Metro

Protest In Rivers Community Over Constant Air Raids, Killings Of 30 Indigenes

Published

4 years ago

July 3, 2022

Editor

The Udoda community in Ahoada West Local Government Area, Rivers State, have protested continual attacks by thugs, military invasion and air raids in the area.

Raising the alarm on Sunday, the Paramount Ruler of the community, HRH, Okaya Gospel, and the Youth President, Peter Francis, said over 30 indigenes including a chief had been killed since the raids and attacks started in 2019.

King Gospel said the community was deserted because people’s houses and valuables were burnt and stolen in the various invasions and attacks.

The king blamed surveillance contractors securing pipelines that criss-crossed the community’s forest for their travails saying that each time the people requested for basic amenities, their voices were quelled with attacks and raids.

Giving the timelines of the attacks, he said: “Many people have died in these attacks and air raids. They used air raids to burn houses and kill innocent people. Recently they invaded this community. It has been happening since 2019. They came in 2019 with air raids. They burnt houses and killed people and rendered them homeless.

“On May 27th 2019, there was a raid in which people were killed. In November, 2020 another air raid occurred in which a boy and other five people were killed.

“On June 15th 2022, another attack occurred again and a chief was killed. On 27th of June, they entered the community, shoot and killed people. They broke doors and stole money worth N30milion and people were rendered homeless. Over 30 people have been killed in these attacks”.

King Gospel insisted that the community had not committed any offence to deserve such maltreatment and called on the Federal Government to come to their rescue.

“We need peace and we urge the government to come and renovate the burnt areas. We don’t have roads, light, hospitals and basic amneties. People are dying of ill health in their hideout. People can no longer sleep. They should call the military and the contractors to order”, he said.

The Youth President, Peter Francis, observed that though there were illegal bunkering activities in the bushes, such illegal acts were not happening in the community to warrant air raids and killing of innocent people.

He asked the military and the contractors to direct their operations in the forest and stop venting their anger on innocent indigenes and destroying houses and properties.

He recalled that in the last attack, unknown soldiers aided by some holigans ransacked people’s houses and stole over N30milion belonging to different people in the community.

He said: “There may be illegal bunkering in the bush but not inside the community. They didn’t go to the bush, they carried air raids inside our community. They killed people right inside their houses. They tied a chief and threw him inside the river. Our community is deserted. We are crying to the community to call them to order”.

Metro

16 Passengers Lose Lives In Lokoja–Okene Highway Tragedy

Published

8 hours ago

May 8, 2026

Editor

At least 16 persons have been confirmed dead following a fatal road accident along the Lokoja–Okene highway in Kogi State.

In a post shared on X by security analyst Zagazola Makama, he said the tragic incident occurred at about 9:20 a.m. on Friday near Aku village around the Osara axis of the busy highway.

Security and traffic safety sources told Zagazola Makama that the accident involved a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number BUU 17 ZD carrying 22 passengers from Jos, Plateau State, to Lagos.

“Security and traffic safety sources said the accident involved a Toyota Hiace bus with registration number BUU 17 ZD, conveying 22 passengers comprising 21 males and one female from Jos, Plateau State, en route to Lagos,” Makama said.

According to the sources, the vehicle reportedly lost control while moving at high speed, veered off the road and plunged under a bridge, leading to multiple casualties.

Preliminary findings attributed the accident to driver fatigue.

The sources disclosed that 16 occupants of the vehicle, including 15 men and one woman, lost their lives in the crash, while six other passengers sustained varying degrees of injuries.

Emergency responders were said to have arrived at the scene after receiving a distress call and immediately evacuated the injured victims to medical facilities in Osara and the Specialist Hospital in Lokoja for treatment.

The remains of the deceased victims were deposited at the Ankuri Mortuary in Lokoja.

Authorities, meanwhile, advised motorists to obey speed limits, ensure adequate rest during long-distance trips and strictly comply with road safety regulations to avoid preventable accidents and loss of life.

Metro

Ex-convict Arrested In Edo For Armed Robbery, Possession Of Firearm

Published

3 days ago

May 5, 2026

Editor

The Edo State Security Corps (ESSC) has arrested a 45-year-old ex-convict, Owen Osas, for alleged unlawful possession of firearms and suspected involvement in a robbery incident.

Osas was reportedly arrested with a cut-to-size single-barrel gun during a covert operation along Fishpond Road in Eyean, Uhunmwonde Local Government Area.

The arrest reportedly comes barely a year after he was released from prison, where he had served time for illegal possession of firearms and other criminal offences.

Osas, who confessed to the latest crime, also admitted to being a member of the Eiye Confraternity.

READ ALSO:Tragedy As Suspected Kidnappers Kill Young Entrepreneur In Edo
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Consequently, a victim of an alleged robbery incident, Reginia Izy, identified Osas as the person who robbed her a day before his arrest.
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The victim narrated that the suspect had approached her residence around 8 p.m., pretending to be familiar before carrying out the attack.
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‎The Deputy Commander Operations of ESSC, Richard Balogun, said the arrest was part of intensified efforts to rid Edo State of criminal elements.

READ ALSO:Edo South Senatorial Seat: Nothing Wrong Seeking Wike’s Support – Ogbeide-Ihama
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‎Balogun explained that operatives conduct both overt patrols and covert operations to track and apprehend suspects.
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He said, ‎“Our men are always on patrol. Some operate in plain clothes as part of covert strategies, while others are stationed at strategic locations.

“Osas, who is a former convict, was arrested with firearms and he also confessed to be a member of the Eiye Confraternity.”
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Metro

Gunmen Kidnap Businessman In Ibadan

Published

5 days ago

May 4, 2026

Editor

Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers have abducted a 60-year-old man in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The victim was kidnapped on Saturday while on his way to his residence.

The incident occurred at Jinarere, Alakia in Ibadan.

Public Relations Officer of the State Police command, Olayinka Ayanlade, when contacted, confirmed the incident.

Ayanlade in a statement made available to DAILY POST on Sunday, explained that efforts are ongoing to rescue the victim.

Ayanlade said, “Preliminary information reveals that the victim, a 60-year-old male and building materials trader, was accosted while returning home along the Jinarere axis of Alakia Road by four masked armed men, who forcefully whisked him away in an unregistered ash-coloured Toyota Corolla vehicle”.