Herdsmen kill 3-month-old baby, couple, others

 

Sympathizers at one of the killings.

A three-month-old baby, a couple and one other were, yesterday afternoon, reportedly shot dead by suspected herdsmen at Ulevkaa community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.

The incident came less than 48 hours after a similar attack on that axis led to the death of two aide workers and six others, including a kinsman of Governor Samuel Ortom.

According to an eyewitness, unknown to commuters, the armed militia herdsmen had taken over the Uikpam-Umenger -Gbajimba road waiting for unsuspecting victims.

He said: “They saw a commercial Toyota Picnic vehicle heading towards Gbajimba, they pretended to be passengers and waved at the car. When the driver became suspicious of them he increased his speed and made effort to flee.

“But the others who hid in front saw that the driver was making effort to run away with his passengers from the trap, they opened fire on the vehicle.

“A bullet hit the three-month-old baby on the chest and scattered his ribs. One of the bullets also hit the mother on the lap.

“The driver managed to escape with the passengers, unfortunately the baby died on the way before reaching the hospital in Daudu but the mother survived.

“Angered by the failed operation, the armed herders waited for other victims. One of them was identified as one Terver and his wife, who they seized and slaughtered and their remains dumped by the roadside.

“Also, a firewood seller identified as Solomon Kumaiin, who was on a motorbike was also shot and killed by the armed herders.”

According to the eyewitness, on noticing what was happening, the driver of another vehicle that was directly behind the Toyota quickly reserved and drove straight to a nearby Uikpam village that is home to an IDP camp and a military checkpoint to report the matter.

“The soldiers quickly mobilised and went to the scene of the attack. The attackers had already fled but they conveyed some of the victims to a clinic in Daudu,” he said.

Herders

It was gathered that the remains of the victims had been deposited at a mortuary in Daudu where all the injured were receiving treatment.

2  killed, monarch abandons palace as cultists clash in A-Ibom

THE village head of Udianga Enem community in Etim Ekpo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Chief Josiah Udoekoriko, has reportedly fled his palace after two persons were killed in a renewed supremacy battle between suspected members of Iceland confraternity and Debam group.

Etim Ekpo and Ukanafun LGAs have been under intense cult war, which resulted in the loss of lives and property in the last four years.

The crisis had forced the state governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, to grant amnesty to the cult groups for peace to reign in the areas.

However, it was gathered that in the latest clash Monday, suspected members of Iceland confraternity, reportedly led by one Oto, from Obon Ebot, stormed the Udianga Enem community to retrieve stolen items seized by Debam confraternity in the nearby community of Obong Ntak.

A community source, who pleaded anonymity, said: “Suspected members of the Iceland group came for a truce with the other group, Debam, which is led by Samuel Jessy Okonko, popularly called ‘Angel Boy’ to recover those property through peaceful negotiation.

“Unfortunately, there was a disagreement leading to the death of one person while others fled. The resurgence of gun violence forced people to abandoned their farms and fled.

“The ‘Angel Boy’ had earlier killed one person at Obong Ntak community during the looting, but when he was identified by the deceased as having led his gang to cart away people’s wares in their community; he deliberately shot him dead.

“We could not report the matter to the Police at the Area Command because the Village Head who would have coordinated the process has fled his palace.”

However, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Odiko Macdon, who confirmed the incident assured that a “full-scale investigation will begin as soon as the Etim Ekpo Area Command gives details”.

Wife’s sibling stabs man to death in Delta

A middle-aged man, identified as Mr Oluchi, was yesterday, reportedly stabbed to death by a sibling of his estranged wife at Ulogwe-Isumpe community of Utagbe-Unor in Ndokwa West Local Government Area, Delta State over a domestic disagreement.

Sources said the incident occurred after a quarrel between the couple degenerated into a fight, a development that prompted the wife to invite her siblings to come to her aid.

The woman, a community source said, had cried aloud on the telephone that her husband wanted to kill her.

According to the source, “the siblings rushed to the scene, and in the course of engaging Oluchi in a physical fight, one of the siblings reached out for a kitchen knife and stabbed the man.

“The man fell down wreathing in pains before neighbours arrived the scene to rush him to the hospital where he gave up the ghost.”

The source, who sought anonymity, said police officers were later invited to take the deceased’s remains to the outpost at Ndemili, a nearby community.

Contacted, Public Relations Officer of Delta State Police Command, Mr Bright Edafe, said: “It is confirmed but I don’t have details yet. The Divisional Police Officer of Kwale division has already detailed his men to investigate the incident.”

Generator fumes kill man, wife,  2 others in Kwara

FOUR persons have been reportedly killed in Kwara State by fumes from a generator set that was left working all-night.

The sad incident occurred at the Ojomu family compound, Sanmora in Irepodun Local Government Area of the state.

It was gathered that the victims reportedly came from Lagos to celebrate the Sallah festival before the tragic incident that claimed their lives.

The victims, while savouring the Sallah celebration reportedly left the generator set working all night and slept off.

The generator set, which was placed at the veranda close to the room the victims stayed reportedly emited thick smoke into the room all night while the victims were asleep. Consequently, the victims suffocated and died in their sleep. 

Their corpses have been deposited at the Offa General Hospital morgue. Two other victims said to be unconscious have also been rushed to the hospital.

Recounting the gory incident, a source said: “We discovered their lifeless bodies this morning (yesterday), the head of the house, his wife and her friend and the friend to one of his children, who accompanied them from Lagos to celebrate the Sallah.

“It was one of the aged women in the compound who wanted to go and greet them  about 7:00 am that discovered their bodies and raised the alarm.

“Two of them, who were still alive when residents went in, were unconscious. They are lying in critical condition at the hospital now and we don’t know their date yet.”

 Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of Kwara State Command, Ajayi Okasanmi, confirmed the development.

Gunmen in military fatigue abduct Bayelsa SSG’s mother

*Kidnappers abduct 38-year-old man in Jigawa, demand N60m

MADAM Betinah Benson, the aged mother of the Secretary to Bayelsa State Government, Kombowe Benson, was Tuesday night abducted from her residence at old Legislative Quarters, Azikoro Road, Yenagoa, by unknown gunmen clad in military fatigue.

Sources told Vanguard that the gunmen, about six in number, who disguised as military personnel, stormed the gated estate and seamlessly whisked her away in a black SUV with a siren.

The latest incident makes it the second time the aged woman would be abducted.

She was first kidnapped sometime in 2013 and released after an undisclosed ransom was allegedly paid when her son was the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly.

Reacting to the development,  spokesman of the state police command, Mr Asinim Butswat, said the police have launched a manhunt to rescue the victim and arrest the perpetrators.

His words: “The Bayelsa State Police Command has launched a manhunt for the rescue of Madam Betinah Benson and arrest of the suspects.

“Madam Betinah Benson, 80 years, was kidnapped on July 20, 2021, at about 2300 hours at her residence, Old Legislative Quarters, Azikoro Road, Yenagoa.

“The kidnappers ,who were dressed in military camouflage, stormed the residence and kidnapped the victim to an unknown destination.

“The Commissioner of Police Bayelsa State Command, Mike Okoli, and other detectives have visited the scene. An investigation is in progress.”

Kidnappers abduct 38-year-old man in Jigawa, demand N60 million.

Meanwhile, the Police in Jigawa State have confirmed the abduction of a 38-year-old man in Kiyawa Local Government Area of the state.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Jigawa State Police Command, Lawan Shiisu, who confirmed the incident to newsmen in Dutse, yesterday, said the suspects allegedly abducted the victim identified as Lawan Zakar at his residence, Dankoli Quarters on July 17.

He said: “The suspects demanded N60 million from him whereas it was N60,000 that was brought to him on the fateful night by his boy.”

He explained that the suspects ransacked the house, seized the phone of the victim and those of his wives.

According to him, efforts were on top gear to rescue the victim, as well as arrest the suspects.

NDLEA arrests 2 female drug traffickers with 296,000 tabs of illicit drugs

A 36-year-old lady, Chioma Afam, who uses multiple identities and wears a hijab to evade security scrutiny has been arrested by operatives of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in Benue State with her partner, Peace Chidinma Caleb, 22, for trying to smuggle 296,000 tablets of Diazepam and Exol-5 from Onitsha, Anambra State to Gombe State.

Chioma, who uses multiple names such as Amina, Uzoamaka and Ifunaya to cover her criminal activities, was arrested last Saturday with the 22-year-old Peace Chidinma Caleb, who also wears a hijab as a cover for her nefarious activities during routine checks and profiling of inward vehicles into Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

Their vehicle from Onitsha, Anambra State, was intercepted along Makurdi-Alliade road while heading to Gombe State via Makurdi.

A search of their vehicle led to the discovery of 43 kilograms of Diazepam and 33kg of Exol-5, both weighing 76 kilograms with a total of 296,000 tablets packed in four large ‘Ghana must go’ bags.

Curiously, the two interstate drug traffickers have rebuffed efforts to take pictures with the exhibits without wearing their hijab.

Meanwhile, the Ondo State command of the agency on Sunday intercepted one Olu Ameh, a commercial motorcycle rider with 465 kilograms of cannabis Sativa along Ijagba-Ute road in Ose Local Government Area of the state.

The illicit substance was said to have been bought from one Joseph in Ago-Akure, Akure North LGA and being conveyed to the buyer, a certain Egbonwon, at Ijagba village in Ose LGA.

Police arrest suspected motorcycle snatching gang member in Delta

The police command in Delta State has arrested a suspected member of a gang that specialises in motorcycle snatching.

Acting spokesman for the command, Edafe Bright, in  a statement, yesterday, in Warri,  said the other members of the gang were still at large, adding that the command recovered two motorcycles from the suspect.

He said the suspect was apprehended on July 17 by policemen from Oghara Division in  Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State.

“On July 17, 2021, at about 15.30hrs, the Divisional Police Officer, Oghara Division, CSP Jimoh Hassan, detailed a team to embark on patrol around Oghara and its environs to checkmate crime,” Bright said.

He said the 21-year-old suspect was intercepted by the patrol team  at Koko Junction, adding:  “Upon interrogation, the suspect confessed that himself and others at large are motorcycle snatchers.

“He later led police operatives to Koko Junction where two unregistered motorcycles, one big Elema generator and a Nissan Primera with number plate, BEN 564 LT, were recovered.”

Bright said the command had intensified manhunt for the other members of the gang.

Culled from Vanguard