Seven dead in police post bombing bank robbery

FIVE
policemen
were killed
yesterday in a
sudden attack on a police
station in Bauchi State.
Gunmen operating in typical
Boko Haram fashion bombed
the Misau town police station
and invaded a bank, where
they killed a policeman,
carting away a huge sum of
money.
The hoodlums hurled a bomb
at the police station, killing
five policemen and a civilian.
They freed suspects detained
in the police cell before setting
the building on fire.
They left the area after
shooting sporadically into the
air to scare away people.
Misau is 163 kilometres from
Bauchi, the state capital.
The unknown gunmen then
moved to the Main Street Bank
(formerly Afribank) branch,
which is close to the police
station. They killed a
policeman on guard and
stormed the bank.
Eye witnesses said the
hoodlums carted away huge
sums of money.
Bauchi Police Commissioner
Ikechukwu Ayo Aduba
confirmed the incident on the
telephone. He said details
were being compiled and
promised speedy
investigation of the incident.
An eye witness said on the
telephone from Misau that
“five policemen and a civilian
were killed at the police
station, and the sixth
policeman was felled at the
bank”.
This is the third time the
Misau Police station has been
attacked. It was attacked
during the last general
elections.
No organisation has claimed
responsibility for the attack so
far.
Inspector General of Police
Hafiz Ringim last month
ordered the Bauchi Police
chief to investigate attacks on
financial institutions in the
state.
Governor Isa Yuguda has
consistently said that there
are no Boko Haram men in the
state but armed robbers.
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STF foils
carnage in
Barkin Ladi
Like in Dante's inferno, the
gory killings in Jos, Plateau
State continued yesterday as a
family of 14 people including
a pregnant mother were
massacred in the early hours
of yesterday.
The crime was carried out by
suspected Fulani herdsmen
who invaded Vwang Kogot
village in Vwang district of Jos
South Local Government Area.
The village, about three
kilometres off the major road
leading to Manchok town in
Kaduna State, was thronged
by a large number of
sympathizers who crying and
wailing, at the gory sight of
the victims made up of
women and children.
These killings is coming a day
after about 12 people were
killed in two separate attacks
on two communities in Barkin
Ladi local government area of
the state.
This brings to about eight of
such attacks within Barkin
Ladi, Jos North, Riyom and Jos
South local government areas
in Plateau North senatorial
district, with no fewer than 90
lives lost in the attacks which
are purported to have been
carried out with the support
of members of the Special
Task Force (STF), drafted to
the state to maintain law and
order.
According to eye witnesses,
the attackers came about
11pm and went to the family
home of Dauda Badung killing
him and his pregnant wife
along with five other children
and two grand children
Also, a 70 year old man, a 60
year old woman and a two
year old Helen Gyang were
also killed while a four year
old survivor with gunshot
wounds is now receiving
treatment at the Vom Christian
Hospital.
The Special Adviser to the
governor on Media, Pam
Ayuba regretted the attacks
and assured that the
perpetrators will be fished out
and brought to book.
Meanwhile the Special Task
Force (STF) on Jos crises code
named ‘Operation safe haven’
has arrested one Muhammed
Abdulahi. He was arrested last
night in Rop village, Barkin
Ladi local government when
the soldiers aborted another
attack on the village.
Spokesman of the STF, Captain
Charles Ekeocha while
parading the suspect at the
STF headquarters said, “This
young man named
Muhammed Abdulahi was
among the over 30 attackers
who came to attack Rop
village of Barkin Ladi last
night”
He added that, “the youths of
the area alerted us of the
impending attack and we
moved in to the village, the
attackers learnt of our
presence and aborted their
plan, unfortunately for this
man we met him on the road
and we suspected him as one
of them.
“We conducted immediate
search on him and found in
his travelling bag some
weapons of attack. The
weapons in his bag included a
pistol, knife and handset. We
are prepared to work if the
youths are ready to cooperate
with us by giving intelligence
information. We are not
spirits, we are also human, we
cannot succeed without
people’s cooperation. We
were able to arrest this man
because the youths are ready
to work with us.”
Meanwhile, Governor Jonah
Jang has commended the
security agencies for their
efforts in curtailing the crises
while he was away on medical
trip abroad. He gave the
commendation at a security
meeting he conveyed shortly
after his arrival.
Jang said, “I have been
briefed on what transpired
and I must commend the
security agencies for their
resilience and efforts to
combat the violence.”
The caucus of House of
Representative members from
Plateau State has condemned
calls from their counterparts
in the north for a declaration
of a state of emergency in the
state over the prolonged
crises.
The House of Representatives
members made their position
known in a press conference
in Jos yesterday.
Bitrus Kaze who led the team
of eight members from the
state to the NUJ secretariat Jos
stated that, “It has come to
our knowledge that certain
elements are hell-bent on
destabilizing democratic
structures on the Plateau in
the name of emergency rule.
“We condemn in strongest
term possible and totally reject
their obnoxious calls for the
declaration of another
emergency in Plateau State. It
is highly suspicious why the
advocate of a state of
emergency singled out the
state for prosecution
notwithstanding the
precarious situation in many
parts of the country including
post-election violence and
bombings.”
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Anger have family of eight, three killed in Jos

A family of eight
including a
three-year-old
boy, was killed near Jos, the
Plateau State capital, yesterday
morning.
Last month, eight members of
a family were killed.
The victims of Sunday’s attack
were murdered by yet to be
identified assailants at
Heipang in Barkin Ladi Local
Government Area.
Among the victims were the
head of the household, Mr
Chollom Gyang, his wife,
Hannatu and six children,
including the three-year-old.
Mark Lipdo, an organiser for a
non-profit group, Stefanos
Foundation, said besides the
eight family members, three
others were also killed
yesterday.
A News Agency of Nigeria
(NAN) correspondent, who
visited the house, observed
that some of the victims had
deep machete cuts all over
their bodies; others suffered
gunshot injuries.
Mr Emmanuel Dachollom
Loman, Chairman, Barkin Ladi
Local Government Area,
told reporters that the
assailants came from
Mahangar, a Fulani community
in the area.
“We have made appeals to the
Federal Government; we have
told them that the people in
the area (Mahangar) have lots
of sophisticated weapons, but
government has refused to do
anything about it.
“I personally complained to a
Federal Government
delegation that came to
investigate the killing, last
month, of eight members of
another family, but our
concerns and fears have been
ignored.”
He said men of the military
Special Task Force (STF)
recently searched a house in
Mahangar and recovered
sophisticated weapons, but
that they did not have the will
to search the whole
community.
Loman warned that unless the
weapons in the area were
mopped up, they would
continue to constitute threats
to the communities.
“Now, our people have been
pushed to the wall. We have
been appealing to them to be
calm and not take the laws
into their hands. We do not
know for how long we can
wait for government to
protect us.
“If our youths go on the
rampage, nobody should
blame us; we have asked
them to constitute themselves
into vigilance groups to
defend themselves against
aggressors,” he said.
Loman said: “I was sleeping
when I received the call at
about 12:30 early this
morning (yesterday) only to
be told that some unknown
persons came to attack and
killed all members of a family.
Few weeks ago, seven
members of a family were
killed in similar attack. This is
becoming too much to bear,
government should help us in
this local government before
people come and wipe all of
us out one day. I can’t contain
this anymore; it’s too much.
The council boss said: “We are
suspecting the Fulani in this
attack because this is their
route. The Fulani that lived in
nearby Mahanger village are
heavily armed and I have been
crying to government to go to
the village in search of arms,
but the government is not
acting on my cry. You can see
that the guns used to attack
people here are sophisticated
weapons. Government should
do something fast before the
next attack on another family.
Government should go in
there and recover all arms
they have stockpiled.”
Mr Gyang Fulani, a member
representing the area in the
House of Assembly, said the
people could no longer trust
the government to protect
them as it had failed them,
with the constant attacks.
He regretted that the security
agents had not fished out the
attackers. No arrest has been
made. Fulani accused the STF
of lacking the will to stop the
Jos crisis.
“We said a few years ago that
terrorists were in the country,
but the government didn’t
take us seriously. Now, it is
glaring from the security
challenges all over the country.
“The terrorists in Plateau are
easy to fight because they are
known, but government is
complacent about confronting
these fundamentalists. It is a
ticking time bomb that will
soon explode,’’ Fulani said.
He challenged his constituents
to rise up to the security
threats and defend
themselves against the
aggressors at all cost.
“We will never calm the youths
again; we will allow them rise
up to protect their
communities and their land
from these unprovoked
attacks.
“We now know who the
aggressors are. When police
advised Izala sect leader Sani
Jingir not to go to Rukuba road for the Sallah prayer, he
refused and has now put the whole Jos into crisis,” he said.
Mr Francis Jamang, National President, Berom Youth Movement, said the situation had reached a stage where they might be forced to take the laws into their hands, if
their attackers were not brought to book.
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IBADAN FLOODS: Jonathan pledges help for Ibadan's flood

President Goodluck Jonathan on
Friday promised to assist the Oyo
State Government over the flood
that sacked Ibadan, the state
capital, penultimate Friday.
Jonathan made the pledge when
he paid an on-the-spot
assessment visit to some of the
flood ravaged areas in the city.
The President, who came in
company with some ministers
(Works, Environment and Water
Resources), described what he
saw as a “pitiable view.”
He said technical experts would
be deployed from the ministries
of water resources and the
environment to identify how the
Federal Government could assist
the state to handle the disaster.
The President commended the
Oyo State Government, the
National Emergency Management
Agency and other relevant
organisations that rose to the
challenge and helped the victims
of the flooding.
He described the incident as a
natural disaster and prayed that
God would comfort those that
lost their loved ones and
property.
The President, who called for
one-minute silence in respect of
the dead, said, “On behalf of the
Federal Government and my
family, we express our
condolences to the government
and people of Oyo State over the
disaster.
“We flew over some of the sites,
inspected and saw the extent of
the damage.
“We also watched video clips of
the disaster. It is a natural
disaster. We pray that God will
give those who lost their people
in the flood the fortitude to bear
the loss.
“On the part of the FG, we
commend the director-general
and officers of NEMA and the Oyo
State Government for their quick
response.”
Governor Abiola Ajimobi
appealed to the President to
assist the state, stressing that the
state alone could not shoulder
the responsibility.
The governor noted that no state
in the South-West had witnessed
the magnitude of the August 26
rainfall.
He said the state was helpless
and required FG’s assistance in
addressing the menace. Making a
formal request to the FG, Ajimobi
handed over a letter to Jonathan.
The President’s aircraft, marked
Nigerian Air Force 5N-FGT,
touched down at the Ibadan
Airport, Alakia, at exactly 12:25
pm.
He was received by Ajimobi, his
cabinet members and leaders of
the Action Congress of Nigeria
and the Peoples Democratic
Party.
Also present were Senator Femi
Lanlehin, Minister of State for
Federal Capital Territory, Mrs.
Jumoke Akinjide; Speaker, Oyo
State House of Assembly, Mrs.
Monsurat Sunmonu and a host of
other political office-holders.

11 persons died in shagamu road auto crash

Eleven persons died on
Wednesday in an auto crash at
Okada junction, Edo State section
of the Benin-Sagamu
Expressway.
The accident, which occurred
around 4pm, involved a
commercial bus belonging to
Peace Mass Transit Company and
a truck conveying some goods to
Lagos.
The Federal Road Safety
Commission, according to an
eyewitness, arrived at the scene
immediately to move the dead to
the University of Benin Teaching
Hospital mortuary.
A couple said to be heading for
one of the states in the South-
East for their wedding
arrangements, and a woman
said to be going for a burial,
were among those killed in the
accident.
According to one of the four
survivors of the accident,
Anthony Ndubuisi, a South-
Africa-based footballer, the
Onitsha-bound bus took off from
Ojulegba in Lagos with 17
passengers.
Ndubuisi, who is receiving
treatment at the emergency unit
of the UBTH, blamed the crash on
the recklessness of the bus
driver.
“The accident could have been
avoided,” the player said.
He claimed the driver, who
reportedly escaped unhurt, was
at a top speed while overtaking
another vehicle when the crash
occurred.
Ndubuisi added, “I had wanted
to board another transport
company but I was told that
Peace Mass was cheaper. I was
going to Asaba (Delta State) to
finalise arrangements for a trip
to Europe where I hope to
pursue my career. But just
imagine where I have ended up.”
The National Coordinator of Save
Accident Victims of Nigeria, Mr.
Eddy Ehikhamenor, who was at
the emergency unit of the
hospital, told our correspondent
that 10 of the victims were
brought in dead.

At least 102 died in Ibadan food-red cross

Friday’s flooding in Ibadan, Oyo
State killed at least 102 people,
the Red Cross said on
Wednesday, the Associated Press
reports.
Some 1,500 people remain
displaced by the downpour,
officials of the humanitarian
agency said.
The major area hit hardest by the
floods remains the state capital,
Ibadan. Heavy rains on Friday
made a local dam in the area
overflow, sending water
crashing through the informal
settlements surrounding the
river banks.
The water also damaged three
bridges in the area, trapping
people in their neighborhoods,
said an official with Nigeria’s
National Emergency Management
Agency, Tunde Adebiyi.
Many homes, which were poorly
constructed, were washed away
when the water rushed through,
said Umar Mairiga, an official
with the Nigerian Red Cross.
“I think in the process a lot of
them were washed away by the
rainwater and others were
trapped in collapsed buildings,”
Mairiga said Wednesday.
Mairiga said it took time to get a
proper casualty figure as water
levels in some areas remain high
as seasonal rains continue.
NEMA had warned that rains
would be heavier this year than
last year.
In an assessment after the
flooding, the agency said more
flooding would be likely in areas
with inadequate drainage and
improperly disposed trash.
Last year, some 500,000 people
were displaced nationwide by
floods in the country.
Nigeria’s rainy season lasts
roughly from June to September.
The rains paused for most of
August this year, however, only
starting again within the last
week.
However, residents of the areas
worst-hit by the flood continued
to battle with relocation as most
of them have been displaced.
Many houses constructed in the
flood-prone areas collapsed
while a large number of
uncompleted buildings were
reduced to rubble at Odo-Ona
Elewe and Apete
A resident of Apete, Mr. Julius
Akintomide, said. “Look at all
these places, it is like a bulldozer
went through the area. That
structure over there used to be a
four-bedroom flat.