TheNewsGuru

Tag: Soldier

  • Explosion hits military unit, kills two soldiers

    Explosion hits military unit, kills two soldiers

    An explosion struck a military unit in Azerbaijan on Saturday, leaving two soldiers killed and another one injured, the country’s Defense Ministry said.
    “In the morning of July 6, an incident occurred at one of the military units.
    “Two soldiers … were killed as a result of the explosion of a tank shell,” the ministry said.
    It added that another soldier was injured.
    Meanwhile, an investigation into the incident is underway.
  • Gunmen kill solider, 3 others in Plateau

    Gunmen kill solider, 3 others in Plateau

    Gunmen on Monday killed a personnel of the military Special Task Force (STF), maintaining peace on the Plateau, and three other persons at Tubun-Rong village in Ganawuri District of Riyom Local Government Area of the state.

    Mr Timothy Datong, member representing Riyom Constituency in the Plateau State House of Assembly, who disclosed this at Tuesday’s plenary, described the persistent killings in his constituency as “scary”.

    Datong made the disclosure while making contribution on a matter of urgent public importance brought by Mr Amurudu Usain (Bokkos/APC).

    Usain’s presentation had focused on the spate of insecurity in the state.

    Datong further disclosed that 54 houses were completely razed down by the attackers, leaving many villagers homeless

    “The state of insecurity and spate of killings in communities across the state is alarming.

    “Yesterday, at about 12 noon, Tubun Rong, a village in Ganawuri District in my constituency, was attacked and three persons, including a soldier, was killed.

    “Fifty-four houses were also burnt down and farmlands destroyed by the attackers,” he said.

    The lawmaker said that many people were displaced and were currently taking refuge in various camps, and called on the government to beef up security in the affected community.

    Datong decried the inability of the local government council to respond to the needs of the displaced, urging the state government to provide succour to cushion the effect of the attacks on the affected people.

    Mr Isaac Akinmoyede, the Police Commissioner in the state, who confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that the identity of the attackers had not been ascertained as yet.

    He confirmed that a personnel of the STF was killed during a face-off with the attackers.

    “Though the villagers claimed that the attackers are Fulani herdsmen, we have not yet established that.

    “Investigation is ongoing to unravel the identity of the attackers. Once we can get them, they will be made to face the full wrath of the law, ” he said.

    The commissioner said that a combined team of security personnel had been deployed to the area to avert future attacks and forestall a breakdown of law and order.

    He called on residents of the area to remain calm and be law abiding, adding that security agencies would leave no stone unturned in the efforts to bring the perpetrators to book.

  • Taraba residents flee over death of soldiers

    Residents of Shinkai Village in Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba State have fled their homes following a threat to raze down the village over the alleged killing of a soldier.

    According to Malam Labaran Abdu, the leader of the community, armed men in military uniform stormed the village on Sunday, March 24, 2019, and alleged that one of their men was killed in the suburb of Shinkai and his rifle taken away.

    “The community leaders in Shinkai told the armed men that they knew nothing about the incident, but they threatened that they will wipe off the village if the killers and the stolen rifle were not produced within three days,”

    Abdul told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Tuesday.

    “As a result of the threat, residents of Shinkai and surrounding villages have crossed over to Awe, Tunga, Terkura and Lafiya in the neighbouring Nassarawa State to take refuge,” he said.

    Labaran said that the incident the armed men claimed had led to the death of their member took place about 15 kilometre away from Shinkai, and wondered why the people of Shinkai should be made to bear the burden.

    Reacting to the incident, Mr Simon Dogari, Taraba information commissioner, told NAN that he had received reports that there was tension in Shinkai village after a clash between herdsmen and some armed men believed to be soldiers from “Operation Whirl stroke”, who were on special patrol from neighboring Benue State.

    He said that the report had claimed that there was a clash between the two groups which left ‘one man with uniform dead”.

    Dogari, however, wondered why the suspected military personnel, whose operational area was Benue, had crossed into Taraba and clashed with herdsmen.

    He said that a Special Adviser to Governor Darius Ishaku, and the Chairman of Wukari Local Government Area, have been asked to investigate the issue and report back.

    The Commissioner appealed to the people of Shinkai and its environs to remain calm as the state government was working round the clock to nip the problem in the bud.

    Similarly, Mr Bala Dan-Abu, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor of Taraba on media, who described the death of the military man as unfortunate, urged the authorities to follow due process in redressing the issue.

    “Two wrongs cannot make a right; instead of attacking the village, thorough investigation should be carried out to identity the suspected killers.”

    He called for calm among all concerned, saying that all hands were on deck toward resolving the matter through dialogue.

    Efforts to speak with the Police authorities in Taraba proved abortive, but a senior official of the command said that the matter was being investigated.

  • Soldier commits suicide after killing wife with AK-47 rifle

    A Cambodian military officer killed himself after shooting dead his 16-year-old wife with an AK-47 rifle after he allegedly refused her request for a divorce, local media reported on Tuesday.

    “Second Lt. Vong Tol, 32, shot his wife, Uy Sokhom, in the chest in their home in the northern province of Preah Vihear on Sunday before shooting himself in the head.

    “He was angry with the wife for wanting to divorce him,” Capt. Chuon Narong, a district penal police officer, told the Times.

    Narong said neighbours had heard the couple arguing earlier Sunday, with Tol reportedly accusing his wife of having an affair, which she denied.

    “The neighbours did not intervene because they regularly heard the pair fighting.

    “The couple was married for about a year and did not have children,” Narong added.

    Tol worked on the provincial military base and his wife was a farmer in the area.

    Cambodia’s legal minimum age of marriage is 18 years old; however, children who are no less than 16 may legally marry with permission from a parent or guardian.

    According to 2014 figures, the most recent data available from the United Nations’ child rights agency (UNICEF), almost one in five women in Cambodia aged 20 to 24 years old were first married or in a union before age 18.

  • American soldier arrested in Imo over alleged 419 scam

    Operatives of the Federal Special Anti Robbery Squad of the Police Command in Imo says it has arrested a member of the U.S. Army, Mr. Garrick Michael, over alleged advance fee fraud.

    The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Dasuki Galadanchi, disclosed this on Wednesday in Owerri while presenting to journalists the suspect, Michael, and other suspects involved in different crimes ranging from armed robbery, to kidnapping and child trafficking.

    Galadanchi said Michael was an American citizen who specialised in defrauding women of huge amount of money under the pretext of securing American visa for them.

    He named victims of the suspect as Sylva Chineyenwa, Wuchi Peace and Duny Glory.

    Michael told the News Agency of Nigeria that he returned to Nigeria to visit his wife who resided in the country before he met his three alleged victims.

    He said his business deal with the women was still valid before his arrest.

    The commissioner also said that a kidnapper who had been on the police blacklist, one Reginald Durunzenwata, was arrested on August 4 and would soon be charged to court.

    He said the suspect was allegedly involved in the kidnap and murder of a businessman, Chidi Eburuaji, in Imo. Eburuaji was kidnapped and murdered in July.

    Galadanchi said apart from kidnapping, the suspect also specialised in diverting petrol tankers.

    NAN

  • Soldier, policeman, lecturer, 97 other Nigerians abscond during pilgrimage in Israel

    Soldier, policeman, lecturer, 97 other Nigerians abscond during pilgrimage in Israel

    The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC), Tor Uja, has said 100 Christian pilgrims absconded during the 2017 pilgrimage to Israel.

    Uja, who made this known while receiving security report of the 2017 pilgrimage on Monday in Abuja, said that no pilgrim absconded in Rome and Greece.

    The NCPC boss said that the 100 pilgrims who absconded were from five states in Nigeria, adding that a serving soldier, a police inspector and a lecturer were among the absconders.

    He, however, did not disclose the states and names of the absconders, but tagged the states as “red flag”.

    He said pilgrims absconded during pilgrimage as a result of their colonial mindset.

    He explained that as part of the efforts of the commission to check pilgrims from absconding, the commission has decided to increase the security surveillance during pilgrimage.

    Uja said that Nigeria was a nation of future while explaining that the coming together of Nigeria was beyond what the colonialists conceived.

    He said the coming together was an act of God.

    He stressed that one of the major responsibilities Nigerian government has for its citizens was to provide adequate security.

    As a part of the commission’s strategy to check defection of pilgrims while in the Holy Land, he explained that NCPC would intensify its screening mechanism to bring defection to an end.

    Uja revealed that the commission has come up with stringent measures that would discourage pilgrims from absconding, such measures as black listing states with penchant for abscondment, publishing the names of absconders and their guarantors in national newspapers, and prosecuting them eventually.

    He urged Nigerians and particularly the youth to have confidence in the country.

    He explained that Christian pilgrimage under his leadership is focused on three aspects which are enhancing the spiritual content of pilgrimage, using pilgrimage to showcase the great beauty and capacity that Nigeria has and using Christian pilgrimage to promote national development.

    He said the forum would make Christians go on pilgrimage and come back as better persons.

    “It is time to build this country and to give it foundation; it is time to give this country a character; it is time to give this country a vision and a hope.

    “It is time to make Nigerians to know that our land is a land of great opportunities.

    “We have more opportunities in Nigeria than in America and in Israel.

    “We have better land than anywhere else, what we are going to get is a revitalisation to meet with the Lord Jesus Christ afresh and to have a revamping of our spiritual lives.

    Uja commended the security committee for a job well done, adding that he would invite them to educate the commission on its observations and recommendation.

    He called on the church in Nigeria to be steadfast in prayers for the nation and to provide leadership.

    Earlier, Emmanuel Nega, a major general and chairman of the committee, said security is the most important aspect of the commission.

    Nega said that the committee was inaugurated to ensure the security of pilgrims to the holy land.

    He said the committee has documented its recommendations that would assist the commission in terms of security and to prevent pilgrims from absconding.

    According to him, the committee consist of 18 members made up of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Airforce, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Immigration Service, Department of State and Security and Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria.

     

  • Bayelsa govt. condemns beheading of soldier

    The Bayelsa government on Tuesday condemned the beheading of a soldier who was negotiating the surrender of arms with militants in Ekeremor Council area of the state.

    The government made the condemnation in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the Gov. Seriake Dickson on Security Matters, Dr. Boma Spero-Jack.

    He described the action as “crude, barbaric and reprehensible”

    He urged the military authorities to demonstrate professionalism in the ongoing operation while abiding by the rules of engagement to avoid what he called collateral damage.

    The special adviser said the state governor regarded the act as completely unacceptable and counter- productive to the security efforts of his administration.

    The statement called on fleeing members of Toru Ndoro community to return and go about their legitimate activities adding that government was already looking into the situation.

    Spero-Jack, also called on community leaders to identify criminals in their domain and do the needful to ward off the negative impact of their actions on the people generally.

    He appealed to members of the affected community to report activities of criminal elements in the area to the relevant authorities.

    He assured that government would support all efforts aimed at unmasking political leaders who sponsor criminal elements in the society.

     

  • I’ll return to fight Boko Haram in Sambisa after treatment – Injured soldier vows

    An army private, Samuel Ernest, who is recuperating from an injury at the 7 Division Medical Services and Hospital, Maiduguri, says he go back to the frontline to continue the fight against the terrorists.

    “After my treatment, if I am fit enough, I will go back to the bush – frontline, in order to continue the operation against the Boko Haram terrorists.

    “I am feeling better now, I can now use crochets and put my feet down,’’ Ernest told journalists at a get-together organised for wounded soldiers to celebrate the Eid-el-Kabir.

    He said he was proud of the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, and the army high command that identified with the injured during the occasion.

    “I feel happy celebrating the Sallah, the chief of army staff came to the hospital to see how we are faring and how we are being taken care of,” Ernest, who sustained his injury six months ago, said.

    Similarly, another private, Titus Okon, who is also recuperating from injury on one of his laps after he was shot by the terrorists on May 21, expressed gratitude to God that he was getting better.

    “I am strong enough, I am very grateful to the chief of army staff who is here to celebrate with us,” he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the soldiers later took to the dancing floor to celebrate the occasion.

    This was after the representative of the chief of army staff, David Ahmadu, the Chief of Training and Operations, assured them that the army was committed to their welfare.

    At Mafa, a staff sergeant of the 112 Task Force Battalion, Saleh Jerico, expressed gratitude to God that there were fewer threats to troops now than in previous years.

    “Compared to two or three years ago, nobody could come here. We give glory to God for his intervention.

    “Peace is being restored to Borno and entire North East. Our earnest prayer is that God should sustain the peace.

    “It is great for us — the troops — to witness the 2017 Sallah celebration,” Mr. Jerico said after he took part in a lunch organised by the chief of army staff for troops.

    Also, a lance corporal, Adamu Ali, of the same battalion noted that Eid-el-Kabir celebration in Mafa in 2017 was better than 2016 in terms of security and peace.

    “In 2016, here in Mafa, we were being ambushed by the terrorists, but there is nothing as such this year, we thank God for that.

    “I wish my family happy Sallah. As they celebrate at home, we are also celebrating here in the frontline in Mafa.

    “It is not my will to stay away from them, it is the nature of the job,” Ali said and expressed readiness to continue with the ongoing clearance operation.

  • 1 officer, 3 soldiers die as IED explodes in Borno

    The Army has confirmed that it lost an officer and three soldiers in Borno on Thursday when their patrol vehicle encountered IED buried on the road between Kangarwa and Alagarno village.

    The Army Spokesman, Brig.-Gen. Sani Usman, confirmed the incident in a statement on Friday, while giving update on troops’ clearance operations in the North-East between Tuesday and Thursday.

    He said three other soldiers sustained various degrees of injuries, while the patrol vehicle was completely damaged.

    Usman, however, said three suspected terrorists who planted the explosive and hid themselves had been fished out and neutralised.

    The army spokesman added that apart from clearance operations, troops stationed at Banki in Borno rendered humanitarian assistance to over 887 Nigerian refugees who returned from Cameroon since Tuesday.

    He said the troops, also on Thursday, handed over Miss Jada Hachaba, who was abducted by the terrorists to her mother at Gulak in Adamawa.

    The army spokesman explained that Hachaba escaped from the terrorists’ captivity, adding that she was handed over in the presence of the District Head of Gulak.

    At Buni Yadi in Yobe, Usman said that troops in the period under review discovered a 122mm D30 unexploded ordinance inside an uncompleted building at the Federal Low Cost Housing Estate.

    He said the Explosive Ordinance Team was drafted into the scene to safely detonated the explosive.

    Usman said that based on credible information, troops arrested two suspected Boko Haram terrorists’ collaborators/informants; Abubakar Ahmed, 23 and Aji Maina, 45, on Wednesday.

    “Both were arrested at Garin Gada and Kanamma after painstaking trailing.

    “Abubakar Ahmed was arrested while trying to collect relief materials for onward conveyance to Boko Haram terrorists, while Aji Maina was arrested while on transit at Kanamma enroute Gamari in Niger Republic,’’ he said.

    Similarly, Usman said that vigilant elements of 8 Division Nigerian Army stationed at Kukawa in northern Borno intercepted two minors on Thursday.

    He named them as Abubakar Aji, 13 and Isah Mustapha, 12, adding that they were on spying mission on troops’ location at Kukawa.

    “On further interrogation, the minors claimed to have been with Boko Haram terrorists in Kangarawa since 2014,’’ he said. (NAN)

  • Police arrest soldier who worked for Evans, got N6.5m

    The Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT) has arrested a soldier in Lagos for allegedly being part of the gang of the notorious kidnapper, Chukwudi Onuwamadike, alias Evans.

    A police source, who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday, said that the team led by ACP Abba Kyari arrested the soldier after weeks of surveillance.

    The source said that the soldier, a Lance Corporal, was arrested on Friday at about 9 p.m in Ojo area of Lagos.

    The source, however, said that police detectives in a follow-up to the confession made by Evans, led to the arrest of the soldier who was a member of the army band at Abalti Barrack, Surulere.

    It said that the kidnap kingpin had told policemen during interrogation that some notable people collaborated with him in his operations for seven years.

    The source said the soldier in his confessional statement, said he had accompanied Evans in three different kidnap operations in Lagos, and got N2 million, N1.5 million and N3 million respectively as his shares.

    “There are serious efforts to apprehend other gang members and efforts will be made to arrest of others,’’ the source said.

    NAN reports that the billionaire kidnapper was arrested on June 10 after being hunted by police for seven years at his Magodo Estate mansion in Lagos.

    He told the police during interrogation that some yet to be known notable people collaborated with him during his operations.

    CSP Mosheed Jimoh, the Force Spokesman, had promised while parading the kidnap that every name mentioned by the gang members would be arrested, no matter how highly placed.

    Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner of Police ,Lagos State in charge of Administration, Dansuki Galadanchi, had denied media report that the command released one Emeka, who gave out his boss Evans and his gang members.

    Galadanchi said that after Emeka’s boss, Chief Donatus Duru escaped from the kidnappers’ detention camp in Igando, the suspect was arrested and charged to Ebute-Meta Magistrate Court 2 and was remanded in prison afterwards.

    “It came as a surprise to the police, when a television station reported that the suspect escaped from the police custody.

    “Emeka was never in our custody, we charged him to court immediately we arrested him, how come they now said we allowed him to escape from our custody, that is not true,” he said.

     

    NAN