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Airstrikes Killed Terrorists In Borno, Katsina – NAF

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The Nigerian Air Force says it has killed several terrorists in torrents of airstrikes on their fortified hideouts in Chiralia, Grazah, Yuwe, and Zango Hill, in Borno and Katsina states.

This is contained in a statement by the Deputy Director, Public Relations and Information, NAF, Group Capt. Kabiru Ali, on Friday in Abuja.

Ali said the series of decisive and precision-guided air interdiction missions conducted between March 17 and March 19, also crippled the operational networks of the terrorists across the North-East and North-West regions.

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He said the Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai had on March 17, launched a devastating airstrike on Chiralia, a notorious terrorist enclave within the Timbuktu Triangle.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: NAF Air Strikes Kill ‘Scores Of Bandits’ In Zamfara

According to him, intelligence reports revealed that the insurgents had been orchestrating violent raids along the Maiduguri-Damaturu and Damaturu-Biu highways, abducting civilians and plundering supplies.

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“In response, a formidable force package of NAF attack aircraft unleashed a precise and overwhelming assault, obliterating multiple enemy structures and eliminating terrorists desperately attempting to escape with follow-up strikes.

“The following day, the NAF launched a devastating air interdiction operation at Grazah, a well-fortified terrorist hideout in the treacherous Mandara Mountains, and at Yuwe, a notorious insurgent stronghold in Sambisa Forest.

“At Grazah, intelligence reports exposed extremist leaders indoctrinating fighters, reinforcing the urgency of the strike.

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READ ALSO: NAF Air Strike Kills ‘23 Bandits’ In Zamfara

“In a ferocious assault, NAF fighter jets unleashed a relentless barrage of precision strikes on key targets advancing purposeful lethality. Follow-up strikes intensified the offensive, obliterating fleeing terrorists at both locations and delivering a crushing blow to their operational networks,” he said.

In the North-West, Ali said the NAF executed a relentless aerial assault in Zango Hill, Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina, in close coordination with ground forces.

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He said the ISR missions uncovered armed bandits entrenched in the rugged high ground, triggering the swift deployment of NAF attack aircraft.

According to him, the precision strikes pounded enemy positions, while follow-up bombardments targeted regrouping fighters attempting to evade destruction.

READ ALSO: Ex-AGF, Kanu Agabi To Lead Nnamdi Kanu’s Defence In Terrorism Charges

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Ali added that the NAF helicopters delivered decisive Close Air Support, raining fire on bandits engaging friendly forces and ensuring the unimpeded advance of ground troops.

He said the operation annihilated multiple armed criminals and obliterated their fortified hideouts, further crippling their operational foothold.

According to him, the recent NAF airstrikes have significantly disrupted terrorist activities across multiple regions.

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“Intelligence assessments indicate that the strikes, not only neutralised several high-value targets but also destroyed critical infrastructure used by the terrorists for logistics and coordination.

“NAF remains committed to sustaining the momentum of air operations in close coordination with ground forces to ensure restoration of peace and security in affected areas,’’ he added.

(NAN)

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Metro

LASG Orders Eviction Of Squatters Under Opebi–Mende Bridge

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The Lagos State Government has ordered the immediate eviction of squatters and traders who have converted the space beneath the yet-to-be-commissioned Opebi–Mende Bridge into makeshift homes and shops.

The directive followed an unscheduled inspection of the bridge on Thursday by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tokunbo Wahab, alongside the Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure, Olufemi Daramola, and the Permanent Secretary, Olatokunbo Oyenuga.

According to a statement signed and released by the Director of Public Affairs, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Kunle Adeshina, Wahab directed security agencies to immediately move in and dislodge all squatters and demolish illegal structures erected beneath the bridge.

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“The Lagos State Government has given a marching order for the immediate dislodgement of all types of squatters who have converted the underbelly of the new but yet-to-be-commissioned Opebi–Mende Bridge into homes and stores,” the statement read.

READ ALSO:Adekunle Gold Unveils Street Named After Him In Lagos

Wahab said the state government would not allow any part of the newly built infrastructure to become a haven for miscreants, stressing that protecting lives and property remained a core duty of the administration.

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“It is disheartening that an iconic project which is almost ready for commissioning, has suddenly been taken over by different shades of miscreants and squatters.

“Even some people from the Cane Village have come to the underbelly of the bridge to create an illegal settlement. We will not only dislodge them but also permanently monitor the location to ensure they do not return,” Wahab was quoted as saying in the statement.

Reinforcing his stance in a post on X (formerly Twitter), Wahab wrote that the Sanwo-Olu administration “will not tolerate lawlessness,” warning mechanics who have turned the adjoining open space into workshops to vacate immediately or risk having their vehicles impounded.

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READ ALSO:Why DSS Questioned Me Over Viral Threat Video — Lagos NURTW Boss

Security agencies will move in immediately, and we will sustain monitoring to ensure squatters do not return. The Opebi–Mende Bridge is a huge investment by the Babajide Sanwo-Olu–led administration, and we will protect it for the benefit of law-abiding citizens,” he wrote.

The Special Adviser on Infrastructure, Engr. Daramola, noted that the state had invested heavily in the project and warned that failure to act swiftly could turn the area into a slum. He pledged to collaborate with the Ministry of the Environment to clean up and maintain the site.

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The Opebi–Mende-Ojota Link Bridge, initiated by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, was flagged off on 26 January 2022.

It is approximately 3.9 km long and is designed to connect Opebi in Ikeja through Mende to Maryland and Ojota, offering relief to motorists in the Ikeja-Ojota axis by easing congestion on roads such as Mobolaji Bank-Anthony and Kudirat Abiola Way.

Meanwhile, Lagos State Government has intensified enforcement operations to remove illegal structures under bridges and drainage channels in places like Ijora, Apongbon, Obalende, and Adeniji-Adele, as part of efforts to reclaim public space and address environmental, safety, and traffic concerns.

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Oil Spill Pollutes Bayelsa Communities

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An oil spill from an 8-inch crude delivery pipeline at Oil Mining Lease 29 has polluted Nembe communities around the Santa Barbara River in Bayelsa.

The OML 29 asset is operated by Nembe Exploration and Production Company Limited, formerly Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company Limited.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the leak at Tora area in Nembe occurred on October 1, discharging a yet to be ascertained volume of Crude stress into the Santa Barbara River and surrounding areas.

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According to a letter to the operator of OML 29 by the legal counsel to the Opu Nembe Kingdom, signed by Mr Iniruo Wills, Managing Partner of Ntephe Smith and Wills, the spill has adversely impacted the people who depend on the Santa Barbara River.

READ ALSO:Neconde’s Oil Spill In Delta Community Causes Outrage

The letter sighted by a NAN Correspondent was in response to an invitation to a Joint Investigation Visit to the spill site to ascertain the cause and volume of the spill.

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The oil firm had confirmed the oil spill in a letter Ref: NEPCo/HSE-JIV/2025/04 dated October 5, which proposed a JIV for October 6.

The Nembe communities, in response to the letter, kicked against the October 6 date and opted for October 9.

“We remind you, as you are quite aware of already, that the Community requires and deserves decent notice to assemble a competent JIV team, some of whom usually come from Lagos, Port Harcourt and/or Yenagoa, in order to ensure due diligence and avoid or countervail the perennial practice of manipulating the JIV process and suppressing critical information.

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READ ALSO:Farms Destroyed As Oil Spill Ravages Rivers Community

Please note that our clients demand a thorough and competent investigation of this spill, and adequate management (including swift post-spill assessment and remediation).

“Beyond this spill, for the records, we demand on behalf of our clients again for a top-level engagement (Company, Community Technical Team, and Regulators) for a lasting overall framework to put a stop to this unbearable and continual burden,” the letter read in part.

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Numerous oil spills in Bayelsa communities such as in the Obololi community and the Ogboinbiri area had been reported, leading to environmental contamination, loss of livelihoods from fish farms and farmlands, and health concerns, including water scarcity and potential outbreaks.

These recurring incidents, often attributed to equipment failure on pipelines operated by companies like Oando and Shell, have resulted in resident frustration over inadequate cleanup, lack of relief, and the spread of pollution into streams, creeks, and farmlands.

NAN

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FULL LIST: Police Arrest Suspects Involved In Death Of Arise TV Presenter

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The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has confirmed the arrest of 12 suspects involved in the armed robbery incident that led to the death of Arise TV presenter, Somtochukwu Maduagwu.

According to the police, the suspects are: Shamsudeen Hassan ‘m’ from Katsina State, Hassan Isah ‘m’, 22 years from Kaduna, Abubakar Alkamu a.k.a. abba ‘m’, 27 years from Katsina, Sani Sirajo a.k.a. dan borume ‘m’ 20 years from Katsina, Mashkur Jamilu a.k.a. abba ‘m’ 28 years from Kaduna and Suleiman Badamasi a.k.a. dan-sule ‘m’ 21 years from Katsina.

Others are Abdul Salam saleh a.k.a. na-durudu ‘m’ from Katsina, Zaharadeen Muhammad a.k.a. gwaska ‘m’ 23 years from Kaduna, Musa adamu a.k.a. musa hassan ‘m’ 30 years from Katsina, Sumayya Mohammed a.k.a. baby ‘m’ 27 years from Kaduna, Isah Abdulrahman a.k.a. abbati ‘m’, 25 years from Kaduna and Musa Umar a.k.a. small ‘m’ 31 years from Borno.

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READ ALSO:ARISE News Broadcaster Killed In Abuja

The police added that shortly after the robbery incident, four (4) of the suspects Shamsudeen Hassan, Alkamu, Sirajo and one other person were apprehended through the tracking of phones stollen from the apartment during the robbery.

“During interrogation, Shamsudeen Hassan confessed that he shot the security guard when he attempted to prevent them from gaining access to the apartment,” the statement read.

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Sani Sirajo confessed to have tried to hold Somtochukwu Christella Maduagwu from falling off the three-storey building but was overwhelmed by her weight.

“Shamsudeen further confessed that he drove the white honda CR-V jeep out of the apartment after the operation. The four suspects admitted that they each received ₦200,000 from the proceeds of the crime.”

READ ALSO:FG Gives Overstaying Foreigners Ultimatum To Regularise Visa

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Recovered exhibits include: One fabricated ak-47 rifle, 36 rounds of 9mm live ammunition, one locally made pistol, one pump-action gun, two live cartridges, four mobile phones of the victims, two sharp knives, one cutlass and nine torchlights used during the operation.

The police said: “In continuation of investigations, yesterday, 08/10/2025, acting on a tip-off and actionable digital intelligence also provided by us, the remaining members of the gang, Musa umar a.k.a. small, Hassan Isah and other accomplices involved in the Gishiri robbery were intercepted while enroute to an already planned armed robbery operation scheduled to hold at maitama in the early hours of this morning.”

According to the statement, all suspects have confessed to the crimes while investigation is ongoing.

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