Crime
BREAKING: Ebonyi Residents Flee Community As Death Toll From Herdsmen Attack Rises To 16

Residents of Amegu Nkalaha Community in the Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State are fleeing their houses in droves as the death toll in Sunday’s armed herdsmen invasion rose to 16.
On Monday, hundreds of residents were seen on the road, leaving the community with some of their belongings, including cooking pots and mattresses to nearby communities.
On getting to the community, the surviving residents were seen in clusters mourning their losses.
Houses and properties that were burned and destroyed by the invading assailants who took advantage of Sunday morning, when majority of the people had gone to churches.
Three corpses that were recovered on Monday morning were seen either being prepared for burial by family members.
According to reports, seven Yam bans that were burned; 25 houses were completely razed; five houses which didn’t burn down, had their windows and doors badly damaged.
Some of the corpses being buried during the visit had their throats slit while some had several gunshots.
Some residents who spoke in Igbo lamented the complicity of the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian police in the gruesome attack.
They accused the Nigerian military of aiding the Fulani herdsmen attacks, adding that the military and police came on Saturday telling them that nobody should leave the community only for attackers to strike, killing 16 persons and wreaking havoc and for several hours.
After the carnage, they said Nigerian Army troops and some policemen were sent to the community to condole with the residents.
“Worse still, when they came the soldiers seized the phones of our people who were making videos and threatened that if they see the videos of the carnage and pictures of the destruction they will come back and destroy them,” said one Edeze, whose phone was seized.
According to him, “After they carried 10 corpses which our people recovered including a retired policeman namely Mr James Ogbu, from different locations they were slaughtered, the soldiers returned and handed back the phones seized from the people.
“Even the deputy governor of Ebonyi, Mrs Patricia Obila, was the one telling the police that they should go for mass arrest in our community, accusing our people of killing cows belonging to the Fulani herdsmen.
Till now, she hasn’t visited the community.”Edeze regretted that the government only raised its voice when a community is accused of killing cows but will remain silent when “our farms and crops are destroyed by the same cows.”
“If a cow is reportedly killed in a community, is it not the duty of the security agencies to investigate it and fish out the killer? Why would the entire community collectively be punished? After the police extortion for bail and payment for the cow, they will send Fulani militias to invade and slaughter the people who probably knew nothing and the attackers would raze the community.”
He gave the names of those killed as “Simon Ogbuabor, Nnaji Nwa Omebe, James Ogbu retired police officer, Alloy Nnaji aka Eze Nwata, Amos Ogbu, Alfred Igwurube, an Assistant Pastor of Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Revival Ministry and his principal Pastor Ibam.”
Others are “Idenyi Ebe, Okechukwu Ogbuzuru, Eze Obeagu, Omebe Ogbu, Samuel Nnaji Ede, Obeagu Ogenyi, Nnaji Ebe still missing and Nnaji Okwor still missing.
Joseph Ebe from another village Umulesha was also killed.
“Mrs Ogbu clementina lamented why security agencies didn’t come until after the assailants had gone.
She said: “On Sunday being yesterday we were preparing to go to church, suddenly, we started hearing gunshots.
Then some had already gone to churches for Sunday service, while some had also gone to their farms. The gunshots were coming from all the directions. We were in a state of confusion and some of us entered the bushes and hide.
Shortly, we started seeing rising thick smokes in the sky. Our houses, food bans and our wears were completely burned.
“We slept in the bushes and now we have no house, no food, in short nothing left to live on. I am family haven’t eaten anything since yesterday.
We need help from anywhere.
“Elder Simon Idenyi, who also spoke during the visit accused the military and police of aiding the atrocities of the herdsmen in the community and other parts they have attacked.
He narrated, “What happened is that on February 1st, officials of the state government with the military and police authorities came to us that they want to make peace with us and Fulani Herdsmen.
After discussions with the elders of the community including women, they told us that the problem we had with the Fulani herdsmen had been resolved.
They encouraged us not to leave our houses that the government and security agencies are here to protect us.
They assured us that nothing would happen to us.
“Regrettably, at about 9:30am strange faces we came to understand were Fulani herdsmen wielding AK-47 rifles and machetes surrounded the community and started killing anyone on sight and burning houses randomly.
There was no security agents in sight while the carnage lasted. The attack started around 9:30 am and they left the community around 3:30 pm and no single security agent came until around 5pm.
“The assailants entered every nook and cranny of the community and even church. They killed two inside the church.
They burned our houses, at least 25 houses despite the military and state government assured us of protection and support, that we shouldn’t leave our community.
“Hours after the carnage the soldiers came and told us sorry for the loss and later left.
They took 10 corpses we have recovered to the morgue and still looking for more five people in bushes,” he narrated.
Meanwhile on Monday the Nigeria Police Force confirmed that the security operatives had recovered 10 bodies of people killed in the community.
The Command’s spokesperson, Joshua Ukandu, who confirmed the attack in a statement on Sunday, stated that the police were currently investigating the incident, adding that normalcy had returned to the area.
“Several houses were also burnt selectively in the area, and other properties destroyed. Upon receipt of the information, we drafted police operatives to the area.
“We are currently investigating the incident while normalcy has returned to the area,” the PPRO stated.
“We also recovered 10 corpses from the area. At the moment, our personnel are there, and normalcy is returning to the area,” Ukandu had added.
Crime
Lynched Edo travellers: Governors move against reprisals as 16 slain hunters buried

Tears flowed on Saturday in Uromi, Edo State, as the remains of the hunters who were lynched by a mob were interred.
Members of the Hausa community converged on the community cemetery to pay their last respects to the victims, who were burnt to death on Friday after being accused of being kidnappers.
It was earlier reported that the men were travelling in a Dangote Cement truck when they were intercepted around 1.30pm by local security guards.
After the guards searched the truck and found dane guns, they raised the alarm, which triggered the mob attack.
‘19 hunters buried’
A video of the funeral rites posted on X by a security analyst, Zagazola Makama, showed the moment the victims were buried.
The 1 minute 29 seconds clip captured members of the Hausa community in a solemn mood as the wrapped corpses were placed beside large graves.
The man filming the burial, who spoke in Hausa, said, “Assalamualaikum, this time we will pray for the bodies of our brothers who were killed for us—those who were massacred. May God bless them with mercy, forgive them, and accept their martyrdom for the sake of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
“Here is the Muslim community; they have gathered now and will be offering funeral prayers for our brothers who were killed. Now, we will offer the prayer for them.
”An imam subsequently began praying on the bodies, marking the commencement of the rites.
The man behind the filming said the death toll had increased to 19.
“Remember yesterday (Friday): the bodies of three people were brought to us, and we were able to pray for them. But now, 16 more corpses have also been brought, and we will pray for them. May God Almighty forgive them.
“Look at their graves here. Because there are so many of them, it is not possible to dig individual graves for each one. Instead, they will be buried together in one place,” he stated.
The security analyst, Makama, said a mother clutched to the grave’s edge as she lamented the killing of her son.
“My son was not a kidnapper! He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!” she sobbed.
He also said a father held to the photograph of his slain son.
The Ojuromi of Uromi, Anselm Aidenojie II, who visited the Hausa community alongside Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, during the burial, condemned the killings, noting that security agencies were taking measures to avert reprisals.
Aidenojie stressed that those responsible for the killings would be brought to justice.
“They (the victims) have been buried, and hopefully, this will never happen again in our community or anywhere else,” he added.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Moses Yamu, in a statement, had said 14 suspects were arrested in connection with the incident.
Northern governors move to stop reprisals
Meanwhile, it was gathered that northern governors had started making moves to strengthen peace and forstall reprisals in the region.
The Director-General (Press Affairs) to the NGF Chairman and Governor of Gombe State, Ismaila Misili, said, “Let me unequivocally state that there is no tension in the North over the unfortunate incident in Edo State.
“Recall that northern governors, through their Chairman and Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, had already issued a statement calling for calm and restraint.
“Individual governors in the North have also proactively engaged with relevant stakeholders to ensure peace, especially ahead of the Eid el-Fitr celebrations.
“Religious leaders also continue to promote peaceful coexistence and discourage any actions that might disrupt the harmony we have worked diligently to establish.
”Also, the Nasarawa State Government, while condemning the killings, called on security agencies to prosecute the perpetrators.
The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Abdullahi Sule on Public Affairs, Peter Ahemba, said security agencies had been placed on red alert to safeguard all 13 LGAs in the state.
He urged residents to remain calm and law-abiding, warning that anyone found disturbing the peace would be arrested.
“Governor Abdullahi Sule has said that no matter what, we must maintain peace in Nasarawa State. We have no room for such dastardly acts as seen in Edo.
“Security agencies have been placed on red alert to ensure that nothing untoward happens anywhere in the state regarding any reprisal attacks,” he said.
But the Borno State Government said it was still assessing the situation.
Speaking with newsmen, the Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, said the state had yet to receive any directive from the Northern Governors’ Forum.
Meanwhile, the Borno State Police Command said it had stepped up security patrols for the Sallah celebration.
The command’s spokesperson, ASP Nahum Daso, said strategic police deployments had been made to maintain order.
“What we currently have on the ground is Sallah preparation. We have deployed personnel in strategic positions. We are also conducting a show of force, which involves patrolling to ensure visibility.
This will help prevent any incidents that could lead to unrest, particularly those with religious undertones,” Daso said.
Politician places bounty on suspects
On social media, there was palpable anger among the Arewa on Saturday as some individuals also took to X, sharing images of some of the suspected attackers and placing N1m bounty on them.
A Social Democratic Party member based in Abuja, Ibrahim Sanusi, was among those spearheading the movement.
While posting on his verified X handle, he wrote, “N1million reward for anyone who can identify these criminals and provide information leading to their arrest. If you have any information, please come forward. #JusticeForUromi16.”
As of the time of filing this report, over 1,500 tweeps had retweeted the post, while it had gathered 3,600 likes and 124 quotes.
However, the Coalition of Northern Groups and the Arewa Youths Consultative Forum condemned the resort to self-help, warning that it could escalate tension across the country.
The CNG National Coordinator, Jamilu Charanchi, acknowledged that while the killing of innocent hunters was reprehensible, law enforcement agencies must be allowed to handle the matter.
“All we demand is for the police to expedite investigations so that the real perpetrators can be identified and brought to justice. This will help reduce tensions in the North,” he stated.
Charanchi further argued that no individual or group had the right to place a bounty on anyone, stressing that the law must take its course.
Similarly, the AYCF President, Yerima Shettima, cautioned against any form of retaliation, stressing that justice must be pursued within the framework of the law.
Northerners petition Tinubu, IGP, othersMeanwhile, Sanusi and over 100 others have launched a petition on Change.org, addressed to President Bola Tinubu and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and Edo State Governor, Okpebholo.
As of 7pm on Saturday, no fewer than 273 people had signed the petition, demanding justice for the victims.
Crime
UK to ban selling weapons to children
The ninja sword ban is the final part of the so-called Ronan’s law, a raft of anti-knife crime measures introduced in parliament last month as part of the government’s crime and policing bill.

∆ UK PM Keir Starmer
The UK Home Office said on Thursday that from August 1, anyone caught in possession of a ninja sword in private could face six months in prison.
The forthcoming ban is intended to curb what the British government has called a “national” knife crime “crisis”.
The Home Office said most ninja swords had a blade of between 14 and 24 inches (36 and 61 centimetres), with one straight cutting edge and a tanto style — or sharply-angled — tip.
The Home Office said that there is already a penalty of up to four years in prison for carrying any weapon in public.
The ninja sword ban is the final part of the so-called Ronan’s law, a raft of anti-knife crime measures introduced in parliament last month as part of the government’s crime and policing bill.
The measures include making retailers report bulk or suspicious sales to police and a rise in jail terms to two years for selling weapons to children.
The law is named after teenager Ronan Kanda, who was murdered with a ninja sword in 2022 by two other teenagers in a case of mistaken identity.
Crime
JUST IN: Kogi jailbreak: 3 fleeing inmates nabbed as Correctional Service confirms killing of officer

Three of the 12 inmates who escaped during a jail break at Koton Karfe correctional centre in Kogi State have been rearrested.
The Acting Controller General, Nigeria Correctional Service, Sly Nwakuche disclosed this during a press briefing on Monday at the Koton Karfe correctional centre.
He regretted that one of the officers of the correctional service was killed by the escaped prison inmates.
Nwakuche vowed that the remaining escapee will be apprehended.
He called on the general public to provide security agencies with all the needed information that will lead to the arrest of all the prison inmates who escaped from custody.
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