Crime

“Spike in IPOB Attacks in Enugu Shows Mbah Isn’t Ready for Leadership”, CSO Declares

Published

3 years ago

June 28, 2023

385 Views

The current spike in attacks by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in Enugu since the state governor, Peter Mbah, announced an end to the Sit-at-home order in the state three weeks ago has been attributed to the lack of preparedness for leadership by the new helmsman.

According to a civil society organisation based in Enugu, the Oriental Lawyers for Justice (OLJ), the worsened security problem has seen at least eight kidnappings in the capital in the last two weeks plus the attack on the New Haven station of the Pinnacle Oil and Gas Company owned by the governor in the early hours of Wednesday last week “show that, contrary to the assertions of those who packaged him for the recent election which he nevertheless lost, Mbah is just another politician and wheeler-dealer rather than a clear-headed leader with a focus on how to get our dear state cracking in the right direction”.

Commercial drivers protested in their hundreds on Tuesday (yesterday) against the new spate of kidnappings on the Enugu–Nsukka Road, as three kidnaps were recorded on Thursday, last week, alone.

If he had prepared himself for high office, the OLJ said in a statement signed by JohnBosco Aninwede, its president, and Mrs Ifeoma Ejike, the secretary, he would have learned from the experience of Governor Chukwuma Soludo of neighbouring Anambra State who in his inaugural speech in March, 2022, announced a war against so-called freedom fighters in the bush, only to face an unprecedented rise in attacks by IPOB members throughout the state, especially in his Isuofia hometown and Aguata Local Government Area whose headquarters was bombed.

“There is no doubt that IPOB has been responsible for the attack on Mbah’s private petroleum firm, as the perpetrators came in a large number of tricycles and armed with rifles, charms, and the notorious red headband worn by the Eastern Security Network (ESN), IPOB’s military wing”, declared the OLJ.

“And everyone knows that Pinnacle is targeted because of Mbah’s moves against IPOB”.

The nongovernmental organisation said that Simeon Ekpa, a top IPOB leader based in Finland, has openly mocked Mbah for lack of legitimately because he didn’t win the Enugu governorship election.

The lawyers argued that no serious leader would announce the cancellation of the stay-at-home order which is enforced with savagery throughout the Southeast every Monday without providing enough security forces on the ground and without constituting his cabinet because tackling profound insecurity is not a one-man show.

“By the time he announced an end to the order by the nonstate actors, the new governor had appointed only the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Chidiebere Onyia, and no other person into his administration”, noted the Oriental Lawyers for Justice.

“It was after he had begun to implement the order which failed spectacularly on the first Monday that it occurred to him to consult stakeholders in the state like traders, transporters, religious leaders, traditional rulers, students, town union officers, and the rest to brief them on his plans”.

They added that Mbah was marketed beyond his knowledge and skills by his handlers who “tried to mesmerise our people with his personal wealth and his manifesto promise to increase Enugu’s economy from $4bn to $30bn within four years, even though he has never supplied information on how he plans to achieve this feat”.

The lawyers observed that though they are against IPOB for its streak of violence and such illegal acts as the curfew it imposes on the Southeast weekly, “Mbah has gone about cutting down the secessionist group to size the wrong way because of his poor poor skills as a public leader.

“If he had genuinely won the March 18 gubernatorial election, he would have acted more rationally, and not in this knee-jerk manner meant to get accepted by the Enugu people who rejected him and his Peoples Democratic Party resoundingly in the 2023 general elections.”

Crime

Woman Jailed 20 Years for Transporting 302 AK-47 Rounds to Bandits

Published

1 day ago

May 15, 2026

Charles Flames

54 Views

A housewife, Halima Haliru Umar, has been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by the Federal High Court in Abuja for unlawful possession and transportation of 302 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition, linked to banditry activities.

Justice Hauwa Joseph Yilwa delivered the judgment on Friday after the convict pleaded guilty to two counts of the four-count charge brought against her by the Department of State Services (DSS).

Despite expressing remorse and pleading for leniency, Justice Yilwa stressed that banditry poses a grave threat to citizens’ lives and must be treated with utmost seriousness. The judge noted that the convict acted as a courier, providing material support for acts of terrorism by supplying ammunition to bandits in Plateau State.

According to court testimony, Halima Haliru Umar was arrested on July 6, 2025, by DSS operatives in possession of 302 rounds of live AK-47 ammunition and N57,100 cash while transporting the items to bandits in Plateau State. A DSS operative, Fahad Tahir, told the court that the convict made confessional statements admitting that one Alhaji Sani sent her to Zaria, Kaduna State, to procure the ammunition.

The prosecution, led by Callistus Samson Ezeh, tendered the ammunition, cash, and her statements as exhibits, all of which were admitted without objection. In open court, Halima was shown the items and again confessed to being arrested with them.

Charges

She was convicted on counts relating to:

Knowingly rendering support for terrorism by providing and transporting 302 rounds of AK-47 ammunition (Section 13(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022).
Failure to disclose information about suspected gun-runners and bandits.

The other two counts involved attempt to render support for terrorism and unlawful possession of firearms ammunition under the Firearms Act.

Halima Haliru Umar, from Unguwan Boka in Faskari LGA of Katsina State, was convicted for her role in facilitating the supply of ammunition used by criminal elements terrorising parts of Plateau State.

Crime

Cult-related Shooting in Makurdi Leaves 6 Dead

Published

5 days ago

May 12, 2026

Charles Flames

77 Views

……Suspects arrested as Police hunt gang Leader ‘ODINAKA’

Police in Benue State have confirmed six people dead and one hospitalized after armed men stormed a residence on Aliade Street, High Level, Makurdi, in the early hours of Monday.

The PPRO DSP Udeme Edet told Crime Reporters that at about 0230hrs, a landlord made a distress call reporting that the gunmen dragged several young men out of their rooms and opened fire before fleeing the scene.

Detectives who arrived at the scene said preliminary investigations point to a cult-related killing carried out by a gang allegedly led by one “Odinaka,” a suspect police describe as notorious for similar attacks in the area.

Eleven suspects have so far been arrested in connection with the incident, while security operatives continue a manhunt for Odinaka and other fleeing gang members.

One of the victims is currently receiving treatment at a medical facility. The police said a full press statement with further details will be released soon as investigations continue.

The attack is the latest in a string of cult violence plaguing parts of in Benue state raising fresh concerns over safety in residential neighborhoods.

Crime

JUST IN: Suspected Bandits Kill 10 in Zamfara Ambush

Published

5 days ago

May 11, 2026

Charles Flames

89 Views

At least 10 people were killed and several others injured when suspected bandits ambushed a convoy along the Gusau–Magami–Dansadau Road in Zamfara State on Monday.

An unspecified number of persons were also abducted during the attack.

Eyewitnesses said the incident occurred between 4pm and 5pm as vigilante operatives were escorting residents home in a convoy. The attackers suddenly opened fire on the vehicles.

Among those killed were five traders, three local hunters, and a member of the Zamfara Community Protection Guards (CPG).

The injured victims were rushed to Magami General Hospital for immediate treatment. They were scheduled to be referred to Gusau for further care, but as of the time of this report, they remained at the Magami facility due to the lack of a security escort.