Metro

Military Under Fire As Bandits Deploy Helicopter, Kill 32 In Southern Kaduna

Published

4 years ago

June 9, 2022

Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has carpeted the Defence Headquarters over its failure to deploy the 12 newly acquired Super Tucano aircraft in the North-West seven months after a Federal High Court designated bandits as terrorists.

HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, slammed the military hierarchy especially the Nigerian Air Force for its tardiness in dealing with terrorists terrorising the North-West.

The group said while the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Air Force are condoning the heinous killings by bandits, the marauders, now emboldened by the inaction of the government, have moved on to allegedly deploy sophisticated weapons including an attack helicopter.

According to reports, terrorists in a helicopter attacked residents of the Adara community in the southern part of Kaduna State on Sunday and killed over 30 persons.

The National President of Adara Development Association, Awemi Maisamari, said the carnage was allegedly carried out by Fulani terrorists who aside from shooting sporadically from the helicopter, were aided by assailants on the ground who came on 150 motorcycles carrying three armed persons each.

“The death toll this morning (Wednesday) is 32, as villagers comb surrounding bushes for more bodies. Seven were found this morning decomposing,” he said, adding that an Evangelical Church Winning All in the area was destroyed.

Reacting, HURIWA’s Onwubiko said, “The killing of scores in Adara in southern Kaduna is unfortunate and totally avoidable if the military doesn’t ignore intelligence and telltale signs.”

HURIWA sympathised with the bereaved and prayed for their consolation and comfort.

“However, it is important to note that this new dimension of a helicopter being used by Fulani terrorists is shocking but not unexpected as there have been bold signs written all over the place going by the chronology of the sophisticated terrorism that banditry by Fulani bloodletters has evolved into.

“It is ironic that the terrorists are now operating on air, shelling houses and killing innocent residents when the military who should decimate the terrorist bandits through air raids have failed to bombard them for reason best known to them.

“Even the Kaduna State Governor indicted the military for failing to act on intelligence regarding the precise locations of these Fulani terrorists even when the military is monitoring their telephone conversations and now they are on the air. Who gave them the helicopters?

“Earlier in February 2021, a controversial Islamic cleric and bandit-sympathiser, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, disclosed that bandits operating in the northern states forests are planning to acquire anti-aircraft missiles to repeal attacks by the military. He said, ‘They (bandits) are now trying to buy missiles, anti-aircraft missiles. This is already developing into a full-blown insurgency

“In March 2022, terrorists bombed a moving Abuja-Kaduna train and killed scores while others were kidnapped. On July 18, 2021, bandits shot down a Nigerian Air Force fighter jet on the border between Zamfara and Katsina states.

“Yet, the military and the sleeping regime of President Muhammadu Buhari have gone on full somnolence and failed to treat the mass killers of innocent citizens as they are supposed to be treated despite that they have killed thousands of innocent souls in Kaduna in the last one year.”

HURIWA recalled that a frustrated Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in March, after the train attack, accused the military of knowing the location of the bandits wreaking havoc in the state but was refusing to bomb their hideouts.

Commenting further, HURIWA’s Onwubiko said, “The dastard killing by Fulani terrorists who operated from a helicopter in Adara was aided by the conspiracies of inactions by President Muhammadu Buhari who did not also take action against Fulani terrorists that shot down a military jet in Zamfara despite a court declaration that the bandits are terrorists.

“The rampaging mass murderers have declared full war on the Nigerian state yet the military and the government are docile as they are wont.

“Last Sunday, the insurgents stormed a Catholic church in Owo, Ondo State and killed over 40 innocent worshippers in an unprovoked attack. Yet, the President and his cabal keep treating Fulani terrorists as sacred cows that should not be touched.

“With the Owo genocide and the Adara mass killing, HURIWA calls on the Defence Headquarters to swiftly deploy the 12 Super Tucano fighter jets on the bandits terrorising the Nigerian state. The court has already declared them as terrorists and they fit into the United States’ categorization as those to suffer from the heat of the fighter jets.

“Then, why the delayed almost eight months after? Isn’t this complicit that the military doesn’t want to deal with the criminal and mindless terrorists as el-Rufai noted in his March outburst? Should all Nigerians be slain because the President is Fulani as the killer bandits? Enough!”

Metro

Police Launch Manhunt As Assailants Kill 4 In Soludo’s Aide’s Community

Published

1 day ago

December 9, 2025

Editor

Four persons – all male – were gunned down by unknown assailants in the Nawfia community in Njikoka Local Government Council Area of Anambra State.

Nawfia is the hometown of Chief Nwoye, popularly called Glamour, who is the Deputy Chief of Staff/Chief Protocol to Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo.

The community has become notorious in the news for the wrong reason, either bordering on fishy killings, shady land deals, or torn apart by chieftaincy and town union leadership tussles over the years.

Exactly a year after a similar shooting spree and killing engulfed the community, in which four men were feared shot dead.

A source told newsmen that unknown gunmen who operated in a black Lexus Jeep with a yet-to-ascertained registration number stormed Afor Nawfia Market and opened fire, presumably gunning down the four persons in the early hours of the evening of Sunday.

The shooting created pandemonium as bystanders and those who were within gunshot-hearing distance fled for their dear lives just as the gunmen sped off untraced.

A viral video, which our Correspondent monitored, shows the post-killing scene where lifeless bodies of four men lay in the pool of their blood after the shooting.

It was gory sights to behold as men and women as well as youths in the area lamented the killings which they described as one killing, too many.

Voices from the trending video identified some of the victims as “Ajigwo” and “Kalisia.”

The President-General of Nawfia Progressive Union, Chief Daniel Okoye, was swift in his reaction, expressing deep shock over the tragic news of the attack at the Afor Market Junction in Nawfia Community.

In a statement he issued on the incident and made available to newsmen shortly after the killings, he stated: “The incident resulted in multiple casualties, caused by unknown assailants who carried out this senseless act of violence.

“I strongly condemn this heartbreaking incident and the attempt to disrupt the peace of our beloved community. I have already contacted the relevant security agencies, and investigations are underway to uncover those responsible.”

Okoye appealed to the indigenes of the community “to remain calm, stay vigilant, and continue to cooperate with security operatives as they work tirelessly to restore normalcy and ensure our safety.”

The PG consoled the families affected by the dastardly act, assuring that “we are fully committed to supporting efforts aimed at protecting lives and maintaining peace in Nawfia.”

Also reacting to the dastardly act, the State Police Command linked the killings to cult-related activities, avoiding confirming any death incident resulting from the attack.

In a press statement issued by the State Police Command and made available to newsmen yesterday, the police update traced the killing to “cult-related attack that occurred on the evening of 7th December 2025 at Afor Nawfia Market, along the Onitsha–Awka Old Road.

“It will be recalled that operatives of the Command attached to the Special Anti-Cult Squad, Enugwu-Ukwu, had, four days earlier, acting on credible intelligence about a planned rival cult confrontation, arrested two dangerous suspects and recovered a firearm from them. The arrested suspects have been assisting the Police with valuable information aimed at preventing further cult-related violence within Awka and its environs.

“Despite these proactive efforts by the Command operatives, some members of the same gang, on the evening of 7th December 2025, operating in a black Lexus Jeep with registration number yet unknown, stormed Afor Nawfia Market and opened fire indiscriminately. The violent attack resulted in the fatal injury of four persons, after which the assailants fled the scene.

“Although the hoodlums escaped before police arrival, preliminary information obtained at the scene has provided useful leads, and the Command is already acting on them to ensure the perpetrators are tracked down and arrested.

“The Anambra State Police Command remains resolute in its determination to rid the State of cultism, violent crime and all forms of criminality. Further developments will be communicated as investigations progress,” the statement added.

Metro

Gunmen Invade Church, Kill Priest’s Wife In Anambra

Published

1 day ago

December 9, 2025

Editor

An attempt by Anglicans in Lulu community, Ihiala Local Government Area, Anambra State, to worship on Sunday turned tragic as gunmen invaded the service, killing the wife of the presiding priest and injuring others.

The development was said to have unsettled the state, as a day earlier, some gunmen had allegedly attacked the Afor Market junction in Nawfia in Njikoka Local Government, killing some people.

Meanwhile, the Anambra State Police Command on Monday morning confirmed the attack on the church and the killing of the priest’s wife.

Spokesperson for Anambra State Police Command, Tochukwu Ikenga, who confirmed the attack, said that many worshippers were injured.

He said that the Commissioner of Police, Ikioye Orutugu, has condemned the attack.

He described those who carried out the attack as armed criminals, saying it resulted in one death and serious injuries inflicted on a few others.

Ikenga said: “The church building was partially burnt, and other properties were destroyed at a church premises in Lilu, Ihiala Local Government Area.

“The CP States that this heinous and abominable act, committed against innocent worshippers, is not only an assault on the community but a grave affront to our shared values of peace, sanctity of life, and freedom of worship.

“The command extends its deepest sympathies to the families of the victims and to the entire Lilu community and assures the public that the police shall relentlessly hunt down the perpetrators of this crime.

“The CP notes that no community should be subjected to such brutality as the command will not allow criminals to instil fear or destabilise the peace we are working tirelessly to maintain.”

Ikenga added that the command has intensified intelligence-driven operations, deployed the Joint Security Team, and strengthened surveillance across the area.

“The operatives are following every lead as no resource will be spared in ensuring that those responsible are apprehended and made to face the full weight of the law.

“The command urges residents to remain calm and cooperate with the Joint Security team by providing useful information that can assist ongoing investigations for justice to be served.

“The command remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting lives and property across Ihiala and the entire state”, he said.

In other news, the Delta State Command have arrested a principal suspect and his sidekick in the murder of retired Justice Ifeoma Okogwu in Anambra State.

The detectives also recovered her personal handset, vowing to arrest the named fleeing member of the killer squad.

She was murdered on November 23, 2025.

The Delta State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police (SP) Bright Edafe, said the arrest followed days of intelligence gathering.

Metro

Army Foils Robbery, Rescues Kidnap Victims, Recovers Weapons

Published

1 day ago

December 9, 2025

Editor

Troops of the Nigerian Army’s 6 Brigade/Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke have foiled a robbery attack, rescued abducted travellers, and recovered weapons in a series of coordinated operations across Taraba State.

The operations were disclosed in a statement issued on Monday by the Brigade’s Acting Spokesperson, Lt. Umar Muhammad.

According to the statement, the first incident occurred on 6 December 2025 in Manya, Takum Local Government Area, where soldiers responded to a distress call after armed robbers barricaded the Manya–Takum Road and began dispossessing travellers.

“The troops launched a rapid clearance operation, forcing the criminals to flee and abandon their weapons. An AK-47 rifle, an AK-47 magazine, and three rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition were recovered. Their intervention restored safety and movement along the busy route,” the statement read.

In a separate mission in Kufai Amadu, also in Takum LGA, troops rescued two abducted travellers following reports that four men from Bauchi State were kidnapped in Amadu Town while seeking directions on their way to Baissa in Kurmi LGA.

“Preliminary findings revealed that two of the victims, identified as Mr. Musa Danji and Mr. Yusuf, were taken away by their abductors towards New City. Coordinated search operations led to the rescue of two others, Mr. Yusuf Musa and Mr. Muhammed Umar, who escaped from captivity. Search efforts for the remaining victims are ongoing,” the Army stated, adding that efforts to apprehend the perpetrators have been intensified.

In another operation on 6 December, troops deployed in Iware, Ardo-Kola LGA, recovered arms and arrested two suspects during an intelligence-driven raid in Garin Sambo, Tau Village. Items seized include two pump-action guns, 13 cartridges, two motorcycles, and four mobile phones. Two suspects, identified as Baba Wura Sambo and Mallam Adamu Darda, were arrested over alleged illegal possession of arms.

The Brigade Commander, Brigadier General Kingsley Chidiebere Uwa, commended the troops for their professionalism and swift response. He reiterated the Brigade’s commitment to sustained, aggressive operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks across the state.

Uwa also assured residents of heightened security throughout the Yuletide season and urged the public to remain vigilant while providing credible information to support ongoing efforts to maintain peace and security in Taraba.