Metro

Troops Arrest Chinese National, Five Others In Borno Over Terrorism Links — DHQ

Published

4 months ago

June 14, 2025

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) on Friday confirmed the arrest of a Chinese national and five others in Borno State over suspected involvement in terrorism-related activities.

The arrest, which occurred during ongoing counterterrorism operations in the North-East, was made by troops of the Nigerian Armed Forces operating in Kukawa and Ngala local government areas of Borno State, as well as Geidam Local Government Area in Yobe State, between June 5 and 7, 2025.

Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, disclosed this during a media briefing in Abuja, where he provided updates on military operations across the country.

According to Kangye, the five Nigerian suspects were identified as logistics suppliers and collaborators for terrorist groups, while the Chinese national, who claimed to be a miner, was arrested under suspicious circumstances.

“Troops arrested five terrorist logistics suppliers, collaborators, and a Chinese national claiming to be a miner during well-coordinated operations. Items recovered include a vehicle, a motorcycle, mobile phones, a Chinese international passport, and the sum of N10,000,” Kangye said.

The senior military officer questioned the foreigner’s presence in a conflict zone under active military surveillance.

“Anyone caught in such an area must be properly scrutinised. Criminals typically deny involvement, but the real question is: what brought him to that location during an ongoing military operation?” Kangye asked.

He confirmed that the Chinese national is currently in custody and undergoing interrogation.

“A thorough investigation is underway. Once concluded, the public will be informed of his reasons for being there, the circumstances surrounding his arrest, and any possible links to terrorist groups,” he added.

‘Troops not slow to respond’

Responding to allegations that troops are often slow in responding to distress calls, especially in remote communities, Kangye described such claims as misleading and lacking context.

“People must understand that troops are not stationed in every village. Many incidents occur 10 to 15 kilometres from the nearest military base. Before a response can be initiated, a unit must be designated, a commander identified, and logistics secured. These take time,” he explained.

Drawing an analogy, he compared the military’s operational challenges to a hospital triaging multiple patients with different levels of urgency.

“You might feel neglected if you don’t understand the internal priorities, but that does not mean we are not taking action. Let’s not be quick to label our troops as slow. They are working under extremely difficult conditions and remain committed to responding to every call,” he said.

‘Military operations yield more gains’

Kangye reaffirmed the Armed Forces’ commitment to securing the nation and upholding its sovereignty through strategic and well-coordinated operations.

“Our goal remains the safety of all Nigerians and the protection of their property. By adhering to the rule of law and partnering with the public through both kinetic and non-kinetic operations, we are creating an environment where citizens can thrive without fear,” he said.

Highlighting achievements in the week under review, Kangye noted that troops of Operation Delta Safe foiled attempts to steal crude oil and destroyed illegal refining infrastructure worth an estimated N146,614,380.
(TRIBUNE)

Metro

Man Stabs Friend To Death Over Woman In Ilorin

Published

13 hours ago

October 23, 2025

Editor

The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed that a 21-year-old Gafar, on Tuesday evening, allegedly stabbed 25-year-old Usman Tunde to death during an argument over a choice of woman in Ilorin.

The state police spokesperson, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said the command received a distress call around 2:30 am on Wednesday and promptly dispatched officers to the scene.

She said the police team that went to the culprit couldn’t find him, as he and the entire extended family in the family compound had fled to an unknown destination.

The Guardian Newspaper reliably learnt that Gafar and Usman, from Ile Olowo in the same area, were close friends in the neighbourhood of Oja Gboro.

According to an eyewitness, the deceased and his alleged killer started the argument over a woman in the Oja Gboro at a sugarcane vendor stand.

A police source (names withheld) later informed that the light argument later degenerated to a violent confrontation with Gafar, allegedly stabbing Tunde in the chest with a knife.

“We heard that they were arguing over a girlfriend they were both interested in, and that before the passers-by could stop them, Gafar had allegedly brought out a knife and stabbed and killed his friend,” the police source added.

Meanwhile, the victim, a resident of Ile-Soro 2, in Oja Gboro, Ilorin, was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, from where he was referred to the General Hospital, Ilorin, where he was confirmed dead on arrival.

Metro

Nigerian Military Kills 50 Jihadists During Army Base Raids

Published

14 hours ago

October 23, 2025

Editor

Nigeria’s military said on Thursday it had killed 50 armed insurgents using drones to carry out multiple attacks on army bases in the volatile northeast.

The authorities in Africa’s most populous country and one of its powerhouses have been fighting the Boko Haram jihadist group and its Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) splinter for 16 years.

The groups are seeking to establish a caliphate in the northeast.

In the early hours of Thursday, troops aided by fighter jets engaged insurgents who had launched coordinated attacks on bases in the towns of Dikwa, Mafa, and Gajibo in Borno state, as well as in Katarko in neighbouring Yobe state, a military spokesman said in a statement.

The military did not say which faction was behind the attacks, but intelligence sources told AFP that ISWAP militants were responsible.
“The combined ground and air efforts resulted in the neutralisation of over 50 terrorists across all the locations,” Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, said in the statement.

Ground and aerial pursuits were still ongoing to track down “over 70 of the wounded” insurgents, Uba said.

Soldiers seized dozens of kalashnikovs, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) from the militants, he said.

In a post on X, the army shared pictures showing soldiers standing over a row of several dead bodies said to be of jihadist fighters and their weapons at one of the targeted military bases.

Uba said several soldiers were wounded in the fighting, without giving numbers.

“Some vehicles and buildings were also gutted by fire from the terrorists’ armed drones and RPG fire during the battle, especially in Mafa and Dikwa, where a part of the defences were momentarily breached,” he said.

Armed insurgents are increasingly using drones, often commercial models modified to drop bombs or grenades.

A resident in Mafa showed AFP videos and pictures from the area showing the charred carcasses of several trucks and said the militants had set them ablaze during the attack.

Mafa locals said the trucks were mostly laden with cement heading to Chad, whose drivers had parked for the night for fear of militant attacks on the highway.

The conflict has killed more than 40,000 and displaced around two million people in northeastern Nigeria.

It has spilled over into neighbouring countries, prompting the creation of a regional military coalition to combat the Islamist groups.

Earlier this month, at least 14 soldiers were killed in two attacks in Borno state blamed on insurgents — one at an army base, the other when a military convoy was ambushed.

Since 2019, soldiers have shut down some smaller army bases and moved into larger, fortified garrisons known as “super camps” in an attempt to better resist militant attacks.

Metro

Nnamdi Kanu Protest: Court Fixes Oct 29 To Hear Police Suit Against Sowore, Others

Published

18 hours ago

October 23, 2025

Editor

The Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed October 29 for the hearing of the suit filed by the police against Omoyele Sowore and other conveners of the #FreeNnamdiKanuNow protest held on October 20.

The suit, originally scheduled for October 20 for the respondents in the ex parte motion to show cause why the interim order made by the court should be vacated, could not proceed.

The hearing was stalled as a result of the protest, which was held on the same day, crippling the court activities at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Justice Mohammed Umar had issued an interim order restraining Sowore and others from protesting for the release of Nnamdi Kanu in some sensitive areas in Abuja.

Justice Umar barred the protesters from demonstrating around the Aso Rock Villa, National Assembly, Force Headquarters, Court of Appeal, Eagle Square and Shehu Shagari Way, pending the hearing of the motion on notice.

The judge also made an order of abridgement of time “within which the respondents will respond to the application on notice to cause the ex-parte order be set aside on Monday, the 20th of October, 2025 at 9.00am,” before adjourning until Oct. 20 for hearing of the motion on notice.

The order followed the ex parte motion moved by the police lawyer, Wisdom Madaki, on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN), on Friday.

The Police Force, in the ex parte motion, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2202/2025, had sued Sowore, Sahara Reporters Ltd, and Sahara Reporters’ Media Foundation as 1st to 3rd respondents.

The force also joined the Take It Back Movement, TIB, for the Transformation of Nigeria, Or Any Form of Organization or Person (s) acting with Either Express or Implied Instruction, or Any Other Organization or group with a similar intention; and Unknown Persons as the 4th to 5th respondents, respectively.

In the affidavit supporting the ex parte motion, Bassey Ibithan, a police officer attached to the Directorate of Legal Services at Force Headquarters, Abuja, averred that if not granted, the protest might threaten national security.

DAILY POST reports that Sowore had planned to organise the protest for the release of Kanu, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

The 2019 and 2023 presidential candidate of African Action Congress, ACC, had mobilised for what he called a planned peaceful protest against Kanu’s detention on October 20.

A number of persons were reported to have been arrested during the protest, including Kanu’s special counsel, Aloy Ejimakor, who is billed for arraignment on October 24 at a Kuje Magistrate Court in Abuja.