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Tipper Drivers Block Major Routes In Benin, Protest Killing Of Colleague By DSS [PHOTOS]

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Tipper Drivers Block Major Routes In Benin, Protest Killing Of Colleague By DSS [PHOTOS]

The ancient city of Benin was thrown into confusion on Tuesday as tipper drivers in their hundreds blocked major roads, protesting the killing of one of their members by personnel of the Department of State Security. (DSS)

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The blockade which was still on as at the time of filing this report, subjected residents going to Sapele Road and the GRA axis to trek far distance to beat the blockade before they could get vehicle going to their destinations.

The DSS operatives were said to be in two cars moving to theTipper Garage, Ikpoba Slope on one way traffic owing to an articulated vehicle which blocked the other lane.

While the tipper drivers were trying to regulate the traffic, unknown to them the second vehicle (Audi) was also occupied by DSS operatives.

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According to Comrade Austin Uhuagho, Chairman of the Tipper Driver Association, Edo State, the DSS operatives were coming from an operation and when they saw that the road was blocked, they took one way and when the drivers identified the first vehicle as one occupied by the operatives, they allowed them to go, and asked an unmarked Audi to go back, this made the operatives to get angry and on getting down, they unleashed terror on the drivers and shot one dead there.

“This morning, there was traffic, and as usual when there is traffic, our people make sure the road is free, so the DSS vehicles were passing one way, so when the drivers found out they were DSS operatives, they asked the cars to pass, so the second one that was (an Audi) was refused passage and they asked him to go back, not knowing that it was them (DSS) that was inside the Audi.

“The drivers thinking that the car was a passenger car asked him to go back. The operative came out from the vehicle and punched the driver on the face, and his was face was covered with blood, and there he was shot dead, so when the drivers saw that their person was down they went mad, at the process, and that made the operatives to call for reinforcement, and when they came they started shooting randomly at everybody in our office, this made many to be injured,” he said.

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READ ALSO: [JUST IN] Biafra: FG Files New Terrorism Charges Against Nnamdi Kanu

The drivers took hundreds of their tippers to the DSS office blocking the entrance where the State Police Command and other security agencies are situated in Benin

Reacting, the Department of State Services (DSS) said the Service in a bid to free arrested kidnappers in Ikpoba Slope in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, were confronted by some hoodlums who wanted to free the kidnappers.

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“We arrested three of their men who are involved in kidnapping and they decided to lay siege on us at the popular Tipper Garage by the Tenboga Junction to free them.

“The hoodlums, upon sighting the DSS operatives, pounced on them with guns and various dangerous weapons, at the process, our operatives sustained vary degrees of injuries from the attack while their vehicles were also damaged,” the source said.

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BREAKING: Benue IDPs block Highway, Demand Return To Ancestral Homes

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Vehicular movement along the Yelwata axis of the Benue–Nasarawa highway was brought to a standstill on Wednesday as Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, staged a protest, demanding immediate return to their ancestral homes.

The protesters, believed to be victims of persistent attacks by suspected herdsmen, blocked both lanes of the busy highway for several hours, chanting “We want to go back home”.

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The protest caused disruption, leaving hundreds of motorists and passengers stranded.

Eyewitnesses said the displaced persons, many of whom have spent years in overcrowded IDP camps, are expressing deep frustration over the government’s delay in restoring security to their communities.

READ ALSO:Gunmen Abduct 6 Law School Students In Benue

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We have suffered enough. We want to return to our homes and farms,” one of the protesters told reporters at the scene.

Security personnel were reportedly deployed to monitor the situation and prevent any escalation, though tensions remained high as of press time.

Efforts to reach the Benue State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, and other relevant authorities for comment were unsuccessful.

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‘Nigerians Must Go,’ Ghanaians Protest Alleged Prostitution, Ritual Killings

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Some Ghanaians have protested against Nigerians for allegedly engaging in mass prostitution and ritual killings in their country.

In a viral video on Tuesday, the protesters in their large numbers, were seen wielding placards with various inscriptions such as “Armed robbery and violent attacks must stop; “Our health at stake due to mass prostitution; “Who protects the right and freedom of Ghanaians; “Nigerians are kidnapping and using people for rituals; “Our kids are getting missing because of Igbos,” among others.

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They also displayed a picture of a man who was allegedly killed by a Nigerian in the Accra area of the country.

Speaking in the video, a lady in her mid-30s said Nigerians must go because of their anyhowness in their country.

READ ALSO:Ghanaians Protest, Decry ‘State-sponsored’ Harassment In Abuja

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Nigerians must go because you can’t be in someone’s country and be doing anyhow. Nigerians must go,” she yelled.

Another protester said Nigerians have taken over their major markets and are perpetrating evil of sorts in their country.

These Igbo, they are in every part of the country and have targeted our markets. Not just Igbo, Nigerians are in almost every village, and our laws have not allowed foreigners to engage in real dealings. They are perpetrating evil in our country. They even have a Igbo king in Ghana. They have hijacked our lands. It is just a matter of time; we will conquer them and take over our country,” he stressed.

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Recall that a similar occurrence popularly christened “Ghana must go” happened in 1983 when the Nigerian government under President Shehu Shagari enacted a directive ordering about two million undocumented immigrants, many of whom were Ghanaians, to leave the country.

READ ALSO:June 12 Protest: Security Operatives Barricade N’Assembly Gate

If they don’t leave, they should be arrested, tried and sent back to their homes.

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“Illegal immigrants, under normal circumstances, should not be given any notice whatsoever. If you break a law, then you have to pay for it,” the President had said.

This action gave birth to a checked bag called “Ghana must go” into which the Ghanaians packed their belongings, and in turn became a symbol of exclusion and intolerance.

As of the time of filing this report, the Ghanaian government has yet to comment on the situation and the plight of their countrymen on returning Nigerians to their country, irrespective of their status.

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Gunmen Shoot, Abduct Anambra Bizman

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Some yet-to-be-identified gunmen have abducted a businessman, Ifesinachi Onyekere, at the Okpuno community in the Awka area of Anambra State.

A security expert, Zagazola Makama, made this known via his X handle on Monday.

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According to him, the attackers invaded the victim’s residence around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, shot him in the leg, and whisked him away to an unknown destination.

He further stated that Onyekere is the Managing Director of Fish Magnet and the son of the Women Leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance.

READ ALSO:Anambra Guber: No Competition, Other Candidates Just Raising Funds – Soludo

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He wrote, “Armed men abducted a prominent Anambra businessman, Ifesinachi Onyekere, on Saturday night in Okpuno community near Awka, shooting him in the leg before taking him to an unknown location.

“Onyekere, who is the Managing Director of Fish Magnet and son of the Women Leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, was reportedly attacked at about 10:30 p.m. at his residence in Ezinifite Village, a remote part of the town.

“Eyewitnesses said the gunmen, who arrived in an ash-coloured Lexus SUV, forced their way into the compound, shot the victim in the leg, and fled with him in his own navy blue Toyota Corolla. The vehicle’s registration number remains unknown.”

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While quoting sources, he stated that the assailants escaped through bush paths in the direction of Nawfia, sparking fear among residents.

READ ALSO:Three Rescued As Police Foil Kidnap Plot In Anambra

Local volunteers and security watch groups were also said to have been combing the area in search of the victim, while efforts are being made to trace his phone and contact the abductors.

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When contacted, the spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, Tochukwu Ikenga, requested a text. The text message sent to him had yet to be replied to as of the time this report was filed.

The PUNCH reported in June that a 24-year-old suspect, Muanaenye Victor, was arrested for luring his friend to be kidnapped by his criminal gang.

READ ALSO:Anambra Revenue Service Faults Obi’s Claim On Brewery’s Tax Ranking

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The suspect was said to have planned the kidnapping and collected a ransom in dollars, the equivalent of N5.3m, with his gang members before the victim was released.

Ikenga, however, disclosed that police operatives attached to the Uli Divisional Headquarters arrested the suspect, who also helped the police by providing information to help apprehend his accomplices.

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