Crime
Tension in schools as terrorists kidnap over 800 in one week, kill scores

Safety of schoolchildren is again under scrutiny as bandits carry out audacious attacks across the Northern part of the country.
From Wednesday, March 6 to Monday March 11, about 800 unsuspecting Nigerians, mostly schoolchildren, were kidnapped by daredevil terrorists in the northern part of the country.
According to Amnesty International, AI, Boko Haram terrorists abducted over 400 people, including women and children in Borno State on Tuesday last week.
The Islamic extremists abducted the victims who reportedly left the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camps in Gamboru Ngala council area to search for firewood.
The victims were mostly women and children sacked from their ancestral homes by the terrorists causing mayhem in the Northeast.
Barely 24 hours after the Borno attack, over 280 pupils and teachers of Government Secondary School and LEA primary school at Kuriga, Kaduna State were abducted by bandits on March 8, triggering national outrage.
The blood-thirsty bandits invaded the Kuriga area of the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State in the morning shooting at their victims before taking away at least 280 of the pupils and teachers.
A few days after the Kuriga incident, the assailants struck again in Buda community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, abducting over 61 people.
About four persons were reportedly killed during the unfortunate incident.
Recall that armed men broke into a boarding school in Gidan Bakuso village of the Gada council area in Sokoto State on March 9 and abducted about 15 children. The attackers invaded the school when the children were sleeping.
Killing in Benue State
The same week, over 50 persons, including a family of seven, were killed following the invasion of Gbagir community in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, by suspected armed Fulani militia.
Over 16 people were killed on March 8 during an attack on Wa-ndoo, a community in Mbalom, Gwer-East Local Government Area of Benue State.
The attackers, whom the state governor, Hyacinth Alia and residents claimed were armed herders, invaded the community at night while some of the residents were having supper. They opened fire on residents and whisked some away.
Tension in schools
Since the 2014 incident when more than 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped by the Islamic extremists in Borno State’s Chibok village, there has been a series of abductions of school children.
The armed gangs have targeted and attacked several schools for ransom.
The recent attacks, particularly the abduction of 280 students in Kaduna State have triggered tension in other school facilities across the nation, especially in the Northern region.
Parents in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja are worried over rumours of planned attacks in schools.
There are rumours that the terrorists are planning to launch attacks in some government-owned schools, particularly in Bwari, Bwari Area Council.
Some schools have adjusted their academic calendar to enable students to write their second-term examinations and proceed for Easter holidays.
One of the parents, Mrs Maria Adakwu, who spoke on Saturday, urged the Nigerian government and the security agencies to beef up security across schools in Abuja.
Maria is worried over the safety of her daughter schooling at the Federal Government College, FGC, Kwali in Sheda village, an outskirt of the nation’s capital.
Recall that the school community was attacked in February 2022, forcing the Federal Government to promptly order the immediate closure of the facility.
According to Mrs Maria, “the government and the security agencies need to be proactive in ensuring the safety of our children. We don’t need to wait until it happens before we take action.
“Most schools in the FCT have remained the same in terms of security despite what has been happening around us. The kidnapping in Kaduna State should be a warning and a sign that it can happen anywhere.
“Parents, especially those of us who have children in boarding schools, hardly sleep with our two eyes closed. We need to be sure of the safety of our children”.
However, when contacted, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh allayed fear of any attacks, assuring that schools in the FCT were safe.
She said, “FCT is very safe. All schools are well fortified within the territory and there is no reason to fear any intimidation from any quarters.”
It was gathered on Sunday that some parents in Kaduna State, particularly residents of Chikun Local Government are withdrawing their children from public schools over fear of attacks.
Although the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Mansir Hassan declined speaking on the matter, a security source who preferred not to be mentioned, confirmed that parents and guardians are withdrawing their pupils.
According to him, the recent abduction has triggered palpable fear in many parts of the state.
He said, “Insecurity is a very serious issue here. It is not just about school, people are scared of going out to places like marketplace, mosques and churches because of the bandits.
“Some security officers are also finding ways to be transferred from here.
“We are always the first target in any attack. Wherever they want to attack, they first attack the police formation in the area and sometimes, the attacks happen simultaneously.
“You can’t blame parents for withdrawing their children from schools. It is not possible for the police to be in every school at the same time.
“Some communities are very far from town, so securing those places can be a little difficult. This is why we need more hands. The government should recruit able youths that will help in this matter”.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government, on Wednesday, said it would not pay “a dime” as ransom for the release of over 280 pupils and teachers kidnapped from the Government Secondary School and LEA Primary School at Kuriga, Kaduna State.
The Government also said it had received offers of help from the United States and other countries to secure the student’s release and was weighing the offers.
Crime
Joint Security Forces Nab 12 Kidnap Suspects, Rescue Victims in Kogi/Kwara Operation (Photos)

Twelve suspected kidnappers and one informant have been arrested in a coordinated security operation carried out across parts of Kogi and Kwara States.

This was disclosed on Tuesday by the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo through a press statement made available to newsmen.
He said the suspects were apprehended during a series of raids jointly executed by the Hybrid Force from the Office of the National Security Adviser and Officers and Men of the Forward Operating Base (FOB), Egbe.

The operations covered Isanlu-Esa and Okoloke in Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State, and Patigi, Lafiagi and Gbugbu in Kwara State.
The statement identified the suspected kidnappers as Mainasara Abubakar, Sadik Abubakar, Jude Sani, Sanda Abubakar, Lawali Usman, Tukur Shehu, Hassan Abubakar, Kabiru Surajo, Makiri Dodo, Bala Hassan, Umaru Sanda, and Ruwa Abubakar. Also arrested was Rabiu Makeri, who is believed to be an informant for the gang.

According to the statement, the security forces engaged the suspects in a fierce gun battle, during which some of the kidnappers fled, abandoning their motorcycles and kidnap victims. Several kidnapped women were successfully rescued during the confrontation.
“We want to thank the gallant officers from the Office of the National Security Adviser and our men at the FOB, Egbe for their courage and professionalism. We also commend the Kwara State Government for their cooperation, which has yielded this outstanding result,” the statement read.
“Peace has returned to Kogi West as the criminal route from Kwara into our communities has now been disrupted. There will be no hiding place for the criminals. One of the security agents who confronted the kidnappers was shot and he is currently receiving medical treatment at an undisclosed hospital in Yagba West Local Government Area of the State. The Governor of Kogi State, His Excellency Alh. Ahmed Usman Ododo has offered to cover all the costs of treatment”, he said.
The Commissioner further assured the public that the arrested suspects will face full prosecution after investigations, reaffirming the state’s zero-tolerance stance on criminality.

In a separate remark, the Executive Chairman of Yagba West LGA and ALGON Chairman for Kogi State, Hon. Tosin Olokun, expressed gratitude to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for providing the logistics and support that enabled the success of the operation.

“Governor Ododo promised to restore peace to Yagba West and Yagba as a whole. Today, he has backed those words with decisive action. We can now heave a sigh of relief. The people of Yagba are grateful for his leadership and the results it is delivering,” Olokun said.

The Kogi State Government emphasized its ongoing commitment to working with federal and regional partners to ensure the safety and security of all communities within the state.
Crime
JUST IN: Court Frees 24 IPOB Members After Four Years of Detention

A high court in Ebonyi State has ordered the release of 24 members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) after they were held in detention for four years.
The ruling on Thursday marks a significant development in the ongoing legal proceedings involving the group.
The 24 IPOB members were discharged and acquitted by Justice I. P. Chima of Ebonyi State High Court.
It was gathered that they were among the last batch of the IPOB detainees out of the 36 held since May 4 2020.
Meanwhile, their lawyer and human rights activist, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, confirmed their freedom in a statement titled, “Justice Delayed, But Never Denied.”
According to him, the ruling followed the preliminary objection which highlighted the brazen violation of their fundamental rights: particularly the constitutionally guaranteed protection against double jeopardy, enshrined under Section 36(9) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
Ejiofor said the sacred principle, “autrefois acquit”, stipulates that no person shall be tried again for an offence in respect of which they have previously been acquitted.
Crime
Ebonyi Police arrests sisters in Crime for brother’s kidnap
The two sisters are security agents. while Juliet Chukwu is an operative of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ngozi Nancy Chukwu is of the Nigeria Immigration Service.

Two sisters have been apprehended by the Enugu State Police Command for allegedly masterminding the kidnapping of their brother, Mr. Friday Chukwu.
The two sisters, Juliet Chukwu and Ngozi Nancy Chukwu, are the younger sisters of the victim, who hails from Amaeze village, Ishiagu community, in the Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
The two sisters are security agents. while Juliet Chukwu is an operative of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ngozi Nancy Chukwu is of the Nigeria Immigration Service.
It was gathered that through the duo’s connivance, Chukwu was kidnapped last month on the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway near the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, in the Nkanu West Local Government Area, Enugu State.
And through the sisters’ prodding and subtle moves, it was claimed that the sum of N30 million was paid for their brother’s release.
Earlier, the two female security operatives orchestrated the abduction of the General Manager of China Oriental Mining Company, Dennis Igwe, in the same area on Monday.
Luck ran out of them when they were traced to a hidden hotel where they were to share the sum of N10m ransom paid for Igwe’s release, and they were arrested.
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