At least nine people were killed and seven others kidnapped in
reported cases of violent attacks in Nigeria last week.
The figures showed a significant reduction from the previous week when
45 fatalities were reported.
Sunday:
Last week Sunday, Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, broke his long
silence to respond to the call by the government of Borno State on
insurgents to lay down their arms and embrace the government’s amnesty
programme.
In an 18-minute audio message, Shekau, who spoke in his native Kanuri
language and in Hausa, faulted the governor’s claim that some of the
insurgents forced to join Boko Haram were tired of fighting.
The Boko Haram leader said his members were not tired and would
continue fighting till their last breath.
In a related development, President Muhammadu Buhari repeated his
claim that the insurgents have been defeated and reduced to aiming at
“soft targets”.
Meanwhile, a new report says the group has killed at least 2,006
Nigerian soldiers in the last three years.
At least four persons were killed in Okehi and three neighbouring
communities in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State during
clashes between rival cults.
Several houses were reportedly set ablaze during the incident that
began on Sunday night.
It was gathered that trouble started when some members of Degbam cult
shot and killed a man who was a member of Deywell in Okehi community.
Police spokesperson in the state, Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the clash.
Tuesday:
Gunmen abducted three children and killed two persons at Yebu village
in Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The attack made it the third incident of abduction in the FCT in the
last two weeks.
A resident of the community, Ayuba Danlami, told Punch newspaper that
the incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday when the armed men
invaded the community in large number.
The council chairman, Danladi Chiya, confirmed the incident.
Wednesday:
Three Nigerian troops were killed by an improvised explosive device in
Borno State on October 16. Three other soldiers were wounded in the
blast.
The troops of 123 Special Forces Battalion in Cross Kauwa were
ambushed while on a patrol along Cross Kauwa-Baga Road in Kukawa Local
Government Area at about 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
The soldiers were attacked with a combination of explosives and
rifles, sources said. The wounded have been hospitalised at the
military hospital in Maiduguri, the state capital.
Also, the Head Teacher of Dangamji Primary School, in Birnin Gwari
Local Government of Kaduna State, AbdulHafiz Abdullahi, and two others
were abducted.
According to Daily Trust, they were abducted at Doka filling station,
a few kilometres from the local government headquarters.
Thursday:
The abducted principal of Government Technical College, Maraban
Kajuru, in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, was set free
by his kidnappers after six days of abduction.
The abductors had demanded N20 million as a ransom but later reduced
the amount to N5m. The family appealed to the kidnappers to further
reduce the ransom as their breadwinner was just a civil servant who
could not raise such money.
Meanwhile, the Punch Newspaper on Thursday reported that the principal
was released at an undisclosed location after the payment of the
ransom which sum was not disclosed.
Friday:
Police dispersed a procession of members of the banned Islamic
Movement of Nigeria who trooped out to call for the release of their
leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the protest started on Sultan Abubakar
Way, Abuja, at about 1:55 p.m.
The protesters in their numbers hoisted two flags, one red and the
other black, with the chant: “Labaika yah Hussein. Free El-Zakzaky”,
loosely translated as “Welcome you, Hussein. Free El-Zakzaky”.
Hussein, one of the grandsons of Prophet Muhammad, is seen by the
Shi’ites as their third imam.
As the protesters marched, a team of police officers followed behind,
shooting in the air and firing tear gas canisters. Nobody was reported
killed.
Saturday:
A top official of the police force was kidnapped Saturday evening.
An Assistant Commissioner of Police, Musa Rambo, who works as a police
area commander at the Suleja Area Command in Niger State was kidnapped
alongside his driver on their way to Jos on Saturday evening.
The police confirmed the abduction to PREMIUM TIMES Sunday afternoon.
