Villeworth Security Services Ltd

week 32

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PORT HARCOURT AND ENVIRONS

Magistrate Faces Bribery Allegation

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have arrested a Magistrate in Enugu, for allegedly demanding and receiving a bribe from a surety. Magistrate Joseph Sunday Edeh, of the Enugu North Magistrates’ Court, was brought to the commission’s headquarters on Friday for interrogation. The head of the Public Enlightenment Department of the ICPC, Mr. Mike Sowe, said the sting operation was carried out, following a petition from a citizen who is standing as a surety for two suspects in the magistrate’s jurisdiction. The petitioner alleged that after granting bail to the two suspects, the magistrate demanded for N500000 as “settlement”. The commission then dispatched some operatives with N50000 marked notes, which the magistrate received and was promptly arrested.

47 Wounded as Task Forces Clash in Onitsha

Two factional task forces set up by the Anambra State government clashed, on Tuesday, leaving about 47 persons seriously wounded. It was gathered that the newly retrained Anambra State Transport Agency, (ASTA) had raided the office of the Special Task Force against Street Trading, popularly known as Ndi-Mpiawazu, which led to the recent fight. According to one of the victims, the ASTA had gone to raid the Ndi-Mpiawazu based on the new policy of the state government through the Commissioner for Special Duties and Transport, Mr. Robert Okonkwo that no other task force should be seen on the streets and roads within the state, except ASTA.

6 Killed in Nnewi

At least, six persons, including two soldiers were killed following a shoot out between soldiers and gunmen suspected to be kidnappers at Nnobi in Idemili South LGA, Anambra State. It was gathered that the gunmen numbering about six in a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) were said to be heading for an operation while an army patrol van with about four occupants was behind them without knowing that they were gunmen. Suspecting that they were being trailed by the soldiers, the gunmen opened fire, killing two soldiers including the driver. The remaining two soldiers, our source said, challenged the hoodlums and succeeded in killing one of them. However the gunmen managed to escape with the corpse of their colleague and proceed to rob another vehicle after shooting one of the occupants. The state Police spokesman, Emeka Chukwuemeka, confirmed the incident.

HURIWA Condemns Alleged Killing of MASSOB Protesters

The Human Rights Writers’ Association (HURIWA) has condemned alleged killing of members of the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) by the police. In a statement by the National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the National Media Officer, Miss Zainab Yusuf, on Monday, HURIWA faulted the decision of the police to open fire on a large crowd of unarmed members of MASSOB in Onitsha, Anambra State, who were holding a peaceful rally. The rights group urged the Federal Government to urgently re-train the officers in line with the modern methods of crowd control.

Five Militants Escape in Port Harcourt Jail Break

Five militants serving jail terms in Port Harcourt prisons, in a perfectly executed operation, escaped from jail on Sunday. But two of the escapees have been re-arrested, according to the police. The militants, according to investigation, made their ways out of jail in the morning taking advantage of the security lax by the absence of warders because the day was a Sunday. Reacting to the development, spokesman of the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS), Mr. Alpheous Ota, confirmed their escape. The Rivers state Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has however, advised residents of the city not to panic as the situation was under control.

10 Arrested as Cultists Clash in Students Election

Four persons were injured and 10 others arrested for alleged involvement in the violent cult clash that rocked the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) election in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. The election was, however, won by Mr. Mohammed Duada, a student of University of Jos. The quick intervention of men of the state special security outfit, Operation Famou Tangbe, prevented the clash from degenerating and spreading to other parts of the capital city. The violence, according to some students, was instigated by one of the candidates, who brought members of a cult group to foment trouble with a view to having an upper hand at the poll.

LG Boss, 12 Councillors Attacked by Armed Robbers

The Chairman of Nsukka LGA, Tony Okechi Ugwu and 12 of his councillors were attacked by armed robbers suspected to be Fulani-herdsmen along the Enugu-Makurdi Expressway on Monday. One of the councillors disclosed that they ran into the ambush when the cattlemen forced their driver to an abrupt stop with volley of gunshots that narrowly missed them. He said after a serious exchange of gunshots between the hoodlums and the police, the former was over-powered and they escaped through the jungle.

BENIN/WARRI/ESCRAVOS

Company Agrees to Employ 40 Ex-Niger Delta Militants

An oil and gas servicing firm, Century Group has offered 40 ex-Niger Delta militants that were sent to South Africa for vocational training jobs as seafarers. The ex-militants were among the first batch sent to South Africa over six months ago to study underwater welding and deep sea diving. Speaking at the signing of the agreement in Lagos with the firm, Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Niger Delta Matters, Hon Kingsley Kuku, described the job placement as one of the best things to happen to the amnesty programme because it was not enough to send the youths for training, but they must be engaged with jobs that will add value to the economic well being of the Niger Delta as well as Nigeria in general.

Man Beheads Woman, 45, in Bomadi

A middle aged man, penultimate Saturday, beheaded a 45-year-old woman in Bomadi, LGA of Delta State. The woman, identified as Mrs Trust-Ere College, was allegedly killed in her farm at about 9am. The crime was discovered after the husband of the deceased raised alarm when he discovered the headless body of his wife. This, the source said, attracted the attention of sympathisers. In a swift reaction, the police and the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) arrested the murder suspect who was identified as Mr. Friday Yobolo while making frantic moves to leave town after committing the crime. A senior police officer at the Bomadi Police Division confirmed the incident and said a suspect was arrested and the matter had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Division (SCID) Asaba for further investigations.

Minimum Wage: Protesters Shut Edo House of Assembly

The protest against the agreement reached between Edo State government and the organised labour in the state for the implementation of the minimum wage intensified on Monday with members of the Parliamentary Staff Association, Edo State House of Assembly branch, embarking on indefinite strike over the non-inclusion of their members as beneficiaries. The strike halted all activities at the assembly as over 100 members of staff of the union barricaded the entrance of the Anthony Enahoro Complex housing the assembly in the Benin metropolis. The chairman of the Parliamentary Staff Association, Edo State, said the protest became necessary to drive home their grievances.

Two Feared Dead, Seven Injured in Edo Bank Robbery

Two persons were feared dead and seven others injured when armed robbers attacked a bank in Uromi, Esan North East LGA of Edo State on Tuesday. The bandits were reported to have carted away an undisclosed amount of money. An eyewitness accounts said the robbers stormed the bank with sophisticated weapons at about 8.30am and shot sporadically into the air, forcing people, including riot policemen to scamper for safety.  The Edo State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Peter Ogboi, confirmed the robbery.

Driving Instructor Crushes 19-Yr-Old to Death

by a driving instructor whose name was given as Mr. Ogochukwu Obi. A community leader, Mr. Isaac Botosom, said that the field was not a training ground for drivers, noting that it was wrong for the instructor to have chased the youths with his car. Vanguard gathered that immediately the instructor rammed into the deceased, he sped off leaving his trainee behind who was apprehended. Police team from another Division in Warri later recovered the killer’s vehicle. The driver was also arrested at a hospital where he had gone to hide, pretending to be injured.

LAGOS AND ENVIRONS

Suspected Boko Haram Arrested in Ibadan

A man suspected to be a member of the Islamic fundamentalist group, Boko Haram, was arrested penultimate Friday in Ibadan, the Oyo State. The suspect was arrested by members of the public after his suspicious movement and strange telephone calls were monitored. The suspect was said to have pretended as a beggar when suddenly his mobile phone rang. The quality of the mobile phone he was holding raised the curiosity of those around as they wondered why a supposed beggar would be holding such an expensive mobile set. They were said to have listened to his conversation on the phone. The suspect was said to have left the area immediately, which made the man, who was monitoring, to follow him while also listening to his conversation. It was during the conversation, he was alleged to have said he was looking for big churches in the city of Ibadan.

5 Killed in Mushin Violence
…Soldiers Deployed to Restore Peace

Five people were, last week, killed around Akala area of Mushin in Lagos State, in a renewed outbreak of violence among social miscreants. No fewer than 20 vehicles were badly damaged and several people seriously injured in the latest violence. The Monday incident was a spill-over of the Sunday’s clash at Adeshina Street, where two factions of hoodlums clashed over the control of the territories in the area. The arrival of men of the Rapid Response Squad, it was learnt, could not deter the hoodlums from wreaking havoc on Mushin residents. Spokesman for the state police command, Samuel Jinadu, confirmed the clash, but denied that five people were killed. Soldiers have been deployed to take full charge of security at Mushin. Commanding Officer, 9 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Brigadier-General Sanusi Muazu, said that the soldiers are there to ensure peace.

Bandits Raid Osun Bank with Grenades

Gunmen raided a bank in Isokun area of Ilesa, Osun State on Tuesday and held bank customers hostage for over 45 minutes. Riot policemen arrived at the scene shortly after the robbers had fled through Ilesa-Oboko roundabout and this enraged some residents, who attacked the policemen. One of the policemen was wounded and held hostage by the residents and it took a reinforcement of policemen for him to be rescued. The situation took a dramatic turn when policemen engaged some of the residents in a free-for-all. A source said some of the residents sustained gunshot injuries in the clash with the police.

10 Killed in Lagos Road Crash

About 10 persons lost their lives in an accident caused by a head-on collision between an inter-state bus and a commercial bus popularly known as “Danfo”.According to a witness, the commercial bus flagrantly disregarded the traffic light and then collided with the inter-state bus which was in its right of way.

GENERAL

50 Crushed in Kogi Robbery

Over 50 persons were feared killed in a gory robbery operation in Kogi State on Tuesday. The victims were said to be travelling from Lagos to Abuja when their bus was stopped by robbers who ordered them out and asked them to lay face-down on the road. The passengers and victims died when a luxury bus and a truck travelling at high speed ran over them, leaving behind mangled flesh, broken skulls and flattened corpses. Only 14 bodies were recovered later as it was impossible to gather the other pieces of flesh together. The robbery is believed to be a reprisal as the police had at about 3am Tuesday raided the hideout of a gang of notorious armed robbers in Okene, killing two suspects. The Kogi State Sector Commandant, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mr. Sunday Maku, confirmed the incident. The driver of the robbed vehicle is reportedly the only survivor of the accident.

Defence College to Drafts National Security Policy

The Commandant of the National Defence College (NDC) Abuja, Rear Admiral Thomas Lokoson, has said a national security policy that will deal with security challenges including the Boko Haram uprising is being planned by the College. Lokoson said that the college has begun drafting a national security policy that will outline major security concerns of the country as well as how they can be dealt with by the government. The policy will state how security agencies will work together during crisis and the best ways to tackle different security challenges as well as give details on security and civil defence forces preparedness, force morale and intelligence.

Nigerian Navy Promises Better Maritime Security

The Nigerian Navy said it would beef up its Forward Operational Bases (FOB) with state-of-the-art equipment to enable proper policing of the country’s territorial waters. The force said it will replicate the Regional Maritime Awareness Capability (RMAC) equipment in its FOBs located in Badagry, Lagos; Ibaka in Akwa Ibom State and Bonny in Rivers States. The US Navy-funded RMAC programme is a coastal surveillance programme, which uses an automatic identification system and ground-based radar and sensors to enhance awareness of maritime traffic. The project, it was learnt, was coordinated by the US Department of Defense and the Department of State.  The Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogbor, disclosed this.

FG Cannot Negotiate with Boko Haram

Even as it set up a panel on security challenges in the North-East zone, the Federal Government yesterday restated its resolve not to engage members of the Boko Haram sect in any form of dialogue. At the inauguration of the eight-man presidential committee on security challenges in the North-East zone, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, said the government could not negotiate with the sect because “it is a faceless organisation.” The Islamic sect has claimed responsibility for the series of violence and bombings in some northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Anyim told the panel members that their duty excludes negotiating with the group because “you don’t talk with whom you don’t know.”

Police Arrest 57 at Illegal Counter-Terrorism Training Camp

The Police in Kaduna have uncovered an illegal training camp operated by an unregistered security outfit and arrested 57 people allegedly undergoing counter-terrorism training at the camp. The illegal camp, reportedly located at Dura Yadi Village, Kwoi in Jaba Local Council of the state, was allegedly operated by an organisation known as Advanced Homeland Security and Mountaineering Agency. It was gathered yesterday that youths between the ages of 25 and 30 were recruited from Kano, Kaduna and Anambra states by the organisation upon payment of unspecified amount of money. It was also learnt that the head of the organisation and co-ordinator of the counter-terrorism training, identified as Royal James, was arrested by the police and is currently helping them in their investigation.

Soldiers Accused Of Killing Girl in Maiduguri

Residents of Maiduguri, Borno State, on Saturday accused soldiers of killing a seven-year old girl in a bid to disperse a crowd scrambling for free grains brought by some relief organisations. The incident allegedly occurred when the crowd began to swell, and soldiers from the Joint Task Force (JTF) began shooting in the air to disperse the crowd. "One of the soldiers fired directly into the crowd, killing a seven year-old girl coming out of the market nearby", according to a resident, Sadiq Babawuro.

FG To Investigate Video of Men Kidnapped in Kebbi

A video allegedly showing a British man and his Italian colleague kidnapped in May in the northern-western Nigerian state of Kebbi has been released. In the footage, which shows the hostages blindfolded and on their knees, with three men holding weapons standing behind them, the men say their abductors are from al-Qaeda. The men, said to be engineers working for B Stabilini, an Italian construction firm in Abuja, were captured by gunmen on the 12th of May from their lodgings in Kebbi state. A third foreign employee managed to escape during the raid, while a Nigerian neighbour who came to help was shot at and wounded. Nigerian Security agencies are investigating the authenticity of the video. The British Foreign Office said it was urgently checking its authenticity and urged against speculation.

Minimum Wage: FG Concedes to Labour

The Federal Government on Tuesday agreed to demands of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) that all cadres of civil servants should benefit from the new wage regime. Consequently, workers on grade levels 1 to 17 in the federal civil service are to have some money added to their current salary, as an increment arising from the new National Minimum Wage Act. In a communiqué read by the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Chukwuemeka Wogu, the Federal Government gave the assurance that the new wage would be implemented and the issue of relativity would be taken care of.

NSCDC Trains Over 500 Personnel on Arms Bearing

Over 500 personnel of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), who will form the nucleus of the Civil Defence Armed Squad, are presently being subjected to three months of intensive training in arms and weapons handling at the Prisons Armed Squad College in Owerri, Imo State. The commandant-general of the corps, Prof. Ade Abolurin, who disclosed this, said the training was pertinent to the presidential approval, granted the corps, permitting it to implement the provisions of its amended Act 2007, empowering it to bear arms. The corps’ boss explained that an additional 200 senior officers and 400 junior officers, who include drivers and orderlies, have since commenced light arms (pistols) handling training.

Double Bomb Blasts Rock Jos

Two bombs went off penultimate weekend near residences of the leader and deputy leader of the Izalla Islamic sect in Jos, Plateau State. The state Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Ayeni, who confirmed both incidents, said that no life was lost in the blasts. He added that men of the bomb disposal unit were immediately deployed in the area.

4 Nigeriens, 2 Nigerians Paraded over Kaduna Bomb Blast

Four nationals of Niger Republic and two Nigerians were, last week, paraded by the Kaduna State Police Command as suspects in the two bomb blasts that rocked Kabala West in Kaduna South LGA of Kaduna State and Magajin Gari Sharia Court 1, few hours after the presidential election in April. Parading the suspects whose ages ranged between 15-25 years, aside one Samaila Alhassan who is above 30 years that was said to have sponsored the dastardly act; the State Commissioner of Police deployed for the 2011 elections, Mr. Haruna John said the principal suspect, Abubakar Abdullazeez, was arrested at the scene. The commissioner who said no life was lost at the two scenes.

Customs Dismisses Four Officers for Misconduct

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Alhaji Abdullahi Dikko, Monday, dismissed four officers for misconduct. Dikko said in a statement signed by the Deputy Public Relations Officer, Mr Joseph Attah, in Abuja Monday that the officers were arrested by a military patrol team on July 13 in a beer parlour in Mabushi, Abuja, drinking alcohol and displaying fire arms. It added that the officers were found in possession of fire arms when off duty and drinking alcohol while mingling with women of easy virtue at odd hours.

Fresh Bomb Blast Rocks Borno

Residents of Maiduguri, Borno State witnessed another explosion on Tuesday at Gomari Junction, along the Damaturu-Jos highway in the city.  Spokesman of the Joint Task Force (JTF), Lt-Colonel Hassan Mohammed, who confirmed the incident, the explosive which was believed to have been planted by the Boko Haram men, exploded beside the pavement that divides the highway at Gomari Junction, adding that “nobody died from the blast.”

INTERNATIONAL

At least 150 Killed in Syria as Arab League Condemns Crackdown

Syrian tanks stormed the flashpoint city of Hama last week in several clashes that rights groups said left more than 150 people dead and more than 100 injured nationwide. The Local Coordination Committees of Syria reported that at least 71 people were killed across the country. Other human rights organizations offered different assessments of the situation, with some reporting that more than 100 people died in the city of Hama alone. Three members of security forces were killed in clashes in Hama and three members of the military were killed in Deir Ezzour, SANA said. The Arab League has condemned the crackdown, while Saudi Arabia withdrew its ambassador from the country in condemnation of the crackdown.

25 Bodies Found in Boat Carrying Refugees off Italy Coast

Italian authorities found 25 dead bodies in a boat that was carrying refugees and was discovered off the coast of the southern island of Lampedusa. The bodies of the victims -all males- were found during an inspection of the boat after it was accompanied ashore, according to reports. It could not be verified how the men died nor from where the boat departed. The boat was also carrying 271 other passengers, including 36 women and 21 children. More than 30,000 migrants and refugees from Tunisia and Libya have risked this dangerous journey to Lampedusa in the last year.

Boat, Barge Collision in Russia Kills 7

The death toll has risen to seven in a boat collision Sunday in the center of the Russian capital, state media reported. A private boat carrying 16 people collided with a cargo barge on the Moskva River in Moscow then sank, according to Russia's RIA-Novosti official news agency. The people onboard had been celebrating a birthday. Authorities have confirmed seven survivors. Two people are unaccounted for, the news agency said.  Rescue efforts are under way, and a crane is expected to arrive at the site of the collision to help free the private boat, which is still wedged under water.

London Riots: Looting, Violence Continues

Police have condemned a wave of "copycat criminal activity" across London in a second night of looting and disorder following riots in Tottenham. Officers had been attacked and a number of police vehicles had been damaged, the Metropolitan Police said. Disorder has also been reported in Enfield, Walthamstow and other parts of the capital. Clashes broke out in Enfield, north London, on Sunday evening where shop windows were smashed and a police car damaged. Several arrests were made but police said the situation there had now been contained. There have been reports of a gang of up to 200 youths looting shops and charging police in Cold harbour Lane and the High Street in Brixton, south London.

SEALs on Rescue Mission Killed in Afghan Crash

The 30 American service members -most of them elite Navy SEALs- who died when their helicopter was shot down had rushed to help Army Rangers who had come under fire, two U.S. officials said Sunday. There were conflicting accounts late Sunday as to whether the SEAL team had subdued the attackers who had pinned down the Rangers and were departing, or whether they were hit as they tried to land. One official said they had accomplished their mission, but another said the aircraft, a Chinook helicopter, was hit as it approached.

Gunman Killed in Ohio after Shooting 8

A northeast Ohio man ran through his small town neighbourhood Sunday shooting eight people, including his girlfriend and her brother, before he was shot and killed in an exchange of gunfire with police, authorities said. Eight people, including the gunman, were killed. Witnesses told reporters at least one of the victims was a child, reports The Associated Press. Police did not have a motive and did not release the names or ages of the gunman or the victims but provided a chronology of the shootings that began around 11 a.m. in a middle-class neighbourhood of Copley, a town of about 14,000 west of Akron.

Colombia Arrests Leaders of Submarine Cocaine Ring

Colombian authorities have captured two leaders of a 20-ton-per-year cocaine operation that sent drug-laden submarines to the world's top drug consumer, the United States, local police said Tuesday. Colombia, where drug traffickers take advantage of dense jungles and forests and a weak state presence in some areas, has received billions of dollars in aid from Washington to fight cocaine output, leftist rebels and cartels.

31 Killed in Karachi Fighting

At least 31 people were killed last week in the latest bout of ethnically fuelled violence in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi. Officials said 11 people were shot dead on Tuesday, while 20 were killed on Monday. Armed groups supported by Pakistan’s main political parties are said to be responsible. Police officials say the groups are controlled by criminals. Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that the government would pursue “every possible action to restore peace”. Police officials say activists of the Pashtun-dominated Awami National Party (ANP) and those of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) are responsible for much of the violence. The parties have continued what is increasingly a battle for land and votes, despite being partners in the country’s ruling coalition.

Suicide Bombers Storm Afghan Guesthouse

Three suicide bombers attacked a guesthouse in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz Tuesday, killing four Afghan security guards employed by a German company, a senior police detective said. The raid followed a string of assassinations in the once peaceful north of the country, and came one day after the beginning of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, reports Reuters. Ten people, including civilians and a police officer, were wounded in the early morning attack, said Rahman. It was not immediately clear if any foreigners were among the wounded. Rahman said the slain Afghan security guards were employed by German development agency GTZ. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, said spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid.

Suspect Arrested in Argentina Tourist Murders

Authorities have arrested a man in connection with the murder of two French women who were found shot to death in a tourist area in northern Argentina. The women's bodies were found penultimate Friday by hikers on a trail. Police officer, Jose Hinojosa, said the man was a resident of Salta. The man was identified as Francisco Ariel Tejada by his wife, Doming Gonzalez, who was quoted on the Internet site of El Tribuno de Salta as saying her husband was innocent and was "grabbed because he is poor."

Pro-Government Tribesmen Killed In Yemen

Recent Yemeni airstrikes targeting Islamic militants in the south accidentally killed at least 11 pro-government tribesmen, a senior Yemeni military official said last week. The attack took place just east of Zinjibar, the provincial capital of Yemen's restive Abyan province and a city that has seen clashes between government forces and al Qaeda-affiliated fighters intensify since Islamic militants first seized the town in May. The officials blamed the incident on poor communication. A field leader for the tribal fighters in Abyan said the tribes informed the government of their whereabouts prior to the airstrikes to ensure that the tribes were not accidentally hit.  In another raid on Monday, Yemeni war planes bombed a village in south Yemen on Monday, killing at least 13 people who a local official said were Islamist militants challenging army control in the flashpoint province of Abyan.

UN Extends Troops Mission in Darfur

The United Nations (UN) Security Council has expressed strong determination to support the peace process in Sudan’s troubled western region, Darfur, by further extending the mandate of the AU-UN hybrid force, UNAMID. The UN Security Council voted unanimously to adopt resolution 2003 (2011), which maintains UNAMID under its current mandate and troop levels, but requested the Secretary-General to report within 180 days on a planned review, to be undertaken in consultation with the AU, of the number of uniformed personnel required to ensure the most efficient and effective operation.

Two Soldiers Killed in Algerian Bomb Explosion

Two soldiers were killed and 10 others injured in a bomb attack in northern Algeria. According to reports, the blast occurred penultimate Sunday when a convoy passed the area of Taza in Tissemsilt Province. The North African country has faced an increasing threat by Islamist militants since the 1990s. The security situation in Algeria have been significantly improved in recent years since the government adopted the national reconciliation policy and stepped up military strikes.

Egypt Soldiers Clash with Activists

Egyptian soldiers clashed on Monday with a small group of protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square to press demands for faster change and justice for demonstrators killed in the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak. The clashes broke out after troops dismantled the protesters' tents on the square's median, witnesses said. There were no immediate reports of casualties or arrests. Troops backed by armoured vehicles and hundreds of riot police used clubs to clear the square after protesters ignored pleas over loudspeakers to leave.

SA Police to ‘Shoot First’ against Armed Criminals

South African police chief, Bheki Cele, has warned officers to “shoot first” to protect themselves against armed criminals amid a wave of violence that has seen more than 50 cops killed so far this year. Cele made the remarks at the funeral of two officers who were killed in the line of duty recently. Police said about 56 officers have been killed since January. Last week, Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa called for more training for South Africa’s officers, who deal with some of the highest rates of violent crime in the world.

Lebanese, Israeli Soldiers Exchange Fire

The Lebanese Army opened fire at a group of Israeli soldiers that crossed the border Blue Line into Lebanon on Monday, a security source disclosed. The six Israeli soldiers were reported to have returned fire. No casualties were reported. On same day, Israeli soldiers reportedly shot and killed two Palestinians in the West Bank after entering a refugee camp to make arrests. An Israeli military spokeswoman said rioting broke out in the Qalandiya camp, near Ramallah, during “a routine operation to arrest Palestinian suspects.” The Israeli military spokeswoman said the army was investigating the incident. A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the shooting.