Metro

Gunmen Kill Eight, Destroy Farmland In Ondo Communities

Published

1 year ago

February 5, 2023

Editor

The residents of Imoru, Arimogija and Molege communities in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State have called on the state and federal governments to save them from the incessant attack of suspected killer-herdsmen.

The residents said no fewer than eight members of the communities had been killed in the last two weeks while about 40 hectares of farmland had been destroyed by the assailants. According to them, the victims were mostly farmers and traders.

Speaking about the incident, a community leader, Owolafe Folorunsho, said the recent attack occurred when the farmers repelled the herdsmen from destroying their crops by the herdsmen.

He stated, “The herders have continued to invade our farmlands at night, harvest our crops to feed their cows and on many occasions, they will come during the day, force us to uproot the cassava by ourselves at gunpoint, command us to cut them into pieces to feed their cows.

“In order not to take laws into our hands, we reported this act of economic sabotage to the appropriate authority who took prompt action to chase them out of the farming areas only for them to come back and attacked us with AK-47, pump action, axes and cutlasses and killed our people at night.”

He added that the gunmen recently laid ambush along the Akure-Benin Expressway and attacked some traders coming from Akure, killing all the occupants, taking their money and setting the car ablaze.

The Chairman of the Ose Local Government, Prince Adekunle Dennis, who visited the affected communities, expressed worries over the sad development, saying something would be done urgently to checkmate the excesses of the suspected killer-herdsmen. He also expressed concern to the state governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, over the security situation in the local government.

“The council is meeting with the relevant authorities and stakeholders with the aim of redesigning the security architecture of all the flashpoints in the area in order to nip the security challenges in the bud,” the chairman said.

While calling on the community leaders and youth organisations in the area to be more security conscious, the council boss charged them to improve on intelligence and information gathering that would enable them to give correct and useful information to the security agencies as the government could not do it all alone.

Dennis also commended the security agencies especially the Army, the police, the Department of State Services and the Amotekun Corps for a job well done, saying their timely intervention and prompt actions prevented the terrorists from wiping the people of Arimogija from the surface of the earth.

Confirming the incident, the monarch of the Imoru community, Oba Rotimi Obamuwagun, lamented the atrocities being committed by the suspected killer-herdsmen in the area.

He lamented that they destroyed four hectares of cassava farm belonging to one of his subjects who borrowed money at a high-interest rate from a commercial bank to finance the farm.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer of the state, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, said the command had deployed its men in the area.

“We learnt that there were sporadic gunshots in the area and we have sent our men there,” the PPRO stated.

Metro

Woman Sets Stepchildren’s Hands On Fire For Allegedly Eating Rice Prepared For Husband

Published

3 hours ago

May 19, 2024

Editor

A woman identified as Rachel Geoffrey, 23, has been arrested by the Adamawa State Police Command for setting the hands of her two stepchildren on fire.

The suspect who resides in Federal Housing Estate, Girei Local Government Area was arrested for setting fire to the hands of her stepchildren, Genesis Geoffrey, 7, and Idadai, 3.

The spokesperson of the command, SP Suleiman Nguroje, who confirmed the incident, said Geoffrey intentionally inflicted severe physical injuries on the 7 and 3-year-old children on May 7.

He said the victims faced several calculated acts of cruelty and Human Rights Violations from their stepmother after the separation of their mother from their father.

According to him, Genesis and Ijadai got their stepmother angry after eating the plate of rice she had cooked and kept for her husband, because they were hungry.

Reacting, she tied their hands with handkerchiefs and set fire to their hands, resulting in the severe injuries they sustained.

The Commissioner of Police CP Dankombo Morris, expressed worries as he advised members of the public particularly parents to live up to expectations by providing the basic needs of their wards. He also vowed to diligently make sure that the suspect is persecuted.

Metro

Tragedy Struck In Osun As Three siblings, Mother Die In Auto Crash

Published

15 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Editor

Three siblings and their mother, identified as Cecilia were reported dead in a ghastly auto accident in Osun State on Saturday.

It was gathered that a car heading to Ibadan from Osogbo had a head-on collision with a motorcycle carrying a woman and four of her children back home from a vigil at Odeomu in Ayedaade local government area.

According to an eye witness Usman Ademola, the motorcyclist carried two of the children in front, another one in the middle while a toddler was wrapped behind the woman.

According to VANGUARD, the two children died on the spot in the incident that occurred between Odeomu and Oogi where the motorcycle was headed.

Also, the woman and the motorcyclist identified as Abraham died while the child behind the woman seems to have survived the incident.

Meanwhile, it was gathered that a mob that gathered at the scene set the car ablaze along with two of the occupants after the driver had escaped from the scene.

Osun police command spokesperson, SP Yemisi Opalola added that the two occupants were rescued from the car by police operatives and were rushed to a hospital in the state capital.

She added that policemen were deployed to the area to maintain peace and order.

Metro

Soldiers, Traders Clash In Abuja Market

Published

16 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Editor

The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has deployed its operatives to Banex – an electronics and telecommunications gadgets market, in Abuja, after a fight broke out between soldiers and some traders on Saturday.

Some civilians were seen in a viral video overpowering some soldiers in a fight at the popular market, while some scampered for safety over the fear of reprisals.

The Defence Headquarters, and the spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Onyema Nwachukwu could not be reached for comments as of press time.

A source present at the scene of the pandemonium said the fight occurred over the sale of a mobile phone.

“There’s a problem at Banex now. Some soldiers came to complain about a phone, and during an argument with the traders, a fight ensued,” the witness said.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Benett Igweh has deployed officers of the FCT Intelligence Response Team to the scene of the incident.