21 Killed In Attacks On Benue Communities By Suspected Fulani Herdsmen

Separate attacks on Benue communities by suspected Fulani herdsmen claimed 21 lives over the weekend.

The Benue communities that were attacked include Apera, Gberija, Tse Pilla, Uchagh, Ukaha, Atenger, Agema and Agule in Guma where six persons were killed while another 15 were killed at Oguchi-Ankpa in Agatu local government area by the invaders.

A source from Guma local government council said, “They marched into our villages from Awe in Nasarawa State and passed through Damko before invading and burning down eight villages in Guma local government.

“Unfortunately, the herdsmen stormed the affected villages when most men had gone to their farms and since we thought that the persistent crisis had been settled by both the Benue and Nasarawa state governments, we were not prepared for the surprise attack.

“They killed six of our people who were mostly women, because they were at home preparing meals for their husbands and children who had gone to their farms at the time of the attack.

“Several persons were seriously injured while many are still missing as at today and no one has a clue as to their whereabouts.

“In fact this latest attack has brought to the fore the need for both the Benue and Nasarawa state governments to take a closer look at overhauling the security apparatus operating on the border between the two states,” he said.

Meanwhile, Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam has charged the people of the state to be vigilant and report suspicious movements in the communities to security agencies, following the weekend invasion of Benue communities by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

Speaking yesterday at the Catholic Church, Oshigbudu after inspecting the damage at Enogaje, one of the communities earlier attacked by the marauders, Suswam urged the people to “be security conscious and report suspicious movements to the relevant security agencies”.

Boko Haram: Army, SSS Uncover Bomb Factory In Kano

A high caliber bomb factory has been discovered by the Joint Security Task Force (JTF) at Gunduwawa village in Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State. The factory is believed to belong to the extremist Boko Haram sect.

The Commander, 3 Brigade of the Nigeria Army, Kano, Brig.-Gen. Iliyasu Abba, made the disclosure when he briefed newsmen in Kano on Wednesday.

Mr. Abba said the discovery was made on Tuesday around 2 a.m., during an operation by a combined team of the JTF troops and the Department of State Services (DSS) operatives.

“At about 2 am on Oct. 8, a combined team of the JTF troops and Department of State Services raided two Boko Haram terrorists’ hideouts at Gunduwawa village in Gezawa Local Government Area.

“The raid, which was conducted following a lead on intelligence reports, made no arrests as the terrorists fled the village on the approach of the JTF troops and DSS personnel,’’ he said.

He, however, said one person who was believed to be the son of the owner of the house was killed during the operation.

According to him, the deceased is said to have rented the house to the fleeing terrorists.

He said the team was also able to recover weapons, working tools and materials used for making Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

He added that they recovered one assault rifle, two AK58 rifle magazines with 193 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition, and one AK 47 rifle magazine with 107 rounds of 7.62mm (Special) ammunition and bows and arrows.

Others are: three primed cylinders of IEDs, one primed explosive suicide back pack, 18 empty IED cylinders, 24 detonators, and small bag of fertiliser and IED timers.

The rest are: cortex wires and three remote control devices, five Motorola hand held radios, four communicators, six alarm clocks, two cartons of 9-volt batteries, a scale, one external hard drive and one heavy duty charger/battery.

“These weapons, ammunitions and other dangerous materials were meant to wreak havoc on Kano during the Eid-el-Kabir and other festivities before the end of the year.’’

He urged members of the public to continue to cooperate with the JTF operatives in its effort to curb the activities of terrorists in the state.

24-hour Curfew Imposed On Kafanchan

Following alleged secret killings which led to minor clashes on Thursday night, and allegedly led to the killing of an undisclosed number of people, a 24-hour curfew has been imposed on Kafanchan, headquarters of Jama’a local government area of Kaduna state. Tension, according to sources, had been building up in the area since Monday, after the gruesome killing on Monday of a young man by yet to be identified culprit(s), which led the people to believe the persistent killings earlier thought to have been perpetrated by armed robbers was the handiwork of some hoodlums, leading to a mass protest on Tuesday by the youths in the area. It was gathered that since Tuesday’s protest, there had been skirmishes, leading to mounting tension in the city, prompting the imposition of the 24 hour curfew. Meanwhile, the state government and the leadership of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) has appealed for calm while a combined team of soldiers and the Police have been deployed to the area to ensure that normalcy returns. In a statement by the Director General, Media and Publicity, Mallam Ahmed Maiyaki, State Governor, Mukthar Yero called on the people of the area to remain calm and law abiding, saying that government was doing all within its powers to contain the situation. The governor said security agencies in the state had been directed to take necessary action to restore peace and normalcy to the area. He also warned those fomenting trouble in the state to desist from their devilish plots to plunge the state into confusion, adding that “as a responsible Government, we shall not shirk our constitutional duty of protecting the lives and property of the entire people of Kaduna state no matter what it will take.” Yero assured that the government was already investigating the root cause of the conflict and will not hesitate to prosecute anyone found culpable, irrespective of their status in the society and asked the people of the state to go about their lawful businesses in disregard of rumours that may be intended to escalate the situation.

Fresh Boko Haram Attack Kills About 54 People & 36 Missing

[caption id="attachment_44" align="aligncenter" width="300"] boko haram kill 54 people and 36 missing[/caption]

News from our news source says that At least 54 people including 24 vigilante youths (Civilian JTF), 14 Shuwa Arab herdsmen and 16 civilians were killed by suspected Boko Haram terrorists in three different Local Government Areas of Monguno, Damboa and Nganzai in Borno state.