Metro

Hunters Kill Boko Haram Commander, Deputy In Borno; Retrieve Weapons

Published

3 years ago

June 2, 2022

A group of hunters, popular in Borno for fighting armed robbers and kidnappers, earlier in the week shot and killed a Boko Haram commander and his deputy during a gun duet in Shafa Taku village, in the southern part of the state.

The two commanders were known for leading a gang of the proscribed group to perpetrate terror on rural communities in the area.

From Shaffa Taku, the Islamist militants set out every day to terrorise folks in Mandaragirau in Biu local government, Sabon Gari in Damboa and other fringe villages in Askira-Uba council areas.

Residents said they forcefully collect taxes, loot foodstuff and rustle livestock in these communities.

They have killed many villagers as well, PREMIUM TIMES was told.

To put an end to the unbridled act of terror, the community contacted the hunters’ group under the leadership of a man, Yohanna, to come to their aid.

The hunters reportedly stormed the Shafa Taku axis of Sambisa Forest, where they confronted the insurgents.

“Yes, we acted on intelligence about the movement of insurgents given residents,” Mr Yohanna said.

Mr Yohanna, said he and his men moved into action upon receiving the information about the terrorists.

“I mobilised my team and stormed the spot at Shaffa Taku, a deserted community in Damboa and luckily we sighted the terrorists numbering more than 20, riding on motorcycles,” he said.

“We engaged them in a gun battle, and we were able to kill the Commander and his Deputy, while several others fled with gunshot wounds.

“We also recovered one motorcycle and one AK47 rifle from the terrorists. Presently, I have informed the authorities of the 231 Battalion in Biu, and we are going to meet today (Tuesday) for onward handing over of the recovered AK47 rifle and the motorcycle,” he said.

Boko Haram or the West African branch of the terror group, Islamic State (ISWAP), has led an insurgency against the Nigerian state since 2009.

The group, whose stated aim is to turn Nigeria into an Islamic caliphate, has caused the death of over 35,000 people mainly in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states, where it is most active, according to Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, a non-governmental group that mobilises international help for communities at risk of mass criminal acts.

Metro

Gateman Arrested For Allegedly Defiling Four-year-old Pupil In Oyo

Published

6 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

A 26-year-old gateman identified as Josiah Ayomide has been arrested for allegedly defiling a four-year-old pupil in one of the schools in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The suspect was paraded alongside other suspects arrested for offences ranging from theft, banditry, rape, and other crimes at the Oyo State Police Command, Eleyele, Ibadan, on Thursday.

In his briefing, the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Adewale Osifeso, said the suspect was nabbed after the victim complained of severe vaginal pains to her parents at home.

Osifeso added that after a thorough investigation and probe, the suspect confessed to the crime.

The police spokesman said the victim later told her mother that her school gateman had unlawfully raped her while she was in the school.

According to the report, “The victim was taken to the Police Medical Clinic, Eleyele-Ibadan, for medical examination and treatment, and the medical report revealed that the hymen was not intact, with tenderness around the vulva and vagina and bruises.”

Osifeso said the suspect would be prosecuted upon completion of the investigation.

Metro

Panic As Fire Guts Fuel Station In Ikorodu

Published

7 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

Photo: File Copy

There was pandemonium on Friday when fire gutted A1 Petroleum Filling Station, an independent oil dealer located on Isawo Road, off Agric Bus Stop in Ikorodu, Lagos.

As of 1 p.m., the extent of property destroyed and possible casualties had not been confirmed. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Men of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, supported by other emergency responders, were at the scene battling to contain the inferno, which reportedly began from a diesel-laden truck within the premises.

Metro

DSS Charges Top Ansaru Leaders Over Terrorism, Kuje Prison Break Roles

Published

8 hours ago

September 5, 2025

Editor

The Department of State Services (DSS) has brought terrorism charges against two senior commanders of Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-linked terror group, over their alleged role in violent attacks across Nigeria.

The suspects are Mahmud Usman, also known as Abu Bara’a/Abbas/Mukhtar, who is described as the Emir of Ansaru, and his deputy Mahmud al-Nigeri, also called Malam Mamuda. They were recently captured during security operations.

According to the DSS, the charges against them include leading a terrorist organisation, funding its activities, recruiting members, and planning violent operations nationwide.

Their arraignment at the Federal High Court in Abuja is expected soon.

Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser (NSA), said the two men were behind the July 2022 Kuje prison attack, where more than 600 inmates, including Boko Haram suspects, escaped.

Ribadu explained: “Abu Bara was the coordinator of terrorist sleeper cells across Nigeria and the mastermind of several high-profile kidnappings and armed robberies used to finance terrorism.”

On Mamuda, Ribadu revealed that he trained in Libya between 2013 and 2015 under foreign jihadists from Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria, specialising in handling weapons and making explosive devices.

The NSA also linked the suspects to the 2013 abduction of French engineer Francis Collomp in Katsina, the 2019 kidnapping of Musa Uba, Magajin Garin Daura, and the kidnapping of the Emir of Wawa.

Ribadu described their arrest as “a turning point”, noting that the duo maintained strong networks in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.