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

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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

Lynched Edo travellers: Governors move against reprisals as 16 slain hunters buried

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Crime

JUST IN: Kogi jailbreak: 3 fleeing inmates nabbed as Correctional Service confirms killing of officer

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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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