Crime

Civilian JTF Kills Nine Terrorists

By Web News 375

Members of the Civilian Joint Task Force, JTF, in Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State have repelled an attack on the town by terrorists, killing nine of them.

The civilian task force team also arrested five other terrorists and impounded nine of motorcycles used for the attack.

Although the state police command said it was yet to be officially informed about the incident, sources in the town revealed that the terrorists staged the attack on the town around 4.30 p.m on Sunday shortly after the evening prayers.

The terrorists reportedly stormed the town which is the headquarters of the Local Government Area in no fewer than ten motorcycles.

The civilian task force team was said to have then confronted the terrorists, the development which led to the death of nine of them, arresting five members of the gang and impounding nine of the motorcycles the terrorists used for the operation.

Sources revealed that the situation was still tense in the town as of Monday as members of the civilian task force had reportedly positioned themselves again to ward off any surprise attack by the terrorists.

When contacted, the spokesman for the Katsina police command, SP Gambo Isah said the DPO for the Batsari area was yet to brief the command about the incident.

Isah said, “I will brief you whenever the DPO for the area briefs the command about the incident but for now he has not briefed us.”

Punch/Titilayo Kupoliyi

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Crime

Bandits Abduct 8 Orphans from Abuja Orphanage 24hrs after JTF Withdrawal

By Web News 627

Barely 24 hours after operatives of the Police-led anti-kidnapping Joint Task Force, JTF, were withdrawn, bandits have struck an orphanage in the Abaji Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, abducting at least eight orphans and three others.

The Rachael Orphanage Home opposite UBE Junior Secondary School in Naharati area of the Council was reportedly invaded at about 1am on Saturday taking with them Elizabeth Andrew, Dayo Udeh, Jacob Ukpas, Melody Ijeh, Bernard Itim, Isaac Matthew and Laruba Emmanuel.

The security guard at the orphanage, Joseph Matthew was also abducted while three residents of the area, Rukayyat Salihu, Suwaiba Momoh and Momoh Jimoh were also abducted.

The gunmen who stormed the orphanage in large numbers and heavily armed were said to have forced the gate opened and went straight to the dormitory.

“They were armed to the teeth. Except for the gate that they forced open, it was almost a noiseless operation.

“While they abducted the kids at gunpoint, they proceeded to the neighbouring compound where they abducted two housewives and shot at the husband of one of them”, a source disclosed.

The anti-kidnapping Joint Taskforce JTF was set up in the first week of October 2020 by the Federal Capital Territory Administration FCTA and the FCT Command of the Nigerian Police.

While the JTF gets its funding through the security department of the FCTA, the operatives were however withdrawn between Thursday and Friday last week following what a security source said was due to paucity of funds.

“The truth is that since October when the JTF started operations, there have been no incident of kidnapping around the Kuje and Abaji axis.

 “Although the operatives complained of not having modern security gadgets, they were still able to use analogue skills to ward off the kidnappers who operated from the Toto hills in Nasarawa state and from the Chikara/Gegu axis in Kogi state.

 “The operatives sometimes chased these guys to Nasarawa or Kogi boundary with the FCT but they (operatives) usually had to make a retreat because they could not go beyond their Area of Responsibility”, he stated.

He also called for a revival of the G-5 initiative, a security platform involving the FCT minister and Governors of the four contiguous states of Niger, Kaduna, Kogi and Nasarawa.

Vanguard News

Security

27 Illegal Miners Arrested in Osun

By Web News 877

In Osun State 27 illegal miners, comprising 17 Chinese nationals and 10 locals, including a local traditional chief have been arrested. 

They were arrested following a coordinated sting operation around Ilesa and Ife axis of the State by the recently inaugurated Joint Task Force, JTF.

Speaking on the development, the Deputy Chief of Staff to the State Governor, Mr Abdullahi Binuyo, said no responsible government would fold its arms and watch its land being degraded by unauthorised persons. 

Mr Binuyo noted that aside the economic leakages, the illegal miners flouted the COVID-19 stay at home order, while they also polluted the Osun River with poisonous metals, thereby making it unsafe for human consumption and irrigation. 

He added that apart from ensuring that those arrested were prosecuted, they would also be made to pay compensation.

The Governor’s aide explained that the suspects did not have genuine mining licenses neither were they registered with the government, adding that what they claimed to possess was exploration Licenses, which did not permit them to mine.

Earlier, one of those arrested, May Zam, who was the only one that could speak passable English among the Chinese, disclosed that she was not aware they were engaged in illegal mining. 

She said they worked for different companies, and she believed they should have mining licenses, adding that the current company she works for, which she failed to name, has a Nigerian sponsor.

Oye Adenitan