Villeworth Security Services Ltd

week 50

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PORT HARCOURT AND ENVIRONS

DPO Shot Dead in Aba
…4 Policemen, 3 Others under Interrogation

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Uratta police station in Aba, Abia State, Mr. Celestine Ozuora was shot dead by suspected assassins on Monday night. Sources said Ozuora was killed while on night patrol with some of his men by persons believed to be on assassination mission. Police area commander, Rabiu Dayi, confirmed the incident. Dayi said it was difficult to tell whether the police officer’s killing was mastered minded by armed robbers or an assassination until investigations into the matter was conducted. Seven persons, including four policemen are under interrogation over the killing of the DPO. State Police Commissioner, Bala Hassan, confirmed that some people had been arrested over the DPO’s death.

Four Killed in Port Harcourt Robbery

Armed bandits led by a female on Monday, killed four persons including a police sergeant and carted undisclosed sum of money in Port Harcourt. The gang which was made of two female and three male ambushed the vehicle conveying goods, belonging to Multinet Communications as it tried to drive into Zenith Bank on Rumuola Road, Port Harcourt. An eyewitness explained that having successfully intercepted the vehicle, two of the female robbers swiftly alighted from their own vehicle and opened fire on the victims. The State Commissioner of Police, Suleman Abba, urged resident to always keep their financial transactions private. Abba acknowledged that the recent spate of robbery in Port Harcourt was worrisome.

SSS Arrests Ex-Militant over Kidnap of Monarch

The State Security Service (SSS), on Monday, paraded ex-militant and other suspected kidnappers of a Bayelsa monarch, King Godwin Igodo. The kidnapper, identified as Promise Adegbe, allegedly pocketed N12.5m before the traditional ruler was released after spending close to a month in captivity. An Assistant Director with the SSS, Didacus Egbeji, said three other suspects were still on the run. Igodo was abducted at his Ogbogoro home by three armed men on September 1 and released on September 27 after a ransom of N12.5m was paid.

MASSOB Calls for Release of Members

The Movement for the Actualisation of a Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) has pleaded with Abia State Governor, Theodore Orji, to order the unconditional release of 55 members of the group, currently held at the Umuahia Prison and the State Criminal Investigation Department. The police reportedly arrested the MASSOB members in Uturu, Abia State, during the Igbo Day celebration last month.  MASSOB’s spokesman, Mr. Uchenna Madu, noted that the release of the detainees “should be made now that Ojukwu is dead, as it would bring true reconciliation and peace as well as enable us mourn him properly.” Security operatives had also arrested some MASSOB members in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, during the same Igbo Day celebration, but Governor Martin Elechi ordered their immediate release.

Teenage Girl Gang-Raped in Bayelsa

Reported cases of rape and sexual molestation of women continue to rise as another girl in Bayelsa State was recently gang-raped by 10 men for allegedly showing no fear or “respect” to the leader of the gang after meeting him at the waterfront. The victim, in a live testimony at the launch of the white ribbon campaign by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development in Abuja, stated that even though three of the men had been apprehended by the police, her family had continued to receive death threats. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, at the launch, called on private citizens to sponsor bills through legislators in the House to recommend stiffer punishment for rapists and examine the loopholes in existing rape laws.

Gunmen Abduct UPTH Doctor

The Head of Chemical Pathology Department at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Dr. Chituru Orluwene, has been abducted. The UPTH medical consultant was abducted at about 6.30p.m on Monday evening while returning home from the hospital. The victim’s elder brother, Onyeka Orluwene, explained that the doctor was driving home but on getting to Obiri Ikwere junction along the East-West Road, three armed men accosted him and whisked him away to an unknown destination.

Ex-Militants Block East-West Road

Armed policemen Wednesday maintained a safe distance as a segment of the Niger Delta Militants based in Akwa Ibom State protested over neglect by the federal and state governments, after undergoing a transformation training exercise at the Obubra amnesty camp in Cross River State. It was gathered that although the protest was peaceful, the repentant militants caused stampede and brought to a standstill vehicular movement along the East-West road in Orue-offong Oroko LGA of the state. The militants numbering more than 500 complained on non-payment of their salary for about nine months.

3 Dead, 15 Wounded in Fuel Tanker Fire

Three people were feared dead on Thursday when a tanker lost control in Nnewi, Anambra State, killing three people including a driver, conductor and a car dealer, while 15 others were wounded. The tanker had offloaded its content on top of the hill, before its brakes failed.  Eye-witness accounts said that the tanker was sighted rushing down from the hill behind the command and crashed into a mango tree and the fence of a compound near the road, leaving the driver and conductor unconscious, before the tanker burst into flames.

NAFDAC Combs Rural Areas for Fake Drug Peddlers

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NAFDAC) on Wednesday directed its officials to apprehend peddlers of fake and counterfeit drugs in Bayelsa State from the rural areas. It was also learnt that chairmen of the councils in the state had, during a programme by the agency in 2009, promised to establish a programme aimed at flushing out peddlers of such products. NAFDAC was said to have established desk offices in each of the LGAs. The state Coordinator of NAFDAC, Mr. Godwin Akwa, lamented the effects of drug hawking on the health of Nigerians and mandated the desk heads to stop the sale strategy in the rural areas.

SSS Intercepts Robber’s Arms

The State Security Service (SSS) Anambra State Command has announced the interception of a large cache of weapons ordered by hoodlums from Delta State. The state director of SSS, Alex Okeiyi, said the cache of arms included; two general multi-purpose guns, 653 live rounds of ammunition, 416 other live rounds in chains and three pairs of hand gloves. Okeiyi said a team of hoodlums who ordered the arms came to take delivery of them were also arrested. Meanwhile, two suspects in the kidnap of a student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Aniemeka Okaa, have been arrested. The command listed items recovered during a search in their residence as; $318,000 fake US dollar in $100 bills and an ATM card that was used to withdraw the ransom paid for the hostage.

BENIN/WARRI/ESCRAVOS

SSS Investigates Firm for Transporting Illegal Aliens

Operatives of the State Security Services (SSS) at the weekend, invited two management staff of the “Young Shall Grow” Transport Company in Benin-City, Edo State for questioning, following an accident involving the company’s bus. The accident, which occurred along the Benin-Agbor Road, penultimate Friday, was said to have claimed four lives, while about 11 persons said to be Malian and Niger Republic nationals sustained varying degrees of injuries and were rushed to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH). But it was discovered the passengers had no travel documents. Suspecting the mission of the passengers, officials of the UBTH were said to have held the driver and the bus and quickly contacted operatives of the SSS to investigate their mission in the country.

Policeman Arrested over Supply of Arms to Hoodlums

A mobile Police Corporal identified as Emmanuel Michael has been detained at Delta State Police Command, Asaba, for the alleged supply of arms and ammunition to criminals in the state. It was gathered that the suspect had been placed under the watch of security agents for some time now until October 23 when he reported the loss of his AK-47 rifle at a police checkpoint on the Sapele-Warri road. It was further learnt that the police authorities were taken aback when it was discovered that the suspect had once claimed the loss of his bullet proof jacket which was not reported to the authorities but instead procured another one.

JTF to Continue Arms Mop-Up in Niger Delta

The Nigerian Army on Thursday declared that it would continue the mop-up of arms used by youths in the Niger Delta. The army also denied that it had started granting amnesty to youths from who the arms were seized from, saying it had no powers to do so. The JTF stated that it had succeeded in ridding the region of militancy, adding that the fresh challenge faced by the force was illegal oil refining. It insisted that the decision of the JTF to continue the seizure of arms from illegal owners was in the interest of the country and the Niger Delta. The spokesman for the force in the Niger Delta, Lt. Col. Timothy Antigha, in Warri, explained that the army had arrested more than 300 persons this year in connection with various crimes related to oil theft in the region.

LAGOS AND ENVIRONS

Governor’s Security Aides Arrest 3 Robbery Suspects

Three men suspected to be armed robbers were arrested on Sunday by security operatives attached to the convoy of Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State at Ayebode-Ekiti in Ikole LGA.  The suspects tried to escape when they sighted the convoy of the governor. Two of the suspects claimed that they were not robbers, but were on their way out of the bush where they had gone to ease themselves, but the third gave a contrary account. Residents of Ayebode-Ekiti applauded the governor for arresting the suspects. They claimed that the community and other neighbouring communities had in the past two weeks experienced tough times in the hands of hoodlums, which resulted in the death of two people in the area.

2-Year-Old Kidnapped in Military Barracks

The Nigerian Army, on Wednesday, beefed up security at the Ojo Cantonment, Lagos, after a two-year-old daughter of a lieutenant-colonel was allegedly abducted by suspected kidnappers, on Tuesday afternoon, from the fort. An investigation revealed that immediately the kidnapping was discovered, on Tuesday, all entries and exits from the sprawling cantonment were. A resident said that Tuesday's kidnapping would be the second abduction at the barracks within a month, as another two-year-old daughter of a major, who was forcefully taken away from her parents' home in the barracks four weeks ago, had not been found. The army spokesman at 81 Division, Lagos, Lieutenant-Colonel Kayode Ogunsanya, confirmed the incident.

4 Students Feared Dead, 20 Injured in Poly Riot

Four students were on Thursday, killed while over 20 others sustained serious injuries during a conflict which broke out at the Osun State Polytechnic over students’ union election. It was gathered that the fight ensued between different camps of the institution’s students’ union over alleged attempt to prevent some students from casting their votes. Trouble started when one of contestants was engaged in an argument, leading to the stoppage of the election. The cancelation of the election, led to the fight in which dangerous weapons including cutlasses, axes, daggers, knives, charms etc were freely used. Spokesman of the institution, Mr. Tope Abiola, confirmed the incident.

Man, 35, in Police Net for Raping 12-Yr-Old Orphan

A35-year-old-man has been arrested for allegedly defiling a 12-year- old orphan in Gbonyin LGA of Ekiti State. The girl was discharged from the General Hospital, Ijan Ekiti, where she received treatment because of the injuries she sustained as a result of the forceful sex. The girl, who lives with her grandmother, disclosed that the culprit committed the heinous crime at about 3pm after she returned from school after he forcefully carried her away from a well where she went to fetch water. The suspect had initially denied when he was apprehended by the Police, but later confessed. The Special Assistant to the Governor on Legal Matters, Olanrewaju Kunle, said the Ekiti State Government would treat the matter with all seriousness.

Graduate Murdered in Oyo

Two people, a suspected fake medical doctor, Abiodun Oguntowo, 48 and one Abolade Ogunrinola, have been arrested by men of Oyo State police command for alleged murder. The victim, 25-year-old Taiwo Badmus, had on December 3, 2011, left home and when she did not return, her elder sister raised the alarm. The victim’s elder sister had contacted her boyfriend, Mr Abolade Ogunrinola, who was unable to give useful information, leading to his arrest by the police. Upon interrogation, Ogunrinola took the police detectives to a room at Ile-Oloola, Adesina area, Oyo, where the victim was laid. The suspect was said to have mentioned the name of the alleged quack doctor, his accomplice.

Hoodlums Set Lagos Police Station Ablaze

Unidentified men on Thursday night in Lagos stormed the Mile 12 Police Station in Ketu area of Lagos, burning it down with a device suspected to be a petrol bomb. It was not known what could have caused the violence on Thursday. An eyewitness, who was on his way to the police station to lodge a complaint about an accident, said the suspected arsonists attacked the police station from the Ajelogo end of the bridge.

Corps Members Urged To Fight Insecurity

The Chairman, Governing Board of National Youth Service Corps in Ekiti State, Chief Folorunso Olabode, has urged corps members to assist the Federal Government in combating insecurity and other problems threatening the existence of the country. Olabode, who is also the state Commissioner for Youths and Sports, said this on Tuesday at the closing of the 2011 batch “C” Orientation Course. Meanwhile, Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State on Tuesday reassured serving corps members in the state of adequate security and safety.

NIMASA to Pay N6.2bn for Illegal Detention of Vessel

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has ordered the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to pay the owners of a vessel, M/T Agbonmien a total sum of N6.2billion for unlawful detention. NIMASA also incurred the wrath of the court following its alleged role in the illegal sale of the content (Kerosene) of the vessel while under its custody. Justice Okon Abang gave the order in his judgment following a suit instituted by the aggrieved owners of the vessel. The vessel was said to have been arrested and detained by NIMASA at the offshore of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in Lagos over a purported allegation that the vessel was not seaworthy. Justice Okon Abang held that the vessel was illegally detained.

LASTMA, Tanker Drivers Clash

There was heavy vehicular traffic at the Oshodi area of Lagos State on Monday after tanker drivers and officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), engaged in a clash. It was gathered that the fight broke out after LASTMA officials attempted to tow some tankers parked on the service lane of Sanya Bus Stop, but the tanker drivers resisted the move, leading to the clash. The tanker drivers allegedly outnumber, overpowered and injured about three traffic officials in the physical confrontation and they all took to their heels, a witness explained. The tanker drivers then vandalised the towing vehicle and mounted a road block on the expressway. Policemen later intervened and dispersed the drivers around 3pm.

GENERAL

3 Killed as Suspected Gunmen Attack Police Stations, Banks

Gunmen, last weekend, attacked two Police stations and two banks, in Azare LGA of Bauchi State, with explosives, killing three persons. The gunmen reportedly hauled bombs at the police stations and the two new generation banks, destroying the buildings, while about 10 motorcycles belonging to the Police were burnt. The state Commissioner of Police, Ikechukwu Aduba, confirmed the incident.

Ndume Faces Fresh Charges over Terrorism

Senator Representing Borno South senatorial district, Muhhamed Alli Ndume, who is currently facing charges over his alleged involvement with the Boko Haram now have fresh charges against him. Ndume is now being charged before a Federal High Court, on a four-count charge bordering on alleged disclosure of classified information to a terrorist spokesman of Boko Haram. The State Security Service (SSS) alleged that Ndume breached public trust by disclosing classified information to the sect, adding that he was the brain behind threat massages that were sent to top public officers in the country.

15 Killed in Kaduna Blast

More than 15 people lost their lives and several others injured following a bomb blast that hit Kaduna on Wednesday. The incident occurred shortly after the elders in the North ended the Peace and Unity Conference intended to find solution to the insecurity posed by the militant Islamic sect, Boko Haram in the country. It was gathered that the causalities from the Kaduna blast were mostly children and women in a residential building, and traders who were attending to customers in several shops. There was prompt response of security personnel, including soldiers, policemen and officials of Red Cross, National Emergency Agency (NEMA), State Emergency Agency (SEMA), the State Security Service (SSS), Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), as well as the fire fighters who prevented spreading of the fire to other buildings.

Boko Haram Threatens More Killings

Violent Islamist sect, Boko Haram, has vowed to kill nine more persons in addition to a groom that was shot dead after a wedding fatiha in Maiduguri, Borno State penultimate Saturday. Sect’s spokesman, Abu Kaka, however dissociated the group from the death of two men shot dead penultimate Sunday evening at Tandari mosque. The late groom, according to Boko Haram, was an informant to security agencies in the state while the nine persons on its death list were his accomplices. The killing of the groom, according to the sect, was deliberate even as it gave the indication that the other two persons killed in the process, might have been hit by stray bullets.  The JTF spokesman, Lt.-Col Hassan Mohammed, confirmed the incident.

Minister Pledges Safety, Security in Aviation Sector

Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah-Ogiewonyi has restated government’s commitment to aviation safety and security. The minister stated that Nigeria would continue to work with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the international community in addressing the challenges to aviation security. She said that in the light of the challenges, Nigeria in collaboration with the Transportation Security Administration of United States (TSA) and European Civil Aviation Commission (ECAC) would bring the African Regional Aviation stakeholders together in order to address the emerging threats and discuss areas of common interest.

Bandits Kill Policeman In Maiduguri

Armed bandits on Monday killed a policeman attached to the residence of Galadima Modu Sheriff, father of the immediate past Governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff. The victim was said to be returning from work, when the gunmen fired several shots on his head. The victim was said to have been buried on Tuesday according to Islamic rites at the Gwange Central Cemetery.

Man to Die By Hanging for Murder after 20 Years

A man, Miko Umaru, who beheaded one Hauwa Alasan almost 20 years ago, has been sentenced to die by hanging by a Kano High Court. Umaru and two other persons, still at large, were said to have hit Alasan on the head, strangled her and severed her head on February 23, 1992 near Kademi Village in Gaya LGA.

Boko Haram Spokesman Gets 3 Years Jail Sentence

Self-acclaimed Boko Haram spokesperson, Alisanda Umar Konduga (aka Al-Zawahiri), was Tuesday sentenced to three years imprisonment by a magistrate court in Abuja. Konduga, after pleading guilty to charges levied against him by State Security Service (SSS), was sentenced by Chief Magistrate Oyebola Oyewumi. Also, a request by the counsel to SSS, Cliff Osagie, that the convict should spend his jail sentence in the custody of SSS, owing to the nature of the offence and the porous state of prisons in the country, was granted by the magistrate. Konduga was arrested on 3rd November. Upon his arrest, he implicated a serving senator, representing Borno South, Muhammed Ali Ndume, as he confessed that the senator was involved with the sect.

Dead Officers’ Relatives Receive Compensation

The Nigerian Military has disbursed N171m to 41 Next of Kin and relatives of their staff and personnel, who lost their lives in active service. The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin, in company of other service chiefs, distributed the monetary benefits on Wednesday in the Defence Headquarters, Abuja. Petinrin assured that the armed forces will do everything possible to make sure the fallen hero’s receive their benefits ahead of any other officer. About 602 police officers and men have been killed by dare-devil armed robbers and Boko Haram Islamist fundamentalists within the last five months in Nigeria, according to statistics revealed.

NIREC Seeks Death Penalty for Extremists

Against the backdrop of the continued attacks by the Boko Haram sect, the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC), Wednesday, canvassed that such activities should be classed as murder, punishable by death. This was contained in a communiqué issued in Ilorin, Kwara State, after the second quarter of the North Central Zone meeting. According to the communiqué which was signed by the National Coordinator/ Executive Secretary of NIREC, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, “shedding the blood of innocent persons is an abomination before God and clearly condemned by our faiths”. Oloyede stressed that the Boko Haram menace and other security threats in the country must be effectively addressed by all means in order to accelerate the socio economic growth of the polity.

AIG Asks Officers to be Vigilant

The Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), zone 10, Ibrahim Machi, has called on officers to be vigilant and avoid any act of negligence while on duty. Addressing men of the Sokoto State Police Command on Wednesday, Machi said the call has become necessary, in view of the security challenge posed by Boko Haram in the country. Machi maintained that all efforts should be made by the command to ensure that the armoury was protected from enemies lurking around to cause havoc. The AIG also cautioned officers against involvement in political activities ahead of the governorship primary election in the state.

Police Stop Ex-Militants’ Planned Protest in Abuja

About 1600 ex-militants travelling to Abuja in about 300 vehicles were intercepted at Jimeta Toll Gate checkpoint by the Nigerian police at about 4am on Thursday. The group from the Niger Delta states, led by one ‘General’ Ramsey, said it was on its way to Abuja to protest against the Federal Government’s non-implementation of the amnesty deal. The ex-militants that were not allowed to continue on their journey to Abuja gave a four-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to fulfil its side of the bargain. Ramsey said the militants graduated from the rehabilitation training in December 2010, but alleged that till date, they had neither been paid nor ‘settled.’ He appealed to the Federal Government to address their grievances, adding that they would not like to go back to the creeks to foment trouble again.

Fire Razes Makurdi Market

An early morning inferno, on Thursday, destroyed property worth several millions of naira when the administrative and executive shops at the Makurdi modern market were engulfed by the fire. It was gathered that the fire started about 1a.m and lasted for over two hours. The cause of the inferno was no immediately known, as some people, however, attributed it to power outage while others claimed that it was an act of sabotage as there was no power supply to the market days before the incident. The acting manager of the market, Mr Kurum Francis, expressed shock at the incident, saying that they were alerted by villagers about the fire.

Robbers Kill 4 Policemen at Divisional HQ

Four policemen were killed on Thursday in Kogi State when armed robbers opened fire on them right in front of the divisional police headquarters in Okene. The robbers were said to have come for a reprisal attack following the arrest of the driver and their vehicle recently. It was said that policemen on patrol flagged down an unmarked car on Ogori- Agheva Road, the occupants of the vehicle on sighting the police fled into the bush. But on conducting search on the vehicle, 10 AK 47 guns were said to have been cleverly tucked inside the vehicle with eight of the guns suspected to be some of the guns carted away from Kabba Police Station. The police were said to have arrested the driver and moved the vehicle to the divisional police headquarters within the town.

55 Nigerians Arrive from Libya

Another batch of 55 Nigerians arrived in Nigeria on Wednesday from Libya, through Nigeria’s border with Republic of Chad. The returnees said they have been in the Sahara desert for about a month before they were transported to Nigeria. He said though the treatment to them as Nigerians was worse but all blacks in Libya had their fair share of hostility. The North-east Zonal Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Alhaji Aliyu Sabo, said the 55 returnees were handed over to the agency by officials of the International Organization for Migrants at Faya, a Chadian town.

INTERNATIONAL

Bombs Kill 78 in Two Days in Afghanistan

A roadside mine killed 19 civilians and injured another five when it exploded in the southern Afghan province of Helmand on Wednesday, the provincial government said. The blast came a day after rare sectarian attacks in three Afghan cities killed 59 people. After Tuesday's attacks, the largest of which targeted a Shi'ite Muslim shrine in the capital Kabul, Afghan President Hamid Karzai cancelled a planned visit to Britain to return straight home. Afghans have previously been spared the large-scale sectarian attacks that regularly trouble Iraq and neighbouring Pakistan, but now face the grim prospect of a new type of bloodshed being added to the dangers of daily life.

32 Killed as Bombs Hit Shi'ite Pilgrims in Iraq

A series of bombs tore through crowds of Shi'ite pilgrims celebrating a major ritual across Iraq on Monday, killing at least 32 people, police said. In the first attack, a car bomb blasted the end of one procession in the city of Hilla, killing 16 mainly women and children, wounding 45 others. A second attack involving two roadside bombs killed at least six more people at another procession in Hilla and wounded 18 more, police sources said. In Baghdad, at least 11 people were killed and 38 more wounded by roadside bombs targeting Shi'ite pilgrims in three different neighbourhoods, police and hospital sources said. On the outskirts of Baghdad, gunmen using hand grenades attacked Shi'ite pilgrims marching to the holy city of Kerbala, killing two and wounding four in Latifiya, police said.

Yemen Sets Up Group to Oversee Military

Yemen's government named a team of lawmakers on Sunday to oversee the military after days of battles threatened to wreck a deal easing President Ali Abdullah Saleh from office. At least two people were killed penultimate Sunday in fighting between Saleh loyalists and opponents in the city of Taiz, centre of ten months of protests. Sunday's deaths bring to at least 19 the toll from fighting in Taiz in Yemen's south. Vice-President, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi named the committee members who will oversee the end of fighting and the return of forces to barracks.

Karzai Seeks Global Support against Taliban

International support after foreign forces withdraw in 2014 is crucial if Afghanistan is to remain stable, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has emphasized in his comments at a major global conference on Afghanistan’s future. According to Karzai, the Taliban could make a comeback and take over Afghanistan again. He noted that there has been progress in Afghanistan since the overthrow of the Taliban in the wake of the hijacked plane attacks on the United States. Karzai hailed the progress Afghanistan has made in the decade since the last conference, but warned that such gains were by no means secure. He said the conference presented an opportunity for Afghanistan to consolidate its gains.

Colombians Protest Rebel Hostage-Takings

Thousands of Colombians joined demonstrations demanding that the country's oldest leftist guerrilla group, the FARC, free all its hostages. The protest came ten days after rebels murdered four men who had been held for more than a decade. The FARC responded with a promise, posted on its webpage, to release hostages, but did not state who or when. Protesters earlier marched in major cities, chanting, "Freedom, freedom, freedom." But there were others in the crowds who also called on the military not to put hostages' lives in danger with risky rescue attempts. The demonstrations were organized by civic groups with the support of the government, which gave public employees time off to participate and had openly called on Colombians to join the protests.

Air Strike Kills Gaza Militant

Israeli air strikes have killed one Palestinian militant and injured at least another two in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians say. The militants were all members of the Islamic Jihad, the group said. The Israeli military said its air strikes targeted two groups of militants east of Gaza City, who were preparing to fire rockets into Israel. Palestinian officials also said Israeli troops moved into a buffer zone near Gaza City before the strikes. Islamic Jihad is one of the main militant groups in Gaza but is not directly affiliated with Hamas, the militant group running the Gaza Strip.

UN Security Council Widens Sanctions against Eritrea

The UN Security Council has slammed more sanctions against Eritrea following accusation by neighbouring governments that it was plotting terrorist attacks and supporting Somali Islamist rebels. A resolution, passed with 13 votes in favour, while Russia and China abstained, allows the council to increase the number of individuals and entities that can be hit with a travel ban and assets freeze. Eritrea has been accused of supporting Al-Shabab Islamist militants in Somalia with finance and weapons. A UN sanctions monitoring group has linked the government to a bomb plot against an African Union summit in Addis Ababa in January.

Nasrallah Confirms Weapons’ Build-up by Hezbollah

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, made a rare public appearance on Tuesday during the Shi’ite Muslim festival of Ashura and said his group was building up its arsenal. The backers of his group –Syria and Iran – are at the centre of heightened regional tension. Activists said yesterday that a surge in violence in the restive Syrian city of Homs has killed up to 50 people in a day, leaving dozens of bodies in the streets. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights cited witnesses as saying 34 bodies were dumped in the streets of Homs on Monday night.

Gbagbo Appears Before ICC

Cote d’Ivoire’s former President, Laurent Gbagbo, made his first appearance on Monday before the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of crimes against humanity. He, however, accused France of orchestrating his arrest. Gbagbo, the first former head of state to be brought before the tribunal, faces four counts of crimes against humanity, including murder, rape and inhuman acts, over post-election violence the UN said cost about 3,000 lives. The 66-year-old was arrested in April by followers of long-time rival and current President Alassane Ouattara after months of violence triggered by the former‘s refusal to accept defeat in a November 2010 vote. Judge Silvia Fernandez de Gurmendi said Gbagbo, must reappear on June 18 for a confirmation of charges hearing.

Libya Intercepts Italy-Bound Migrants

Libya’s government said on Monday it intercepted hundreds of Africans bound for Italy on a fishing boat, though the migrants said they were tricked and a Libyan official said the skipper cooperated with the authorities. Interior Minister, Fawzi Abd al All, said the new interim government was serious about tackling illegal migration to Europe. Libya under Gaddafi was a muster point for sub-Saharan Africans hoping to enter Europe illegally in search of work. Gaddafi’s government secured financial and other benefits from the European Union, and Italy especially, in return for helping stem the flow of people making the short but perilous journey. But during this year’s Libyan revolt, tens of thousands of migrants reached the Italian island of Lampedusa.

Italian Mafia Boss Arrested

Mafia boss, Michele Zagaria, one of Italy's most wanted men, was captured on Wednesday after police drilled into a concrete underground bunker where the man known as "Twisted Head" was hiding. Zagaria, who had been on the run for 16 years, was head of the Casalesi clan of the Camorra that controlled a swathe of territory north of Naples. The 53-year-old, sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment for murder in 2008, was captured in his home town of Casapesenna, police said. Zagaria's bunker was about 50 square metres (540 sq. feet) in size and hidden behind a 5-metre (16 feet) thick wall of reinforced concrete that opened and closed electronically. Police cut off electricity and air to the bunker, and then drilled through the wall, according to police sources.

Karzai to Confront Pakistan over Afghan Blasts

President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan has declared that the unprecedented suicide bombing at a Shiite shrine in Kabul originated in Pakistan and pledged to confront the Pakistani government about the attack. About 56 people were killed in the explosion, which occurred as Shiites were commemorating the major Islamic holy day of Ashoura. Karzai said the Afghan government has launched an investigation, but the group behind the attack is based in Pakistan, adding that he would take the issue to the Pakistani government.

Italian Group Claims German Banker Letter Bomb

An Italian far-left group has claimed responsibility for a letter bomb sent to Germany's top banker, German police said Thursday. State police said it was possible that the "terrorist left-wing anarchist" group had sent other bombs in addition to one intercepted Wednesday addressed to Deutsche Bank CEO Josef Ackermann. The Federazione Anarchica Informale (FAI) claimed responsibility for the attempted letter bomb attack against Dr. Ackermann. The FAI is accused of being behind several attacks against European institutions, including an attempted letter bombing against the European Central Bank in Frankfurt in 2003. A police spokesman said FAI's claim of responsibility had been found in the envelope. Media reports said Ackermann was not in the building at the time.

NATO Fuel Trucks Destroyed in Attack

More than 20 trucks were destroyed in a rocket attack on Thursday on a NATO trucking terminal in southwest Pakistan supplying troops in neighbouring Afghanistan, police said. A number of oil tankers and goods trucks were parked in the temporary terminal in Quetta after Pakistan shut down supply lines for NATO forces in anger at a deadly cross-border air strike which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Senior police official, Malik Arshad, said gunmen fired bullets and a rocket at the NATO oil tankers and the ensuing blaze engulfed more than 20 vehicles in Quetta. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack but the Taliban have in the past said they carried out similar attacks to disrupt supplies for the more than 130,000 US-led troops fighting in Afghanistan.

20 Die in Indian Hospital Fire

As many as 20 people were feared killed when a fire engulfed a hospital in the early hours of Friday in the Indian city of Kolkata, officials said. Firhad Hakim, the urban development minister for West Bengal, said most of the victims were believed to be patients, trapped by the smoke and flames that spread rapidly through the hospital building during the night. The fire broke out around 3:00am and was believed to have started in the basement of the five-storey AMRI hospital. Distraught relatives of patients gathered outside to follow the rescue operation.