Troops of Operation Safe Haven have arrested nine suspects in connection with the recent attack on Kurmin Gandu village, Zangon Kataf local government area of Kaduna state.
This was revealed in an operational feedback submitted to the State Government by troops of Operation Safe Haven.
Armed bandits had last Sunday carried out an attack on the village, leaving five people dead.
The nine suspects were apprehended after continuous tracking by the troops while assorted types of weapons were also recovered from them.
The Kaduna state Commissioner for internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan says the suspects have been handed over to the police for further investigation.
Meanwhile, six persons have been killed by bandits during fresh village attacks in Igabi and Kauru Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Kaduna State.
This latest killing took place barely 24 hours after attacks by bandits in Zango Kataf and Chikun LGAs left 10 people dead.
Aruwan who confirmed the attacks in a statement on Tuesday explained that the armed bandits barricaded the Birnin Yero-Tami Road in Igabi LGA where one Hussaini Dari was killed and another resident, Dahiru Saidu, was injured.
Aruwan noted that the bandits also attacked Gwada village in the same local government and killed two persons – Yahuza Sale and Garba Sule.
A map showing Kaduna, a state in Nigeria’s north-west region.
In another incident, he revealed that two residents – Mohammed Suleiman and Yahuza Sale – were killed by bandits during an attack on Ungwan Kure.
The bandits also stormed Amawan Dadi and Rugan Jauru settlements in Kauru LGA where they killed one resident.
However, security agencies in Kaduna said several bandits were killed by troops during an operation in some communities in Giwa LGA.
According to them, security operatives spotted the bandits with herds of cattle at Yadi village and engaged them in a gun battle, a development that led to the killing of a number of the bandits.
A file photo of a gun seized from crime suspects in Nigeria.
Six persons have been killed by bandits during fresh village attacks in Igabi and Kauru Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Kaduna State.
This latest killing took place barely 24 hours after attacks by bandits in Zango Kataf and Chikun LGAs left 10 people dead.
The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs in Kaduna, Samuel Aruwan, confirmed the attacks in a statement on Tuesday.
He explained that the armed bandits barricaded the Birnin Yero-Tami Road in Igabi LGA where one Hussaini Dari was killed and another resident, Dahiru Saidu, was injured.
Aruwan noted that the bandits also attacked Gwada village in the same local government and killed two persons – Yahuza Sale and Garba Sule.
A map showing Kaduna, a state in Nigeria’s north-west region.
In another incident, he revealed that two residents – Mohammed Suleiman and Yahuza Sale – were killed by bandits during an attack on Ungwan Kure.
The bandits also stormed Amawan Dadi and Rugan Jauru settlements in Kauru LGA where they killed one resident.
However, security agencies in Kaduna said several bandits were neutralised by troops during an operation in some communities in Giwa LGA.
According to them, security operatives spotted the bandits with herds of cattle at Yadi village and engaged them in a gun battle, a development that led to the killing of a number of the bandits.
10 Villagers Killed
On Monday, Aruwan gave a breakdown of the 10 people killed during the previous attacks on three villages in Zango Kataf and Chikun LGAs.
He noted that the bandits attacked Kurmin Gandu village in Zango Kataf LGA where five people were killed.
The bandits were also said to have set ablaze 10 houses, two motorcycles, and 50 bags of ginger, while some dry season farmers around the Zango Urban general area lost water pumping machines and other valuables to the attack.
Similarly, the armed men attacked Sabon Gayan and Ungwan Turai villages in Chikun LGA and killed five villagers.
Following the attack, troops of Operation Thunder Strike were deployed to identified criminal hideouts in the Sabon Gayan area in reaction to reports that several bandits who sustained bullet wounds were taking refuge there.
A map showing Kaduna, a state in Nigeria’s north-west region.
At least seven people have been killed following separate attacks in Igabi and Kajuru local government areas of Kaduna state.
According to a statement by the State Commissioner for internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, the armed bandits attacked Kajinjiri village in the Igabi local government area and killed two residents while one person sustained gunshot injuries, and is receiving treatment at a nearby hospital.
Similarly, in Rago village also of Igabi local government area, bandits killed two locals
In a separate incident, gunmen invaded Kutura station in Kajuru local government area and killed three residents.
Meanwhile, Governor Nasir El-Rufai has condoled with the families of those killed in both attacks.
The governor offered prayers for the repose of their souls and wished the injured victims from Kajinjiri village a quick recovery.
Kaduna has become a hotbed for bandits in recent times, a development that has continued to stir great concern among the people in the state.
In a recent interview on the security situation in Kaduna State and across the country, Bishop of the Kaduna Catholic Diocese, Most Reverend Mathew Ndagoso, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare a state of emergency in the country’s security sector and protect the citizens from constant attacks by bandits and other criminal elements.
Bishop Ndagoso criticised the president, saying he has failed woefully in protecting the lives and property of the citizens, contrary to his campaign promises to improve the security of the country.
According to the cleric, the daily abductions and killings of innocent people by bandits, and the inability of the Federal Government led by President Buhari to put an end to the attacks, clearly show that the president cares less about the welfare of those he is leading.
Governors of the nineteen Northern States, Traditional Rulers, and Security Chiefs are meeting in Kaduna today to discuss the alarming rise in security threats and other socioeconomic problems in the region.
The meeting which is taking place at the Kaduna state government house comes barely two weeks after governors of the Northwest zone held a similar meeting with the service Chiefs and the National Security Adviser to discuss ways to address the issue of banditry and kidnapping bedeviling the zone.
Among the governors attending today’s meeting are those of Kebbi, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Kano, Katsina, Plateau, as well as the deputy Governors of Bauchi, Kogi, Zamfara, Benue, and Niger states.
Also in attendance is the Chief of Staff to the president, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, the Deputy Speaker House of Representatives, the Inspector General of Police, the Minister of Information and Culture, and the Director-General State Security Services.
Others are traditional Rulers led by the sultan of Sokoto and representatives of the Northern Elders Forum.
In their opening remarks, the host Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and the Chairman of the forum, Simon Lalong said the meeting is long overdue and crucial for the progress of the north and the country in general.
While El-Rufai urges his colleagues to adopt strategies to forestall all forms of security challenges in the north, Governor Lalong regrets the attacks and killings menacing the region, noting that it is the responsibility of governors and other leaders to find lasting solutions to the problem.
He also describes the recent kidnap of school children in Government Science Secondary School Kagara, Niger State as well as travelling passengers as a wake-up call for leaders and also as a sad reminder of the difficult situation the north is facing.
On the issue of herder-farmer clashes which has in recent weeks generated serious concerns because of the harsh rhetoric from various parts of the country, Lalong agrees that open grazing is no longer sustainable for obvious reasons, hence, he also says that the Northern Governors Forum (NGF) also keyed into the National Livestock Transformation Programme (NLTP) is a veritable option that will go a long way in ending the clashes through organised ranching.
The northern governors also appealed to their colleagues in other parts of the country and all citizens particularly opinion leaders to be cautious in their utterances and actions, warning that such unguided utterances could provide the oxygen for the exploitation of the nation’s fault lines to the detriment of the entire country.
During the meeting, the leaders are expected to take a hard and critical look at the conflicts and come up with implementable ways and means of addressing them squarely
We are leading with the Senate’s confirmation of Abdulrasheed Bawa, more bandit attacks in Kaduna, and Nigeria’s long wait for COVID-19 vaccines.
EFCC Boss, Abdulrasheed Bawa, was confirmed by the Senate on February 24, 2021.
Senate Confirms Abdulrasheed Bawa
The Senate has confirmed Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa as the new Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Mr. Bawa, during his screening by the lawmakers, defended his competence to lead the anti-graft agency’s task of ridding Nigeria of corruption.
After his confirmation, 40-year-old Bawa said he would represent young people with distinction. “I am going to give the young people a very good representation in the governance of this country so that more young people will be given more responsibility in this country,” he said.
He also denied selling off any assets seized by the commission in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Corruption Allegations: Chairman of the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, Suleiman Kwari, defended the lawmakers’ decision to ratify Mr. Bawa’s appointment, despite allegations of corruption brought against him. He said they were “wild allegations that could not be proven.”
Related: Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, said the Senate disappointed Nigerians by confirming the immediate past service chiefs as the nation’s ambassadors.
Police Trust Fund: Meanwhile, the Senate has approved N11.3 billion for the fund’s 2020 budget. About N1.3 billion was allocated for the procurement of teargas, while about N1 billion was set aside for the procurement of arms and ammunition.
A map showing Kaduna, a state in Nigeria’s north-west region.
Bandits Kill 18 In Kaduna
Attacks by bandits across three Local Government Areas in Kaduna have left at least 18 persons dead, the state government said on Wednesday.
The bandits burnt houses, barns, storehouses, rustled cows, and abducted people.
The attacks are the latest in a string of violent crimes that have rocked the North-West state for years.
Bala Mohammed: The Bauchi State Governor said he has no apology for justifying why Fulani herdsmen wield AK-47 guns. But he also pleaded with the herdsmen not to carry weapons illegally and embrace peace instead.
Delta State: One policeman has been confirmed dead and three others injured after gunmen attacked a bullion van belonging to a new generation bank along the Ubulu-Okiti, Aniocha South Local Government Area.
Borno Attack: Governor Babagana Zulum visited victims of Tuesday’s attack on Maiduguri. The number of those injured from the attack has risen to 50, the Governor said.
Airport workers transport on dollies a shipment of Covid-19 vaccines from the Covax global Covid-19 vaccination programme, at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra on February 24, 2021. (Photo by Nipah Dennis / AFP)
Ghana Takes Delivery Of COVID-19 Vaccine
Ghana has received 600,000 doses of the Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine from Covax, a global scheme to procure and distribute Covid inoculations for free to poorer countries.
The West African nation was the first to receive vaccines from the scheme, which plans to ship two billion doses by year’s end.
Nigeria is also part of the scheme and is expected to receive part of its share before mid-March, according to the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire.
But the precise date of delivery is unavailable as it is not in the hands of the government, Dr. Ehanire said.
Quote: “So, COVAX begins to deliver before the end of February,” Dr. Ehanire said. “And we hope that before the end of this month, it would be our turn or latest by the beginning of next month.”
NCDC: Nigeria confirmed 655 new cases of the virus and 11 deaths on Wednesday, according to the disease control agency.
What else is happening?
Rotimi Akeredolu: The Ondo State Governor has been sworn-in for a second term in office. He won re-election in October.
Ifeoma Abugu: Although men of the defunct SARS said she died of a cocaine overdose, an autopsy of her remains has come out negative for the substance, a report submitted at an #EndSARS panel said. Abugu was taken away by SARS operatives from her home in Lokogoma, Abuja in September 2020, only to be reported dead at the Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital the next day.
The Nigeria Labour Congress picketed the headquarters of the Corporate Affairs Commission in Abuja on February 24, 2021. Sodiq Adelakun/Channels TV
Organised Labour: Members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) clashed at the headquarters of the Corporate Affairs Commission in Abuja over alleged anti-labour activities. The TUC attempted to stop the NLC from picketing the commission.
Abdulrasheed Maina: A Federal High Court will hear the bail application of the former ex-Pension boss today. Mr. Maina, notorious for jumping bail, is being prosecuted by the EFCC for money laundering to the tune of N2 billion.
Facebook: The social media giant has pledged to invest at least $1 billion to support journalism over the next three years.
Johnson & Johnson vaccine vials against the COVID-19 coronavirus are seen at the Klerksdorp Hospital as South Africa proceeds with its inoculation campaign on February 18, 2021. Phill Magakoe / AFP
Johnson & Johnson: The US Food and Drug Administration has found the drugmaker’s single-shot vaccine as highly effective in preventing severe COVID-19, including newer variants.
Champions League: Manchester City continued their blistering run by beating Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Champions League round of 16 first leg tie, but coach Pepe Guardiola wants more from his players.
A file photo of a gun seized from crime suspects in Nigeria.
Bandits have killed a man and his son during an attack in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
According to the State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, the bandits invaded Baka Village in Igabi local government on Saturday.
During the process, Aruwan said the gunmen attacked the residence of one Sale Musa and shot the man and his son, Amiru Musa to death.
The bandits had a week ago killed the brother of the late Sale, Dan’azumi and his son.
According to the Commissioner, the bandits operating in groups, also abducted nine people, mostly women and children.
He also said that troops based in the Sabon Birni general area were able to engage the bandits in a gun battle, and succeeded in rescuing 13 captives from one of the bandit groups, while another group had earlier escaped with another set of hostages.
A map showing Kaduna, a state in Nigeria’s north-west region.
Several shops at the popular Jos road auto spare parts market at the Oriapata area in Kaduna State have been gutted by fire.
Although the cause of the fire which began in the early hours of Friday is yet to be ascertained, traders and residents of the area told Channels Television that the fire started from one of the shops which also has some tenants inside the compound, and later spread to nearby shops.
The leadership of the Automobile Spare Parts Dealers Association said the fire outbreak has negatively affected the traders whose goods were lost in the inferno.
President of the Kaduna Automobile Spare parts Dealers Association, Cyprian Eneje, appealed to the Kaduna State Government to come to the aid of the victims to enable them to start a normal life.
Presently, Kaduna State and other parts of the northern region are experiencing severe harmattan weather.
During this period, incidents of fire outbreak usually occur either at the markets or in the homes
Some of the Special Forces deployed to Kaduna State on February 17, 2021 by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu has deployed 302 Special Forces to Kaduna State as part of efforts to tackle banditry, kidnapping and other related crimes in the state.
This is as troops of the Nigerian military have killed seven bandits in Birnin Gwari local government area.
The troops under Operation Puff Adder were drawn from the Counter-Terrorism Unit, Mobile Force and Special Forces of the Nigerian police.
According to the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Umar Muri, they will be deployed to troubled areas in Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Chikun, Zango Kataf, and Igabi local government areas of the state where the menace of banditry has continued to be a nightmare for the residents.
Addressing the troops ahead of their deployment, the Police boss charges them to take the battle to the doorsteps of the bandits and restore normalcy to the troubled areas.
“Being the lead security agency saddled with the responsibility of internal security of the state and country at large, the sole aim of this Operation Puff Adder is to reclaim space from criminals that are threatening our internal security order,” he said.
“The dynamic nature of crime continues to present new trends which makes it imperative that we continually evaluate strategies and then emplace new operational architecture with a view to sustaining the gains already recorded.”
Kaduna and other states in the northwest zone are no doubt facing difficult times as a result of the rising case of banditry and kidnapping in the area.
The attacks have led to the loss of lives of citizens of the zone, with thousands of people currently displaced from their homes, while in some cases, Security agents pay the supreme price in trying to battle the bandits.
Governor Nasir El-Rufai, represented by his Commissioner for internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, was also on the ground to see the troops ahead of their deployment and to also offer them some words of encouragement.
Flagging off the operation, the governor asked the troops to consolidate on the gains of Operation Puff Adder 1, by helping to restore peace in the troubled areas in Kaduna state, while assuring them of the state government support for the success of the operation.
See photos below:
Some of the Special Forces deployed to Kaduna State on February 17, 2021 by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.
A map showing Kaduna, a state in Nigeria’s north-west region.
Bandits have killed two people in Kachia and Igabi local government areas of Kaduna State.
The killings come barely 24 hours after the state governors of the northwest zone held a meeting with the newly appointed service chiefs on how to end the spate of insecurity in the zone.
Confirming the incident, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, said the bandits attacked Akwando village in Kachia Local Government Area and killed one Elder Dikko Bagudu, a resident of the community.
In another incident, armed bandits barricaded the road from Sabon Birni to Rikau in Igabi local government area and killed one Ibrahim Abdulmumin, a resident of Rikau village, while One Sahabi Shafiu, son of the village head of Rikau, was also injured.
It was reported that both victims were returning from the weekly market at Sabon Birni when they were intercepted by the bandits.
In another development, security agencies have reported the accidental detonation of a substance at a residence in Ungwan Mangworo of Igabi local government area.
According to the report, children playing in the area picked up the material from a nearby farm and began to play with it, not knowing what it was. In the process, it was accidentally detonated as the children continued to fiddle with it near their home.
Seven of the children were injured by the explosion, and are now receiving treatment at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika.
A map showing Kaduna, a state in Nigeria’s north-west region.
The Nigerian Air Force has lost some of its personnel to armed bandits in Kaduna State.
This was confirmed in a statement issued on Saturday by the spokesman of the Air Force, Ibikunle Daramola.
He said over 100 armed bandits laid an ambush which led to the unfortunate killing, adding that some military personnel sustained various degrees of injuries.
“Troops of the 271 Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Detachment today, 13 February 2021, foiled an ambush set up by a group of over 100 armed bandits at Ungwan Laya near Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State,” the statement partly read.
“The gallant troops were able to fight their way through the ambush killing dozens of bandits in the process.
“Unfortunately, some NAF personnel paid the supreme price during the operation, while a few others sustained varying degrees of injuries. The injured personnel are currently receiving treatment at the NAF Hospital in Kaduna.”
Meanwhile, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Oladayo Amao, on behalf all officers, airmen, airwomen and civilian staff of the NAF, has commiserated with the families of the fallen heroes, praying for the repose of their souls.
Amao who visited the injured personnel in the hospital on Saturday evening asked all NAF personnel to remain resolute and continue to collaborate with other security agencies, to rid the northwest of all criminal elements.
A map showing Kaduna, a state in Nigeria’s north-west region.
A man and his son have been killed by suspected bandits in Igabi local government area of Kaduna state.
The fresh attack comes barely one week after 23 people were killed in five local government areas of the state.
Confirming the incident in a short statement, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan said the bandits invaded Baka village in Igabi local government in the early hours of Saturday, where they attacked the residence of the victims, shooting sporadically.
He explained that the bandits, in an attempt to kidnap one Sanusi Musa, who is a farmer in the village, after gaining access into his compound, shot both the man and his son to death.
Meanwhile, Governor Nasir El-Rufai has expressed sadness over the attacks and condoled the family of the slain father and son, while offering prayers for the repose of their souls.
A file photo of fuel tankers on one of the highways in Nigeria.
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has given a 24-hour quit notice to drivers of trailers and tankers parked on the Maraban Jos axis of the Kaduna-Zaria Expressway to vacate the road with immediate effect.
This followed an ultimatum issued to the drivers to start parking their vehicles at the newly completed ultra-modern trailer park at Maraban Jos, as part of the government’s efforts to decongest the road and make it accident-free.
Governor El-Rufai, who was at the trailer park on Monday to see the level of compliance with the directive, decried that many lives had been lost on that section of the highway due to indiscriminate parking of long vehicles.
While some drivers obeyed the governor’s directive to move to the new trailer park, others were not willing to move as they were caught by Governor Elrufai with their vehicles still parked along the highway.
Infuriated by their action, the governor directed the erring drivers to vacate the road with their vehicles or get prepared to face the consequences.
The Kaduna-Zaria highway is one of the busiest roads in the northern part of the country and serves as the gateway to the seven states in the north-west zone from Abuja, the nation’s capital.
It has, however, witnessed several motor accidents, particularly at the Maraban Jos axis of the highway due to incessant traffic congestion as a result of the indiscriminate parking of trailers and tankers.
This prompted the state government to build a modern trailer park for all long-duty vehicles, for easy flow of traffic on the highway.
It also directed the traffic management and security agencies to ensure no vehicle was allowed to park on the highway for easy flow of traffic and reduction of accidents on the road.
The Maraban Jos trailer park, which has a space of about 71,000 square metres of parking area alone, also has provision for restaurants and hotels among other facilities to make users comfortable.
Indiscriminate parking on the highway is a violation of the Federal Highway Act.
