Security

By Muhammadu Sabiu

Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, was wounded by gunfire on Thursday, according to a member of his staff.

About 200 kilometres (120 miles) from Islamabad, the country’s capital, the incident happened in Wazirabad.

Many of Khan’s colleagues were also hurt, according to a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party member.

One person has also been reported dead, according to reports.

“A man opened fire with an automatic weapon. Several people are wounded. Imran Khan is also injured,” Asad Umar told Reuters.

A gunshot struck Khan in the shin as he was leading a protest march in Islamabad calling for immediate elections.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

A prominent Pakistani journalist and TV presenter, Arshad Sharif, has been shot dead by unknown gunmen in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi.

Arshad Sharif’s wife, Javeria Siddique announced the demise of her husband on Twitter in the early hours of Monday, October 24, 2022.

“I lost friend, husband and my favourite journalist @arsched today, as per police he was shot in Kenya. Respect our privacy and in the name of breaking pls don’t share our family pics, personal details and his last pictures from hospital. Remember us in ur prayers,” she tweeted.

She appealed to the public to respect her family’s privacy and desist from sharing pictures of her husband’s last moment on social media. She also said politicians and the media are not allowed with cameras in their home.

“Pls @Twitter remove last picture’s of my late husband @arsched from ur social media site. Politicians and media are not welcomed with cameras inside our house,” she pleaded.

As at the time of writing this report, authorities of Kenya and Paskitan are yet to officially confirm the development.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP) reportedly stormed the enclaves of Boko Haram and slaughtered six of its members, whom the ISWAP described as “infidels”, on weekend.

This is not the first time, in an inter-rivalry clash, that the ISWAP carried out a successful attack against Boko Haram, causing the group huge casualty and loss of weapons.

The development is believed to have been dragging Boko Haram insurgents down to their knees as they continue to count losses from the clashes.

It was gathered that the ISWAP had stormed the enclaves of Boko Haram insurgents in Gajibo, a town situated 95km northeast of Maiduguri, Borno State capital.

The ISWAP once vowed to battle more with Boko Haram than even with the Nigerian troops, worsening the rivalry clashes with bloodshed.

A counter-insurgency expert and security analyst in Lake Chad, Zagazola Makama, said the attackers also recovered five AK47 riffles from the Boko Haram terrorists.

Experts and analysts believe that the worsening of inter-rivalry clashes between ISWAP and Boko Haram may lead them to irreversible self-destruction.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Reports from Zamfara indicated that no fewer than 27 people abducted in Bukkuyum and Anka local government areas of the state were reportedly rescued by police.

This is coming after the suspected bandits stormed the named areas and abducted a yet-to-be-identified number of people.

The spokesman of the police command in the state, SP Muhammad Shehu, disclosed this to journalists in the state.

He said the 27 rescued victims were abducted by an armed group in Akawa, Gwashi, Tungar Rogo and some villages in Anka local government.

He also stated that, after their abduction, the victims were taken to camps at Gando/Bagega and Sunke forests in Bukkuyum and Anka local government areas.

She added the rescue of the victims was a sequel to the report received by the Command that a group of bandits had invaded the named villages.

“On receiving the report, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kolo Yusuf, deployed additional Police Tactical Operatives to reinforce DPOs in Anka and Bukkuyum local government areas and vigilantes to rescue the abducted victims.

“Luckily enough, a well-coordinated search and rescue operation was carried out with the full support and partnership of the two local governments’ sole administrators.

“At the moment, 17 out of 27 were brought to the Police Command Headquarters while the 10 other victims are in the hospital receiving medical attention following the trauma they passed through while in captivity,” he added.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The police operatives in Bauchi State killed two suspected bandits during an exchange of gunfire and also recovered machine guns and N8.4m ransom generated from victims in the state.

A 20-year-old bandit was also arrested by police in the incident that took place on Tuesday at Maina-Maji village, Alkaleri Local Government Area of the state.

CP Umar Mamman Sanda, the Bauchi State Commissioner of Police, made this disclosure to journalists while parading the suspect on Tuesday.

He added, “Security concerns in our society have assumed alarming dimensions ranging from gender-based violence, thuggery, armed robbery, kidnapping, and banditry, among others.

“This necessitates a review of our modus operandi to contain the current security challenges bedeviling our dear state.

“On 07/09/2022, a patrol team attached to Maina-Maji Divisional Police Headquarters, in collaboration with a vigilante group, acted on credible intelligence and raided a suspected kidnappers’ den.

“On arrival, the kidnappers opened fire on the Police operatives. While returning fire, two of the kidnappers were neutralized at the spot.”

Dear sir, dear all,

That security of this country is in a coma is no news. That Ogbomoso, the land of the valiant in Oyo State, is under the siege of abductors is also an incontestable fact.

 In the dead of night on Monday, September 19, 2022, along the express, in Gbede, Surulere local government area, a man identified as Alhaji Yisa Agric was reportedly abducted from his house brazenly. This is shocking. 

Several heinous abductions of innocent inhabitants of Ogbomoso were recorded weeks earlier. One of the attacks, which led to the death of a student of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo state and some people, exacerbated the ire of the people the most. 

Consequently, a rally which was graced with an avalanche of people was launched to engage in the public debate on the issue. After the demonstration, no reported kidnapping case was heard, at least in August. This was jubilated, not knowing their ram moved backwards in anger to garner more power.

The attention of the Oyo State government under the leadership of a good governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde is herein called to this menace of insecurity in Ogbomoso, which is bedevilling his good administration, for hasty panacea be preferred before it goes haywire. 

Also, the philanthropists are beseeched to financially sponsor the unconventional security personnel to launch a manhunt to arrest the unscrupulous perpetrators of the dastardly acts. The earlier, the better.

Olayode Inaolaji wrote from Ogbomoso, Oyo State, via inaolajiolayode@yahoo.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Uknown shooters descended on the Butura Community of Plateau State and killed two village heads and two other residents.

Batura is a community in Kulias village in the Bokko Local Government Area of the state.

It was gathered that the tragic incident happened around 9:00 pm on Sunday.

The victims were Mataru Mahwash, 67 (village head), Mallan Amalam, 50 (village head), Ishaya Fompun, 50 and Daniel Ishaya, 22.

One of the residents, Josiah, who reported to have lost his brother, told journalists that the attackers were in dozens.

“Dozens of armed men stormed our community at about 9:00 pm, last night. As a result, four persons including my elder brother, Mr. Mataru Mahwash were killed.

“Upon hearing the heavy gunfire by the attackers, everyone including myself scampered for safety in the nearby bushes until the shootings were over. On our return, I found my elder brother and three others in a pool of blood.

“Our people are in serious state of mourning. They are uncertain of what would befall them next,” he said.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Plateau State Command, Alabo Alfred, confirmed the attack to journalists in the state.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, said he would meet with the state governors to agree on the mass release of inmates in the country’s custodial centres.

The Minister said the meeting would lead to the mass release of about 30 per cent of inmates from custodial centres across the country.

Aregbesola made this known when he appeared on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.

The Daily Reality reckons that the reason of the mass release is unconnected with the conjection in most of the country’s costodial centers.

However, the minister said the interface was necessary as more than 90 percent of the inmates were being held for contravening state laws.

He said, “I have written to the Nigerian Governors Forum to allow me to come and address them on how they can support the process of decongestion.

“Because the governors must buy into this system for us to do a massive decongestion, especially of Awaiting Trial Inmates.

“If we get the buy-in of state judicial authorities and the government of the states, we can pull out 30 percent of those who are there,” he said.

By Uzair Adam claim

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) accused the Federal Government of masterminding insecurity in the southeastern part of the country.

A statement by the group’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, disclosed this on Saturday.

The statement said the federal government aimed to cause fear and accuse the group members of such plans.

It added that the group has no intention to disrupt the election in Igbo-land come 2023 general elections.

It also disclosed that the circulating claim that the group planned to disrupt the 2023 general election was false.

However, in a recent video that went viral on social media, Mr. Simon Ekpa, said the group would not let any election to hold in Biafraland.

He said in the video, “The IPOB leadership has for umpteenth time stated unequivocally that part of our modus operandi in our agitation for freedom has never been, is not and will not be violent agitation.

“This explains our consistent demand for the United Nations (UN) to organize a referendum in the Biafran territory for the Biafran people to determine their destiny. To this effect, IPOB is neither contemplating nor will it encourage or sponsor anyone or group to disrupt the Nigeria shambolic selection process called election.

“IPOB has constantly made it public that we have no interest in and cannot legitimize the aberration they call election in Nigeria.

“We are a focused, determined and disciplined freedom fighting movement not political thugs and IPOB is devoted to the cause of liberating our people from subjugation and from modern day slavery and neo-colonialism and will not allow ourselves to be distracted from this very objective,” he stated.

By Aliyu Nuhu

While congratulating the families of train victims for the safe return of their relatives, something very sad came to mind about the whole tragedy.

1- The ultimate winners are the terrorists. They achieved all their objectives without retribution. They have all their inmates released, collected hefty amounts of money in billions of Naira and foreign currencies and went away without losing a soul. Meanwhile they inflicted damages on Nigeria. They killed passengers, destroyed a train and stopped it from operation for seven months and instilled fear in the minds of Nigerians.

2- The biggest tragedy is that all the captives were released through payment of ransoms which impoverished family economies, some might never recover. The last victims were released by military committee which means more money were paid and the military might have also cornered part of the ransom money. In the whole saga there was no shooting, no arrest, not even declaring some people wanted. What kind of country do we have for God’s sake? Time will tell the kind of arrangement reached for the release of the victims.

3- We just have a paper military. What is there in a military that cannot use force on terrorists. There is nothing impressive about military that abandoned its trade and go to terrorists and pay ransoms. It is really a shame on NIGERIAN government.

4- As long as people benefit from train attacks and kidnapping there will be no end to this kind of tragedy. The terrorists have made a good, safe and profitable venture and have probably gone to plan another attack. Security agencies that benefit from it will be too willing to be part of the next attack. The Mamus that made billions from ransom negotiation will be waiting to make ransom harvest. A kidnapping Industry has been created by government’s inability to deal ruthlessly with criminals.