Villeworth Security Services Ltd

week 41

• 
• 

PORT HARCOURT AND ENVIRONS

JTF Destroys 127 Illegal Refineries, Arrests 29 Suspects

The Joint (Military) Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta says it has arrested 29 suspected oil thieves and destroyed 127 illegal refineries in the region. The JTF spokesman, Lt.-Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, said the suspects were arrested during the series of anti-oil-theft operations between September 16 and September 28. He added that the 29 suspects were currently undergoing preliminary investigations and would soon be handed over to relevant prosecuting agencies. Nwachukwu explained that in Bayelsa State, troops of 343 Regiment of the JTF in Southern Ijaw LGA clamped down on 98 illegal crude oil distillation sites. In another operation, troops of 29 Battalion and the Gun Boat Patrol Company arrested a barge with three crew members and a vessel christened MT Tora Eagle with 11 crew members in Bodo waterways and Akassa creek in Rivers and Bayelsa states respectively.

Ex-Militants in Gun Battle over Amnesty Package

There was pandemonium in Bilabiri community in Ekeremor LGA of Bayelsa State following gun battle between armed ex-militant youths engaged in a revolt against a leading ex-militant leader, Commander Pius, over alleged diversion of welfare packages from the Amnesty Implementation Office. The gun battle, according to community sources, is between loyalists of the embattled ex-leader and the aggrieved youths from his camp located in the area. The gunmen who stormed the coastal community in about two speed boats were after a former militant leader simply identified as ‘Gen’ Pius. Pius was said to have visited Bilabiri community to spend the weekend when the gunmen suspected to be his former ‘boys’ struck.

20 Ex-Militants for Aviation Training in Germany

Twenty pilots under the Presidential Amnesty Programme, last Sunday, left Nigeria for further training in Lufthansa, Germany. The pilots had previously undergone training in Africa Union Aviation Academy in South Africa, before proceeding to Lufthansa Pilot Training Institute in Germany for a 14-month-training in Airline Transport Pilot. Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Amnesty Programme, Kingsley Kuku, said the training was part of the efforts of the Federal Government to ensure development in the country. Kuku commended the pilots for their conducts in the previous training. He urged them to comport themselves in ways and manner that would positively project Nigeria’s image. Kuku, however, said that other Nigerians were also undergoing other trainings in different fields and in different countries under the amnesty programme.

Residents Lynch 2 Female Robbers in Aba

Two female members of a robbery gang that had been terrorizing Iheorji axis of Aba in Abia State, have been lynched.  Angry residents of the area, last weekend, killed the two women, whose robbery gang had been giving them sleepless nights. It was disclosed that two young women came in company with their male counterparts to rob that night, but unknown to them, youths of the area and the private security guards had laid ambush for them. When the youths attacked them as they approached, the male gang members were said to have escaped leaving the two girls behind and they were lynched immediately. Armed robberies in the area had gone unchallenged due to poor road network that made it difficult for security personnel to access the place.

Police Quiz Policeman Caught Demanding N10,000 Bribe on Video

The Anambra State Police Command on Wednesday said it had begun questioning the policeman, caught on video demanding a bribe of N10,000 from a motorist. Police Public Relations Officer, Emeka Chukwuemeka, said the outcome of the investigation would be made public as soon as it was concluded. Chukwuemeka said the manner the video was shot made it easy for the authorities to identify the policeman in question. The police spokesman, who assured members of the public that the policeman would be made to face the full wrath of the law if found guilty, said the police would not condone any acts of corruption. In the three-minute video which has since become an Internet sensation, the man in uniform was seen seated in the front seat with the driver demanding the N10,000 bribe after he had observed some discrepancies between the vehicle particulars and its chassis number. Several appeals by the driver, who was coming from Akure, fell on deaf ears.

FIDA Urges Rape Victims to Reject Out of Court Settlement

The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Bayelsa State chapter, has called on parents of rape victims not to accept out of court settlement in the course of seeking for justice. Chairperson of FIDA, Pere Egbuson, decried the incessant rape cases in the society and called for stiffer penalty for offenders. The out of court settlement, she noted, would encourage the would-be offenders to continue such crime against children and women in the society. She called on parents to always report such matters to the police and get doctors report, as well as involve FIDA or any other lawyer, adding that the body would protect the victim and prosecute offender and pursue the case to its logical conclusion. Mrs Egbuson noted with sadness that rape cases have been on the increase in recent times, while victims are most times reluctant to prosecute the matter in court because of the perceived negative publicity and fear of stigmatisation. She urged rape victims to speak up when faced with such challenges, without fear or favour as FIDA provides free legal services for victims.

BENIN/WARRI/ESCRAVOS

NASS Urges Alternative Funding for East-West Road

The National Assembly has advised the Federal Government to explore alternative funding sources to ensure the completion of the East-West road, which requires  a total of N141 billion to meet its December 2014 completion timeline set out by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs. The lawmakers also believed that being a massive project, 2015 completion target should be pursued to ensure quality, considering funding challenges, the topography of the region and weather factor. Speaking after inspecting the road with the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, the lawmakers from both arms of the National Assembly, agreed that the federal government needed to explore alternative funding sources to ensure the completion of the all-important road.

Monarch Denies Role in Delta Violence

The Obi of Ogwashi-Uku, Prof. Chukuka Okonjo, and father of  the Coordinating  Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has denied claims that he has a hand in the recent violence in the community which led to  the death of  a youth. A statement by the palace’s spokesman, Chief Okolobi Lawrence on Monday in Ogwashi Uku also denied the involvement of the minister from the violence. Okolobi described the allegations against the minister and her father as ridiculous. He said that report in an online newspaper which made several reckless allegations, including murder against the revered monarch and his daughter were as false as they are ridiculous.

Youths Protest Abandonment of Benin-Abraka Road Project

Thousands of angry youths from Orhionwon LGA of Edo State, on Tuesday, staged a peaceful protest over the alleged abandonment of the Benin-Abraka road by the Niger Delta Ministry. The contract for the construction of the dilapidated road was awarded and flagged –off in 2009 by the Federal Ministry of Works. The bad condition of the road is said to have claimed many lives and destroyed economic livelihood of inhabitants of communities along the road who are basically agrarian. The protest, which lasted several hours, was led by youths of the local government, who also appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to immediately ask the contracting Ministry to return back to site and complete the project. Leading the protest, member of the Edo State House of Assembly, Hon Friday Ogieriakhi, said it is an irony for a community endowed with large deposit of oil and gas to be subject to abject poverty due to non-completion of the road.

LAGOS AND ENVIRONS

Police Parade Robbery Kingpins

The police in Lagos, penultimate Friday, paraded three suspected armed robbery kingpins, who were arrested by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad. The suspects were paraded before the House Committee on Police Affairs. The suspects, Abiodun Ogunjobi, aka Godogodo; Felix Sunday, aka K Money; and Nwanyim Uche; pleaded for amnesty. Godogodo had been described by the police as the most wanted criminal in the South West for the past 10 years. The other robbery suspect, K Money, was among the robbers that attacked bureau de change operators at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, and killed two policemen in the operation. The Officer in Charge of SARS, Abba Kyari, said that Uche’s cohorts were killed during a shootout with his men. The lawmakers, who commended the police for the achievements, berated the suspects for their dastardly acts.

Court Remands Two Men for Alleged Rape of Minors

Two men, Segun Olagbebi, 37, and Tokunbo Olukoya, 38, were on Thursday arraigned in Lagos, over the alleged rape of two daughters of their neighbours. The victims were aged 11 and 13 years, respectively. Segun and Tokunbo are standing trial at an Abule-Egba Magistrate Court in Lagos, on a four-count charge of rape. The prosecutor, Insp. Rachael Williams, told the court that the offences were committed on July 12 and August 4, respectively, at their residence. According to the prosecution, on July 12, the accused raped an 11-year-old daughter of one of their neighbours in the room of the first accused. “Also, on August 4, the first accused, Segun raped the 13-year-old daughter of the second accused in his room. The screaming of the girl attracted the neighbours and he was arrested. It was at the police station that Segun told the police that both of them had previously raped an 11-year-old daughter of one of their neighbours.

13 Killed as Plane Crashes in Lagos

A struck in Lagos on Thursday when a chartered aircraft carrying the remains of former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, 20 passengers and 7 crew members crashed less than a minute after take-off from the local wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja. The Embraer 120 aircraft belonging to Associated Aviation Limited, was heading for Akure in Ondo State for the burial of the former governor. Although the metal casket bearing his body was recovered intact, 13 out of the 20 passengers aboard the flight were confirmed dead by the management of the AAL. The plane broke into two with its cockpit compartment seriously burnt. Aviation sources said the plane lost an engine immediately after take-off.

Navy Arrests 5 Aliens for Illegal Bunkering

Five foreign nationals, suspected of conveying petroleum products from pipeline vandals to Benin Republic, have been arrested by the Nigerian Navy in Badagry area of Lagos State. The suspects, comprising four teenagers from Benin Republic and a 50-year-old Ghanaian, were reportedly arrested while conveying 113 50-litre jerry cans filled with petroleum products. Parading the suspects, Administration Officer, NNS Beecroft, Apapa, Commander Hyacynth Nwaka, said operatives of the Task Force intercepted the suspects at 3.30am and brought them to the base for further investigation. The suspects claimed they were fishermen based in Seme area of Lagos. One of them said that they were instructed by some persons to convey the product to Seme, where it would be sold to buyers for onward transportation to Benin Republic. The suspects, according to Commander Nwaka, would be handed over to the police.

Two Officers Killed as Robbers Attack Police Outpost, Bank

A gang of armed robbers, numbering about 17, invaded the Kara police outpost in Ibadan, Oyo state, last Sunday, killing the officer in charge and an unidentified man. The armed robbers also reportedly went away with about four AK 47 rifles and the uniforms of all the police officers and men on duty. After disarming the policemen, the armed robbers invaded a bank, beside the police post and attempted to break into the vault. Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Olabisi Okuwobi-Ilobanafor, described the killing of the officer as unfortunate, saying that he died as a gallant officer, who resisted at the armed robbers before he was overpowered. The PPRO said that the police command was already making efforts towards arresting up with the suspects.

8 Drown in Lagos Boat Mishap

At least eight persons were drowned after a commercial boat capsized around Apapa area of Lagos, on Monday. The engine boat was conveying about 19 passengers, mostly traders from Sagbokoji Village to the Lagoon area of Apapa. Fishermen around the area reportedly rescued some of the passengers. Eyewitnesses said about nine persons were rescued and conveyed to their destinations. Lagos State Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Damasus Ozoani, confirmed the incident.

Fayemi Pardons 10 Inmates

Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State on Tuesday granted state pardon to 10 inmates at the Ado-Ekiti Prisons in commemoration of the nation’s independence and 17th anniversary of the creation of Ekiti State. Two of the freed inmates in Ekiti State, Olabode Abirifon and Julius Abirifon, earlier sentenced to death by the state High Court, had their death sentences commuted to life imprisonment by the governor. The Abirifon brothers had been on the death row for 16 years. Eight others, Olusola Ojo, Alex Dasun (a Beninoise), Segun Olowoyo, Simon Okeme, Opeyemi Ogundele, Joseph Adafase, Taiwo Ibikunle and Kehinde Fagbemi, serving various prison terms were released unconditionally with effect from Tuesday. The governor said he took the decision in view of the powers conferred on him by Section 212 of the 1999 Constitution and on the recommendations of the state Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy.

Man Arrested for Raping Underage Sisters

The Osun State Police Command has arrested a 22-year-old man, Daniel Sunday, for allegedly raping two sisters, aged 8 and 12. The suspect was said to have lured the girls to an uncompleted building in Iloko Ijesa by showing them pornographic film on his telephone. The suspect was also said to have given the victims N50 each to further entice them. The girls were said to have stayed back at the uncompleted building after they had been defiled, while their mother became worried when she couldn’t find her two daughters at home. The worried mother was said to have reported a case of missing persons to the police and detectives were sent out to search for the girls. Police spokesperson, Folasade Odoro, confirmed the incident. She added that the suspect was arrested and had confessed to the crime. In a similar incident, one Odey, a 23 year-old man, was arrested by the police for allegedly defiling a seven year-old girl at Odogo Ijesa. The mother of the victim was said to have left her two daughters at home and went to the farm. The suspect was said to have lured the younger of the two siblings away and forcibly had sex with her.

Hoodlums Assault Policemen over Bike Seizure

Pandemonium broke out, on Wednesday, in Idi-Araba area of Lagos, after hoodlums attacked a team of policemen that came to effect the arrest of commercial motorcyclists (Okada), leaving some of them wounded. The Police van would have reportedly been set ablaze but for the timely arrival of reinforcement from Area ‘D’ Command, Mushin. Trouble started after a team of policemen from Itire division stormed a park close to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and seized some commercial motorcycles. They said pleas and explanations by the commercial motorcyclists that the area was not among the designated areas of restriction by the state government fell on deaf ears. In another incident, a 28-year-old Man ‘O War official was arrested by the Police for impersonating a Police Corporal. The suspect was said to have chewed and swallowed the fake police identity card found on him in a bid to avoid arrest. The suspect said he got the police badge and ranks from a beer parlour.

Suspected Cultists Arrested for Murder

Three suspected cultists have been arrested by Police in Lagos State in connection with the murder of rival cultists in Epe area of the state. The suspects, as gathered, were arrested following investigation into the incessant clashes between rival cultists by members of a vigilante. Their identities were given as Olawale Olushote 20; Idowu Gborokini 29 and Seyi Adewunmi, 26. Idowu Gborokini and Seyi Adewunmi denied being cultists. The suspects were arrested during a raid by policemen. Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Damasus Ozoani, said the suspects have been transferred to the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), from where they would be charged to court after investigations.

Murdered Banker: Lagos Court Fines Defence Counsel Over Delay

An Ikeja High Court has adjourned till October 31, the adoption of final written addresses in the trial of Akolade Arowolo, who was charged with the murder of his wife, Titilayo. The trial judge, Justice Lateefat Okunnu, also imposed a N10,000 fine on Arowolo’s counsel, Mr. Olarenwaju Ajanaku, for wasting the time of the court. Titilayo was allegedly brutally murdered by her husband. Okunnu said Ajanaku’s failure to file and regularise the defence processes was a setback to the speedy conclusion of the case. Mrs. Olabisi Ogungbesan, Director, Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions, also expressed dissatisfaction with the delay. Arowolo, 31, was charged to court for allegedly stabbing his wife, a banker, to death. He had pleaded not guilty but was remanded in Ikoyi Prison.

Trader Arrested for Human Trafficking

A trader, Iyabo Adefioye, has been charged before a Somolu Magistrates’ Court, Lagos for allegedly luring a woman into sex slavery in Libya. Adefioye, 43, is being tried for conspiracy and human trafficking. The prosecuting counsel told the court Wednesday that the accused sold a hairdresser, Risi Adegbite, 30, into sex slavery in Libya under the guise of assisting her to seek “greener pastures”. Assistant Superintendent of Police Akinlabi Adegoke told the court that the accused, with others still at large, committed the offence sometime in August this year. He said the accused, who was a regular caller at the complainant’s saloon at Fadeyi Bus Stop, had promised to secure employment for her in Libya. Adefioye, however, entered a plea of not guilty. In her ruling, the magistrate, Mrs. Bola Osunsanmi, admitted the accused to a bail of N200,000, in addition to two sureties in like sum. The accused, if found guilty, may be sentenced to 14 years imprisonment.

Hoodlums Attack Emir’s Neighbourhood

Suspected political thugs, on Tuesday attacked residents around the Emir’s Palace, Ile-film and Bolanta areas of Ilorin, Kwara State. The development led to a pandemonium in the areas as the hoodlums were said to have wielded and attacked both people and properties with dangerous weapons such as machetes and broken bottles. The distressed residents also fled the affected areas to neighbouring streets such as Gegele and Pakata areas that were not affected by the fracas. It was learnt, however, that the hoodlums did not attack the Emir’s palace. The Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Olufemi Fabode, confirmed the attacks.

GENERAL

Gunmen Kill over 70 Students in Yobe

Anger has trailed the last weekend killing of over 40 students of College of Agriculture, Gujba, Yobe State, by suspected Boko Haram gunmen. It was gathered that the gunmen crept into the college in the wee hours of Sunday when the students were still sleeping in the dormitories and shot sporadically at the students. The gunmen were also said to have set some structures in the school on fire. The death toll, however, increased from 50 to 90 by Monday. Authorities of the school, while searching the bushes around the school with local hunters and soldiers on Monday, recovered 28 more bodies. He added that the search became necessary when a headcount of the students that survived, revealed that some were still missing. In another attack by the sect, Benisheikh town in Borno State, seven persons were said to have been killed with three vehicles, including a truck, burnt down.

26 Killed in Niger Boat Mishap

The Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), last Sunday confirmed that 26 persons were killed in a boat mishap in Borgu. NSEMA Director General, Mohammed Saba, said that the cause of the accident has been attributed to unnatural causes, saying the boat driver who survived, was in charge of the boat that took them back to the spot of the accident. The boat driver, he said, told them that they had just taken off from the departure point when they heard a loud bang before the boat capsized. On the survivors, he said they were 58 survivors. He further stated that the number of passengers in the boat could not be ascertained. Following the incident, the state government is set to enforce the policy on use life jacket for boat operator and passengers. Governor Babangida Aliyu directed the state Ministry of Transport to ensure full enforcement of the laws affecting water transportation.

Yero Orders Security Surveillance on Community as Clash Claims 100 Lives

The death toll from last Saturday’s attack on Zangan village in Attakar Chiefdom, Kaura LGA of Kaduna State has risen to about 100, with about 500 houses destroyed and over 10,000 persons displaced.  Governor, Alhaji Mukhtar Yero, has directed security agencies to intensify surveillance in Zangang village, Kaura LGA following the killing by gunmen who invaded the village. The bandits, who were said to have come from two different directions, were also said to have injured several people while houses were set ablaze. Yero condemned the incident and appealed to the people of the area to be calm and avoid a situation where miscreants would want to escalate the situation. He warned against any resort to violating the laws to avoid any act that could lead to confusion and anarchy.

13 Killed in Benue Attack

Gunmen, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, last Sunday, killed 13 persons in Agatu LGA of Benue State, who were travelling to a nearby village in Apa LGA. The gunmen were said to have ambushed their victims and after killing them, burnt their bodies. The incident has caused tension among residents of the two LGAs, prompting persons living at the border town to flee for fear of reprisals. Confirming the report, the state Police spokesman, Dan Ezeala, said 13 people were confirmed dead in the crisis while the bodies of nine of the victims were burnt. He stated that security operatives have been drafted to the area to prevent further breakdown of law and order. He assured that the police were doing everything to put the situation under control and called on the people not to panic.

Bandits Kill Nigerien Soldier in Borno

Armed bandits in Nigeria have reportedly killed a Nigerien soldier and injured three others in Nigeria. A senior Nigerien security official said that the soldier and three others were wounded in an attack on Wednesday by eight armed bandits on the Nigerian territory. The soldiers were part of a West African force based in Baga, a town located in Borno state. The three wounded soldiers were taken to a hospital in eastern Niger’s Diffa, near the border with Nigeria. Boko Haram has attacked churches, mosques, newspaper offices, the security forces, politicians and a UN building, among other targets.

Govt Withdraws Sponsorship of 6 Students over Attack on Embassy in Russia

Irked by last Monday’s attack on the Nigerian Embassy in Moscow, the Presidency has withdrawn sponsorship of six students at the Peoples Friendship University, for unruly behaviour. The affected students are reported to have stormed the Nigerian Embassy in Moscow and protested non-remittance of their September allowance, creating image problems for Nigeria in the process. Following the assault on the embassy, the Russian police arrested no fewer than 16 Niger Delta students and took them into custody for breach of the peace. The Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta announced on Thursday that it decided to withdraw sponsorship of the affected students to serve as deterrent to others under its sponsorship in other parts of the globe. The students were part of the 24 Niger Delta youths being sponsored by the Amnesty Office at the Peoples Friendship University, Moscow, Russia, who were found to be behind the condemnable act. The decision was announced by Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Kingsley Kuku, after it was discovered that claims of the students were untrue and that the attack on the Nigerian Mission was unprovoked.

US Urges Nigeria to Bring Students’ Killers to Justice

The United States of America has asked the Federal Government to bring to justice the killers of about 90 students of the College of Agriculture, Gujba, Yobe State. The US said those responsible for the killing of the students and others had no place in a democratic society. A statement by the spokesman for the US Department of State, Jen Psaki, on Tuesday, said it was important to bring those responsible for the massacre to justice and ensure the protection of civilians and respect for the rule of law. The US Government condemned the Boko Haram attackers and urged the FG to work together with the families of the victims and affected communities to find and bring those responsible for the spate of violence to justice.

France Vows to Rescue Citizen Abducted in Nigeria

The French government has promised not to spare any effort to ensure the quick return of its citizen, Mr. Francis Collomp, who has been in captivity in Nigeria since December, 2012. The First Counsellor, Political Affairs and Communications for the Embassy of France in Nigeria, Mr. Georges Venin, made this position known in Abuja, on Tuesday. Until his abduction, Collomp was an engineer working for French owned company Vergnet at a project site in Rimi, Katsina State.

Public Hospital Paralysed as Resident Doctors’ Embark on Strike

The strike embarked upon by members of the National Association of Resident Doctors has paralysed activities in public hospitals across the country. NARD had embarked upon the strike to force the Federal Government to pay arrears of salaries being owned the medical doctors. Consequently, patients are being hit hard while relatives of some of the sick are being forced to take their sick to private hospitals. The NARD Chairman at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Dr. Babatunde Babasanya, said on Wednesday that the doctors were seeking the payment of salaries being owed them. He also said the Federal Government’s implementation of  the Integrated  Payroll and Personnel Information System had not been  effective in spite of the fact that many  doctors were short paid. Consultants at the hospital took over the responsibilities of the striking resident doctors. The Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu, has expressed disappointment over the strike, saying that the action was uncalled for as the issues brought by the association were already being looked into.

Insurgents Use Cows, Camels to Import Arms to Nigeria –Military

The military has said that Boko Haram insurgents imported arms into the country on the backs of cows and camels. The insurgents also used Tricycles, old model pick-up vans and jeeps to bring in arms, the military said. It identified these unusual methods of bringing in arms and the influx of illegal aliens and Improvised Explosive Device materials through the country’s porous borders as the challenges confronting the fight against terrorism. It was also reported that most of the small arms came to the Boko Haram insurgents through Libyan and Malian rebels on the back of camels and donkeys, desperate to exchange arms for money. It also said that the waterways and sea ports in the southern zone provided another means through which those arms were trafficked to the country, via the ships, speed boats and canoes through the creeks.

Special Forces Bomb Boko Haram Hideouts in Yobe, Borno

Military Special Forces, on Wednesday, carried out a major operation against the Boko Haram militants at a forest region between Borno and Yobe states. The Special Forces, who carried out an aerial surveillance of the area, discovered a major camp of the insurgents some kilometres away from the Yobe State School of Agriculture, Gujba, where about 90 students were murdered on Sunday. The source said that the operation was one of the biggest offensives of the Nigerian military against the Boko Haram since the declaration of the emergency rule by President Goodluck Jonathan in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. Investigations revealed that three Alpha jets, several heavy artillery weapons and a large number of ground forces of the Division 7 of the Nigerian Army in Borno and Yobe states participated in the operation. It was learnt that the men of the Joint Task Force in Yobe and those in Maiduguri were deployed simultaneously alongside three Alpha jets of the Nigerian Air Force during the Wednesday raid by the military.

Villagers Appeal for Portable Water after Oil Spillage

Residents of Akko LGA of Gombe State have appealed to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to provide them with alternative sources of water. An NNPC oil pipeline in Tudun Wada Malam Jamo community burst last Friday evening resulting in oil spillage, which led to the adulteration of the river and only water source in the area. Spokespersons of the communities, Alhaji Yayari Jungudo and Umar Ajiya, said that following the spillage, the three communities had been without portable water as the only water available was contaminated.

Security Expert Calls for More Security in Schools

Security expert, Dr. Ona Ekhomu, has urged the government to tighten security in schools in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states. Ekhomu stated this while reacting to the killing of scores of students of the College of Education Gujba, Yobe State, on September 29. Ekhomu, who is also the Chairman of the School of Management and Security, said fortifying schools in the affected states was necessary to prevent future terrorist attacks on schools. He also advised that schools in border states such as Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, GOMBE and Taraba should receive enhanced physical security as displaced Boko Haram terrorists might select them and carry out attacks.

Army Destroys Seized IEDs in Borno

The 7 Division of Nigerian Army in Borno State has destroyed large quantities of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), recovered during the fight against terror in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. The army had asked residents and members of Chabbal community, including farmers and herdsmen to remain indoors during the period. The acting spokesman of the division, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, said the detonation would be carried out at Chabbal area on Maiduguri-Gubio road to prevent casualties arising from exploded bombs. The spokesman further said that the 7 Division of Nigerian Army is seriously concerned about the recent attacks and killings on Maiduguri-Damaturu road and Benishiekh town, and is acting with a view to containing the ugly trend. He urged members of the public to remain resilient and security conscious at all times.

Mark Pleads with China to Release 490 Nigerian Prisoners

Senate President, David Mark, has pleaded with Beijing to release 490 Nigerians languishing in Chinese prisons. He begged the Chinese leader, Mr. Zhang Dejiang to review the cases of 366 Nigerians in Chinese prisons, 120 awaiting trial and four already sentenced to death under the transfer of prisoners’ arrangement. Nigeria and China have pledged military co-operation especially in the training and retraining of security personnel in tackling terrorism and disaster response capabilities. Under the arrangement, both nations would exchange programmes for military officers and students of Defence Colleges. These were part of the high-points of the bilateral talks between Mark and President of the Chinese Parliament, Mr. Dejiang who also doubles as the Chairman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) in Abuja.

Jang Grants Pardon to 5 Inmates

Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State has pardoned five inmates of Jos prison. A statement signed by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Mr. James Mannok, said that they have all been released unconditionally. Jang, who noted that this gesture was in celebration of the nation’s 53rd Independence, urged the beneficiaries to reintegrate themselves into the society and be of good conduct while participating meaningfully in the development of the state.

INTERNATIONAL

Fresh Fighting Breaks Out in Mali

Fresh fighting broke out in the streets of the Malian rebel bastion of Kidal on Monday, after Tuareg separatists and the army exchanged gunfire the night before. The Malian army came under attack in central Kidal last Sunday from fighters from the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (MNLA), the main Tuareg group involved in peace talks between rebels and the government, which broke down on Thursday. Sunday’s fire fight followed two militant attacks on soldiers since Tuareg rebels claiming autonomy for northern Mali pulled out of the talks. In another incident, four suicide bombers blew up their car at a military barracks in the desert city of Timbuktu last Saturday, killing two civilians and wounding six troops. No Islamist group has claimed any of the recent attacks.

47 Killed in Baghdad Car Bombs

A series of car bomb blasts in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Monday, killed at least 47 people and injured several others. The blasts targeted markets and car parks in mainly Shia Moslem districts of the city. There has been a recent upsurge in sectarian violence. More than 5,000 people have been killed so far this year, according to United Nations data. Monday’s blasts struck during Baghdad’s morning rush hour, with reports of 13 bombs, most of them in Shia neighbourhoods. One of the deadliest attacks was reported from the eastern Sadr City district where seven people were killed and 75 injured in a crowded vegetable market. Another six were reported killed in Shuala, a mainly Shia area of north Baghdad. No-one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but Sunni Muslim insurgents have been blamed for much of the most recent violence.

Israel Arrests Iranian ‘Spy’

Israel's Shin Bet security service Sunday announced the arrest on September 11 of an Iranian “spy” carrying photographs of the US embassy in Tel Aviv. News of the arrest was released just hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left for Washington and New York, determined to expose what he described as “sweet talk” by Israel’s arch-foe Iran. The suspect, holding a Belgian passport, was sent to Israel by Iran’s elite Republican Guards and arrested at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion international airport, Shin Bet charged in a statement.

Dozens Killed as Blasts Hit Pakistani Market

An explosion, last weekend, ripped through a market in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, leaving at least 33 dead. Police said a bomb had exploded in the Kissa Khwani market, with shops and vehicles set alight. At least 17 people were, penultimate Friday, killed in the bombing of a bus carrying government employees near Peshawar. Peshawar, the main city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has been hit by numerous bomb and gun attacks blamed on Taliban insurgents in recent years. Police said they suspected the explosion was caused by a car bomb. An emergency situation was declared at the Lady Reading Hospital as it received the injured, many of them badly burned. Officials said 76 people had been hurt.

Assad Vows to Comply with UN Resolution on Chemical Weapons
...as 12 Die in Air Strikes

Syria will respect United Nations accords on chemical weapons, President Bashar al-Assad, has said. The UN Security Council adopted a resolution on Friday that demands the eradication of Syria’s chemical weapons but does not threaten automatic punitive action against Assad’s government if it does not comply. The U.S.-Russia deal averted punitive U.S. military action against Assad’s government, which Washington blamed for the August 21 sarin nerve gas attack on a Damascus suburb that killed hundreds. The Syrian government and its ally Russia blamed anti-government rebels for the attack. Meanwhile, at least 12 people, most of them students, were killed in an air strike that hit a secondary school in the rebel-held Syrian city of Raqqa Sunday, activists said.

Bomb Attacks Claim 10 Lives in Baghdad

Two bombs exploded near Sunni mosques, killing 6 people, in the Iraqi capital as worshippers left after Friday prayers. The bombs in the Dura area and Jihad also wounded about 22 others. The blasts were the latest in a series of sectarian attacks in the city. There are persistent fears of a return to the all-out Sunni-Shiite violence that peaked in 2006-2007 and killed tens of thousands of people. Also on Friday, a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle near an army base in the northern province of Nineveh, killing two soldiers and wounding 10 other people. And a bomb exploded near a policeman's house in the province, killing his mother. In Kirkuk, another northern province, gunmen shot dead a police colonel.

Hundreds Feared Dead in Boat Disaster

About 130 African migrants were feared dead and many more are missing after a boat carrying them to Europe reportedly sank off the southern Italian island of Lampedusa. According reports, 94 bodies had been recovered and a further 40 was discovered inside the wreck. The passengers reportedly threw themselves into the sea after a fire broke out on board. However, more than 150 of the migrants have been rescued. Most of those on board were from Eritrea and Somalia, said the UNHCR. The boat was believed to have sailed from Libya, the Italian coast guard said. A spokeswoman with the International Organisation for Migration in Rome, Simona Moscarelli, disclosed that as the fire broke out on the boat, the migrants all moved to one side of the boat, causing it to capsize. She estimated that only three of about 100 women on board survived, adding that most of the migrants were unable to swim. The UN said that in recent months, most migrants attempting the crossing were fleeing the conflicts in Syria and the Horn of Africa.