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Many Feared Killed As Rival Bandit Groups Clash In Zamfara

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Scores of bandits have been reportedly killed as a result of a heavy fight between two rival groups around Hayin Alhaji to Munhaye forest of the Tsafe Local Government Area in Zamfara State.

A local, Mohammed Sanda told The PUNCH on Sunday that the two bandit groups engaged in a supremacy fight last Saturday where scores lost their lives.

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According to Sanda, a group of bandits from neighbouring Katsina State invaded some communities in Zamfara State intending to kidnap the residents.

But the powerful and notorious bandits’ kingpin Ado Alero who is an indigene of the area intervened and refused to allow the rival bandits group to kidnap the villagers.

READ ALSO: Bandits Kill One Of Seven Captives Over Failure To Pay N290m Ransom

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Sanda maintained that the two rival groups engaged in a gun battle which resulted in the death of several bandits from both sides.

He stressed that the people of the area were currently trouping to the battleground to see the dead bodies of the neutralised bandits.

He also added that there were over 20 motorcycles abandoned by the bandits at the place where the fight took place

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He said, “Some bandits who came from Katsina State invaded some communities between Tafkin Kazai and Munhaye village around five o’clock pm last Saturday evening trying to abduct the residents of the area”.

READ ALSO: Bandits Threaten To Marry Abducted New Bride, Sell 62 Wedding Guests

“While they were in the area, another group of bandits led by Ado Alero came to the place in a bid to protect the residents”.

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“The two bandit groups exchanged hot words and finally began to shoot at each other, while the residents ran helter-skelter for their dear lives.

“As we were running, the bandits’ leader Ado Alero told us not to panic and asked us to remain where we were.

“The two groups fought for several hours where many of them were killed and when we returned to the area early morning of today Sunday, we saw many corpses and several motorcycles.

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READ ALSO: JUST IN: Police Kill Notorious Abuja Bandit

“As I am speaking to you at the moment, many people are trouping to this place to see the corpses and the abandoned motorcycles,” Sanda added.

Sanda also explained that the communities were looking into the possibility of giving a mass burial for the dead bodies of the bandits because of the absence of security personnel.

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We may dig a big grave and bury the dead bodies before they decompose.”

Contacted for comment, the spokesperson for the state police command ASP Yazid Abubakar said he was not aware of this development.

He said, “I am not aware of this, but it is a very important development. God is answering our prayers in the fight against banditry.”

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NAF Air Raids Kill Three Boko Haram Commanders In Borno

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Boko Haram fighters are reportedly in disarray following sustained airstrikes by the Nigerian military on their hideouts in Borno State.

According to a report on Sunday by security analyst, Zagazola Makama via his X handle, the air raids targeted insurgent camps in Gobara and Balangaje, near Sambisa Forest in Gwoza Local Government Area, destroying several structures.

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At least three senior commanders, identified as Mustafa, Ba Bunu, and Awana Kura, were said to have been killed in the operation.

The development has heightened anxiety among fighters, women, and children in the affected enclaves. A senior commander, Modu Kunduli, was reported to have informed another top leader, Bakura (alias Weeze), that the group’s ranks were unsettled by the bombardments.

READ ALSO:NAF Kills 35 Terrorists In Border Airstrikes Near Cameroon

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Bakura, who operates around Kwajaffa–Ngabur village in Hawul LGA, was also quoted as expressing concern after sighting Nigerian Air Force jets over Garkida and Gombi areas.

Intelligence reports further indicate that the insurgents are considering retreating to their hideouts in Ngulde, Askira/Uba Local Government Area, pending further directives from their leaders.

Security sources said troops have been placed on alert to monitor possible movement of fighters as they attempt to evade additional air raids.

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Police Arrest Siblings Over Communal Clash In Ondo

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Ondo State Police Command has arrested two brothers, Ogunsemore Gbadebo and Michael Ogunsemore for their allegedly involvement in a violent communal clash that occurred in Eki/Oboto Community of Ilaje local government area of the State.

LEADERSHIP gathered that the suspects had been locked in a prolonged land dispute with the monarch of the community, Oba Oyetayo Ofoaye of Aboto.

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According to the. state’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Olusola Ayanlade, the matter was first taken to the Okitipupa High Court, which ruled in favour of the monarch.

However, not satisfied with the verdict, the siblings filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal in Akure, where the appellate court again upheld the Oba’s position.

READ ALSO:Job Seekers Protest Alleged Fake Employment Letters For Ondo Teaching Jobs

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The PPRO alleged that the brothers resorted to self-help thereafter, recruiting armed thugs to unleash violence on the community rather than accepting the judgement of the Appeal Court.

It was learnt that the attack reportedly perpetrated by the suspects and their gangs, displaced residents, destroyed huts, palm produce, and other valuables, while one Jeremiah Okuntimehin sustained machete injuries in the fracas.

This criminal escalation turned a civil dispute into a grave security threat, prompting swift police intervention,” the PPRO said.

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According to the police spokesman, the police launched a coordinated operation that led to the arrest of the brothers – Gbadebo and Michael, who have since been arraigned in court.

READ ALSO:JUST IN: Ex-Ondo SDP Governorship Candidate Dies

He added that efforts were ongoing to track down other fleeing members of the group who took part in the unrest.

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Ayanlade stressed that the arrests marked a decisive step in restoring peace to the affected community, warning that communal violence will not be condoned under any guise.

Commissioner of Police in the State, CP Adebowale Lawal cautioned individuals and groups against undermining judicial decisions or taking the law into their own hands, warning that such acts would attract the full weight of the law.

He assured residents of Eki/Oboto and Aboto of adequate police presence and urged them to remain calm, law-abiding, and cooperative with security agencies.

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The CP also emphasised that dialogue and peaceful engagement remained the only sustainable means of resolving communal disputes.

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Foreign Currency Found On Beggars As 40 Evacuated In Kwara

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The Kwara State government has again evacuated another set of 40 beggars from the street of Ilorin, the state capital.

The evacuation of beggars was carried out by the officials of the Ministry of Social Welfare and Development in collaboration with operatives of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCS), Kwara State Command.

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During a search conducted on the beggars, a foreign currency (US dollar) was found on one of them, Musa Mahmuda, who claimed to be from Kano State.

READ ALSO:Bandits Invade Kwara Community, Kill One, Kidnap Eight Others

A sharp knife was found in the possession of another beggar.

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Seven of the evacuees were second term offenders, having been arrested during a previous evacuation excercise but they returned to the streets again.

The operation was conducted at Tipper Garage in Tanke, Offa garage and Garin Alimi areas – all in Ilorin metropolis.

The Commissioner for social Welfare and Development, Dr Mariam Imam, expressed delight that the excercise was yielding the desired results, saying the number of those evacuated from the streets in the latest exercise has “dratically reduced from 94 arrested during the last time to 40”.

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READ ALSO:Police Arrest Man For Allegedly Dismembering Pregnant Sister-in-law In Kwara

She said the ministry’s evacuation team was changing its “strategy as the beggars too were changing their tactics and locations to evade being evacuated from the streets.”

She implored those patronising the beggars to stop doing so and channel their offerings through religious organisations, orphanages and places of worship, reiterating that street begging has been outlawed in the state.

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The head, Non-custodian Centre, Nigerian Correctional Services, Kwara State Command, Adebayo Okunola, said the appropriate punitive measures will be meted out to the arrested beggars to serve as deterrence to them and others.

We will make sure that they clean the streets, they will sweep the streets so that they will know that there is dignity in labour,” he stated.

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