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Chaos as ‘Omo oniles’ invade Lagos school, chase away students

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All hell was let loose on Monday after no fewer than 40 hoodlums invaded a private school, Shalom Group of Schools in Baruwa, Ipaja area of Lagos State and displaced students and teachers.

The students and management of the school could not gain access to the premises as the main entrance gate was blocked by the land grabbers, popularly referred to as ”Omo-Onile”.

According to the proprietress of the school, Mrs. Adedayo Odeka, the hoodlums were allegedly led by an “Omo Onile”, popularly known as Kaka.

“He claimed that they had won a court judgment to take possession of our land.

“I told him to show me the judgement, as I was not aware of any court case let alone judgment but he refused.

Odeka said that the land was allocated to them by the Federal Government in 1992 and a school was built on it.

“Coming out overnight and claiming the land is uncalled for.

“This is a land we have been occupying for 30 years, students have been graduating year in and year out.

“The land is a Federal Government allocation, we don’t have any dealings with ‘Omo Onile’ we have all our documents,” she said.

The proprietress said that the hoodlums came on Saturday and damaged the fence and railings to gain access to the compound forcing boarding students to vacate.

She claimed that the case was reported at the Ipaja police station but that the police were incapacitated.

“When the case was reported, the police reluctantly followed us to the site after much pressure but could not act as the hoodlums continued with the erection of the structure,” she said.

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She urged the government to arrest the perpetrators of this act and persecute them.

The security guard, Mr. Micheal Yakubu, said over 40 hoodlums, who were led by the Kaka group invaded the school around 6:00a:m on Saturday.

“They broke the wall, removed the two main gates to gain access, claiming that the land belonged to them.

“They brought in sand, and blocks and started digging and erecting structures on the school field.

“After erecting the structure beyond nine coaches, they blocked the two entrances with blocks, put a small gate, and locked it,” he said.

A parent, Mr. Osagie Igebo, said that it was disheartening for a group of people to traumatize young children and send them out of boarding school.

“This is wrong for society and the system, it is sad, look at the kids outside, these are the future generation that we are talking about.

“We have to change this narrative, even if there is a dispute on the property, it should be resolved amicably,” he said.

A teacher, Mrs. Ifeoma Abah, said that the land grabbers, who stormed this school on Saturday chased the students out of the hostel.

“They chased the students out without considering whether their parents were close or far, some of them were half clad but the men didn’t care.

“We came this morning only to be denied access to the school.

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“The pupils, students, and teachers are stranded, we all have rights as Nigerians to learn,” she said.

A boarder in the school, Miss Success Afolayan, a senior secondary two student, said she felt tortured and traumatized on Saturday when the hoodlums invaded their school.

“I was traumatized, as we were running from pillar to post, this action is uncalled for, in a learning environment.

“This is going to affect our education, as we do not know when it will be resolved,” she said.

Mrs. Oluwatoyin Okafor, the principal, said that the miscreants destroyed some of the school properties and sent them out.

“They destroyed the wall and iron rails and burgled the generator house.

“We were not given an audience, the security agents were standing by their side with guns threatening to shoot us if we talk.

“We were left with no option than to call the parents of the boarders, who live in Lagos to pick them up, while we pleaded with some teachers and parents to take those who live outside Lagos home with them.

“Our students are preparing for WASCE, NECO, and JAMB, they just came to disrupt the school activities,” she said.

Another parent, Mr. Ebenezer Akande, a civil servant, said that he was shocked when he saw that the two main gates were blocked.

“As you can see, the children could not gain access to the school.

“The Lagos State Government should wake up and do something concerning these land grabbers,” he said.

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The registrar of the school, Mr. Akinola Adebayo, said that he got an invitation letter from Zone 2, Onikan, and that someone wrote a petition against him.

“When I got there on Thursday, they said that they had a petition against me, that I am using charms and cultists to chase Omo-onile away from their land.

“I told them that I don’t know the petitioner, after I answered the petition, the police asked the two parties (the Omo-onile) and (Shalom school) to come back today Monday, Jan. 30,?but I was surprised that the Omo-onile invaded the school on Saturday.

“When we called the police, they said that there was nothing they could do,” he said.

Adebayo urged the government to intervene in the matter so that the children can go back to school.

However, some students were carrying cardboard with the inscriptions such as “Education is our right”, “say no to Omo-onile oppressors”, “the future is weeping”, “Kaka, why take our right from us”, “Omo-onile, why send us out of our school”, “Government come to our rescue, save us from land grabbers” and many more.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the story said that the case was not a criminal case.

“The case is not a police case, it is a civil case.

“I will urge the parties not to take laws into their own hands so that a civil case will not turn to a criminal case,” he said.

 

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Bandits attack Kogi varsity, abduct ‘many students’

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Bandits have reportedly attacked the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTEC) Osara in Kogi state.

The bandits, it was gathered, invaded the university around 9pm on Thursday.

The incident occurred while students were reading in classrooms for their forthcoming examinations.

 

A student who pleaded anonymity, said that she was in ‘Class LR5’ with some other students for tutorials, when they heard a gunshot.

 

The student said they were shocked to hear the first boom of a gun, with several gunshots following in quick succession.

“We started scampering for safety and it appeared that the gunshots were coming from class LR3, where some students were also reading,” she said.

“I did not know where to run to. When I peeped through the window, I saw our security guard returning fire.”

 

The source disclosed that some students who managed to escape, said the bandits were shooting at them as they fled the scene.

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“This morning, we cannot find some of our course mates. Their phone lines are not reachable. We even saw someone’s phone on the floor. We don’t know the number of students that have been kidnapped,” the student said.

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Nigerian Army arrests soldier with 756 rounds of ammunition, grenades hidden in bag of rice

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The Nigerian Army, on Thursday, said it has apprehended personnel for illegal possession of ammunition and explosives during a routine search operation by the Military Police K9 Team, at the Borno Express Terminal in Maiduguri, Borno State.

 

A statement by Major Gen Onyema Nwacbukwu, Director of Army Public Relations said, “The soldier, Lance Corporal Mubarak Yakubu was found in possession of 756 rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition and four 36 hand grenades, ingeniously concealed within a small bag of rice”.

 

“This arrest underscores the Nigerian Army’s zero-tolerance policy towards any form of illegal activity or contravention of military regulations by its personnel.

 

“Preliminary investigation has revealed that the soldier had been de-inducted from active theatre operations in March 2024 and was undergoing de-induction training at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry.

 

“The soldier was on a welfare pass from Jaji to Kaduna and Adamawa from April 30, 2024, to May 13, 2024, when the arrest took place.

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“The NA wishes to assure the public that it will continue to act decisively to maintain discipline within its ranks and ensure the security of all Nigerians.

“The soldier in question is currently in custody and a thorough investigation has commenced to ascertain the full circumstances surrounding this incident and to apply the appropriate disciplinary measures.

 

“This proactive measure by the Military Police K9 Team reflects Nigerian Army’s relentless vigilance and its proactive approach to enforcing compliance with military laws and regulations.

 

“The Nigerian Army remains committed to its role as a professional military organization dedicated to the service of our nation and the protection of its citizenry.”

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Army releases rescued Chibok girl, three children to Borno govt

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The Nigerian Army, on Thursday, handed over Lydia Simon, the rescued Chibok schoolgirl, and her three children to the Borno State government for reunification with her family.

The Theatre Commander, North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Maj. Gen. Waidi Shuaibu, disclosed this during the handing over ceremony at the Mailmalari Cantonment, on Thursday in Maiduguri.

 

He said that troops of the 82 Division Task Force Battalion rescued the lady carrying a six-month-old pregnancy, alongside her three children on Wednesday, April 17, in The Gwoza Local Government Area of the state.

 

Shuaibu said she was number 18 among the girls who were rescued by the Nigerian military.

 

He recalled that the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014 made both national and international headlines, culminating in the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.

According to him, several efforts have been made both internationally and nationally to return the girls safely and reunite them with their families.

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“One of such national efforts is the conduct of military operations deep within the terrorists’ enclaves, which have yielded positive results to facilitate the rescue of some of the Chibok girls.

 

“Starting from Esther Marcus, who appears on serial 103 on the abducted Chibok school girls’ list, who was the first to be rescued by troops of 7 Division Gar, till now efforts are still ongoing.

 

“Just recently on April 17, one more Chibok girl was rescued with her three children from the Mandara mountain by troops of the theatre will continue to do its best to rescue those still in captivity.

 

“The rescue will be in line with the strategic direction and guidance from the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Army Staff.

“We thank the Chief of Army staff for all the resources he has provided in the theatre to achieve its mandate,” he said.

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Also Speaking, the acting General Officer Commanding, 7 Division, Brig. Gen. Abubakar Haruna, said the girl received medical treatment and other care by the division since her release.

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