Villeworth Security Services Ltd

week 35

PORT HARCOURT AND ENVIRONS

Dredging Workers Kidnapped in Bayelsa

Four men working for a dredging company attached to a construction giant, SETRACO, were abducted along the creek of Nembe in Nembe LGA of the state of Bayelsa State. The abducted workers were taken at about 9pm penultimate Saturday by the gunmen at the site of the Ogbia-Nembe Road that is meant to link the state capital with the deep riverine areas of the state. The abducted workers have been identified to be Caleb Agene, Otuke Magic Kingdom, Gabriel Oghene and Godwin Odukpong. The abduction of the dredging workers is coming few days after the state government set up an 11-man Security Task Force headed by a former Leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Ebikabowei Victor-Ben. Meanwhile the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) has embarked on mission to raid identified criminal camps in the Southern Ijaw area of the state. JTF spokesman, Lt. Col. Anka Mustapha, disclosed that men of the JTF stormed a Camp at Meibegbemo located at Zobia of Faropo community of Southern Ijaw LGA and recovered arms and ammunition before setting it ablaze.

JTF Seizes, Destroys Trucks Siphoning Diesel from Pipeline

The Joint Military Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta has arrested two trucks for siphoning Automated Gas Oil (diesel) from a pipeline belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). It was learnt that each of the truck had the capacity to carry 45,000 litres of oil. Media Coordinator, JTF, Lt. Col. Mustapha Anka, said the trucks were caught in the act at the NNPC pipeline along Imo Uzoakpo in Ukwa West LGA of Abia State. Both trucks were abandoned by the suspected oil thieves who fled on seeing the troops of the task force. Anka said investigations by JTF revealed that illegal bunkering activities had been going on at the site since the beginning of 2014. Anka said the two trucks with other illegal bunkering equipment recovered by the troops were moved to a safer location and burnt.

Military Men Shot as Hoodlums Invade Communities in Rivers State

Armed men have sacked four Rivers State communities and in the violence shot both an Air Force officer and a soldier in what is believed to be a politically motivated crisis. The Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Tunde Ogunsakin, has expressed his displeasure with the rising spate of politically instigated violence in the state. The crisis, which started over the weekend, has forced scores of residents of Okomoko, Egwi, Ulakwo 1 and Ulakwo 2 in Etche LGA of Rivers State to flee the communities to avoid being caught in the crossfire.  It was gathered that despite the deployment of security personnel in the area, residents have refused to return to their homes. Caretaker Chairman of Etche LGA, Charles Anyanwu, decried the fighting in his community, Ulakwo and others, which political observers say is caused by the battle for supremacy in Etche politics by opposing members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as unwarranted.

5 Nabbed for Armed Robbery in Bayelsa

Policemen attached to the Akenfa and Yenagoa Division of the Bayelsa State Police Command have arrested a notorious criminal, John Brigidi, aka Timberland, and four others in separate raids over alleged robbery, car theft and recruitment of youths into violent crimes in the state. John Brigidi was arrested alongside Tamara Joseph and Udoka Nezedike during a raid along the Tenacious road junction, Edepie and Akenfa area for allegedly robbing a couple at gun point. The suspects were arrested with a locally-made pistol and a stolen vehicle at Akenfa and Obele areas. The Public Relations Officer of the Bayelsa Police Command, Alex Akhigbe, who confirmed the development, said the raid was part of ongoing exercise targeted at mopping up arms and check-mating incidence of theft and robbery in parts of the state.

One Child Killed, 2 Injured as Soak-Away Pit Collapses in Ebonyi

A one-year-old baby, Odinaka Nworu, was reported to have died, following the collapse of a soak-away pit in Abakaliki, last weekend. Two siblings of the deceased, Somtochukwu and Eunice Nworu, also sustained injuries. It was gathered that the incident happened when Eunice Nworu, 10, who was carrying her little brother, Odinaka, on her arms climbed a concrete soak-away toilet pit alongside her other sister, Somtochukwu, 4 and tried to hang their clothes when the pit collapsed and submerged three of them. The tragic incident occurred when the parents of the trio went for an early morning service in the church. The father of the children, Ezekiel Nworu, confirmed the incident.

BENIN/WARRI/ESCRAVOS

Teacher Sentenced to 14 Years Jail Term for Raping Student

A 33‑year-old Fine Arts teacher, Godwin Onoyiwa, attached to Delta Career College Warri in Delta State has been sentenced to 14 years imprisonment with hard labour by an Effurun High Court for raping a female student of the school. Sentencing the teacher, Justice P. Onajite‑Kuejubola said the court found him guilty on a one-count charge of rape preferred against him. Prosecution had, in proving its case, told the court that the offence was committed on September 23, 2008 after the usual extra lessons organised by the school for its students had closed for the day when the victim who was searching for her missing school bag was lured inside the teacher’s office. She was thereafter defiled by the randy teacher who overpowered her.

Police Rescue Abducted Mother, Child

The Police in Delta state successfully rescued a woman and her child after they were abducted in Asaba. Police spokeswoman, Celestina Kalu, disclosed that the police quickly mobilised and found the baby and vehicle where they were abandoned. She said the police, acting on a tip-off, stormed the hideout of the kidnappers in Issele-Uku where the woman was rescued unhurt. Kalu said detectives were on a manhunt for the fleeing suspects. The Special Anti-Kidnapping Squad (SAKS) in Delta State have arrested a suspected 35-year-old kidnapper after a gun battle in Obiaruku-Utagba-Uno Road in the state. The kidnap gang broke into the residence of a lecturer, Emmanuel Okolie, and took away his wife, Roseline, to unknown destination after he was robbed of some valuables. The police quickly went after them and arrested the suspect after a shootout. The remaining two escaped with bullet wounds and the victim was rescued unhurt.

Police kill Two Robbery Suspects in Delta State

The Delta State Police Command has killed two armed robbery suspects in Abavo, Ika South LGA of the state. The suspects were killed in a gun duel with the operatives of the command’s Dragon Patrol Team after they robbed a petrol station of large sums of money and some persons of their belongings in the locality. The hoodlums were escaping in their Lifan motorcycle along Urhonigbe road in Edo state when the patrol team, acting on tip-off, swooped on them. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Celestina Kalu, who paraded their corpses at the command’s headquarters in Asaba said the hoodlums opened fire on policemen during stop and search roadblock.

Nine Arrested as Hoodlums Storm INEC Registration Units in Delta

Police in Delta State have arrested nine suspected political thugs for allegedly invading three Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) registration units in the state, snatching 1,301,000 permanent voter’s cards, PVCs, in the last 48 hours. It was gathered that 503 voter’s cards were snatched at two registration units in Oginibo and 654 at Ekakpamre, both in Ughelli South Local Government Area of the state, while 144 PVCs were snatched at Erho Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area. Delta State Police spokeswoman, Celestina Kalu, who confirmed the incidents, said the voter’s cards hijacked in Oginibo and Ekakpamre had been recovered and eight suspects already in police net. She maintained that investigation was in progress while all the recovered PVCs had been released to the electoral officer for Ughelli South LGA on bond.

2 Die in Ughelli as Communities Clash

Two persons, yet unidentified, have been reported dead and a number of others receiving treatment for injuries over conflict between two camps warming up for leadership election at Ughevwughe community, Ughelli South LGA of Delta State. A community leader who pleaded anonymity said one of the deceased was shot Sunday night in the heat of the rivalry between the warring factions while the other died at Ubogo Junction in Udu area in an accident involving a motorcycle conveying the shot victim to hospital. The Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Celestina Kalu, confirmed that the police dispatched a team to effect arrest and calm tension upon receipt of the report. She said no arrest has been made yet as suspects have fled the town while corpse has been recovered and deposited at the Jeremi General Hospital mortuary.

LAGOS AND ENVIRONS

Suspected Bomber Nabbed at Lagos Airport

A suspected bomber was, on Monday, arrested by security operatives at Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos. The physically-challenged suspect was apprehended with suspected explosives around his neck at the annex office of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) located inside the Airport. The suspect was subsequently taken to the Airport Police headquarters along the Ikeja- Airport road. Reacting to the incidence, NAMA General Manager, Public Affairs, Supo Atobatele, said the suspect was on the ground making phone calls and when accosted, his incoherent explanation led to his arrest by security operatives. The Managing Director, Ibrahim Abdulsalam has commended the security personnel for their vigilance and prompt arrest of the suspect.

Police Arrest Three Students for Cultism

The anti-crime patrol unit of the Ogun State Police Command, penultimate Friday, arrested three students of ICT Polytechnic, Igbesa, in the Ado Odo/Ota LGA. The police said the suspects threatened to kill another student if he failed to become a member of their Confraternity. According to the state Police spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, the suspects ─ Kenneth Mokwunye, Adigun David and Okwuma Obiora ─ had threatened to kill another student for failing to join their cult group. The student eventually raised the alarm and the police probed into the allegation before the arrest of the suspects. Adejobi said the state Commissioner of Police commended the victimised student for exposing the threats of the suspected cultists. In another development, police arrested some suspected armed robbers with arms at different locations in the state. The policemen, on night patrol along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway accosted some men at a filling station. During interrogation, the men allegedly opened fire on the police vehicle and fled.

Custom Intercepts 15 Bags of Ammunition

The Ogun State Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted 1,480 cartridges of live ammunition concealed in 15 bags of rice from smugglers along the Abeokuta-Igboora bush path. Controller of the state command, Haruna Mamudu, on Monday said his men got wind of the illegal movement of the ammunition and had laid an ambush for the criminals, who appeared to have got wind of customs’ plan. Mamudu explained that the smugglers later abandoned the ammunition cleverly stuffed into the bags of rice and fled into the bush. He said, the command also made a seizure of nine sacks of Indian hemp at the Imeko area of the state. The area controller said the command would hand over the ammunition to the police, the appropriate government agency concerned with arms and ammunition.

Student Cult Leaders Nabbed for Murder in Ondo State

Two students of the Ondo State-owned Rufus Giwa Polytechnic, Owo, who are said to be notorious cult leaders, Jimoh Fidelis and Dare Wale, have been arrested by Police detectives for murder. Acting on security reports, detectives from the ‘B’ Division in Owo swooped on the cult members at their hideout. Police source said the two students, who have succeeded in initiating many others into the Aiye secret cult on campus, are notorious leaders of the group. They were arrested when the killing of one Adedoja Olawale was traced to the two cult leaders. They reportedly led the gang that murdered the victim at the gate of a popular hotel in Owo. Police investigation showed that the students have made confessional statement and would soon be charged for murder. In another development, police in the state have arrested two Fulani herdsmen who robbed along Owo/Oba express road. They are Aminu Abubakar and Abubakar Umar. It was gathered that they are among a six-man gang that had been terrorising travellers on the road. Items recovered from them include five single barrel guns, one dane-gun, three cutlasses, four GSM handsets and N12,000 cash.

Protest as Police Deny Killing Three Motorcyclists

Motorcycle riders in the Ishashi, Iba Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, on Saturday protested the killing of their members by the police. But the police authorities denied having a hand in the incident. Three motorcyclists were reportedly killed penultimate Friday morning after a clash between the riders and some policemen. It was learnt that the police had raided a spot in the area that morning and were seizing motorcycles when the motorcycle riders resisted them. The police, who were outnumbered by the rampaging riders, reportedly shot into the air to disperse the crowd. Three people were said to have been killed by stray bullets, while two others sustained injuries. The Chairman of the Motorcycle Riders Association, Giwa Gafal, alleged that the police was in the habit of extorting money from the riders. The Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Lelma Kolle, however, denied that policemen killed any of the riders.

Boat Explosion Claims One Life in Lagos

One person was confirmed dead, several others injured, as a passenger boat exploded in Lagos last weekend. It was gathered that the passengers were coming from Lekki axis of the state before the boat engine exploded at Capital Oil Jetty at Victoria Island. Other passengers who sustained varying degrees of injury were immediately rescued and taken to different hospitals in Lagos Island. Confirming the incident, the information officer of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), South-West, Ibrahim Farinloye, said the body of the deceased had been recovered. The information officer said the boat which was said to belong to Aquitien Oil and Gas, exploded while trying to refill gasoline at Capital Oil Jetty at Victoria Island.

Man Arrested for Hitting Traffic Warden in Ogun

Ogun State Police Command has arrested a young man, Tosin Owolola, 27, for abducting a traffic warden at Iyana Mortuary Abeokuta Ogun State on Saturday, August 16. Police spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, said that the incident occurred when the traffic warden flagged down the man driving against the traffic. But the suspect rather hit the traffic warden, who fell on the bonnet of the car, while the suspect kept on driving for a distance of more than 4km, threatening to kill the warden. It took the efforts of the members of the public and other police men on patrol to rescue the traffic warden from the heavily drunk suspect. The Commissioner of Police, CP Ikemefuna Okoye, has directed thorough investigation into the matter and that the suspect be subjected to some medical examinations before he would be charged to court to face the full wrath of the law.

Police Arrest Pastor for Raping Woman in Church

The Ogun State Police Command has arrested one Pastor Segun Alawode, 37, of Eternal Sacred Order C & S Church Sabo, Odogbolu, Ogun State, for raping a 32-year-old woman in his church premises. The victim alleged that the pastor was in a prayer session with her when he asked her to hold on to some candle stick and suddenly and forcefully pulled off her wears before he eventually had carnal knowledge of her in the church. The anti-crime team apprehended him when the victim and her relations notified the police to seek justice. Police spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, disclosed that medical reports so far received on the matter confirmed that the pastor actually committed the offence and he had also confessed to the crime. In another development, the mobile anti-crime patrol team deployed to the Lagos/Ibadan expressway arrested two suspected robbers at Danco filling station along the expressway on Monday night while blocking the expressway in an attempt to rob commuters and road users of their belongings.

Man in Court for Assaulting Commercial Sex Worker

A 26-year+old polytechnic graduate, Shola Egunle, has been charged before an Ebute Metta Magistrate’s court sitting at Oyingbo for allegedly stabbing a commercial sex worker. The defendant was alleged to have stabbed the commercial sex worker, joy Osasuwa, with a knife on the breast and back in a Hotel on August 12, after he had sex with the victim. The defendant is facing a count charge bordering on assault proffered against him by the police. It was said that the defendant had demanded a balance of N800 from the N1000 he gave the victim for her service. It was also said that the defendant made the demand for the balance on the ground that he did not complete the act, adding that when the victim refused to comply with the defendant’s demand, he resorted to self- help by beating the victim before stabbing her on the breast and on her back with a kitchen knife. Magistrate K. O Ogundare admitted the defendant to a bail at the sum of N200.000 with two responsible sureties in like sum.

Four Killed as Hoodlums Clash in Lagos

Four persons were, Tuesday, killed and several injured as factions of hoodlums engaged in a fight in Otto and Ilopo areas of Apapa, Lagos. Some houses were reportedly set on fire by the rampaging hoodlums who also attacked the home of a traditional ruler in the area. Among those hit by stray bullets were an eight-year old boy whose parents were said to be fleeing the war zone and a vulcaniser, who was rushing out of his shop. It was gathered that Tuesday’s fight was a reprisal by hoodlums from Apapa road on Otto residents. The lingering battle was reportedly power tussle over control of parts of the area. The attack took residents unaware as the hoodlums, numbering over one hundred and armed with dangerous weapons including guns, reportedly fired sporadically. It reportedly took the intervention of conventional and mobile policemen to quell the situation. In another clash of two rival cult groups on Thursday and Friday in the Mushin area, two persons were killed. One of victims was first shot before he was hacked to death with cutlasses, while the second one was, however, shot point blank. It was gathered that the fight started on Thursday night when some cultists, identified as Toba boys, unleashed mayhem on a rival cult group known as Toll Gate boys.

Police Arrest 32 Criminal Suspects in Ondo

The Ondo State police command, on Wednesday, said it had arrested 32 suspects including a serving police corporal and two women, over various offences, which included murder, robbery, kidnapping, impersonation and car theft. The suspects included a woman that allegedly set her boyfriend ablaze, resulting in his death and another, a fake military officer. The Commissioner of Police, Isaac Eke, said the suspects were arrested in various divisions of the command. According to him, the murder suspect, Busayo Ayowele, was arrested by the Fanibi division of the command, for soaking her boyfriend, Anthony Idowu, with petrol and later set him on fire. He said the suspect confessed to the commission of the crime and had been arraigned in court for murder.

GENERAL

Four Killed in Nasarawa Clashes

Four people were, on Tuesday, killed in a clash between members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the plan to impeach Governor Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State. It was gathered that the fight was as a result of the state house of assembly’s renewed efforts to impeach the governor. Some PDP youths were said to be accompanying Sidi Bako, a members of the House of Assembly representing Obi 1 for fear of being attacked by APC youths. It was observed that the fight also had some ethnic colouration between Eggon and Gwandara as an Eggon man was said to have been injured by Gwandara youths who allegedly converged on Obi town waiting to attack the lawmaker. An eye witness said “the Eggon man who was attacked went back and mobilized his kinsmen who later traced the Gwandara people at their farmland and killed four of them. The state police spokesman, Ismaila Nuuman, confirmed that the command has so far recovered 4 dead bodies.

Boko Haram Kills Three, Abducts 12 in Northern Cameroun

The Islamist terrorist group, Boko Haram, has continued its offensive in Cameroon, as it killed at least three people and kidnapped 15 others in a fresh cross-border attack in northern Cameroun on Monday. The attack took place when at least 20 armed men tried to get food supplies, stealing all the food stocks found in the Camerounian village of Greya. The terrorists killed at least three civilians and abducted a dozen others, and setting the village’s primary school ablaze. In a related development, at least 11 Camerounian boys kidnapped in July by the Islamist militants had reportedly escaped from captivity. The boys, aged between seven and 15 years old, had been kidnapped by the militant group during a cross-border attack on Cameroun’s northern town. The boys say they were detained near Madagali, a town in Adamawa State, Nigeria and enrolled at a Quranic school. The school was reportedly attacked by unknown persons and they took advantage of the confusion to escape.

Police Get New Spokesperson, as Mba is Transferred to Lagos

The acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Suleiman Abba, has appointed Emmanuel Ojukwu as the new Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO) to replace Frank Mba who has been redeployed to Lagos State Command as an Area Commander, Area J. Mba was the FPRO from February 2012 to August, 2014. Until his new assignment, Ojukwu was the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Criminal Investigation Department at Zone 7 Headquarters, Abuja. A statement signed by the Deputy Force PRO, Force Headquarters, Mr. Abayomi Shogunle, said the new spokesman is stepping into a familiar terrain, having distinguished himself as the Force PRO from December 2008 to October 2010. He holds B.Sc degree in Psychology (First Class Hons.) and M.Sc in Psychology. Ojukwu promised to work to increase the tempo of good relationship between the police and the public in line with the policy thrust of the Nigeria Police Force.

COAS Seeks Support to Fight Insecurity, Terrorism

Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Kenneth Minimah, on Thursday called on states and communities hosting Army formations across Nigeria to give the Army full support and encouragement to enable them succeed in stamping out the security threats facing the nation. He made the call when he led a delegation of top Army hierarchy, including GOC 82 Division, Maj. Gen Shehu Yusuf, Director of Military Intelligence, Maj. Gen Letam Wiwa, and Provost Marshal Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen Patrick Akem, on a courtesy visit to Governor Theodore Orji in Umuahia. The COAS, who was in Abia as part of his familiarization visit to Army formations under the 82 Division Enugu, explained that the Nigerian Army needs for support in confronting the new security challenges.

3 Siblings, Paddler Drown in Boat Mishap in Niger

Four bodies and that of paddler of a boat, which capsized on Sunday evening at Tagwai Dam, in Chanchaga Local Government Area of Niger State, have been recovered, while the fifth person on board, was rescued alive by local divers. It was gathered that the incident occurred on Sunday evening after two siblings, Hajiya Sani, 21 years, Habida Sani, 14 years, in the company of a close relation, Haruna Umaru, 37 years and five-year-old Fatimah Sani, allegedly asked the paddler, Usman Karma, 26 years, to take them round the area. The immediate or remote cause of the mishap was unknown as of the time of filing this report. It was further learnt that three of the victims were children of one Alhaji Ado Kontagora, a resident of the village, who had earlier on the fateful day gone to the dam in their private vehicle for a picnic in the area.

Boko Haram Attacks Police Academy, Yobe Town

A police training academy in Gwoza, Borno State; and Buni Yadi town in Yobe State, have been overrun by Boko Haram terrorists in separate attacks. According to an eyewitness, shots were heard after the Islamists arrived at the police academy near Gwoza, which has been under constant siege, in three armoured vehicles and dozens of motorcycles. A police spokesman confirmed the attack. The Liman Kara College is on the outskirts of Gwoza town, seized by Boko Haram this month. A similar attack on the college was repelled by officers undergoing training there two weeks ago. In recent weeks, the terrorists have been moving from their rural camps and taking over substantial towns. The Liman Kara academy is one of only two riot police training colleges in Nigeria and the militants are likely to find weapons there. Several hundred militants were said to have been involved in the raid on the college, which had more than 290 police trainees at the time.

UN Kicks as African Nations Tighten Ebola Travel Bans

African countries have tightened travel curbs in an effort to contain the Ebola outbreak, ignoring World Health Organisation (WHO) warnings that such measures could heighten shortages of food and basic supplies in affected areas. In the West Point slum in Liberia’s capital Monrovia, the scene of violent clashes with the army on Wednesday after the area was quarantined to curb the spread of Ebola, hundreds of people jostled their way towards trucks loaded with water and rice. Police used canes to beat back some locals while aid workers helped others dip their fingers in ink to record their ration. The UN’s World Food Programme says deliveries of basic supplies to more than 1 million people across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are intended to avoid a food crisis in those West African countries, where more than 1,300 people have died from Ebola in the worst outbreak of the disease in history.

4 Armed Robbery Suspects Arrested in Bauchi

The Bauchi State Police Command, on Tuesday, said it had arrested four suspects who specialised in robbing motorists plying the Bauchi Dindima-Alkaleri highway. The state Police Public Relations Officer, Haruna Mohammed, said the arrest was made possible following a tip-off by members of the public. Items recovered from the suspects included five fabricated rifles, cartridges, cutlass and four handsets. In another development, one Suleiman Adam of Karofin Madaki, who specialised in snatching motorcycles, was arrested by the police on August 16, 2014. The suspects used a stone and hit 22-year-old Adamu Abdullahi on his head and snatched his motorcycle. The victim was rushed to the hospital, treated and discharged.

INTERNATIONAL

109 Killed in India Landslides

The death toll from landslides and flooding triggered by torrential monsoon rains in Nepal and northern India has hit 109 as tides of water, mud and rocks swept houses away. The downpours also displaced thousands of people in the scenic Himalayan region. Three days of heavy downpour claimed 85 lives in Nepal while rescuers struggled to retrieve the bodies on Sunday amid fears of a cholera outbreak. Army officials ran helicopter sorties to evacuate about 20,000 people stranded in badly-hit western districts, the national disaster management chief, Yadav Prasad Koirala, said. The deaths come two weeks after the worst landslide in over a decade smashed into hamlets in northeastern Nepal, killing 156 people. Meanwhile, heavy downpours in neighbouring India triggered landslides and flooding that have claimed at least 24 lives since Friday, according to officials.

Egyptian Police Officer Killed by Militants

A policeman was killed on Monday by militants in the Egyptian Delta province of Gharbiya, official news agency MENA reported. The attack happened when masked gunmen on a motorbike started to shoot randomly at policemen in a checkpoint at Santta district, 80km north of the capital. Another policeman was wounded seriously, the report added. Security forces have rushed to the scene and are combing the area to arrest the attackers. Security forces in Egypt have been repeatedly under attack since the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi by the military and the security harsh crackdown on his supporters since last August, which left at least 1,000 killed and thousands arrested.

Indian Military Kills Militant in Gun Battle

A militant was killed during a gunfight with Indian military Tuesday near the line-of-control (LoC) in restive Kashmir, India’s official broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) said. The gunfight broke out in Dhanni forest in Karnah sector of frontier Kupwara district. The military reported that as army intensified combing operations, the militants hiding in the area opened fire upon forces, which was returned by them. A guerrilla war is going on between militants and Indian troops stationed in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989. Similarly, three suspected members of the leftist rebel group New People’s Army were killed following an encounter with government troops in southern Philippines, a military official said Tuesday. Philippine Army’s 1002nd Brigade spokesman Captain Rey Balibagoso said the leftist rebels and soldiers exchanged fire for at least half an hour. The NPA, an armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, has been waging war against the Philippine government since 1969.

Dozens Killed in Ukrainian Refugee Convoy Attack

Dozens of refugees were reported killed in an attack on a civilian convoy fleeing fighting in eastern Ukraine, with the Ukraine government and pro-Russian separatists both blaming each other. Andriy Lysenko, a Ukraine military spokesman, said the barrage took place on Monday morning between the towns of Khryashchuvate and Novosvitlivka, near the besieged rebel-held city of Luhansk. Mortar bombs and artillery were reported to have hit the convoy, with many vehicles set alight. However, Andrei Purgin, a self-proclaimed deputy prime minister of separatists in the Donetsk region, insisted the attack was not by his forces. Other separatist leaders said there was no evidence an attack had taken place. Fighting across eastern Ukraine has forced nearly 344,000 people to flee their homes, according to UN figures released Friday. The Ukrainian army reported new successes overnight, building on a weekend breakthrough when troops raised the national flag in Luhansk, which was held by pro-Russian separatists since fighting began in April.

Bomb Kills Six in Northwest Pakistan

At least six people including two infants were killed by a roadside bomb in restive northwest Pakistan on Tuesday, officials said, as the military launched fresh air strikes targeting militant hideouts. Pakistan’s armed forces have been waging an assault to wipe out strongholds of Taliban and other militants in North Waziristan tribal area since June, killing more than 550 insurgents, according to the military. The roadside bomb attack came in Salarzai area of Bajaur, another tribal region on the Afghan border which has recently been attacked by militants from across the frontier. Officials said the dead included three women who were school teachers, and two of their infant children. Local administration official Sohail Khan confirmed the incident. Another official in Peshawar said that the van was carrying the women and their children to a local community school run by an aid group funded by international charities.

Ebola Kills 84 In Three Days – UN

The Ebola virus killed 84 people in just three days, bringing the global death toll to 1,229, the World Health Organization said Tuesday. The death toll, which passed the 1,000-mark over a week ago, soared higher from last Thursday to Saturday. The number of confirmed infections jumped by 113 over the three days, bringing the total number of cases to 2,240, the UN health agency said. The epidemic, which has hit four West African nations since it broke out in Guinea at the start of the year, is by far the deadliest since Ebola was discovered four decades ago in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. The new WHO toll predates an attack overnight Saturday on a quarantine centre in the Liberian capital Monrovia that caused 17 Ebola patients to flee who remain missing.

Libya: Militants Fire Rockets into Affluent Tripoli District

Libyan militiamen fired rockets into an affluent district of Tripoli early on Tuesday, moving a battle with a rival armed faction closer to the center of the capital after fighters on one side came under air attack. Rebel groups who united to topple Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 have since turned their guns on each other, spreading anarchy in oil-producing Libya and raising fears it may become a failed state destabilizing the wider North and West African region. An air force controlled by renegade General Khalifa Haftar were responsible for strikes on Islamist-leaning militia in Tripoli on Monday, one of his commanders said, after weeks of fighting for control of the capital and its airport. The air attacks escalated a struggle between Islamist and more moderate militias as well as between forces from different cities all vying for power and spoils in the OPEC-member nation. Tripoli has largely slipped out of control of the government.

Islamist Militants Claim Killing Missing Reporter

The Islamic State militant group has released a video online purporting to show the beheading of US journalist, James Foley, who went missing since 2012. The militants said the killing was revenge for US air strikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq. The White House said if the video was genuine, the US would be appalled. Foley has reported extensively across the Middle East, working for America's Global Post and other media outlets including the French news agency, AFP. In the video, a man who appeared to be James Foley is dressed in orange kneeling in desert-like terrain beside an armed man dressed in black. The militant, who speaks with a British accent and identifies himself as an IS member, says the journalist's death is the direct result of US bombing of IS targets in Iraq. US officials confirmed that they had seen the video and were trying to establish its authenticity.

Landslides Kill 27 in Hiroshima

At least 27 people have been killed in landslides that struck Japan's Hiroshima prefecture, officials say. The landslides happened in a residential area near a mountain in the Hiroshima city outskirts. They were triggered after the equivalent of a month's rain fell in the 24 hours up to Wednesday morning, Japan's weather agency said. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he had asked local officials to "raise the number of military personnel to several hundred in order to strengthen rescue operations". More rain could trigger further landslides, weather officials have warned. At least two reports in Japan said a 53-year old rescue worker died during the operation when the hillside collapsed again, though it is not clear if he was included in the overall death toll.

Saudi Sentence Killer Militant to Death

A Court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced an Al-Qaeda member to death for the 2004 kidnap and beheading of US citizen, Paul Marshall. The court also imposed jail terms of four to 30 years on 13 co-defendants, including two Syrians, who were members of the same Al-Qaeda cell of about 50 members that is alleged to have murdered the American, been involved in an attack on Riyadh police headquarters and to have planned strikes on the US and British embassies in the Saudi capital. Another Saudi national convicted of murder was decapitated by the sword on Tuesday, the interior ministry said. Wail al-Shehri, convicted of shooting dead Meshaal Assiri during an argument, was executed on Tuesday. The beheading by sword raises to 33 the number of executions announced in Saudi Arabia so far this year. Amnesty International has denounced the use of the death penalty in Saudi Arabia. Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking are all punishable by death under the kingdom's strict version of Islamic sharia law.

Fugitive Brazilian Doctor Arrested in Paraguay

Police in Paraguay have arrested a fugitive Brazilian fertility doctor, Roger Abdelmassih, sentenced for sexually abusing 39 of his patients. He had been on the run since 2011, after being convicted to 278 years in prison for assaulting women at his fertility clinic in Sao Paulo. Abdelmassih, 70, had been living with his wife and two children in an exclusive district of the Paraguayan capital, Asuncion. His arrest by officers of Paraguay’s National Anti-Drugs Secretariat followed a joint investigation with the Brazilian authorities. Despite the long sentence, under Brazilian law he can only serve a maximum of 30 years. Thirty-nine women came forward to say he had raped or sexually abused them during medical examinations or when they were in recovery rooms after receiving fertility treatment. He said that he was never alone with any of his patients, and has suggested that some may have suffered hallucinations brought on by an anaesthetic. Abdelmassih was convicted in 2010 and was initially allowed to remain free while he appealed against his sentence. But he fled Brazil a year later when a court in Sao Paulo ordered his arrest.

Israel Kills Top Commanders of Hamas

Israeli aircraft have killed three top Hamas commanders in southern Gaza, inflicting a heavy blow on the movement’s armed wing after failing to kill its top military chief. Thursday’s attack, on a day when a total of 26 people were reported killed in Gaza, came a day after the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel’s offensive may be an extended operation. The Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing, said Mohamed Abo Shamaleh, Raed al-Attar and Mohamed Barhoum had been killed in an Israeli attack in Rafah. Hamas spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri, threatened that Israel would pay the price. Twenty Palestinians had earlier been killed and at least 120 wounded by Israeli strikes across Gaza since the collapse of a temporary truce on Tuesday. Among the dead were the wife and infant son of Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif, killed when a strike demolished a six-storey house in Gaza City. The latest violence raised the overall death toll in Gaza to at least 2,038, with more than 10,300 people wounded.

63 Killed as Sudanese Groups Clash

At least 63 people have died in clashes between rival Arab groups in Sudan’s arid Darfur region, witnesses say. One Sudanese radio station said its sources reported that more than 300 had died in the fighting between the Rezeigat and Maaliya. The two nomadic communities have clashed before, usually in disputes of land and grazing rights in East Darfur. More than a decade of unrest in the Darfur has spawned lawlessness and increased inter-ethnic rivalry. Rebels from non-Arab groups first rose up in 2003, accusing the government of favouring Arab communities. The biggest contributor to the death toll has been violence between different Arab groups. According to Sudan’s Radio Dabanga, the dispute in East Darfur began over the theft of a camel, a horse and two donkeys.

Tunisian Fishermen Rescue 74 Migrants Drifting at Sea

Tunisian fishermen, on Thursday, rescued 74 migrants, who had drifted for five days after leaving Libya aboard an inflatable boat in an attempt to reach Italy, an official said. The migrants, mainly from Bangladesh, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Togo, had set off from Tajura near Tripoli, Red Crescent official, Mongi Slim, disclosed. Earlier, one of the rescued Bangladeshis said they had left the Libyan port of Zwara headed for the Italian coast but were caught in a storm. He said they had been running out of food and water when they spotted a Tunisian fishing boat which escorted them to shore. The migrants were in a state of extreme fatigue by the time they made landfall in Zarzis, in southern Tunisia, where emergency services took charge of them. Earlier this month, Tunisian coastguards intercepted 90 African migrants whose makeshift boat heading from Libya for the Italian island of Lampedusa broke down off Zarzis. Would-be immigrants often attempt the crossing from Tunisia or Libya to Lampedusa in rickety boats.

Hamas Kills 17 Suspected Israeli Informants

Hamas has killed 17 Palestinians suspected of collaborating with Israel, a day after Israel killed three of the group’s top military commanders in an airstrike on a house in southern Gaza Strip, witnesses and a Hamas website said. A Gaza security official said the first batch involved 11 people who were killed early on Friday at the Gaza City police headquarters. Six more were killed later in the day in a public execution in a central Gaza square. Three suspected collaborators were also killed on Thursday. The victims, their heads covered and hands tied, were shot dead by masked gunmen dressed in black in front of a crowd of worshippers outside a mosque after prayers, witnesses and al-Majd, a pro-Hamas website, said. Israel’s intelligence services rely, in part, on informers to pinpoint the whereabouts of Hamas leaders. She said that by publicising the retribution brought down on the 18 people, Hamas was sending a deterrent to other Palestinians.

30 Killed in Iraq Mosque Attack

Gunmen shot and killed at least 30 people in a Sunni Muslim mosque during Friday prayers in Iraq’s Diyala province northeast of Baghdad, police officials in the province said. The unidentified attackers used automatic machine guns in the Musab bin Omar mosque in the town of Baniyas, police said. Baniyas is about 75 kilometers northeast of the provincial capital, Baquba. It wasn’t immediately clear who was behind the attack. Both Sunni militants and Shiite Muslim militias have been active in the province.