Connect with us

Metro News

Insecurity: Bandits kill village head, 23 others in Zamfara

Published

on

 

Killer bandits have again killed at least 24 people, including the village head and three other traditional title holders, in an early Sunday morning attack in Ganar Kiyawa, a village in Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Bandits from the Gando forest in Bukkuyum and Anka local government areas have been attacking residents since January. Some attacks on several villages in the two areas early this year that left 200 people dead.

In February, the terrorists collected N12 million from residents of Gana and Nasarawa Burkullu before they released 26 people abducted earlier. The ransom was taken to the bandits in Gando forest, residents said.

Abubakar Gero, a youth leader in Bukkuyum Local Government Area, said the attack was long feared as residents of the community, especially the men, had been sleeping in the bush and other safer communities in horror of the bandits.

See also  Kenneth Okonkwo dumps Peter Obi, says ‘I’ve lost confidence in him’

“Yes, 24 people were killed by the bandits in yesterday’s attack. The village head and some other traditional rulers as well as residents were killed. They (bandits) have been trying to attack the community but because their main targets were not always sleeping in the town, they decided to come in the morning,” he said.

Abdullahi Musa, a resident of Gana, not far from Ganar Kiyawa community, told PREMIUM TIMES that the bandits started shooting sporadically the moment they entered the village.

“Most of those who slept out of the community as usual were returning home when the bandits entered from the western route. They started shooting sporadically before they went on a house to house search for domestic animals and other valuables. All the shops were looted by the bandits while the residents ran for their lives,” he said.

Mr Musa said there were more than 20 people in his village seeking refuge as of Sunday evening.

See also  Oando AGM: Shareholders laud Tinubu, board

“We cannot say how many people were kidnapped so far but those who have been killed, the residents were able to gather 23 corpses for burial. Another corpse was also found after the initial 23. It could be more especially now that the residents are afraid to go deep into the bushes to look for their dead,” he said

Bandits have been attacking rural communities, kidnapping people for ransom and rustling cattle for many years in the North-western part of Nigeria.

Banditry is the code name in the region for organised crimes like kidnapping, cattle rustling, mass abduction, arson and even armed robbery.

What started as farmers-herders clashes snowballed into cattle rustling before access to small arms emboldened the criminals to start raiding villages. Factors like mass poverty, illiteracy and a porous border with Niger Republic have complicated security issues for both the government and the people.

Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Kaduna, Niger and Kebbi are the worst-hit states in the attacks.

See also  Kidnappers of 85 Zamfara abductees slash ransom to N20,000 per victim

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Metro News

Two killed as fuel-laden tanker collides with truck in Lagos

Published

on

By

Two people were confirmed dead following an early morning collision between a fuel-laden tanker and a tipper truck on the Lekki–Epe Expressway, Sangotedo area of Lagos state.

In a statement on Saturday, Margaret Adeseye, controller-general of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, said the accident occurred in the early hours of the day, prompting officers to rush to the scene.

“It was reported that a speeding 20-tonne tipper truck from the Epe end rammed into a stationary 30-tonne gas tanker that failed to pull over from the highway,” the statement reads.

Adeseye said the collision sparked a fire that spread to three warehouses and 10 roadside shops, including a gym and a generator house, before it was eventually brought under control.

She added that a Total petrol filling station, fully loaded with a 33,000-litre PMS tanker, narrowly escaped a major explosion.

“After the blaze was extinguished, three Sienna buses, one Toyota Corolla, and a forklift parked within the affected area were recovered. Tragically, the tipper truck driver and his assistant, both adult males, were burnt beyond recognition, while the gas tanker driver escaped unhurt,” Adeseye said.

See also  DPO, four officers killed in shoot-out with bandits in Niger

The agency said that efforts are ongoing to remove the remains of both trucks from the highway, though normal traffic has largely resumed at the scene.

Continue Reading

Metro News

Cocaine trafficking: Court convicts, fines 10 Filipinos $6m

Published

on

By

The federal high court in Lagos has convicted 10 Filipino sailors and their merchant vessel of trafficking 20 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Apapa seaport.

The sailors were arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in November 2025 at Apapa seaport.

The vessel, MV Nord Bosporus, with registration number 9760110, arrived in Nigeria from Santos in Brazil.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said the defendants pleaded guilty to the charges and entered a plea bargain agreement.

The anti-drug agency had disclosed that its officers discovered the “Class A drug” buried under the ship’s cargo on Sunday, November 16, 2025.

The NDLEA arraigned the sailors and the vessel on a four-count charge.

The defendants are Eugene Quinos Corpuz; Mark Joseph Jardiniano; Alexis Navidad Evarrola; Francis Gerard Niones Carpio; Franz Jude Mayran; Mahinay Junniel Lagura; Mario Ganiban Malvar; Hormachuelos Lordito Guivencan; Joshua Emmanuel Hufanda; and Edwin Baltazar Reyes.

See also  Dangote visits Tinubu in Abuja

In his judgment, Ayokunle Faji, the trial judge, found the vessel guilty for an offence under section 25 of the NDLEA Act.

The judge ordered the vessel to pay the sum of N100,000 penalty for the offence and a restitution in the sum of N5.3 million to the federal government.

The judge convicted three principal officers of the vessel who are the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th defendants. They were asked to pay N100,000 each and a restitution of $100,000 each to the federal government.

After conviction, the judge ordered the 5th to 11th defendants to pay N100,000 each in addition to a restitution of $50,000 each.

According to the NDLEA, the total money to be paid to the federal government by the vessel and the 10 sailors is $6 million and N1.1million as restitution and penalty.

Reacting to the judgment, Mohammed Buba Marwa, NDLEA chairman, said the conviction of the vessel and its crew members is a “lesson to international drug cartels and their local collaborators that Nigeria’s territorial waters are no longer a playground for the illicit narcotics trade”.

See also  Oando AGM: Shareholders laud Tinubu, board

“Let this judgment be an unambiguous signal to every shipping line, vessel owner, and sailor worldwide that if you turn your ships into floating warehouses for illicit drugs, you will not only lose your freedom but also your assets,” Marwa said.

“We have moved beyond mere seizures; we are now hitting the syndicates where it hurts most, their pockets and their operational assets.”

Continue Reading

Metro News

VIDEO: Man caught trying to lure child hawker for sex with ₦1,000

Published

on

By

A man has been caught on video while allegedly attempting to lure a young girl hawking avocados with ₦1,000 for sexual purposes.

The unfortunate incident, which surfaced in a viral video, was shared by content creator LordZeus in a post shared on IG on Monday, who confronted the suspect.

When questioned, the man denied the allegation and claimed he was the girl’s father.

But the child contradicted him, stating that he approached her and asked her to follow him to a secluded place so they could “touch body,” promising to give her ₦1,000. She added that when she refused, the man brought out the cash in an attempt to persuade her.

During the confrontation, some bystanders pleaded on behalf of the suspect, claiming he was mentally unstable and alleging that the girl was not the first child he had approached.

Reacting, LordZeus challenged the defence, questioning why alleged mental illness should excuse such behaviour toward a minor.

See also  BREAKING: Four PDP Reps defect to APC

He also used the moment to caution parents against sending young girls out to hawk, noting that female child hawkers are often

He wrote, “Parents please, no matter how hard life gets, do not allow your girl child especially underage to hawk on the streets alone. Even If they must hawk, hawk alongside them.

“They are constantly at risk of se*xual harassment, and many of them will never speak up. I’ve hawked before, so I know exactly what life on the street is like.

“Imagine if this man was able to manipulate the little girl with just 1,000 naira , this will be unimaginable.

“Ihe na-eme nu o. Let’s do everything possible to protect our girl children. Their safety and dignity must come first before any other thing. It can only get better ”

See also  10 members of same family die after a meal of Tuwo

:

Continue Reading

Trending News