Villeworth Security Services Ltd

week 20

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PORT HARCOURT AND ENVIRONS

Two Robbers in Killed Gun Duel

Two suspected armed robbers were killed by the Rivers State Police Command on Tuesday after a fierce gun battle between the police and the five-man gang. The hoodlums had stormed Elechi Beach in Mile One, Diobu and opened fire on a team of policemen patrolling the area. The State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ben Ugwuegbulam, said the commander of the patrol team sustained a minor injury during the duel.  Ugwuegbulam disclosed that a lady and one other member of the gang, who were hit by bullet died instantly. He listed arms and ammunition recovered from the bandits as two AK-47 rifles, 83 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition, eight AK-47 magazines, a giant iron cutter, a face mask, a sack and a car.

Two Corps Members Drown in Bayelsa Boat Mishap

Two serving members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) lost their lives in a boat mishap along the Nembe creeks in Bayelsa state penultimate. Local divers were dispatched to recover their bodies. The accident was caused by the collision of two passenger boats plying the water ways. The passengers   found their way inside the river and most of them swam to safety before they were rescued, even as they sustained injuries. The state’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Eguavoen Emokpae (ASP), confirmed the incident.

Police Arrest Wanted Robbery Suspect

The police in Akwa Ibom State have arrested one of the most wanted criminals in the South-East and South-West. The suspect’s name was given as Emmanuel Nnamdi Joseph Ebulu, aka Stone. Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in-charge of zone 6, Mohammed Abubakar, paraded the suspect alongside three others at the force headquarters in Abuja. According to him, Ebulu who functioned as the second-in-command to notorious gang leader in Abia State, “Osisikankwu”, was arrested in connection with an armed robbery attack in Ikot Abasi LGA.

Ex-Militants Decry cut in Allowances by Their Leaders

Ex-militants currently undergoing non-violence transformational training at Obubra Camp in Cross River State have protested against what they described as “undue deduction” from their allowances by their leaders. The ex-militants, numbering 1200, from Bayelsa State, lamented their plight in the hands of their leaders in the past three months. The ex-militants decried the alleged cut in their allowances and pleaded with the Federal Government to pay their allowances directly into their accounts rather than channeling them first into their boss’s accounts before remitting same to them. The militants regretted that in spite of their commitment to the amnesty cause, their leaders were still short-changing them.

BENIN/WARRI/ESCRAVOS

War Planes, Gun Boats Deployed In Delta
…As Militants Resume Attacks

There was a shoot out in some creeks in Delta State. This comes as the military deployed two war planes and three gun boats in the Bobougbene creek of Ayakoromo, Burutu LGA where the shooting between militants and men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) took place. The militants are believed to be led by renegade ex-militant, General John Togo. JTF’s spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Timothy Antigha had earlier claimed that “General” John Togo took advantage of the stoppage of patrol of the riverine areas by the JTF during the elections to remobilise.” The spokesman said that the JTF had warned civilians to keep off the operations area and to remain calm.

JTF Warns against Threat to Oil Industry

The Joint Military Task Force (JTF) has warned that it would crush any attempt to destroyed oil installations in the Niger Delta region. The Media Officer of the JTF, Lt. Col. Timothy Antigha, reacting to the threat of a group, Coalition of Niger Delta Freedom Fighters, to cripple oil installations in Delta State because of the victory of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan at the governorship polls, it warned those aggrieved with the results of the 2011 elections to channel their grievances to the election petition tribunal constituted by the government as the JTF is poised to deal swiftly and decisively with anyone or group who attempts to foist another fear and insecurity on the Niger Delta Region.

Petrol Tanker Explosion Kills 2 in Warri

A petrol tanker exploded at the loading depot of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) in Efurrun, Delta state, killing two persons. It was learnt that the incident occurred shortly after the tanker was loaded with PMS, popularly known as petrol, at the PPMC loading bay and the driver was reversing the vehicle, which suddenly hit an iron bar leading to the explosion. Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Charles Muka, confirmed the death of two persons in the incident. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has given an assurance that the fire out-break would not affect the loading of trucks from there. NNPC Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division, Dr Levi Ajuonuma, said the incident had since been brought under control.

Police Arrest 4 for Arms Possession

The police in Delta State said it has arrested four men for possession of a pistol with 41 rounds of ammunition in Warri. State police spokesperson, Charles Muka, disclosed this last Friday, adding that the arrest was made on Wednesday by a patrol team after a car was searched. One English berretta pistol with 41 rounds of ammunition was recovered, he added. He said the police were still investigating the cases while the suspects were remanded in custody

Three Policemen Arraigned over Death in Custody

After almost two years in custody, a High Court in Benin has taken the plea of three police officers over alleged culpability in the death of Miss Amanda Uhunmwangho, a member of staff at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Benin City, Edo State. The court in Benin last week rejected their bail application, citing the gravity of the offence as reason for its action and fixed May 24 for their trial. Omokhafe Omozemije, Vero Ijeamaka and Olajiga Olufemi, all of Aideyan Police Station, Benin City, were accused of torturing Miss Uhunmwangho to death in police custody in August 2009. She was allegedly detained and tortured by the police when she visited the police station to enquire about the Investigation Police Officer (IPO) in a case of fraud in which she was the complainant.

JTF, Militants in Gun Battle

Soldiers suspected to be from the Joint Task Force, JTF, on the Niger Delta, Wednesday, stormed a militant camp in Ayakoromor community, Burutu LGA of Delta state and engaged the militants in a gun battle. Sources close to the militant camp, believed to be owned by wanted ex-militant leader, John Togo, claimed the militants chased the soldiers back. A spokesman for the militants, Mark Anthony, confirmed that JTF soldiers visited the camp and were chased back by the militants. He, however, said, the group was not fighting anybody and had ceased hostilities as a result of the appeal by eminent Nigerians.

500 Edo Militants want Amnesty

About 500 militants from Ijaw communities in Edo State have indicated their interest to give up their armed struggle and embrace the amnesty initiative of the Federal Government. Leader of the group, Niger Delta Freedom Fighters, ‘Gen.’ Abiodun (alias Kabiru), last weekends, said that they have informed the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta and the Director of the State Security Services (SSS) in Edo and Delta states, of their desire to surrender their weapons and embrace the amnesty programme.

LAGOS AND ENVIRONS

Court Remands Ex-bank MD, Others in Prison
…Orders Release of Ex-MD’s Wife

Justice Lateefat Okunnu of an Ikeja High Court, on Tuesday, ordered that the former Managing Director of Finbank Plc, Okey Nwosu and three former Executive Directors of bank, be remanded in prison custody. Also Tuesday, officials at the Legal Department of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Lagos, chased away court bailiffs who came to serve them a Federal High Court order for the release of Mrs. Elizabeth Atuche, wife of the former Managing Director of Bank PHB, Mr Francis Atuche. Consequently, Mrs. Atuche was not released Tuesday as directed by the court. A Federal High Court in Lagos had ordered the EFCC to immediately release Mrs. Elizabeth Atuche, who was arrested by EFCC operatives in Lagos on May 3, 2011 and has been in detention.

Man Dies Trying to Steal Petrol from Tanker

A bloated corpse of a man simply identified as Taye, who died while trying to steal petrol from a truck, last week Tuesday. He reportedly died in the tanker after inhaling petrol fumes. One of the tanker drivers’ assistant was said to have discovered the bloated body in one of the tankers and raised the alarm, which attracted other workers in the park. Officials of the Lagos State Fire Service were later contacted to bring the corpse out. But it was difficult to take away the bloated body, thereby raising suspicion that Taye might have died about three days ago before his corpse was discovered. The container the deceased supposedly wanted to use get the petrol out was also found inside the tanker.

Multiple Crash Claims Two Lives on Lagos-Ibadan Road

Two people lost their lives on Wednesday at the Ibafo portion of Lagos-Ibadan expressway in Ogun state, a road accident involving five articulated vehicles. Officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the State Fire Service and staff of Bi-Courtney made effort to tow the tankers away from the road. The Unit Commander FRSC, Olalekan Morakinyo, confirmed the death of two persons.

Three Children Killed in Road Accident

Three school children Lagos were killed on their way to school when the driver of their Toyota Hiace school bus lost control of the vehicle before the bus somersaulted within the Ajah area. Two students were said to have died on the spot while the third person died on the way to the hospital. One person survived and is said to be responding to treatment.

GENERAL

Gunmen Kidnap Expatriates in Kebbi, Kill Policemen in Niger

Gunmen in Kebbi state, on Thursday, and kidnapped two expatriate construction workers, a Briton and an Italian, working for a construction. According to the police commissioner, Adamu Hassan, their German colleague escaped by scaling a fence, while a Nigerian engineer was shot and wounded. The kidnappers are yet to establish contact or make any demanded for any ransom. In another incident in Niger state, gunmen, on Friday, killed two police guards attached to a government official in Niger, Police spokesman, Richard Oguche, said. According to Oguche, two motorcycle-riding gunmen opened fire on the two policemen guarding the home of the LG chairman of Suleja, killing them on the spot and taking away a rifle of one of the policemen before fleeing.

Bomb Blast Kills 2, as Gunmen Kill Local Chief in Borno

The Police in Borno State have confirmed the death of two persons in a bomb blast on Friday in Maiduguri. Police spokesperson, Lawal Abdullahi, said that the bomb was planted on the roadside, near a police checkpoint, by unknown persons. The police had begun investigations into the issue and appealed for calm. Similarly, suspected members of Islamist sect, Boko Haram, on Thursday, shot and killed a local chief and seriously wounded another person. The incident occurred as two motorcycle-riding gunmen opened fire on Abba Mukhtar outside his home in Maiduguri, killing him and seriously injuring his friend.

19 Killed in Bauchi Violence

At least 19 people were killed in Borogo, a mostly Christian village near the town of Tafawa Balewa, in Bauchi state. The unidentified assailants also burned down a church and a number of houses. Islamic sect, Boko Haram, is blamed for most of the violence in that region. Among those killed were a local pastor and all his family members.

CPC Justifies Post Election Killings

The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) Monday justified the post-presidential election riots and killings in parts of the North, describing them as a consequence of the win-at-all-cost mentality of the incumbent president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. The party also finally commiserated with the relatives of those who lost their lives and property as a result of the violence. The CPC Legal Adviser, Abubakar Malami, said the CPC believed that the declaration of false results assembled in places other than the polling units during the presidential election was another reminder that the political class “ruling and ruining Nigeria” was not ready to allow electoral reform to work. Reacting to the position by Malami, the Presidency said the implication of such assertion was that the killings were carried out by CPC supporters. Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ima Niboro, said the allegation of rigging only started when the party noticed it was losing the election.

Heavy Rains, Windstorms Wreak Havoc
…Agency Warns Nigerians to Take Caution

Nigerians have been advised to avoid heavy rains and stay away from trees and shaky rooftops as the rains and windstorms continue to wreak havoc. Such rains have been witnessed in parts of the country. The General Manager, Public Weather Service with the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Mr Wilson Samson, advised Nigerians not to panic as a result of the strong windstorms that had accompanied the rains since the beginning of the rainy season this year. In Akwa Ibom, at least 35 families in Ediene Abak Village and its environs were rendered homeless on Tuesday night following a violent rainstorm.

Falling Tree Branch Kills CJN’s Wife

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, lost his wife, Mimi, but escaped death last weekend when a branch of a Molina tree fell on them at his country home, Alu, in Oshongu LGA of Benue State. Katsina-Alu and his 53-year-old wife were relaxing in the compound when a heavy wind started blowing. They both got up to go inside the house when suddenly a branch of the tree came crashing down on them.

Prison Service Deploys Dogs in Prisons

To forestall the recurrence of jail-breaks, the Nigerian Prison Service (NPS) has deployed about 150 dogs in various prison facilities in the country. Speaking during the passing out parade of a kennel team in Abuja on Tuesday, the Comptroller-General of Prisons, Olusola Ogundipe, explained that the dog patrol team had proved effective in controlling inmate behaviour in advanced countries. He further explained that the dogs would provide non-lethal response to violence within the facilities particularly when the inmates constituted high risk of injury to the staff, public and other inmates. He said dogs had been deployed in Kirikiri Maximum Prisons, Lagos, and Enugu Prisons among others.

Five Arrested over Ritual Killing of 12-Year-Old

The Niger State Police Command has arrested five suspects in connection with the kidnapping and murdering of a 12-year-old boy in Rafi LGA. The Police spokesman, Richard Oguche, disclosed, on Tuesday, that the prime suspect in the crime, Mohammed Mairiga, from Sambuga village, had confessed to the crime and would soon be charged to court. The suspect had allegedly requested for the boy to accompany him to a political function, a request that the boy’s father, Musa Kaila, turned down. Kaila discovered a few days later that his son was missing, and reported to the police, where he filed a complaint against the suspect. Oguche confirmed that Mairiga allegedly confessed to killing the boy in a forest on April 5, in collaboration with others.

Gunmen Kill NURTW Boss, Islamic Clerics

Three suspected Boko Haram gunmen, on Tuesday, shot and killed the Borno State Chairman of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Ibrahim Dudu Gobe, wounding his son at his residence. The gunmen trailed Gobe from the community mosque to his house in a vehicle, before firing several shots at him. The wounded child is reported to be responding to treatment. In a previous incident, five suspected Boko Haram gunmen riding two separate motorcycles on Monday night shot and killed two Islamic clerics at their respective residences in Maiduguri. The Borno State Police Commissioner, Mohammed Abubakar, confirmed the killings.

Woman in Court for Dumping Baby in Pit

The police in Abuja on Monday arraigned a house wife before an Abuja Magistrate Court for dumping a dead baby in a pit. Mrs Adenike Ogungbamiro, wife of a military officer, was charged with concealment of birth contrary to section 239 of the penal code law. Police prosecutor, Inspector Patrick Obeta, told the court that investigation revealed that the accused did delivered a baby on April 9 and dumped the dead body in a pit. The accused pleaded not guilty to the offence, while the prosecutor asked for a short date to open his case.

Boko Haram Rejects Amnesty Offer

The members of the Boko Haram sect have said that they would not accept the amnesty, which the Borno State governor-elect, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, promised to offer them. The spokesman of the sect, who gave his name as Abu Dardam, in a BBC Hausa programme monitored in Maiduguri, the state capital, said that their reason for not accepting the amnesty was that they don’t recognise democracy as a form of government. The group also faulted the 1999 Constitution, saying that justice could only be found in the Holy Quran and the Shariya system of government.

FG Inaugurates Panel to Probe Post Election Violence

The Federal Government has ordered a full-scale investigation into the post-election violence in the northern part of Nigeria, leading to the gruesome killings of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members on election duties in Bauchi State. President Goodluck Jonathan, on Monday, approved the constitution of a 22-member probe panel headed by Sheik Ahmed Lemu, a former Grand Khadi of Niger State. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Mahmud Ahmed Yayale, said the panel would also investigate the pre-election violence in Akwa Ibom State. Jonathan, who assured Nigerians that the death of the corps members would not be in vain, announced N5 million as compensation to each of the 10 families. Jonathan warned that he was going to ensure that culture of impunity stops in the country while those who run foul of the law would be adequately punished.

NDLEA Arrests Ex-Soldier for Possession of Marijuana

The Sokoto State Command of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a retired military man with 350 gram of marijuana. The State Commander of NDLEA, Alhaji Mohammad Idris, said that the 80-year-old suspect confessed that he had been in the drug business for four years. Idris said the suspect was arrested at Dingyadi Village of Bodinga LGA of the state. The commander said the suspect, who served in the Nigerian Army for 23 years, was a security man at Sokoto State Polytechnic.

Two Die as Building Collapses in Bauchi

Two persons were killed on Wednesday in Bauchi as a building collapsed. Owner of the building, one Yusuf disclosed that it was the second time his house would be destroyed. The first time he roofed the house, Yusuf said, thieves removed the roofing sheets and a strong wind destroyed the building. Yusuf said the building fell on his seven-year-old daughter, Fatima, “and another 11-year-old boy who attempted to rescue her. My wife also broke her leg and two others were injured.

Fighter Plane Crash-lands in Benue

A Nigerian Air Force Fighter Jet, Wednesday, crashed at Mbaniongu Mbazaam, near Yandev in Gboko LGA of Benue State. The ill fated jet crash landed near a Secondary School, but no casualties were recorded. In a statement by the Command Public Relations Officer of the Tactical Air Command of the force in Makurdi, Wing Commander Adebayo Makun, the two pilots on board the aircraft successfully ejected from the craft. The Command’s spokesman further disclosed that the Chief of Air Staff has already ordered an investigative team to visit the site of the crash to ascertain the cause of the mishap.

INTERNATIONAL

68 Bodies Found in Ivory Coast Mass Graves

Forensic experts have discovered about 68 bodies from another mass grave in Cote D’Ivoire. Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, said human rights investigators found a total of 10 mass graves in the Yopougon district, near Abidjan, last weekend. The Yopougon killings appear to be related to an April 12 massacre in which supporters of former president, Laurent Gbagbo, staged an attack on supporters of Alassane Ouattara. Gbagbo's unwillingness to hand over power to Ouattara after last year's presidential election resulted in months of violence.  Ouattara was formally sworn-in last Friday as president, ending the months-long political standoff.

US Pilot Refuses to Fly Muslim Clerics

A US pilot refused to fly because two Islamic clerics were aboard his plane.  Masudur Rahman and Mohammed Zaghloul were booted from a flight to Charlotte N.C. after a Delta employee informed them that the pilot refused to fly with them on board.  The two men were removed from the plane and screened for a third time. The Imams said they did not mind extra screening, but the pilot still refused to fly with them.  Atlantic Southeast Airlines said in a statement that the two were given an opportunity to get on a different flight.  A lawyer for the two men said he was looking into a possible lawsuit - but his clients really just wanted additional sensitivity training for the pilot.

36 Dead after Boats Capsize in Togo

At least 36 people have died in Togo when their boats capsized during a storm in Lome. The boats were caught in strong winds and torrential rain as they sailed across Lake Togo, east of Lome. Police say the victims were returning home from a funeral on the other side of the lake.  It is not known how many people were on board the boats.

NATO Targets Libyan Armoury

NATO air attacks have hit Libyan government weapons depots near Zintan, according to a rebel spokesman. Separately, two loud explosions rocked a western sector of Tripoli, penultimate Sunday. An international coalition began carrying out attacks on forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, Libya's long-time ruler, on March 19, to protect civilians in the country. Meanwhile, Tunisia warned has that the repeated shelling from Libya of one of its border towns may force it to take measures to protect its sovereignty. About 80 shells from Libya had reportedly fallen on Tunisian territory, but there were no reported injuries. In another development, Italian coast guards and a local fisherman saved all 528 refugees on a boat from Libya after their vessel hit rocks off the island of Lampedusa.

Religious Clashes Leave 12 Dead in Egypt

A weekend clashes between Muslims and Coptic Christians left 12 people dead and more than 200 injured in Cairo, Egypt. The riots were brought under control by soldiers, but the situation remained tense. Egypt's government has announced a series of security measures to curb religious violence. The bloodshed began on Saturday evening when word spread that a Christian woman, who had converted to Islam, was being kept in a Church against her will. About 500 ultraconservative Salafi Muslims gathered at the church, calling on Christians to hand over the woman. Both sides traded gunfire, firebombs and stones, witnesses said.

Six Afghan Policemen Killed in Ambush

At least six Afghan police officers have been killed and four wounded in an ambush on Monday in Ghazni province. Police officials said a group of police was hit by a roadside bomb and then came under gunfire. Similarly, a suicide attack outside a government compound in eastern Afghanistan's Laghman province killed three people Monday morning, a government spokesman said. The bomber, who was on foot, detonated explosives outside the main gate of the district governor's compound as a NATO convoy was passing by, said spokesman Faizan Patan. The blast killed three civilians and wounded seven people, including two policemen. In Kandahar, government forces took two days to fight off co-coordinated assaults with suicide bombers and rocket-propelled grenades on government buildings.

Man Jailed for Smuggling Anti-aircraft Missiles into US

A US man was jailed for 25 years on Monday for smuggling goods including surface-to-air missiles from China in the first conviction under a 2004 anti-terrorism law, officials said. Yi Qing Chen was convicted last October on charges of smuggling drugs and counterfeit cigarettes as well as conspiring to import missile systems designed to destroy aircraft, the FBI said. Chen, 49, conspired to smuggle Chinese-made QW-2 shoulder-fired missiles into the United States. The weapons never arrived in the US because of an FBI sting operation.

EU Slams Arms Embargo on Syria

The European Union has decided to impose an arms embargo on President Assad's regime in Syria. The embargo follows Syria's military crackdown on the protests it is trying to stamp out. Troops backed by tanks have been rounding up hundreds in the coastal city of Banias, according to rights activists. Meanwhile hundreds of women took to the streets to demand the release of those who had been arrested.

14 Bodies Recovered after Mine Blast

The remains of 14 workers killed in an explosion at a mine in northern Mexico have been recovered by rescue teams, the country’s Labour Secretary, Javier Lozano, disclosed on Monday. Lozano said that the Mexican government would step up its inspections of mines in the light of the blast to prevent future blasts. Rescuers began searching for survivors in the mine outside Sabinas, Mexico, after an explosion injured one worker and trapped 14 others inside.

Over 80 Reported Killed in Violence in South Sudan

More than 80 people have been killed in clashes between rebels, civilians and police in Southern Sudan in the latest violence, the army said on Tuesday. A rebel militia raided a cattle camp in Warrap State, leading to the death of 82 people, including 34 civilians on Sunday, southern army spokesman, Philip Aguer, said. The casualty figures could not be confirmed but a spokesman for a rebel militia said fighting had been going on in the region. Clashes between the army and rebels or tribes have broken out in all but one of the south’s 10 states this year, killing more than 1,000 people, according to official figures.

NATO Shells Gaddafi’s Compound
...as Humanitarian Crisis Deepens

The humanitarian crisis in Libya is worsening, officials of the United Nations (UN) aid agencies have said. United Nations aid chief, Valerie Amos. Amos said that the UN Security Council that Misrata, the only rebel-held city in western Libya, was in a dire state and short of food and water. Three-quarters of a million people have reportedly fled Libya since the uprising began against Col. Muammar Gaddafi’s 41-year rule. Meanwhile, the NATO forces raided the Tripoli, hitting four buildings, including Gaddafi’s family complex, the military intelligence agency and state television headquarters. In Misrata, rebels said they had pushed government troops back from its outskirts. The rebels claim that they killed 57 soldiers and destroyed 17 military vehicles during a major battle close to the city of Ajdabiya on Monday.

ECOWAS Steps up Anti-Terrorism Campaign

Security officials and global experts, leveraging on the provisions of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), are stepping up counter-terrorism efforts. According to the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Brig.-Gen. Mahamane Toure, the states in the community need to coordinate their interventions and strengthen existing collaboration. Gen. Toure blamed the terrorist activities on the region on complex factors related to political, economic, social and cultural issues exacerbated by widespread poverty and youth unemployment.

18 Dead in Syrian Military Operations

Syrian security forces have killed at least 18 people in two separate attacks in Homs and near Daraa, according to human rights campaigners. At least 13 people were killed after tanks fired on a village outside the southern city of Daraa, while 5 were reportedly killed in a military operation in Homs. News of the deaths comes as Syrian army tanks move into and reportedly begin shelling residential areas as part of a continued crackdown on anti-government protesters. Syrian troops have been sealing off various areas in southern villages and conducting house-to-house raids in search of people whose names are on wanted lists. A rights group reported that over 750 people have been killed in the crackdown on protesters.

UN Reports More Groups Using Child Soldiers

The UN has added two groups in Yemen and two in Iraq to its annual list of those recruiting or abusing children during armed conflicts. During Yemen's recent civil war, as many as 15% of the pro-government militia and 20% of the Huthi rebels were made up of children, the UN says. Even though that conflict was now over, nobody knew where the children were, said a UN special representative. The annual report said children were involved in warfare in 22 countries. Radhika Coomaraswamy, Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children and Armed Conflict raised concerns about the reference to attacks on schools and hospitals in 15 of the 22 countries listed.

Police Kill Two Yemeni Protesters

Yemeni security forces killed two protesters and wounded dozens, residents and medics said. Snipers shot dead two demonstrators in Taiz as unrest running into a third day shut down Yemen’s main industrial city. Dozens of people were wounded by gunfire, tear gas, and beatings by plainclothes agents. Protesters retaliated by torching a police building, residents said. Mass rallies are taking place in Yemen, and the protesters are demanding the ouster of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Earthquake Hits Spain, 8 Killed

AN earthquake struck the southeastern Spanish city of Lorca and killed 8 people, according to authorities. The 5.1-magnitude quake was preceded by a 4.5-magnitude temblor, a survey said. At least one of the deaths occurred in a building collapse in Lorca. The press office said a hospital in Lorca had been evacuated as a precaution. Many persons spent the night outside as they were afraid to return to their houses or had been advised not to do so.

Migrant Boat from Libya Capsizes

The Somali ambassador to Libya said Tuesday that 54 Somalis are missing after their overcrowded boat with hundreds on board capsized off the coast of Tripoli. Abdelghani Mohamed Oweys said the ship that overturned Friday was carrying more than 600 asylum seekers, 240 of whom were Somali. Laura Boldrini, spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees in Italy said 16 dead bodies had been pulled out of the water from the harbor. The total number of causalities is unknown.Since the end of March, two vessels departing from Libya disappeared -one carrying 320 people and the other 160, in addition to the April 4th shipwreck, where 250 people died, Boldrini said. The crisis in Libya has prompted many to try to escape.

13 Killed in Clash at Mexico-US Border

Twelve suspected members of the Zetas drug gang and a member of Mexico's Navy were killed in a shootout on an island in a lake that straddles the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities said Monday. The Mexican Navy said the shootout occurred Sunday on Falcon Lake, located between Texas and the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The suspected drug traffickers used the island for storing marijuana to be transported by boat to the United States, the Navy said in a statement. After the shootout, the Navy said it seized guns, ammunition and bullet-proof vests from the island. Meanwhile, thousands of demonstrators marched in silence, carrying banners and signs that demanded an end to the country's drug war. More than 65,000 people participated in the march, according to Mexico City police.

AQIM Denies Bombing Morocco Café

A North African Al Qaeda group is denying responsibility for the April bombing of a cafe in Morocco's tourist city of Marrakech, which killed 16 people and injured 21. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) said it has "no ties with the explosion and no involvement whatsoever in the operation. The announcement comes two days after the country's Interior Ministry announced that three Moroccan suspects loyal to al Qaeda were arrested in connection with the April 28 bombing. One of the suspects was described as the main figure in the attack, according to officials. The ministry statement described the bombing as a terrorist attack.

Ugandan Women Protest against Inflation, Police Brutality

Hundreds of women, on Monday, rallied in Uganda's capital, Kampala, over high food prices and brutal police tactics. This is coming as Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the Ugandan government to investigate the killing of nine unarmed protestors by security forces during recent marches against rising living costs. The country has seen no fewer than half a dozen major rallies in the last month. Security forces have cracked down, and arrested the top opposition leader, Kizza Besigye. According to local police, well over 100 people have been injured and more than 600 arrested since the unrest started on April 11, the report says.