Monday, September 5, 2011

Family of 8 butchered in Jos violence

The circle of violence in Plateau State continued yesterday as another family of eight was wiped out by assailants at a village in Heipang District of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area. Among those killed was a four-month-old baby.


The attackers who were said to have been heavily armed struck at the residence of Mr. Chollom Nangup Gyang at Tatu village around midnight while they were deep asleep, killing him, his wife and six children.


A similar attack on another family in Heipang sometime back also left a man and six members of his family dead.


The attack in Heipang came just as a bomb was discovered at the centre of a market in Riyom and was detonated by the police anti-bomb unit before it exploded.


An account said the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was planted at the market by unknown persons and was discovered by an elderly man who found a container with a clock in it and got curious.


The police were later called in following which it was discovered to be a bomb and was successfully detonated before it could cause any damage.


Chairman of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, Mr. Emmanuel Loman who visited the residence of the attacked family yesterday pointed accusing fingers at Fulanis from a neighbuoring village.


“We are suspecting the Fulanis in this attack because this is their route and apart from that, the Fulanis that live in nearby Mahanger village are heavily armed and I have been crying out to government to go to the village in search for arms but the government is not acting on my request. You can see that the guns used to attack the residents in this place are sophisticated weapons. Government should do something fast before the next attack on another family; government should go in there and recover all arms stocked there”, he said.


He described the wiping out of another family shortly after a similar attack some weeks back as worrisome, adding, “this kind of attack aimed at an entire family is the second in less than a month in my local government. What is going on is beyond words; it is barbaric and inhuman for someone or group of people to embark on a killing spree of this magnitude”.


The state Commissioner for Information, Mr, Yiljap Abraham who also visited the scene of the attack expressed the regret of the state government over the incident and called on the people to be more vigilant to avoid a recurrence.


He told newsmen that government was sad that violence had continued in spite of efforts to restore peace. No matter the number of military and police personnel, they are not enough to protect everyone. So government is calling on community and religious leaders and politicians to enlighten their people to help themselves.


“Arrangements should be made to protect the people; let people take measures to safeguard lives and property in every community,” he said.


Yiljap, however, tasked the various communities and ethnic groups to adopt dialogue, saying that dialogue still remained the best solution to the lingering crisis.


Capt. Charles Ekeocha, the Spokesman of the military Special Task Force (STF) maintaining security in Plateau, in his reaction to the attacks, said that the STF had no business with the area. He explained that the STF withdrew its men after the communities in the area said they did not want them.


He said: “The security of that area is not the concern of the STF; they have said that we are responsible for the attacks. In fact, officials from the army headquarters came and investigated the claims of the communities and we are still awaiting the outcome of their findings.


“They have always accused our men of the attacks, so I do not know who could have attacked them now that our men have been withdrawn.”


Reminded that the STF was in charge of security in the entire Plateau, Ekeocha agreed, but quickly added that soldiers were not in charge of that specific area since they had been accused of masterminding the attacks over time.


“There was even a time they claimed to have picked military ID cards at the scene of such attacks. So we are out of their area. I suggest you contact the police or the Plateau-owned security outfit, Operation Rainbow,” he said.


Meanwhile, church services held peacefully but amidst heavy security in most churches in the state capital following reports of a planned attack on churches which made many adherents to shun service.


Text messages of a plan to make the day a bloody Sunday and alleged importation of mercenaries to carry out the attack were sent out to people until late Saturday with an advice to spread the warning, a situation which instilled fear in many residents.


However, a nine-member security committee has been set up by the Jamaatu Nasir Islam and the Council of Ulama to educate residents of Jos metropolis on the importance of peaceful co-existence.


Chairman of the committee, Abdulmalik Aminu told journalists that it has swung into action and has visited various security agencies to brief them of its mission.


He said the committee was also educating the youths against attacking security personnel in the course of their duty as happened recently and to see the attainment of peace as a collective responsibility.


Vanguard


Related stories: Secret Killings - Jos Residents Devise Survival Strategies


More killed in Jos intercommunal violence




Foreign airlines may suspend Abuja flights over insecurity


Foreign airlines coming into Nigeria through the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja are currently taking a holistic review of security in Nigeria’s capital with a view to halting flights to the area if security does not improve there.


The airlines, particularly those from Europe are worried over the spate of bombing that has shattered the peace of the hitherto serene Abuja, following the terror attack on United Nations (UN) buildings, that killed over 25 persons and injured many others recently.


The Guardian learnt that immediately after the incident occurred, the airlines considered relocating their Abuja operations to Lagos or even suspending flights in the interim until security was guaranteed in the nation’s capital.


The airlines equally expressed worry over the safety of their crews in Abuja hotels and tinkered with the idea of doing a quick turnaround back to Europe.


An official of one of the airlines who spoke with The Guardian on condition of anonymity,


explained that assurances from President Goodluck Jonathan and the Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) “made us to understand that the situation won’t deteriorate.”


Meanwhile, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has again warned that all persons without genuine and legal mission to the nation’s 22 airports will henceforth be arrested and prosecuted.


Also, cameras are to be installed along the less than two-kilometre access road linking the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport to Ikeja, according to Managing Director, FAAN, Richard Aisuebeogun.


Meanwhile, stakeholders have raised concern over incursion of animals unto sensitive areas of Kaduna airport.


The situation further highlights the porosity of the nation’s airports, with many of them lacking perimeter fence and other safety devises to check runway incursion.


Raising the alarm over poor security arrangement at the airport, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), the umbrella body for the airlines, said reports received from pilots and ground staff at the airports were worrying and called for urgent steps to avert danger.


Speaking to reporters yesterday, Assistant Secretary General, AON, Mohammed Tukur, expressed concern over the intrusion of animals and unauthorised persons into sensitive areas of the airport, stressing that this signals danger for safety and security at the airports.


Tukur called on the Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah-Ogiewonyi to step in and ensure that perimeter fences were erected to ward off animals to avert air disaster, noting that, ”the situation at Kaduna Airport is a disaster in waiting if the authorities refuse to rise up to check the menace.”


Guardian


Related stories: Bomb explosion at UN office in Abuja leaves several dead


Boko Haram Declare Total Jihad in Nigeria





Two Boko Haram suspects held for UN bombing

Two men described by security agents as "notorious leaders of the Boko Haram extremist sect" are being held in connection with last Friday's bombing of the United Nations House in Abuja, the Department of State Services [better known as the State Security Service, SSS] announced in Abuja yesterday.


It said Babagana Ismail Kwaljima, alias Abu Sumayya and Babagana Mali alias Bulama are being held in a military detention facility. The service also declared a third Boko Haram suspect, Mamman Nur wanted in connection with the UN building attack.


It described Mamman Nur as "a notorious Boko Haram element with al-Qaeda links who returned recently from Somalia." It also identified him as the main mastermind of last Friday's blast.


The DSS statement signed by its Assistant Director, Public Relations Marilyn Ogar said, "Owing to various speculations and misrepresentations in the media arising from the bomb attack on the United Nations (UN) building on 26th August, 2011 in Abuja. The Department of State Services (DSS) on behalf of other security agencies wishes to state as follows:


On 18th August, 2011, precise intelligence was obtained by this Service that some Boko Haram elements were on a mission to attack unspecified targets in Abuja in an ash-coloured Toyota Camry vehicle with registration number AA539GBL.



Babagana MALI (a.k.a Bulama). Following their arrests, security was further beefed up in Abuja and its environs. Meanwhile the suspects have made valuable statements and are being held at a military facility.


Investigation has revealed that one Mamman NUR, a notorious Boko Haram element with Al-Qaeda links who returned recently from Somalia, working in concert with the two (2) suspects masterminded the attack on the United Nations (UN) building in Abuja.


Further investigation has also revealed that the car used for the attack was a Honda car with Kano State registration number AV38NSR. It was purchased on 3rd September, 2002 and registered on 3rd December, 2002. The vehicle identification number is 1HGCBA7400A100748, Engine number, F22A72000540.


The security services wish to reiterate their commitments to ensuring that we have a safe, peaceful and secure environment. We want to reassure Nigerians that we have no other country and we must all strive to maintain its unity which is currently being threatened.


We implore all Nigerians to be more security conscious and vigilant, while urging the general public to cooperate with security agencies by providing useful information that could lead to the arrest of Mamman NUR who is hereby declared WANTED. Any person with useful information which could lead to the arrest of the suspect and other accomplices should report to the nearest Police station, military formations or any other security agency."


Police Inspector General Hafiz Ringim hinted while addressing members of the diplomatic community last Tuesday that a breakthrough had been made in the case, although he did not give details. He said President Jonathan would make a broadcast to the nation on developments in the bombing saga, but no such broadcast was made.


On Friday last week, a suspected suicide bomber rammed through two security gates at the UN Building in Abuja, hit the main building and then set off a blast which killed 23 people and injured more than 70 others. The Boko Haram sect, which had claimed responsibility for a similar attack on Police Headquarters last June, also claimed responsibility for the latest bomb attack.


Daily Trust


Related stories: Bomb explosion at UN office in Abuja leaves several dead


Video - Suicide blast kills 18 at UN in Nigeria




Friday, September 2, 2011

400 Nigerian citizens languish in Chinese prisons

Nigeria's Ambassador to China Aminu Wali says 400 Nigerians are languishing in Chinese jails and that one of them was executed by lethal injection last month.


Wali told a group of Nigerian journalists in Beijing yesterday that most of the convicts were tried for hard drug related offences.


He added that another Nigerian had recently had his death sentence suspended and could finally have it commuted to life imprisonment due to the intervention of the embassy.


"Something is wrong with our value system", he said, adding that he was arranging a stakeholders' meeting with leaders from a geo-political zone in Nigeria where most of the convicts came from.


He lamented that the embassy usually got to know about this group of Nigerians only after they had been arrested.


"As we speak, one of my consular officers is on a prison visit to meet convicted Nigerians or suspects still undergoing trial.


"This embassy was earlier today informed of another arrest and before the end of the day, up to five such letters may be received here," Wali said.


The ambassador said he was visiting Nigerian convicts in Chinese prisons personally on quarterly basis and ensuring that they were fairly comfortable by donating money for their needs.


Daily Trust


Related stories: Nigerian executed in China


Nigerians in China




Thursday, September 1, 2011

Video - Nigerians mistaken by Libyan rebels to be mercenaries for Pro-Ghadafi forces



An ATN crew follows a group of terrified Nigerian men pleading their innocence in front of anti-Ghadafi forces.


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Nigeria votes for No-Fly zone in Libya


499 Nigerians evacuated from Libya


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