Timeline: Benue Bloodletting Unrelenting Despite Launch of Latest Military Operation

These are obviously not the best of times for Benue state and her citizens considering the series of killings taking place in the state in the last five months.

35 Primary Schools Shut in Nasarawa, North-Central Nigeria Over Herdsmen Attacks

No fewer than 35 primary schools have been shutdown in Obi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State due to attacks on Tiv communities in the Southern Senatorial District of the state, resulting in the destruction of the schools.

Boko Haram: US. Announces Fresh $102m Assistance To Nigeria

The U.S. government has announced a fresh $102 million in humanitarian assistance to Nigeria. The U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Stuart Symington, announced the new aide at ongoing National Conversation on the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus, on Thursday.

UN Security Council Seat: South Africa Seeks Nigeria’s Support

South Africa has appealed to Nigeria and other countries within and outside Africa to support its bid for the non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council for the term 2019-2020. 

Global Peace Index Ranks Nigeria The 16th Least Peaceful Country In The World

Nigeria has been ranked the 16th least peaceful country in the world, according to the 2018 edition of Global Peace Index, GPI.

Jail Break in Minna, Niger State: 200 Prisoners Escape

The Police in Niger State, North-Central Nigeria, said on Monday it had taken measures to ensure the arrest of the 200 prisoners that escaped from Minna Medium Security Prison on Sunday. 

Maritime Security: Piracy Sustains High Shipping Costs on Nigerian Waters

Incessant pirate attacks and kidnappings are taking an alarming toll on shipping in Nigeria’s territorial waters and the Gulf of Guinea.This year alone, freight costs have reportedly risen six times, amid fears insurance could also be hit.Statistics from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) show: “In the first four months of 2018, the number of incidents significantly increased in the region, with 36 reported, against 17 the same period in 2017.”

Report: Kidnappers, Cattle Rustlers Spread Fear in Nigeria

A spate of kidnappings for ransom in the Birnin Gwari district of northern Nigeria’s Kaduna state has left residents afraid to even leave their homes. Relatives cry as they mourn during a funeral service for 17 worshippers and two priests, who were allegedly killed by Fulani herdsmen, at Ayati-Ikpayongo in Gwer East district of Benue State, north-central Nigeria on May 22, 2018. 

Two Nigerian priests and 17 worshippers have been buried, nearly a month after an attack on their church, as Catholics took to the streets calling for an end to a spiral of violence. White coffins containing the bodies of the clergymen and the members of their congregation were laid to rest in central Benue state, which has been hit by a wave of deadly unrest.

“When a person travels, his family, friends and neighbours gather to pray for his safety because of the kidnappers,” said local resident Kabiru Mohammed. “It’s celebrations once he returns because kidnapping on the highway has become the norm. It’s a nightmare that should only exist in fairytales,” he told AFP by telephone. Mohammed and his neighbours have good reason to be anxious. Kidnappings have reached unprecedented levels in the last two months. 

In early May, about 100 people were abducted in just two days on a road near the border with Zamfara state. Haruna Musa, who also lives in Birnin Gwari, said the situation has forced people in at least six villages in the area to abandon their homes. 

Last week, an armed gang raided the village of Maganda and kidnapped three wives of a businessman. Many locals now don’t sleep at night. Instead, they patrol their communities. “I also join in the night patrols to encourage others,” said Mustapha Idris, the chief imam of Maganda. But the creation of civilian militia has itself had deadly consequences. 

On May 6, at least 71 people were killed in Gwaska village during clashes with armed bandits. – Grisly warnings – Birnin Gwari is not alone in being affected. 

In Zamfara, there have been similar problems from kidnapping and cattle rustling gangs. “The mere sound of a motorcycle engine outside your house at night robs you of sleep because it could be a sign that the dreaded bandits have come,” said Nuhu Dansadau. Dansadau said his village, also called Dansadau, and others nearby have been repeatedly raided. 

Aliyu Kawaye, who lives in the town of Anka, said the abductors seize cash and force families to sell their farm produce to raise the ransom payment. According to the state government, more than 10,000 cattle have been stolen in the last seven years. “What is more worrisome is the deliberate attack on farmers who dare to go to their farms,” said Dansadau. “The bandits amputate their hands from the wrists, put the severed palms in the farmers’ pockets and send them back to the village as a warning to others.” 

– Lucrative venture – 

The kidnapping gangs and cattle thieves, who roam on motorcycles on the hunt for victims, are known to operate in northern Kaduna and Zamfara. 

Both regions have been largely spared by the Boko Haram insurgency, another of Nigeria’s pressing security problems along with a land conflict between nomads and farmers. 

The kidnappers’ heavily guarded camps dot the Rugu forest, which straddles Kaduna, Zamfara and the northern states of Kano, Sokoto, Kebbi and Niger. 

Abductees whose families don’t pay ransoms are killed and their bodies dumped, according to security sources. Kidnapping for ransom used to be a phenomenon isolated to oil-rich southern Nigeria. But it has spread further north and become lucrative because of economic hardship. 

It has also attracted young ethnic Fulani herders who have lost their herds in unrest with farmers over grazing and watering rights. Young Fulani herders now make up most of the marauding gangs in northern Nigeria and other West African countries, said Saleh Bayeri, of the Gan Allah Fulani Development Association.

 – Inadequate security – 

The Kaduna state government formed a joint military and police taskforce to combat kidnapping and cattle rustling in Birnin Gwari but has had little success. In March, bandits likely armed with illegal weapons smuggled in from Mali and Libya, killed 11 troops at a camp in the area, prompting the military to withdraw. 

In April, the Nigerian Air Force deployed special forces to Zamfara to fight the gangs but locals said more were needed. “The bandits by far outnumber the troops and are better armed,” said Kawaye. 

Zamfara governor Abdulaziz Yari has said he does not have adequate resources to police a state which at 40,000 square kilometres (15,400 square miles) is about the same size as Switzerland. 

There are only 2,000 regular police officers, 400 riot police, 315 soldiers and fewer than 100 air force personnel for a population of more than four million, he said in February. In response to the killings, he has ordered troops to shoot on sight anyone seen with a gun in affected areas. But that and a number of amnesty offers have had little effect. 

“The best way to end this menace is for the government to send in more troops and weapons to fight these criminals as well as intensify security along our borders,” said Dansadau.

Culled from: Vanguard Newspaper

Herdmen, Cultists Kill 13 People in Benue State, North-Central Nigeria

Herdsmen, in the early hours of yesterday, invaded Tseadough village in Mbachom, Yaav Ward of Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, killing seven persons including women and children, while a pregnant woman was taken hostage.

Security Agents Intercept Trucks With 300,000 Live Ammunition Smuggled Into Nigeria

Nigerian Security agencies yesterday morning intercepted 300,000 cartridges that were smuggled into Nigeria through the Benin Republic border. The cartridges were concealed in a false base of three heavy-duty trucks and had successfully gone past borders until they were intercepted at Igbogila-Ilara area of Ogun State.

Although the drivers and crew members fled, upon closer inspection, the trucks were deemed empty until the security operatives unearthed the large cache of ammunition. When they opened the metal cover, hundreds of cartons of cartridges of the 12-calibre were found concealed underneath.

Revelations have, however, emerged on how the unknown smugglers, allegedly aided by some policemen, tried to deceive security operatives to smuggle the three truckloads of arms and ammunition into the country, through the Ogun State land border.The smugglers had declared the trucks as empty with the aim of deceiving officials of the Nigerian Customs Service at Owode-Ilaro Road in Ogun, but the officers suspected foul play and played smart on the smugglers’ team, which include some policemen in uniform.

The trucks were intercepted in Balogun village, near Egua in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun, by military officers attached to the 35 Artillery Brigade of 81 Division, Nigerian Army in Alamala, Abeokuta. Ogun State Area Command Public Relations Officer of Customs, Abdullahi Maiwada, who confirmed the incident to The Guardian yesterday, said the soldiers were able to intercept the trucks.

He explained: “There were three trucks that passed through our approved checkpoint escorted by policemen. We saw that those trucks were not empty, so we enquired from the police officers and they said that the vehicles were suspected stolen vehicles and that they are conveying them to one of their units for further investigation.

“We decided to allow them thinking that they were doing their constitutional duties. Then, we were not satisfied and our men decided to follow the vehicles until they got to an army checkpoint and the officers intercepted them. The army have their own intelligence, so they were able to open the trucks and discovered that the arms and ammunition were carefully concealed.

“I cannot ascertain the quantity, but what I can tell you is that those items were incriminating. It was intercepted and opened in the presence of customs and other law enforcement agencies. They took all the trucks to one of their formations in Lagos,” he said.When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ogun State, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said: “I don’t think there is anything concerning police in the matter.” He directed The Guardian to find out from the Nigerian Army.

While briefing the press on the discovery, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 81 Division, Major General Enobong Udoh, said the arrest was based on a tip-off received from well-meaning Nigerians during the anti-illegal bunkering, anti-pipeline vandalism and anti-smuggling patrols.

The GOC, who was represented by the 35 Artillery Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Olaniyi Olatunde, said the trucks were intercepted in conjunction with the police, the Department of State Security (DSS) and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

The three trucks weighing five-tonnes with vehicle registration numbers: ANAMBRA AAH 409 ZV, LAGOS BDG 782 XU and LAGOS GGF 88 XU, were loaded with thousands of live cartridges.On getting to Balogun village, along Igbogila-Ilara road, Ogun, they were intercepted and live cartridges in boxes and cartons were carefully concealed and sealed in a false-base made up of wooden platform with metallic plates. 

The GOC said: “The drivers and their crew on sighting the troops abandoned their trucks and fled. A team is on the trail of the fleeing drivers, their crew, corroborators and sponsors as investigation is ongoing. Members of the public are encouraged to continue to always reach out by contacting the nearest military barracks for timely useful information or call the following numbers: 07069353889 and 08060492529 (Ojo), 07017064979 (Badagry), 08034347484 (Victoria Island), 08065992320 (Ikeja), 

08069097624 (Owode), 08065806870 (Ikorodu), 07064281177 (Obalende), 08053862233 and 08057705135 (Abeokuta).”

Culled from: Guardian Newspaper

https://guardian.ng/news/army-customs-intercept-three-trucks-with-300000-live-cartridges-in-ogun/

5 Soldiers Killed In Boko Haram Ambush

Five Nigerian soldiers were killed in a Boko Haram ambush in Borno State, North-east Nigeria.

Nigerian Female Peacekeeper, Others Get United Nations Medals

Peacekeeper: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decorates Amodu

A Nigerian military officer, Cdr. Olufunmilayo Amodu, serving with the UN Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), has been decorated with medal for her outstanding service.

Two Killed, Seven Injured In Borno Suicide Bomb Attack

 Two female suicide bombers suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists have killed at least two persons and injured seven others after an attack in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

Buharimeter: Nigerians Rate Buhari Low on Corruption, Security, Economy – Poll

Despite scoring itself high on its achievements in the past three years, a new poll conducted ‘amongst 4,000 Nigerians’ has rated President Muhammadu Buhari’s performance below average.

Transparency International Asks Nigeria To End Opaque Security Votes

Campaigners on Monday urged Nigeria to stop handing out millions of dollars to tackle unspecified security issues with no questions asked, arguing the practice fuels corruption and conflict.