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Uromi: Edo Speaker Attributes Attack To Lack On Intelligence, Porous Nature Of Town

Published

4 years ago

February 25, 2022

The Speaker, Edo State House of Assembly, Hon Marcus Onobun, has attributed the ease with which armed robbers attacked banks in Uromi, Esan North-East Local Government Area in a coordinated manner to lack on intelligence by security agencies and the porous nature of the town.

Robbers numbering about twenty in a coordinated manner invaded four banks in the town on Thursday, killed seven persons including two policemen and also attacked the Area Police Command in the town.

Onobun, while speaking on national television, which was monitored in Benin City, also said he in the company of the state Deputy Governor, Comrade Philip Shaibu would be visiting the area for the on-the-spot assessment.

While commiserating with the families of those who lost their lives, he said “What happened yesterday came to us as a rude shock. It’s what one could best describe as an invasion. And with what we have seen, the pictorial evidence and some videos that have been around on social media, it’s quite unfortunate.

“With what I saw, even though we’ve not been properly briefed, about what actually happened, you could see that the security was overwhelmed. And it’s quite unfortunate that such an incident could be carried out without any formal intelligence to the various security agencies, because I don’t think that such an action was just planned overnight, because you have these criminals numbering over 20 with various vehicles and all sophisticated weapons and all of that.”

Onobun added: “And also considering the location of the financial institutions and the area; yes, it is quite porous because we have a boundary with Delta State, and of course, there are some other routes to some riverine areas; the Illushi where you have the River Niger. However, we must now be talking about how to forestall future occurrences of this incidence.

“Myself and His Excellency, the deputy governor, will be visiting the scene today to get first-hand information as to what really happened, and how to curtail future occurrences, it’s quite unfortunate, and it’s so scary.”

Speaking on the capacity of the police which station was said to be close to one of the affected banks, Onobun said: “For the local government where this thing happened, Esan North East, it’s one of the most populous local governments we have in Edo Central, and they have a standard police station, so we expect that they have all the required equipment.

“From what we were told, the police station was also attacked. So, these are part of the investigation that the security agencies have to carry out.

“There are so many questions that are begging for answers to know those who conspired to see that this attempt to raid the people were successful; we also need to know how those people got into town that the security agencies were unable to pick on them, and they drove freely, and all of that. So, these are questions that are begging for answers.”

The Speaker called on the government at all levels to increase their vigilance so as to check future occurrence of such incidents even as he called on security agencies to use the available pictorial evidence and videos to fish out the culprits.

“I want to believe, with what we have in place, the security architecture that had been set up by the state, we would be able to track these people down as well as bring them to justice,” he said.

Headline

12 Die, 30 Missing In Peru Landslide

Published

13 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

At least 12 people, including three children, died in a landslide at a river port in central Peru on Monday, and 30 were reported missing, officials said.

The landslide submerged a boat with about 50 passengers on board, and another with none, as they were docked at the port of Iparia in the Amazon jungle region of Ucayali, according to a police report cited by the Andina news agency.

Six people were injured, it added, and a search and rescue operation was underway at the start of the Peruvian rainy season.

Without giving a toll, Peru’s COEN national emergency operations centre said on X that tragedy struck at dawn due to “erosion” of the bank of the Ucayali river.

It said the navy has been called in to help.

AFP

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Nigeria Grants Asylum To Guinea-Bissau Opposition Candidate

Published

13 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian embassy in Guinea-Bissau has granted asylum to Fernando Dias da Costa, the country’s opposition presidential candidate, following alleged threats to his life after last week’s military coup, The Cable Reports.

The coup was announced by military officers on Wednesday, just days after Guinea-Bissau’s presidential election in which both incumbent President Umaro Embaló and his main challenger, da Costa, claimed victory before official results were released.

Nigeria condemned the takeover and urged an immediate return to constitutional order.

In a letter to the President of the Economic Community of West African States Commission, Omar Touray, dated November 30, the Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, said President Bola Tinubu had approved asylum and protection for da Costa inside the Nigerian embassy in Bissau.

Tuggar wrote that the decision was made “in response to threats made against da Costa’s life.”

“In this regard, it would be appreciated if you would kindly mandate the ECOWAS Stabilisation Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau to provide him protection and security while in the premises of the Nigerian embassy,” the letter stated.

The foreign affairs minister’s Special Assistant on Media and Communications Strategy, Alkasim Abdulkadir, confirmed the letter’s authenticity to The Cable on Monday.

He said, “The decision of the Federal Government of Nigeria to grant asylum and provide protection to Fernando Dia Da Costa falls squarely within Nigeria’s sovereign responsibility and longstanding commitment to regional peace, stability, and democratic governance.”

He added that Nigeria acted “in the broader interest of de-escalation,” saying the government had exercised its discretion “to prevent further deterioration of tensions and to promote social cohesion in Guinea-Bissau and the wider West African sub-region.”

According to Abdulkadir, the intervention aligns with ECOWAS principles and reflects Nigeria’s role as a stabilising force in West Africa.

Following the coup, ECOWAS held an emergency virtual summit of heads of state and subsequently suspended Guinea-Bissau from the regional bloc until constitutional order is restored.

Headline

Trump To Attend FIFA World Cup Finals Draw On Friday

Published

14 hours ago

December 1, 2025

Editor

The White House on Monday confirmed US President Donald Trump would attend the draw for the FIFA World Cup finals in Washington later this week.

The United States will co-host the 2026 tournament alongside Canada and Mexico.

“On Friday, President Trump will attend the FIFA World Cup final draw at the Kennedy Centre,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

Trump has made the World Cup a centrepiece event of both his second presidency and the 250th anniversary of US independence next year.

But the giant sporting extravaganza has not escaped the political turmoil caused by Trump’s hardline stance on a host of issues.

Trump, a Republican, has raised the possibility of moving games from some US host cities amid a crackdown on what he says is crime and illegal migration in some Democratic-run areas.

AFP