Gunmen Kidnap 85-Year-old Monarch in Bayelsa, South-South Nigeria

Police in Bayelsa on Friday confirmed the abduction of eighty-five-year-old Paramount Ruler of Gbarantoru community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa, Benjamin Weke, by gunmen.

BREAKING: Boko Haram Militants Kill Over 50, Several Injured As Terrorists Attack Market In Borno

More than 50 people were feared dead while scores sustained gunshot wounds when suspected Boko Haram terrorists invaded Kirawa village of Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno state. Reliable sources have revealed.

Nigerian Army Uncovers Massive Illegal Oil Bunkering Site In Port Harcourt

The Nigerian Army has uncovered a massive illegal oil bunkering site barely two weeks after heightened security operations in the area. And strangely too, the location is about one kilometre from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Thirteen suspects were arrested.

Nigerian Air Force Destroys Boko Haram’s Solar PanelsIn Sambisa Forest

The Nigerian Air Force said Wednesday that it has struck and destroyed solar panels believed to have been used by Boko Haram for electricity in Sambisa forest.

Pipeline Vandals Kill 3 Policemen In Lagos

The attack on a team of policemen in Owutu area of Ikorodu, Lagos, in the early hours of Monday, during which three policemen were shot dead and others injured, was said to have been carried out by militants-turned vandals.

Gunmen Ambush, Kill Soldier, Policeman in Rivers State, South-South Nigeria

Military authorities in Rivers State have given a one-week ultimatum to eight communities in Emohua Local Government Area of the state to fish out and surrender the gunmen, who allegedly ambushed and shot dead a soldier and police officer, while they were on duty along the Emohua-Kalabari Road in the area.

Niger Delta Voice gathered that the incident occurred last week, and both the army and police in the state were furious. A trustworthy source hinted that the new Brigade Commander in charge of Rumuokoro Army Barracks in Port Harcourt stormed Emohua with three vehicles, fully loaded with fierce-looking military men and drove straight to the palace of the paramount ruler of Emohua Kingdom, HRM, Eze V.C. Okor.

The source said: “During the visit, the brigade commander gave the eight communities of Emohua one-week ultimatum to produce the killers of the officers, otherwise the communities will face the wrath of the command.”

Apprehension

At the time of this report, a number of residents had fled the kingdom. The trepidation is what will happen to them if they remain in the area after the one-week ultimatum expired and the communities were unable to surrender anybody to the security agencies as the killers, having declined knowledge of the gunmen. The Emohua monarch distan-ced the communities from the killers, but condemned the act.

When Niger Delta Voice visited the community weekend, there was uneasy calm. But we saw villagers going about their normal businesses and there were no security personnel intimidating anybody.

What Brigade Commander told me -  Monarch

The royal father said that the brigade commander in charge of Rumuokoro Army Barracks in Port Harcourt visited his palace on Monday and told him that the army discovered corpses of two security personnel, along Emohua-Kalabari Road.The monarch called on the government to promptly intervene in the matter and ensure that justice was no breakdown of law and order.

A villager said: “The brigade commander told our royal father that Emohua community should produce the killers of the security agents. “Okor told him that road is being used by four local governments in the state and that soldiers should carefully investigate to find out the culprits. “He also told them that in their investigation, they should secure the lives and properties of Emohua people.”

Emergency meeting

The monarch told Niger Delta Voice: “When the commander left, I called for a meeting. The visit was shocking to me. So I passed on the message that the commander brought. “In the meeting, we appointed three people to go to the Rumuokoro Barracks to see and pacify the commander not to wage war against us in their investigation.

“We have not had problems with any security operative and we do not groom gunmen here. So there is no way the community should be robed into such crime.”

Our worry— Nyewe Eli Emohua

First son of the monarch, who is the Nyewe Eli Emohua, Prince Chigozie Okor, confirmed that the people were alarmed at the approach of the military to the matter, saying it was wrong for the army to have concluded that the killers of the security personnel were from Emohua simply because the unpleasant incident happened in the area.

He said: “We do not understand the reason why the soldiers will walked straight into our community to demand that we provide the gunmen who killed two of their men.

“The road where the officers were killed is a major route to three other local government areas in the state, namely Degema, Asari-Toru and Akuku-Toru, why should they point finger at Emohua? “They should carry out investigation on the killing and bring the perpetrators to justice; they should not involve civilians, who do not have what it takes to carry out such task.”

We’re in contact with parties—DPO

Divisional Police Officer, DPO, in charge of Rumuji Police Divisional Headquarters, who spoke toNiger Delta Voice on phone, said: “The issue was not officially reported to us. “I have visited Emohua community.  We discussed and they have appointed people to see the commander. We are in touch with the two parties to ensure peace.”

Source:
Vanguard Newspaper

United States Boosts Education of IDPs in Adamawa State, North-East Nigeria With $801,000 Grant

The United States of America has signed a grant agreement of 801,000 dollars with the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, to improve access to education services for internally displaced persons in Adamawa.

Boko Haram Militants On Horseback Massacre Nearly 80 in Baanu Village, Borno State, Nigeria

Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - Suspected Boko Haram gunmen on horseback shot dead nearly 80 people in attacks on three villages in Nigeria's restive northeast at the weekend, a vigilante and residents told AFP on Monday.

Security Alert! There's A 'Sudden Influx' of Boko Haram Members in Lagos, Southern States of Nigeria - DSS

There is a “sudden influx” of Boko Haram members in Lagos, while the sect’s cells are now present in Plateau, Gombe and Enugu states as well, the department of state services (DSS) revealed on Sunday.

Gunmen Kidnap Popular Columnist in Port Harcourt, South-South, Nigeria

Ms Donu Kogbara

Popular columnist and broadcaster, Ms. Donu Kogbara, was kidnapped in front of her house in the Nkpogu area of Port Harcourt yesterday morning.

Although details of her abduction were sketchy, THISDAY gathered that armed men in police uniforms, who drove in a Honda CRV mid-sized sports utility vehicle, accosted and abducted Kogbara in front of her house.

Her mother was said to be in the house when Kogbara was kidnapped.
The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ahmad Muhammad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the incident and said investigations were underway to ensure her safe rescue.

He however expressed concern that the hoodlums wore police uniforms in their operation.
“We too are suspicious because we have gathered that the abductors were in police uniforms and used a private jeep. We (the police) do not operate like that. We are investigating the matter and hope to rescue her safely,” Muhammad said.

Kogbara is a highly regarded writer and broadcaster and has a weekly column in Vanguard Newspapers. She is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of African Access Limited, a public relations outfit.

She was also a member of the board of the Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority from 2009 to 2015.
She first gained national prominence in the early 1990s when she wrote a weekly column for Vanguard Newspapers from the United Kingdom where she was based.

She was also one of the few Nigerians in the UK who appeared on several radio and television shows and wrote articles in British newspapers against the actions of the late environmental activist, Ken Saro Wiwa, after the death in May 1994 of four Ogoni chiefs, who were on the conservative side of a schism within the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) over the environmental degradation caused by Shell in Ogoniland.

One of the chiefs who was killed was her uncle, Chief E. Kobani.
Saro-Wiwa and eight others were later executed for the alleged murders of the “Ogoni Four” by the Sani Abacha junta in November 1995, sparking off global condemnation and Nigeria’s suspension from the Commonwealth of Nations for over three years.

Reacting to her abduction yesterday, the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, condemned Kogbara’s kidnapping.
Wike, who spoke through his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Opunabo Nko-Tariah, expressed hope that she would be released unhurt.

He said the government was committed to ensuring the safety of all residents of the state.
“No responsible government will brook such acts of criminality. On this premise, the kidnapping is roundly condemned and we believe that by God's grace, she will come out alive.

“The government is working assiduously to ensure a crime-free state and that is why he (Wike) has stopped at nothing to provide the necessary tools including the donation of 64 security fitted vans to the police.
“By God's grace, she will be released in good health,” the statement said

Source:

ThisDay Newspaper

BREAKING! Nigerian Air Force Helicopter Crashes in Kaduna, Seven Dead

An Air Force helicopter has crashed at the site of the Old National Defence Academy in Kaduna, North West Nigeria.

Gunmen Attack Boat, Kidnap Three in Bayelsa, South-South Nigeria

Unidentified gunmen suspected to be sea pirates on Wednesday, attacked two passenger boats and kidnapped three persons along the Ogbia to Brass waterways in Bayelsa State, South-South, Nigeria.

Nigeria Marks 500 Days Since Boko Haram Abducted Chibok Schoolgirls

The landmark comes amid a worsening security crisis in the northeast, where Islamists have stepped up deadly attacks since the inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari, killing more than 1,000 people in three months.

Boko Haram: Emergency Agency Evacuates 5,000 Displaced Persons from Dikwa LGA, Borno State

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Wednesday said it had evacuated 5,000 starved persons from liberated interland communities in Dikwa Local Government Area (LGA), Borno.

Male Suicide Bombers kill Selves, Soldier in Borno

Twin male suicide bombers suspected to be members of Boko Haram sect, Tuesday evening, detonated their explosives at a check point around the Gomari Airport Round- About killing a soldier including themselves.