Security tightened as killings, kidnappings spread

Hoodlums are unrelenting in causing unrest. UJA EMMANUEL, ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE, ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA and JIDE BABALOLA report the spate of violence that rocked some parts of the country yesterday.

Police: we’ve deployed men to fish out abductors

THROUGH its Kaduna State Command, the Police yesterday spoke of efforts to track the abductors of the Americans and Canadians and bring them to book.

The Command’s anti-kidnap unit has been sent after the gunmen, its spokesman, Mukhtar Aliyu, said last night.

Aliyu urged Nigerians to be vigilant and to report suspected persons or group of persons to the appropriate authorities.

Also yesterday, the Force Public Relations Officer (PRO), Moshood Jimoh, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), said the Police would continue to try their best to protect lives and properties.

His response was contained in a statement sent to our correspondent yesterday

It reads: “Under the current Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Kpotum Idris, the Nigeria Police Force has  renewed its commitment to ensuring adequate protection, safety and security of lives and properties and our efforts across the country have continued to yield positive results.

“Many have spoken about security agencies being overstretched with inadequate budgetary allocations and other resources and you will remember that the IGP has spoken of how these affect the police in critical ways.

“For instance, the United Nations’ recommended ratio of policing is far from being attained when you consider that less than four hundred thousand policemen police a nation of close to two hundred million people.

“Nonetheless, the Nigeria Police Force deeply appreciates the support and cooperation of members of the public for the timely information and support that has facilitated the achievement of numerous success stories.”

AN air of insecurity and violence hung on the land yesterday.

The police, however, assured that miscreants would not be given any space to operate.

Suicide bombers let off Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) strapped on their bodies in Maiduguri, killing 12 persons and injuring 48 others in the aftermath of the explosions in Maiduguri, Borno State.

In Kaduna, gunmen struck and killed two policemen attached to two Canadians and two Americans. They abducted the expatriates.

The herdsmen returned to Benue State to undermine the security arrangement. They allegedly killed four men, just as a resident-settler in an Ekiti State community of Oke-Ako reportedly killed a fellow sojourner believed to be an itinerant herdsman.

But the authorities in the affected arears swung into action. The Borno State government extended the 6pm-6am curfew on the state capital to 6pm-8pm. In Ekiti Governor Ayodele Fayose summoned an emergency state security meeting and warned against turning the agrarian state into war theatre.

 

Abduction of expatriates

Gunmen, suspected to be kidnappers, yesterday killed two policemen and abducted four expatriates, in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Two of the abductees are from Canada.

The Nation learnt that killed policemen were security escorts to the foreigners who travelled to insect a project being handled by the company in Kafanchan.

Kaduna Police Command spokesman Mukhtar Aliyu, confirmed the incident.

A company source who pleaded for anonymity said the expatriates, alongside the two police escort, were returning from Kafanchan, en route Abuja through Kagarko when they were ambushed by the gunmen.

The source said: “The Americans and Canadians were in Kafanchan to see a project. But on their way back, they were ambushed by gunmen who opened fire on them. The two policemen were killed while the Canadians were abducted.”

An indigene of the area claimed the gunmen ambushed the vehicle of the foreigners along the Jere-Kargarko Road at about 7pm on Tuesday night while they were returning to Abuja from Kafanchan.

According to him, the two policemen who were attached to the vehicle were shot dead during an exchange of gun fire with the gunmen, who later took away the four foreigners to a yet-to-be-identified destination.

In faraway Ottawa, the Canadian press said the Global Affairs in Canada has heard of the news of the abduction two Canadians in Nigeria.

Spokesman John Babcock said “consular officials in Nigeria are in contact with local authorities to gather additional information.” He declined further comments “for privacy reasons.”

 

Fresh killings in Benue

Four people were killed in fresh attacks by suspected herdsmen in Benue State, where Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris is coordinating security. The police chief’s relocation to Benue was directed by President Muhammadu Buhari to stem the killing spree.

According to Governor Samuel Ortom, the herdsmen attacks were on innocent residents of Logo and Guma local government areas.

Ortom broke the sad news at the Benue Peoples House in Makurdi when he hosted the state’s former military administrator Brig.-Gen. Dominic Oneya. The former military governor led a delegation of his Foundation on a condolence visit to the governor.

The governor told his guests that two women were reportedly killed in Guma and two others persons in Logo. Claiming that killings were still going on, Ortom  reiterated his call on security agents to arrest the leadership of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, whom he insisted have been dishing out threats to resist the implementation of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law in the state.

He expressed appreciation to Brig.-Gen. Oneya for identifying with people in their trying moments, describing the visit as a demonstration of a true friend.

He restated his earlier claim that the crises between herdsmen and farmers had lingered for years without anyone coming up with a bold step to address it, saying the anti-grazing law was meant to permanently address the challenge.

Brig.-Gen. Oneya said his mission was to commiserate with the governor and Benue people over the gruesome murder of 73 persons by herdsmen.

He stated that as the last military administrator of the state who handed over to former Governor George Akume, he has taken the state as his home and would always identify with in good and difficult times.

Presenting a branded fez cap and a T-shirt to the governor, Gen. Oneya also donated food items to donate to the displaced persons to alleviate their suffering.

 

Soyinka’s handkerchief

for Ortom

Nobel Laureate Prof Wole Soyinka yesterday condoled with Governor Ortom, government and people of the Northcentral state over the shedding of innocent blood.

In a condolence message delivered by the local chapter Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Mr. Charles Iornumbe, the literary icon said the images of the losses, destabilisation and mass burial from Benue were indeed heart-rending.

He described the deaths and mass burial of over 73 persons as unacceptable in the modern times.

Joining his ANA colleague in commisserating with the government, Soyinka said he was deeply touched by the killings and urged security agencies to arrest and prosecute those behind the dastardly act.

He also commiserated with the Tor Tiv, Orchivirigh Professor James Ayatse, over the massacre of his people, saying such was part of the challenges that come with leadership.

He applauded the governor’s courage in the face of the adversity, expressing the hope that steps would be taken to forestall a reoccurrence.

 

Tension over herdsman’s

killing in Ekiti

The Oke-Ako and Irele communities in Ikole LocalGovernment Area of Ekiti State were yesterday tension-soaked, following the alleged killing of a herdsman on Monday.

The herdsman, whose name was given as Babuba Dengi, was killed in a bush between the two communities by settlers suspected to be indigenes of Benue State.

The development forced Governor Ayo Fayose to summon a meeting on Tuesday night at the Government House where he warned farmers and herders against turning Ekiti into a “war zone.”

Fayose, who gave a marching order to security agencies in the state to fish out the killers of the herdsman and bring them to justice, also warned: “There is no room for the killing of herders or farmers or anybody in the state.”

He said the “recent steps by his government are to prevent violence between farmers and herders do not to give anybody license to unlawfully take human life.”

Fayoke spoke during the meeting with members of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, farmers, local hunters, security agencies and representatives of the Tiv community in the state.

He said: “I can’t accept anybody to be killed. If anybody killed anyone I will make sure you are killed by ensuring justice. I’m sad about the killing in Benue but we don’t want brutality in Ekiti.

“I won’t accept any killing here, the only thing acceptable here is peace. I therefore plead with everybody to cooperate with us.  I want peace in my state and everybody living here is from Ekiti, whether you are Fulani, Tiv, Yoruba or anybody.

“The cow matter can’t cause problem between us. Oke Ako-Irele issue should not be allowed to fester. Cooperate with us and whoever kills would be fished out.

“When you are entering Ekiti, drop wherever you are coming from at the boundary. You can’t kill Yoruba, Fulani, Igbo or Tiv here. From information so far, the deceased died as a result of clash between herders and some Tiv people, but even at that, we can’t condone lawlessness. We don’t want that type of Benue issue here.”

A communique read by Fayose at the end of the meeting, summoned leaders of the herdsmen, farmers, hunters, council chairmen and traditional rulers from Oke Ako and Irele to an expanded meeting.

Noting that the problem in Oke Ako was between Tivs and Fulani, the communique resolved that the people must live in peace.

It also ordered security agencies to fish out the killers of the herdsman in the area and agreed to the extension of the committee on herdsmen to include Fulani herders.

The communique urged the committee to be more proactive and report immediately to security committee when they see strangers in their communities.

It reads: “We ask security agencies to do more in intelligence gathering, information and prevention, while we thank them for what they have done so far.”

 

12 killed, 48 wounded

in suicide bomb attacks

in Maiduguri

The Police yesterday confirmed that 12 persons were killed and 48 others wounded in suicide bomb attacks in Maiduguri, Borno State.

Confirming the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Daminian Chukwu, said that a male suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at a crowded market, killing himself and 10 other persons.

“One other suicide bomber out of panic detonated explosive and blew himself alone into pieces,” the police chief explained.

Chukwu disclosed that the corpses and the wounded persons were evacuated to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

The commissioner called on the people to be vigilant and report suspicious persons in their communities to security agencies.

“People should be vigilant because Boko Haram insurgents have not surrendered,” he warned.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the incident occurred at about 4: 15pm when the bomber detonated an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at Alai Fadawu Market of Muna Garage area on the outskirts of Maiduguri.

The incident was the first suicide bomb attack in Maiduguri since the beginning of the year.

Muna Garage has recorded series of suicide bomb attacks coordinated by the Boko Haram insurgents in the past one year.

Also, the state government had reviewed the curfew in the metropolis to be observed between 8pm and 6am

The curfew is to enable the military to complete the ongoing clearance operation against remnants of the insurgents.

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