of the top affected states.

    The governor said Edo State is currently confronted with a situation wherein the Case Positivity Rate (CPR) for COVID-19 hovers between 15 and 25 per cent.

    According to him, unvaccinated persons have accounted for 100 per cent of deaths in the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.

    “Government, therefore, finds it strange that some persons in purported pursuit of their fundamental human rights would embark on litigation tourism outside of our state, seek to become a source of public health danger and put at risk the safety and health of the larger population,” the statement read in part.

    “Government owes a sacred duty to the populace to take all actions necessary to protect the health of the majority of the citizens and in this connection, an even greater quantity of vaccines is being secured for the use of the people of Edo State.

    “The Edo State Government has, therefore, instructed its lawyers to vigorously pursue and challenge all such orders in the courts from where they emanate and if necessary, at the appellate level, while affirming its position as a law-abiding government.

    “It must be made clear that Government shall continue to pursue all legal and administrative options available for the protection of the best interest of the good people of Edo State”.

  • Ekiti residents protest as gunmen again kidnap 4 persons

    Ekiti residents protest as gunmen again kidnap 4 persons

    Some residents of Ado-Ekiti, on Wednesday protested in the state capital and lkere-Ekiti over the kidnapping of another set of four travelers on the axis by unknown gunmen.

    The kidnap incident allegedly took place late on Tuesday evening, in Goshen Land Community in Ajebamidele area of Ado-Ekiti, located on the way to Ikere-Ekiti.

    Sources in the community told newsmen that a couple, whose names were given as Mr and Mrs Falomo, and a man, said to be a pastor, were among the kidnapped victims.

    Mrs Falomo was said to have been trailed to her residence by the kidnappers who were said to be armed with AK-47 rifles. Her husband who came out on a rescue mission was also abducted.

    According to the sources, the kidnappers fired several gunshots into the air during the attack to thwart any attempt to rescue the victims.

    The other two victims were said to have been kidnapped as the gunmen were making their way out of the community.

    It was learnt that policemen from Ologede Police Division, along Ikere Road, arrived the crime scene shortly after the kidnappers had left.

    The angry residents, in their large number, trooped out in the early hours of Wednesday, to barricade the highway, lamenting that kidnapping was becoming too incessant in the state. They called for urgent action to stop the menace.

    They decried the level of insecurity in the state, and called on both the federal and state governments to urgently do something to save them from further apprehension.

    Some of their placards read “Save us from kidnappers,” “We are no longer safe, Government come to our rescue,” “Kidnappers have taken over,” “No movement on the road until government stops kidnapping”.

    Others are; “Citizens are no longer safe”, “What Is happening,” “Security is a dividend of democracy, give it to us,” “Ekiti must be free from kidnappers and robbers,” among others.

    Mr Samuel Fasua, Chairman of Goshen Landlords Association, said the protest was staged to draw the attention of government to the incident, to do something urgent to save the residents.

    Another resident, Emmanuel Ayodeji, who disclosed that his sister-in-law was among those kidnapped, disclosed that the abductors had called the family on Wednesday morning to demand for a ransom of N10 million.

    Ayodeji said: “My sister-in-law was among those kidnapped and they packed to this area not quite one month ago.”

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that during the period the protest lasted, all economic and social activities were paralysed, with shops and business centers closed.

    There were long queues of vehicles on both sides of the Ado-Ekiti-Ikere highway with police officers appealing to the protesting residents to allow a free flow of traffic, which they rebuffed.

    The road was, however, reopened to traffic at about 10.05 am after the Police succeeded in convincing the protesters to allow traffic to resume.

    When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the State, ASP Sunday Abutu, said he would formally react to the alleged incident as soon as full details get to the command from the DPO in the area.

  • 25 soldiers, 7 residents killed in Algeria’s wildfires –Defense ministry

    25 soldiers, 7 residents killed in Algeria’s wildfires –Defense ministry

    At least 25 Algerian soldiers were killed on Tuesday as they attempted to extinguish wildfires raging in the northeastern provinces of Tizi Ouzou and Bejaia, the Algerian Defense Ministry said.

    Wildfires erupted simultaneously overnight on Monday across 14 Algerian provinces, killing at least seven civilians and injuring dozens of others, the ministry said in a statement, which described the fires as caused by “criminal acts.”

    Troops and firefighters worked together to save some 110 families threatened by the blazes, it said.

    Earlier on Tuesday, Interior Minister Kamel Beldjoud also described the fires as a “criminal act,” demanding competent authorities to start investigation to determine the causes and bring the “criminals” to justice.

    The minister assured that the government would compensate all residents who suffered material losses from the wildfires, noting that a 140 expert delegation would be sent to the province of Tizi Ouzou to assess the extent of damages and losses.

  • LG Poll: Sanwo-Olu casts vote, appeals residents to exercise their civic responsibilities

    LG Poll: Sanwo-Olu casts vote, appeals residents to exercise their civic responsibilities

    Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has called on electorates to seize the election period to express themselves freely.

    The governor said this on Saturday while addressing journalists at the Polling Unit 019 Ward 08, Ikoyi II, where he cast his vote during the Local Government/Council Areas election on Saturday.

    “As electorates, this is about the only time where we can express ourselves freely and openly. It’s a result of advocacy that we all need to continue to express to our citizens.

    “All the logistics have been provided. It is really just for our citizens to come out and express themselves. This is a town call for our people to come out and express themselves,” the governor said.

    From low turnout to the late arrival of election materials, the Lagos State Local Government Elections took off on a slow start.

    According to reports, officials of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) arrived promptly in some polling units while others got to the polling centres more than one hour after the scheduled time for the election commencement.

     

  • Residents express fear as Lagos, Ogun conduct LG polls today

    Residents express fear as Lagos, Ogun conduct LG polls today

    Eligible voters in Lagos and Ogun States will file out to elect their preferred candidates and party in the local government elections schedule to hold in both neighbouring states today.

    Already, both state governments have placed restrictions on human and vehicular movements to allow for a smooth running of the scheduled polls.

    While Lagos State said movement would be restricted between 8 am and 3pm, Ogun State pegged its restriction between 8am and 2pm.

    The Lagos Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotosho, in a statement on Thursday said, “The Lagos State Government has announced restriction of movement across the State between the hours of 8am and 3pm on Saturday, July, 24, 2021.

    “The restriction is to enable the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission conduct hitch-free election into positions of chairmen and councillors in all the 57 local governments and local council development areas.”

    He added that, “The restriction would facilitate the ease of movement of the electorate, election materials and LASIEC officials for the sanctity of the election, effective monitoring and enhanced security.”

    Similarly, the Chairman of the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission, Babatunde Osibodu, said there would be restriction of human and vehicular movements between 8am and 2pm.

    “We are going to restrict movement on Saturday between 8am and 2pm during the Saturday local government election,” he said.

    Osibodu said the commission had put in place necessary machinery to ensure the release of all results at the commission’s headquarters within few hours after the elections.

    He said, “We are ready to conduct a hitch-free election into the vacant seats of chairmen and councillors in the 20 councils across the state.”

    PDP boycotts poll in Ogun

    Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State has withdrawn from the poll.

    The Chairman of the party in the state, Sikirulai Ogundele, said this in on Thursday in Abeokuta.

    Ogundele said the withdrawal was sequel to a judgment of an Ogun State High Court between him and the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission.

    Ogundele had dragged OGSIEC to court for dealing with a faction loyal to late Buruji Kashamu of the PDP in the State.

    “Sequel to the judgement of the Ogun State High Court, Isabo in suit no M/55/2021 between Sikirulai Ogundele VS OGSIEC, affirming the consent judgement of the Federal High Court, Abuja as delivered on 22nd June, 2021, the Ogun State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party under the able Chairmanship of Dr Sikirulai Ogundele hereby make the following pronouncement:

    “That consequence upon the said judgement in suit M/55/2021, Ogun State PDP withdraws its participation in the Ogun State Local Government Election which is scheduled for Saturday 24th July, 2021.

    “That all candidates of the party who have been earlier screened by the party to contest in the LG election and all our teeming party members and loyal supporters are enjoined to remain calm and sustain their confidence in the leadership of the party,” he said.

    Residents in fear of possible violence

    Residents in both states have however expressed fear of possible violence. Some have also vowed to stay indoors despite been eligible to vote. They cited inadequate security, party rancour and thuggery as parts of reasons the election may turn violent.

    ‘I have a feeling the election will be violent hence I may not participate. You know LGs are the closest to the people so when violence breaks out the everyday people are first causalities. I’m also not sure of adequate security. So I can’t participate in an election that my safety is not guaranteed,’ a Lagos resident said.

    An Ogun State resident shared a similar sentiment. ‘Even in their campaigns there was violence. What makes you think the election proper will not be violent? Already, the PDP in Ogun State has withdrawn from the election. Are those not possible signs of grievances and violence? The street urchins will have a field day. They will cause chaos and attack people openly especially if you decline voting for their candidate. Why should I subject myself to such punishment when in actual sense the candidate that will win already know themselves? See its their thing, let them go and handle it. Count me out”.

  • Oyo LG Election: Residents defy restriction order, rainfall slows down process

    Oyo LG Election: Residents defy restriction order, rainfall slows down process

    Many residents of Ibadan defied the restriction of movement ordered by the Oyo State government during the local government election on Saturday, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports
    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that vehicular movements were still observed around Ring Road, Adeoyo, Oluyole, Dugbe, Challenge, Mokola, Ojo areas of Ibadan as at 7:50a.m. in spite of the 6:00a.m – 3p.m. restriction order.
    A NAN correspondent who monitored the situation discovered that commercial vehicles were freely seen conveying passengers to different destinations even as security operatives were absent on the roads.
    Some respondents, however, told NAN that the early morning rainfall in Ibadan may have contributed to the indifference by residents, which also affected the early distribution of electoral materials to polling centres.
    Also, the distribution of electoral materials were delayed in Iseyin, Iseyin Local Government of Oyo State, as the distribution started at about 8:25a.m.
    Mr Sunday Adeoye, the Electoral Officer for Iseyin Local Government, attributed the delay to the early rainfall in the area .
    At about 8:15a.m. there was no sign of electoral officers or voting materials at Ward 03, Units 12 and 13 at Iseyin District Grammar School, although a few voters were seen checking their names on the voting list.
    Meanwhile, at the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) at Oluyole in Ibadan South-West Local Government, electoral officers were seen at 8.25 a.m. arranging for materials to be delivered at polling centres.
    One of the supervisors, who pleaded for anonymity, told NAN that the delay was due to the rainfall and other logistics.
    “We have been here since yesterday night, but the vehicles to convey electoral materials arrived late this morning due to the rain.
    “Some officers have already left, anyway, but many are still around waiting for other logistics to be arranged,” he said.
    Meanwhile, as at 8:53a.m at OYSIEC office, Agodi, Ibadan North LGA, officials were observed distributing non-sensitive materials.
    At Ibadan North West, Onireke, the dispatch of materials started as early as 7:00a.m. with officials distributing tags to security operatives.

  • Kidnapping: Be vigilant, Lekki alerts residents

    Kidnapping: Be vigilant, Lekki alerts residents

    As the security situation in the country deteriorates with growing cases of abductions and killings, the Lekki Estates Residents and Stakeholders Association has warned residents of the area to be watchful as they go about their lawful activities.

    LERSA, which is an association of “over 80 estates and communities” in the area, also urged the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to accelerate his planned ban of all passenger motorcycles, especially within the Lekki axis.

    This was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday and co-signed by Olorogun Emadoye and Gbemi Adelekan, President and Secretary General of the association respectively.

    The statement directed to residents and stakeholders in the Lekki area was titled, ‘Re: Update On The State Of Security Affairs Across The Lekki Corridor’.

    The statement read, “The Association has received various calls from residents expressing deep concern on the general insecurity in the Lekki axis.

    “While acknowledging the efforts of the Police in trying to maintain peace and security, the Association is calling on the Government and the Security authorities for a broader and stern response to the activities of various criminals in the community and the State in general.

    “In the light of the security challenges, we wish to commend the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on the planned ban of Okada in the state. We believe that such a policy, if effectively implemented will reduce insecurity to a reasonable extent.

    “We also wish to call on the Nigeria Police to declare a total war on people roaming the streets with dangerous weapons to curb the indiscriminate activities of some criminals.

    “The Association wishes to admonish residents to take extra precautions against kidnappings following news of deteriorating security in the country.”

    LERSA, therefore, advised residents to:

    “Avoid late night outing, be always watchful and vigilant.

    “Be observant, watchful and ensure that you are not being followed. If you suspect strange movement, drive to the nearest Police Station.

    “Keep the discussions of your financial dealings away from strangers especially while in public places or while talking on your mobile phones. Always keep a low profile.

    “Keep vehicle doors locked and windows rolled up, especially in traffic jams or traffic lights.

    “Do not use ATM Machine at remote locations at night to avoid robbers and kidnappers.

    “Do not stop to help strangers on the road, especially at night unless you are sure.

    “Exercise precaution when walking at night. Do not jog at night, if you can avoid it.

    “Ensure that you report any security incident to the Police. Be a friend to the Police.”

    The Association also said it would seek audience with the state government and the Lagos State Police Command to discuss the security problems within the axis.

     

  • Boko Haram terrorists attack Borno town, kill residents, two soldiers

    Boko Haram terrorists attack Borno town, kill residents, two soldiers

    An attack by Boko Haram terrorists has left some residents killed in Ajiri town in Borno State, north-east Nigeria.

    The Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Mohammed Yerima, confirmed the attack on the town in a statement on Monday, but he did not give the actual number of locals killed by the terrorists.

    He noted that insurgents on a criminal mission carried out the attack on Ajiri in Konduga Local Government Area (LGA) of the state on Sunday.

    Yerima added that the terrorists burned nine houses in parts of the town before they were engaged by the troops of Operation Hadin Kai deployed in the area.

    “The retreating terrorists went away with various degrees of gunshot injuries while the gallant troops are on their chase.

    “Unfortunately, however, two personnel paid the supreme price in the resulting encounter,” said the army spokesman who did not state whether any of the insurgents was killed by the soldiers.

    He explained that the attack on Ajiri came a day after troops successfully thwarted an attempt by the terrorists to infiltrate Rann – a town that serves as the headquarters of Kala Balge LGA of the state.

    The terrorists, in their numbers, were said to have attempted to disrupt the peace in the border town on Saturday last week.

    They were, however, met with stiff resistance as the soldiers in the area took them on a fierce firefight that lasted about an hour.

    Following the gunfight, the insurgents withdrew in disarray with a large number of them suffering fatal injuries, leaving behind several weapons and ammunition.

    Yerima listed some of the items recovered by the troops to include an anti-aircraft gun barrel, an AK 47 rifle, a hand-held communication radio, and different calibres of ammunition, among others.

    In his reaction, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, commended the troops for their resilience and determination to keep their areas free of terrorist activities.

    He also urged them not to be distracted by the progress made but to sustain the renewed vigour in discharging their duties.