A mass Communication student who is also Miss MAPOLY, Happiness Odeh was abducted along Iperu road to her destination to visit a movie location at Ipara, Ode-Remo
Miss MAPOLY was abducted and killed on her way to a movie set in Ipara Remo Ogun State
According to the official statement by the students Union president Comr. Sodiq Damilola Ajani, he said:
“Moshood Abiola Polytechnic Students Union (MAPSU) announces the untimely death of Miss Happiness Odeh, A Mass Communication Student of MAPOLY.
According to reports, she was abducted along Iperu road to her destination. The deceased left Abeokuta to visit a movie location at ipara, ode-remo with the consent of her parents.
Contrary to the rumours flying around, her death is not related to her status as the new Miss MAPOLY. She won the award on the 3rd of August and the movie location she attended has nothing to do with the beauty pageantry on campus.
We commiserate with her family, friends and colleagues. May Almighty God grant us all the fortitude to bear this painful loss. Continue to rest in the bosom of the Lord.”
Gone are the days when churches were seen as sacred places where crimes should not be committed. It seems those days have been lost in Nigeria.
Anthony Egbo, a 37-year-old security guard has been killed and beheaded on the premises of Living Faith Church located at Elebele Community in the Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa state.
The incident occurred early Thursday morning and eyewitnesses saw his mutilated body with his throat slit.
His remains were reportedly discovered by the Assistant Pastor of the church, according to Daily Sun.
The Youth President of the Elebele Community, Mr. Famous Egbo, said the remains of the victim were discovered at about 5.50 am on Thursday.
“When people saw him, he was beheaded. His throat was missing, and some people suspected that it may be a case of ritual killing,” he said.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Asinim Butswat confirmed the incident.
Butswat said a report from the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Kolo community stated that “the attack was at the head region and his throat was slit”.
David Oyedepo is the presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, aka Winners’ Chapel, with thousands of branches nationwide.
Governor Nasir El-Rufai says terrorists are consolidating their grip on communities in the state with a parallel government and permanent operational base in the North-western state.
According to PREMIUM TIMES, Rufai disclosed this in a late July memo sent to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The terrorists belonging to Ansaru al-Musulmina fi Bilad al-Sudan, are believed to have moved to Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State in 2012 when they broke away from Boko Haram.
The terrorists that formed Ansaru were said to be responsible for some of the high-profile attacks claimed by Boko Haram before the split.
In El-Rufai’s late July memo obtained by PREMIUM TIMES, he lay bare how the terrorists had infiltrated and dominated communities and formed “a parallel governing authority,” exercising control over social and economic activities and dispensation of justice in the area.
He said the terrorists had advanced in their plans to make Kaduna forest areas their “permanent operational base” for the North-west region, citing a “series of intelligence reports.”
“Observed movement patterns and intercepted communications of migrating terrorists have shown a clear interest in setting up a base, with the stretches of forest area between Kaduna and Niger states strongly considered,” he wrote.
As the political activities towards the 2023 general elections pick up steam, the terrorists, El-Rufai told Buhari, have promulgated a law to ban residents from participating.
“The insurgents enacted a law in the district, banning all forms of political activity or campaign ahead of the 2023 elections, especially in Madobiya and Kazage villages,” the governor wrote.
The Ansaru terrorists are known to have an extremist ideological posture against democracy and secular authorities.
The ban on political activities, the governor said, followed a recent wedding ceremony involving the terrorists.
“According to actionable intelligence, members of the Jama’atu Ansarul Musulmina Fi’biladis Sudan (aka Ansaru) hibernating in Kuyello district of Birnin Gwari LGA recently conducted a nuptial ceremony during which they married two yet-to-be-identified female residents of Kuyello village,” El-Rufai wrote.
“The ceremony was attended by various Ansaru members and witnessed by residents of the area. After the marital rites, insurgents in attendance reportedly conveyed the brides to the dreaded Kuduru forest, in the same district.”
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has revealed details of masterminds of June 5 terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo state.
The DHQ in a statement on Wednesday, August 10, stated that four among the terrorists who carried out the attack were arrested at Eika, Okehi LGA, Kogi State on 1 August 2022.
Recall that Chief of Defence Staff, (CDS) General Lucky Irabor had on Tuesday in Abuja, said that five masterminds of the church massacre including one Idris Ojo, had been captured by security operatives.
Following the statement by the CDS, Nigerians questioned how Ojo, who escaped from Kuje prison in July, was able to carry out an attack in Owo in June, a month earlier.
In a swift reaction, Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, clarified that Idris Ojo is not one of the suspected masterminds of the Owo church attack, adding that it was a mix-up.
The statement signed by Director Defence Information, Major General Jimmy Akpor, said Ojo was one of the suspected ISWAP terrorists who escaped from the Kuje Medium Correctional Centre.
According to the statement, Ojo was apprehended at Ayetoro Osi, Ondo State through the combined effort of military and DSS personnel on 7 August.
The arrested Owo church attackers are; Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza (a.k.a Bin Malik), Momoh Otohu Abubakar, Aliyu Yusuf Itopa and Auwal Ishaq Onimisi.
“The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor, has confirmed the arrest of 4 of the architects of the terrorists’ attack on St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State on 5 June 2022,” the statement read.
“He made the confirmation during the second CDS’ parley with media executives and editors, which took place at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Abuja on Tuesday 9 August 2022. The parley was organized by the Directorate of Defence Information in collaboration with The Media Today (TMT) International,”
“The CDS said that, through the collaborative efforts of military and DSS personnel, 4 amongst the terrorists who carried out the attack on the Owo Catholic Church were arrested at Eika, Okehi LGA, Kogi State on 1 August 2022”
A trader identified as Hajia Amina Folorunsho-Balogun has been abducted by unknown gunmen who stormed her shop in the Plywood area of Epe, Lagos, Sunday night, August 7.
Vanguard reports that the kidnappers, who pretended to be customers, walked into her shop at about 10.07pm, requesting to buy water. Her husband was said to be in the shop with her. While the transaction was ongoing, one of the strangers, put off the power generating set, thereby throwing the entire shop into darkness. They collected the couple’s phones and beat them up. Thereafter, they locked her husband inside the shop, smuggled her into their vehicle, and drove away.
A relative, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, disclosed that the kidnappers contacted the victim’s husband in the early hours of Monday, August 8, demanding a N50 million ransom for her release.
“After much bargain, they told him they would not go below N10 million. The family pleaded for N2 million but they declined. We have been going from place to place to appeal for funds.
We are appealing to the Lagos State government and well-meaning Nigerians to assist us“ the relative said
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the state police command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, said an investigation into the abduction of the trader had begun.
“The case was reported and we are making substantial movements. We don’t want to say much but we are making progress.”
Troops of 195 Battalion of Operation Hadin Kai in the North-East, have arrested seven Boko Haram logistics suppliers on the outskirts of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
The all-female suppliers include; Hadiza Ali, Kelo Abba, Mariam Aji, Kamsilum Ali, Ngubdo Modu and Abiso Lawan, among others.
The deadly terrorist attack led to the death of forty innocent worshippers in Owo town, Ondo State. Yesterday, the Chief of Defence Staff unveiled the faces of those behind such dastardly act.
Another Nollywood actor has been a victim of the country’s increasing insecurity, which has reached such alarming levels that even our mansions and top stars are no longer safe.
Actor Saka in Nollywood claims that on Monday night, armed men broke into his home in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Saka is a veteran Nollywood actor.
This information was revealed in a statement provided to newsmen by a friend of the veteran Kayode Soaga.
According to Soaga, the armed men broke into Saka’s home and threatened to kill him unless they received N20 million.
The men broke into his home at around two in the morning, fully armed with pump action rifles and matchetes, and they dispersed his guards.
More terrible robberies took place in three more homes on the same block. They destroyed the burglary proof and immediately approached him, threatening to kill him unless he paid N20 million. The star said he didn’t have even though he begged and pleaded for N3m.
In addition to torturing the actor, they also confiscated all of his laptops, iPhones, Android phones, and any cash that was in the house as well as his ATM cards.
The Defence Headquarters said it has arrested the terrorists behind the attack on the St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, who made the disclosure during a parley with media executives at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, said the criminals were arrested in collaboration with other security agencies.
Celebrity barman, Okechukwu Pascal, popularly known as Cubana Chiefpriest, has escaped unhurt from an armed attack in Anambra State.
While his vehicle was riddled with bullets, Cubana Chiefpriest said him and his entourage are safe.
He said, “God Did!!! The marathon continues, all my people are safe & sound. Sh*t never happened here in Imo. It happened in Anambra on my way to work in Asaba. Fact remains the entire South-East needs to be sanitized completely.”
Atazamu Azaki and Ayuba John, a driver and conductor were on Thursday snatched from a farm in Chida community, Kwali Area Council of Abuja by terrorists.
A source in the community told DAILY POST that the incident occurred around 6pm on Thursday, explaining that the driver and the conductor went to the farm to carry charcoal when they were abducted by the terrorists.
The source said the terrorists invaded the farm with sophisticated weapons and kidnapped the victims.
He explained that the conductor was later released by the terrorists to go home to inform the driver’s family members about his whereabouts and raise money for ransom.
Recall that last Saturday, Mr Sunday Odoma Ojarume and his wife, Mrs Janet Odoma Ojarume were abducted from Sheda village in Kwali Area Council was but the wife later released to go and source money for her husband’s ransom.
DSP Adeh Josephine, the spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, did not respond to calls to ascertain the incident.
Soldiers of the Guards Brigade, Nigerian army have continued to raid forests in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Niger, Kogi and Kaduna states in search of terrorists, bandits and kidnappers taking refuge there.
The operation followed the ambush of soldiers by terrorists in Bwari Area Council last Sunday.
The operations, it was gathered, has yielded positive results with the arrest of several terrorists, destruction of their camps and recovery of arms, weapons, ammunitions and other logistics.
A security source revealed that the soldiers have taken the fight to the terrorists and would not relent until they are decimated. The source, who does not want to be mentioned in print, said the terrorists, who are mostly foreigners, use power bikes to operate.
So far, the source said a good number of the terrorists have been arrested and have made useful statements to intelligence officers.
It was gathered that the suspects arrested revealed some of their members who are Okada riders, water vendors, wheelbarrow pushers, petty traders, mobile tailors, cobblers, among other informants, to obtain information on troops’ movement, security presence, among others, before carrying out attacks.
When contacted on the operations to flush out the criminals from the forests, Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, did not pick his call.
Only a few days ago, the Defence Headquarters said military troops had eliminated 30 of the terrorists who attacked troops of the elite Presidential Guards Brigade in Bwari area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Sunday.
Defence Spokesman, Major-General Bernard Onyeuko, made this known at the bi-weekly news conference on military operations last Thursday in Abuja.
Onyeuko said the operation was conducted by troops of 7 Guards Battalion and 167 Special Force Battalion in conjunction with the air component of “Operation Whirl Punch” between Sunday and Tuesday.
He said the troops successfully cleared Kawu and Ido villages, neutralising the terrorists and destroyed their enclave and hide out.
According to him, the ground troops also recovered six motorcycles, two AK47 rifles, one fully loaded LMG magazine, amongst others during mop up.
“The hierarchy of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies wishes to re-assure Nigerians of its commitment and pact with all Nigerians.
“With the recent operations carried out from July 23, we wish to assure residents of FCT in particular that we are undaunted and unrelenting in our efforts to ensure the safety of lives and properties.
“People should go about their normal business as their safety is guaranteed.
“The support and cooperation of all Nigerians is hereby solicited as security is everybody’s business. Citizens are encouraged to report any unusual persons in your community to security agencies. If you see something, say something,’’ he said.
On his part, the Director Defence Information, Major-General Jimmy Akpor, urged the media to continue to support the military in ensuring that the enemies of the nation were defeated.
Similarly, the military debunked reports that its men were abducted by terrorists during the attack on the Presidential Guards Brigade in Abuja last Monday.
A spokesman of the Guards Brigade, Captain Godfrey Abakpa, in a response to inquiry into the matter, said no soldier was abducted as being reported.
According to him, at the time of the attack, some soldiers could not be accounted for, because they were taking cover from the attackers.
“No soldier was abducted as reported here. But as of the time the news of went out, they were still trying to account for the soldiers who might have taken cover due to the attack,” he stated.
Last Monday, troops of the 7 Guards Brigade which provide security for the Presidential Villa and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja were ambushed while on patrol along the Kubwa – Bwari Road.
Abakpa had earlier confirmed the incident in a text he sent to newsmen via WhatsApp.
He, however, said the attack was successfully repelled by the troops, adding that a few of the men who were wounded in action had been taken to the hospital and were receiving treatment.
According to him, the troops were still combing the general area to rid the area of criminals that had been threatening the environment.
Advising residents to go about their lawful businesses, he asked for more cooperation with the military by giving timely information to enable them to fight against the criminals.
A suspected Boko Haram leader was on Sunday July 31, arrested by operatives of Department of State Services in Abeokuta, Ogun state capital.
Daily Trust reported that the suspected Boko Haram leader was arrested at Ijaye area of Abeokuta.
It was also learnt that the suspect initially put up a resistance before bowing to the superior power of DSS operatives during the operation carried out at night.
A security source told the publication that the suspected terrorist arrived Abeokuta from Katsina, took up security job at Ijaye, while gathering intelligence for terrorist attacks. He reportedly moved to Abeokuta to set up terrorists’ cell for kidnapping and terror attacks.
Following intelligence gathering , the gun-wielding security operatives stormed his hideout and picked him up.
The source said “It was not an easy ride. Intelligence and the grace of God were sufficient for the operatives. There are still many of them around, but we are on top of our game.”
The Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, has raised the alarm on the worrisome spate of insecurity in the country.
In a statement, he signed personally and made available to the media by his Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Kehinde Aderemi, Adams claimed that the forests in the South-West have been infiltrated by terrorists.
He said “Now that Abuja has seemingly lost the battle to terrorists, the South-West region has been the next target of these destroyers of hope.
“But, we will never allow them to destroy our land. Therefore, we urge the six governors in the South-West states to hold an emergency security meeting with stakeholders across the region so as to address the impending implosion.
“We are aware of their plans to strike in Lagos, Ibadan, Oyo State and Abeokuta in Ogun State, however, I implore all the governors in the South-West to recruit local security service structure in their various local governments.”
Ataneye Victor Sunday, An ND2 Civil Engineering Full Time Student of Osun State Polytechnic Iree who resides at New City Hostel, Ladoja, Igaa 2 has been declared missing while returning to school on 26th July, 2022 from Owena to Iree.
According to a report, “ he made his last call 11am that day telling his Girlfriend that the bus he boarded was stopped by security operative”.
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Thursday, presided over yet another national security meeting in the State House.
This meeting comes as terrorists threatened to kidnap the president and other government officials and the closure of schools in the Federal Capital Territory over terror attacks
At the town’s Folahami Junction axis, where Craneburg Construction Company was located, the gunmen were said to have opened fire on everyone on sight.
Sources told Oloto Awuji News Nigeria that during the attack, the gunmen also set off explosive devices.
Few weeks ago, some suspected terrorists attacked St. Francis Catholic Church in the town murdering no less than 40 worshippers.
With the exact number of casualties yet to be determined, many people were said to be injured in the attack.
The incident was confirmed by the Police Public Relations Officer for the Command, PPRO, SP Funmilayo Odunlami, who also stated that some persons were injured in the attack.
She added that it was still unknown if the perpetrators were terrorists or merely bandits.
Barely 24 hours after terrorists threatened to abduct President Muhammadu Buhari and Kaduna Governor Nasir el’Rufai in a viral video, troops of the Guards Brigade have been ambushed by armed bandits in Abuja.
Three soldiers were wounded during the attack, which has thrown residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) into a panic.
The bandits were headed to the Nigerian Law School in Bwari when they ran into the troops.
There were Intelligence reports, according to military sources, the terrorists have laid siege to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with the intention to attack the Law School in Bwari and other government facilities.
Military sources that pleaded anonymity said the attack was a confirmation of the terrorists’ siege to the city but authorities said they were on the trail of the assailants.
According to one of the sources, troops of 7 Guards Battalion on routine patrol along Kubwa – Bwari road were ambushed by the suspected terrorists.
He added three soldiers were injured during the attack and have been evacuated to THE hospital for medical attention.
“The ambush happening within the general area of Bwari shows that the terrorists are actually within the location and possibly to carry out their plans of attacking the Law School in Bwari as earlier reported,” the source stated.
When contacted, Assistant Director Army Public Relations, Guards Brigade, Captain Godfrey Abakpa, confirmed that soldiers were attacked by suspected terrorists but were repelled successfully.
He added the wounded soldiers have been evacuated to a medical facility and were receiving treatment.
“They were attacked and the attack was successfully repelled. We had a few wounded in action who have been taken to the hospital and are receiving treatments.
“At the moment our troops are still combing the general area to get rid of the criminals that have been threatening the general area. It is advised that residents go about their lawful businesses and keep cooperating with us by giving us timely information to enable us win the fight against the criminals”.
A lawmaker, Okechukwu Okoye, who was beheaded in Anambra State has been buried. Okoye’s head was dumped at Chisco park in Amichi six days after he and his campaign director, Cyril Chiegboka, were abducted in Aguata in May.
Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra, who shared photos from his burial on Facebook mourned the late lawmaker.
“The death of Hon. Okechukwu Okoye (Okey dị okay) is one too many and it hits personally. The cowards responsible for your gruesome murder will never have the last laugh,” he vowed.
Gunmen have allegedly kidnapped 10 officers of the Nasarawa State Police Command who were on their way back from election duty in Osun.
A source told The Guardian that the officers were kidnapped at Obajana, in Kogi, on Sunday, July 17, 2022.
The source said;
“On July 17, 2022, about 11:05 a.m., information was received from the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Obajana that gunshots were heard along New By-Pass Road, close to Trailer Park, PTI Obajana. The DPO immediately mobilised patrol teams to the scene, where they met one white 18-seater passenger bus with registration number: GWA 295 YR, driven by one Usman Abdullah with six occupants.
“The seven persons identified themselves as officers from Nasarawa State Police Command returning from the Osun governorship election. They narrated that their vehicle developed a mechanical fault, and while trying to fix the vehicle, armed men emerged from the bush and kidnapped 10 officers.”
An anti-kidnapping squad had reportedly been deployed to the area to track the criminals.
Aleru has been turbaned as Sarkin Fulani (The King of Fulani) of Yandoton Daji Emirate in Zamfara State.
The ceremony took place around 3:30 pm on Saturday 16, July 2022 with so many in attendance including security officials.
Ado Aleru is the leader of the bandit group that has been terrorizing both Katsina and Zamfara communities with so many deaths on his hands
He was declared wanted by the Katsina Police Command in 2019 with a bounty of 5 million naira on his head yet he has been turbaned as an Sarkin Fulani.
A 22-year-old suspected female kidnapper has revealed how she had been kidnapping toddlers in communities in Ondo State in the past two years.
The suspect, Adeola Omoniyi, disclosed that she had been delivering the kidnapped children to her father, Ilesanmi Omoniyi, who in turn pays her the sum of N30,000 for each operation.
According to the suspected kidnapper, who was paraded at the police headquarters alongside her father, she was apprehended at Ore in Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State while on her third mission.
Confessing how she had been carrying out the crime, she said “I’m a kidnapper. I do kidnap little children and I always deliver them to my father in his house at Igbotako. I was successful with the first two children I took but I was caught with the third one.
“After delivering the kids to my father, he used to give me N30,000 for each operation. I do use the money to take care of myself. I don’t know what he normally use the children for. All I do is just to take them to him.
“He was the one that told me to always bring the children to him. I picked the first child from Ilutitun and the from Ilowo.
“It was when I was taking the child away that the mother raised alarm. People gathered to beat me and I was taken to the police station before I was moved to Akure.
“I have been doing the business for about two years. The first one was in 2021 and the second one this year. I always ask the children when they are alone that where are they going and I hold their hand and they will follow me.”
However, the father of the suspected criminal who said that her daughter lied against him, #tated that she had been battling mental issue.
“My daughter used to stay in Lagos. She used about two years in Lagos. She got sick and they brought her to me in Igbotako. She was stacked naked when they brought her to me.
“I later took her to a church where the pastor said I should pay N80,000. I sold my cassava and I paid the pastor. He later told me that she is better but few days after he called again that he could not find her as she had left the church.
“I’m the one that she used to bring the kids to. I have never given her N30,000. It was six months after she left the church that we have been looking for her that I heard that she went to steal a child.”
Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Funmi Odunlami, maintained that the suspects would be charged to court after conclusion of investigation.
Khalid al-Barnawi, Ansaru leader who masterminded the bombing of UN Headquarters in Abuja in 2011, which killed at least 18 persons and left nearly 100 severely injured, was among the inmates Boko Haram released from Kuje prisons on Tuesday night, Peoples Gazette has learnt.
Mr Al-Barnawi, trained by the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in Algeria, may have coordinated the Kuje jailbreak from his prison cell, as he is rated very high in terms of his IQ and organisational capability, prison sources told The Gazette.
He is regarded as one of the most valuable assets of the Boko Haram terrorist sect. The sources who sought anonymity because they did not have permission to speak on the matter further asserted the jailbreak was most likely engineered to set Mr Al-Barnawi free, given his doggedness and commitment to carry out Boko Haram assignments before his incarceration in 2016.
As a commander, he was notorious for executing other commanders who failed to meet their operational targets, sealing his reputation as a leader who accepted no excuses even from his equals.
Mr Al-Barnawi goes by many aliases, including Abu Hafsat, Mallam Dauda, Alhaji Tanimu Kafuri, Naziru, Alhaji Yahaya, Muhammad Usman and Mohammed Usman, to avoid detection while conducting his criminal operations.
Arrested five years after the UN bombing, the nation’s State Security Service (SSS) in April 2016 described Mr Al-Barnawi’s capture as “a major milestone in the counterterrorism fight of this service.”
On June 21, 2012, the U.S. Department of State designated Khalid al-Barnawi a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Executive Order 13224 on June 21, 2012. Other terrorists designated are Abubakar Shekau and Abubakar Adam Kambar.
The release of Mr Al-Barnawi may signal a significant increase in Boko Haram terrorist activities in Nigeria. The U.S. government has already issued a security alert to citizens resident in Abuja and environs to be cautious.
Defence minister Bashir Magashi had on Wednesday said the 64 Boko Haram suspects who escaped from Kuje prison after the Tuesday night attack were still at large.
Gunmen have attacked Corpers’ Lodge at Udo Ekong Ekwere street, off Information Drive, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital and robbed the occupants even after raping the female ones.
The incident it was gathered occurred at about 1:00am Wednesday.
The hoodlums stormed the lodge in their tricycles, shot in the air and carted away valuables including laptops, cell phones and cash.
When some journalists visited the area, the corps members lamented that despite their cry for help during the incident, no one came through for them.
According to one of them who identified himself as Emeka Emmanuel, “They arrived on Keke and immediately started operation. They beamed high-intensity torchlight everywhere and pounced on every door with heavy iron and threatened to shoot us if we fail to cooperate”.
Another female Corps member, who wished to speak on condition of anonymity, said her phones, laptop, and cash were forcefully taken away from her after the hoodlums gained entrance into her room from the back door.
“You know at that period of the night, most of us females, do sleep naked and the suddenness of the attack caught us unprepared. They beamed the torch through the window and threatened to shoot if the door is not quickly opened.”
Another colleague interjected, “I have never heard of this anywhere in Nigeria, even in the North, where insecurity is at the highest peak, that Corpers could be deliberately targeted, raped and robbed by criminals at gunpoint. Is it because we are not from Akwa Ibom that no one could hear our shouts and come to save us?”
Mr. Nsikak Ibanga, a night guard at the State Secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists which is located opposite the Corpers lodge said, ” I raised alarm by hitting the supporting pillars holding the reconstructed NUJ auditorium, the sound reverberated across the whole area but no response”.
Another neighbour, Bassey Offiong, said “when I heard the attack and the outcry of the Corpers, I quickly reached out to the Police at Ikot Akpanabia Command, which is very close here, but they arrived a little late after the criminals had finished and left with their tricycle”.
Also the Youth Leader of the area, Godwin Okpo, blamed incessant criminal activities around communities on the collapse of internal security organized by the local residents.
“I used to go round from house to house to collect monetary contributions for the night vigilante group to secure the area at night but suddenly they started accusing me of embezzling their money, so there was nothing I could do again.
He added, “When I heard the incident late in the night around I:00am, I moved to the place but since I was alone, there was nothing I could do.”
He also blamed the inability of the youths to come out because of the noise of generators running into late nights in most homes.
“I have told them that once it’s midnight, they should off their generators so we can hear what’s happening in the neighbourhoods”, he stressed.
When contacted the Police Public Relations Officer Odiko Macdon said he was yet to be fully briefed on the incident, adding that he would investigate and get back to Journalists.
