Crime

Gunmen Abduct Students in Niger

By Web News 407

Gunmen have reportedly kidnapped an undisclosed number of students during an attack on St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, Niger State.

It was learnt that the attackers stormed the school, said to be a private Catholic school located in the Agwara Local Government Area of the state, in the early hours of Friday.

Sources said the gunmen arrived in large numbers, riding on over 60 motorcycles and accompanied by a van.

They were said to have shot the school’s gatekeeper, leaving him with serious injuries.

A source in Agwara who confirmed the incident said, “Yes, it happened between 3 and 4 a.m. The number of students abducted is not yet confirmed.”

Another source claimed that some teachers were also forcibly taken away during the attack.

“In the middle of the night, our community was shaken by a deeply tragic event. Bandits invaded St. Mary’s Primary and Secondary School, Papiri, Agwara LGA, Niger State. A Catholic private boarding school for boys and girls.

“Students and teachers were forcefully taken away during the attack.

“This is an extremely distressing moment for families, the communities, and Niger State as a whole. These are innocent young students and dedicated educators whose lives and futures are now at risk. Their safety must be a priority,” the source said.

As of the time of this report, the exact number of abducted individuals had yet to be confirmed by authorities.

However, community sources fear that the number of people kidnapped may be significant, with some claiming that it could exceed 100.

Meanwhile the Niger State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of the students.

In a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said tactical units, alongside military components and other security operatives, had been deployed to the area.

Abiodun stated that the combined security forces were currently conducting extensive search operations across the surrounding forests in an effort to ensure the immediate and safe rescue of the abducted students.

Commissioner of Police, CP Adamu Elleman, called on residents to remain calm and cooperate with security operatives by providing credible information that could assist ongoing rescue efforts.

Elleman, however, said that the incident would be thoroughly investigated, stressing that appropriate actions would be taken against the school management for continuing academic activities despite the state government’s earlier directive ordering the closure of schools in the area due to heightened security threats.

Channels TV/Olaolu Fawole

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Crime

Phone-Snatching Tricycle Operator Lands in NSCDC’s Dragnet

By Web News 1227

The Niger State command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested a tricycle operator who is a member of a syndicate that specialises in snatching mobile phones from their passengers

The arrest came after the command received several complaints of phone-snatching and theft of bank savings through sim card.

According to the command, the arrest of the suspect followed work on intelligence provided by some of the victims.

The state Commandant of the Corps, Joachim Okafor, while briefing newsmen in his office, said the criminal syndicate operate with a mutilated security number written on the tricycle picking their victims as if they were passengers.

Phones recovered from the suspect

He said the suspect identified as Abubakar Aliyu confessed to the crime and is providing additional information that would lead to the arrest of the other gang members.

Some of the victims whose phones were recovered from the suspect narrated similar mode of operations deployed by the suspect to steal their mobile phones.

The suspect, who was the driver of the tricycle, said he hired the tricycle from one Aji, adding that it was the first time he engaged in the crime.

Channels/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Transportation

Twenty-Six People Drowned in Niger State Boat Mishap

By Web News 478

At least 26 people died in Nigeria’s northern Niger state after a wooden boat they were travelling in capsized in a dam on Sunday.

The vessel was carrying over 100 passengers, including women and children, who live in communities between Jebba and Kainji dam in Mokwa area of the state, before it hit a reservoir.

More than 30 people have been rescued.

A combined rescue operation by marine police and local divers in collaboration with Niger State Emergency Management Agency is ongoing, Bologi Ibrahim, the spokesperson to the state governor, said.

The cause of the accident is not yet known.

Mr Ibrahim however blamed overcrowding and lack of life jackets.

Official reports say that most of the passengers were crossing the dam to attend to their farms.

In June, more than100 people died when an overloaded boat traveling to Niger state capsized after part of the vessel collapsed, causing water to flood the boat, in one of the worst such disasters in recent years.

BBC/Simeon Ugboovon

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Crime

Bandits Invade Niger Community, Kill Pregnant Woman

By Web News 428

Bandits have killed about six people, including a pregnant woman in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.

The bandits who attacked Agwa community in Rafi LGA on Tuesday afternoon came into the community shooting sporadically and killed their victims in the process.

An eyewitness, Mallam Audu, who spoke with our correspondent, said the bandits were carrying out the attack when a military team on patrol engaged them in a gun battle.

“The bandits just entered our village and started shooting, people started to run for their lives in the process, and about six people were killed.

“As they were shooting, they also caught some people and had to rush out of the village as the soldiers arrived and engaged them.  “The shooting from the soldiers was too much for the bandits and they had to run away into the forest,” Audu said.

He stated that more than 50 people were kidnapped while many villagers were injured as they scampered to safety.

“Many people, more than 50 were kidnapped and others were wounded as they were running away from the bandits,” he added.

The Niger state Commissioner for Internal Security and Humanitarian Affairs, Emmanuel Umar, confirmed the incident saying the actual number of victims is yet to be ascertained.

Punch/ Oluwayemisi Owonikoko

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Crime

Police Arrest Trader, Gateman for Ritual Killing

By Web News 515

A trader and his gate-man have been arrested by police operatives in Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State for allegedly killing a 4-year-old boy for rituals.

The command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Abiodun Wasiu,  in Minna confirmed that the two suspects were arrested in connection with the incident and investigations had commenced.

Abiodun assured that justice would be served while warning the public against mob action.

This is as police rescued the suspects from being lynched by an angry mob after the remains of the 4-year-old boy, who had been missing for four days, were discovered.

An eyewitness said that one of the suspects, identified as Emmanuel, a building materials trader, had allegedly connived with his gate-man to kidnap the child and kill him.

He said the two suspects allegedly killed the child and removed his vital organs, including his private parts, eyes, ears and heart, while his remains were put in the sack for the gate-man, whose identity was unknown, to dispose of.

The gate-man entered a motorcycle to a stream where he was to dispose of the remains, but on dropping the gate-man, the motorcyclist noticed blood dripping from the sack.

“The commercial motorcyclist alerted the bystanders and police,” the eyewitness said.

The Police then arrested the suspect, who allegedly confessed that he was sent by his landlord to dump the body, saying that they were responsible for kidnapping the boy who had been declared missing for some days.

One of the residents around the area, Mr Abdullahi Musa, said that they never knew Emmanuel was a ritual killer, saying that he was lucky the crowd which had gathered did not get him first before the police came.

“We have set his house on fire. We wish he was the one we got, we would have killed him,” he said.

Another resident, Mrs Maryam Kwambo, said: “Since the creation of Lapai Local Government Area, we’ve never encountered such a radical and wicked situation as today.

“We will get to the roots of this. We will get justice for the child he killed.

“This matter should be handled properly. We seek justice.”

Punch/ Oluwayemisi Owonikoko

Security

Youths Protest Killing, Abduction of Bride in Niger

By Web News 622

Aggrieved youths in Kutigi and neighbouring communities in Lavun Local Council of Niger State on Monday barricaded the highway passing through Kutigi town and linking Bida, through Mokwa, over last Saturday’s gunmen attack in the communities.

Eight people were killed, while scores of women, including a bride were abducted during the attack.
The protesting youths lamented that lack of prompt response from stakeholders and security agents to protect the people resulted to colossal loss of life and property.

They alleged that no government official, including Lavun Council chairman responded to their distress calls, while gunmen were attacking the villages.

The protesters also alleged that except for Bida Emirate Council and the vigilantes, no one came to their aid during the attack.

As at press time, road users travelling to Lagos and other cities through that axis were trapped and stranded.

It would be recalled that over 100 gunmen, riding on about 50 motorcycles, stormed villages in the area in the early hours of Sunday with dangerous weapons and left victims in their wake.

Some of the communities attacked include Gogata, Ndagbegi, Tsogi, Kanko, Tsonfadagi, Ndakogitsu, Ebbo, Ndaruka, Egbako, Dabban, Batati and Akare.

An indigene told The Guardian in confidence that the attackers killed three persons in Dabban village including two vigilantes, who attempted to confront them during operations.

He also said one person each was killed in Kanko, Ebbo, Tsogi and Tsonfadagabi villages, adding that the attack was unchallenged by any security agents.

The Guardian further learnt that aside from the abduction, the gunmen also carted away a large number of cattle, which were later abandoned at the riverbank of Akare, because they could not cross the river.

Similarly, the gunmen disorganized a wedding ceremony in Gbacitagi village and abducted the bride and scores of women.

In reaction, the Commissioner of Police, Niger State Command, Monday Bala Kuryas, said a detachment of police tactical squad and Military have been deployed to safeguard life and property in the area.

He implored residents to always provide useful information that would assist security agents to apprehend the criminals.

The Guardian

Crime

Gunmen Leave One Dead, Abduct Ten in Shiroro

By Web News 831

Gunmen have again invaded Gurnana community in Shiroro Local Government Council of Niger State killing one person and abducting ten others.

Guranana was invaded in broad daylight as the gunmen who stormed the community in their large number on motorcycles shooting sporadically into the air and were said by the villagers to execute their mission freely without any resistance due to the absence of any security outfit in that area.

Houses and food stuff belonging to the villagers were set ablaze by the gunmen during the operation after which they were said to have headed back to the forests where they allegedly came from.

When contacted on phone Co-Convener of Shiroro Youths Association Yusuf Abubakar Koki confirmed the incident and called for urgent and concerted efforts by all and sundry to address the recurring invasion by gunmen.

All efforts to contact the Police for comment over the development were unsuccessful.

Aliyu Lawal