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14 killed as rival Ecuadoran inmates fight with guns, explosives

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Inmates in Ecuador fought each other with guns and explosives in a riot that left 13 prisoners and a guard dead, police said.

The mayhem was the latest in a series of bloodbaths to engulf gang-ridden, overcrowded prisons in a once-peaceful country now at ground zero of the violent Latin American drug trade.

An unknown number of inmates escaped in the clash between rival gangs, during which another 14 people were injured, a masked police officer identified as commander Colonel William Calle told the Ecuavisa channel.

Thirteen inmates have been recaptured.

Calle said gunfire broke out in the early morning hours, alerting prison guards and police who rushed to that part of the prison in Machala, in southwest Ecuador near the Peruvian border.

One guide was killed as he entered, and others were taken hostage, said the officer.

Calle said the confrontation lasted about 40 minutes, during which inmates “fired guns, threw bombs, and grenades.”

The dead inmates belonged to the rival Los Choneros and Los Lobos gangs, two of the biggest drug trafficking groups in Ecuador.

Police said the violence was the result of “fighting between gangs” in a facility housing double the number of inmates it was designed for.

Organized crime has transformed Ecuador, a country of about 17 million, into one of the most violent nations in the world.

Calle said “control has already been regained” over the prison.

He did not specify the fate of the hostages or how many inmates were on the run.

– ‘Internal armed conflict’ –

Nestled between the globe’s top two cocaine exporters — Colombia and Peru — Ecuador has seen violence spiral in recent years as rival gangs with ties to Mexican and Colombian cartels vie for control.

More than 70 percent of all cocaine produced in the world now passes through Ecuador’s ports, according to government data.

Gang wars have largely played out inside the country’s prisons, where some 500 inmates have been killed since February 2021, often in gruesome fashion — their bodies dismembered and burnt.

Ecuador’s biggest prison massacre happened in 2021, when over 100 inmates died in clashes in the port of Guayaquil in the southwest.

Prisoners went live on social media to broadcast the violence, showing decapitated and charred bodies.

Last year, gang members took scores of prison guards hostage after the jailbreak of narco boss, Jose Adolfo Macias, aka “Fito,” while allies on the outside detonated bombs and held a television presenter at gunpoint live on air.

President Daniel Noboa declared a “state of internal armed conflict and Fito — the boss of Los Choneros — was recaptured in June.

He had been serving a 34-year sentence since 2011 for involvement in organized crime, drug trafficking, and murder, but continued pulling the strings of the criminal underworld from behind bars.

Videos emerged of Fito holding wild parties, some with fireworks, illustrating the lawlessness of Ecuador’s prisons.

Los Choneros has ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, Colombia’s Gulf Clan — the world’s largest cocaine exporter — and Balkan mafias, according to the Ecuadorian Organized Crime Observatory.

AFP

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Crime

Ebonyi Gov. Sacks Political Appointees, Dethrones Traditional Rulers Over Deadly Communal Clash

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Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru has taken decisive action against leaders of Amasiri Community in Afikpo Local Government Area following a brutal attack on neighboring Okporojo Community in Oso Edda, Edda Local Government Area.

The governor announced the immediate suspension and sacking of all political appointees from Amasiri including commissioners, management committee members, and other officials serving in his administration as well as the withdrawal of certificates of recognition from traditional rulers, the dissolution of the Amasiri Town Development Union and its executives, and the removal of all village heads.

The measures were declared during Nwifuru’s visit to the devastated Okporojo Community on Sunday, where he was accompanied by security chiefs. He described the violence as “barbaric” and “pushed me to the wall,” vowing that perpetrators would be arrested and prosecuted.

The attack, which occurred on Thursday, January 29, 2026, left at least four people dead, including several who were beheaded, with reports of an elderly woman among the victims and others missing or abducted.

Several houses were set ablaze, displacing families and leaving the community in mourning. Survivors, including one woman who was shot at twice but escaped, recounted the horror of the assault.

Authorities have linked the killings to a long-standing land dispute between the two neighboring communities, a conflict that has simmered for decades and periodically erupted into violence, claiming lives and destroying property.

During his visit, grieving families wept openly, pleading for justice and an end to the cycle of bloodshed.

Residents of Okporojo called on the state government to enforce lasting peace and prevent further attacks.Governor Nwifuru assured the affected community of full support and directed security agencies to conduct thorough investigations to bring those responsible to book.

The incident has heightened tensions in the area, with calls from locals for stronger intervention to resolve the underlying boundary and land issues once and for all.

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Crime

Nigerian Military Confirms Coup Plot Allegations: 16 Officers to Face Court-Martial

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The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has announced that investigations into the conduct of 16 military officers arrested in October 2025 have been completed, with some found to have allegedly plotted to overthrow the government.

In a press release issued today, the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) stated that the officers were initially detained over acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations.

Following a thorough investigation conducted in line with established military procedures, the probe uncovered evidence linking a number of the officers to a plot against the government—an action deemed inconsistent with the ethics, values, and professional standards expected of AFN personnel.

“The findings have identified a number of the officers with allegations of plotting to overthrow the government,” the statement read. The comprehensive report has now been forwarded to the appropriate superior authority for further action.

Those implicated and found to have cases to answer will be formally arraigned before a special military judicial panel, where they will face trial in accordance with the Armed Forces Act and other relevant service regulations.

The DHQ emphasized that this process upholds accountability while maintaining the integrity of military discipline.

The arrests were first announced by the Defence Headquarters in October 2025, initially described in neutral terms as related to indiscipline. Today’s update marks the first official confirmation from the military that the matter involved an alleged coup attempt against President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The AFN reiterated its commitment to professionalism and adherence to constitutional order, assuring the public that the judicial proceedings will be conducted transparently and in full compliance with military law.

No further details on the identities of the officers or specific timelines for the trials were provided in the statement.

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Crime

DSS Arrests Suspected Sea Pirates, Foils Planned Hijack of Crude Oil Vessel

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The Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested several suspected sea pirates in a swift operation that successfully thwarted a planned hijack of a crude oil vessel off the Nigerian coast.

According to security sources, the suspects were apprehended following credible intelligence that indicated an imminent attack on the vessel transporting crude oil.

The operation, carried out by DSS operatives in collaboration with other security agencies, prevented what could have been a major maritime incident in Nigeria’s territorial waters.

The arrested individuals are currently in custody and undergoing interrogation to uncover possible accomplices, sponsors, and details of the foiled plot. Authorities have not yet released the exact number of suspects or their identities, citing ongoing investigations.

This latest crackdown highlights the persistent threat of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, where armed groups target oil vessels for ransom, theft of cargo, or both.

The DSS emphasized its commitment to safeguarding Nigeria’s maritime economy and critical energy infrastructure.

No injuries or damage to the vessel were reported, and normal operations have resumed.

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