Humanity Watch

  Heavily-armed gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen have reportedly invaded Emokpae community, in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State, where they killed three persons. The invaders were said to have also hijacked a bus conveying 13 passengers, including school children and market women, and marched them into the forest. he people of Emokpae community staged a peaceful protest to the State Government House in Benin on Friday. Spokesman for the community who gave his name simply as Egua, told journalists that the 13 passengers were still being held captives by the gunmen. Egua, who claimed to be the local leader of Edo State Security Network, disclosed that the kidnappers had contacted the family of a female hostage, demanding for a whopping N20 million ransom. “Yesterday, as at 3 pm, when our children were returning from school from the neighbouring community, the herdsmen invaded the road, took our children, even the bike men that went to take them from the school, th

  Gunmen on Friday abducted a First Class traditional ruler in Plateau State, His Royal Highness Dr Isaac Azi Wakili. He was kidnapped at his Palace in the Angware area of Jos East Local Government. According to sources, the assailants stormed the palace around 3 a.m. on Friday, shooting sporadically and engaging the palace’s security personnel. But it was learnt that the gunmen eventually overpowered the security operatives and took away the traditional ruler. Two security officers were injured to varying degrees in the battle with the gunmen. DSP Alfred Alabo, the Plateau State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, confirmed the traditional ruler’s kidnapping and the officers’ injuries. A tactical team has been sent to Izere land to find the kidnapped monarch, according to the police spokesperson.

  An Ibadan building material dealer, Aishat Zakaria has accused her husband, Taofeek, of forcing her to observe marathon fasting when she was pregnant. Zakari who was seeking dissolution of her marriage told a Mapo Grade ‘A’ Customary Court in Ibadan that her husband also frequently maltreats her in other ways, including beating her. The petitioner told the court that her husband who patronises different occult houses and Marabous also accused her of being behind his lack of progress in life. “My Lord, Zakaria accused of being responsible for his retrogressive condition. “He beats me and inflicts cuts on my body,” she alleged. Delivering the President of the Court, Mrs S.M. Akintayo granted the petitioner’s request for dissolution. She held that the petitioner’s application had merit since the marriage was valid via a customary process, based on the evidence tendered by the petitioner. Akintayo awarded custody of the two children Zakaria and asked Taofeek to take full responsibility o

  At least 1,773 members of Civilian Task Force have died fighting Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists alongside the military in Sambisa Forest and the Lake Chad area in Borno State. The CJTF operatives died while repealing attack from the terrorists against Maiduguri, the Borno State capital or stopping havoc by suicide bombers by hugging them. Chairman of CJTF, Babashehu Abdulganiu, who revealed this in an interview on Saturday, however, said the operatives remained resolute in their determination to support the military to rid Borno of terrorists. Abdulganiu noted that the CJTF which is now backed by law began in 2012 out of the need to stamp out terrorists out of Maiduguri. “It started in 2012 when our youths picked up sticks and said no more Boko Haram and we successfully pushed the terrorist group out of Maiduguri to their enclaves in Sambisa Forest andLake Chad. “In 2015, the Borno Dtate Government established the Borno Youths Empowerment Scheme(BOYES), where the 23,000 Civilian Joint T

 Unknown  gunmen, on Saturday morning, killed the Ebubeagu Security Network Commander of Ogboji Ward in Ezza North local government Area of Ebonyi State, Mr. Charles Nwankwo. According to Leadership ,  the gunmen invaded his house at Ogboji community at about 1am and shot him dead and made away with his motorcycle and Pump Action gun.  It was also gathered that unknown gunmen earlier on Friday evening invaded Mkpuma Akataka in Izzi local government area of the State where members and supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were holding their consultative meeting and opened fire on them. It was revealed that two persons were killed by the gunmen while two others sustained different degrees of gunshot injuries. It was also revealed that the hoodlums, who were said to be two in number, reportedly operated with a motorcycle and were said to have quickly zoomed off after carrying out the attack. Confirming the incidents, the State Commander, Ebubeagu Security Network, Mr. F

  ….As family announces burial arrangements   Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has extolled the Late Pa Jerome Abalike Ella, father of his Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Water Resources, Engr. Ejembi Ella, and his indelible legacies.   This is coming as the family announces the burial arrangements for the deceased whose death occurred last month, December 27, 2022.   Ortom described  the deceased  as a renowned community leader who was humble, hardworking and dedicated his life to the service of God and humanity until his demise.   In a condolence letter on behalf of his family, the government and people of Benue State to the SSA, a copy of which Humanity Watch obtained, the governor stated that the transition of Pa Jerome at a time his wise counsel was most needed, has created a vacuum in the family that will be difficult to fill.   The governor however, urged the SSA on Water Resources who is also the immediate past General Manger of Benue Rural Water Supply and Sanitat

  A six-year-old child deliberately shot a teacher at an elementary school in   Virginia   on Friday afternoon, according to police. Police said in a  statement  that they have arrested the boy accused of shooting a female teacher at Richneck elementary school in Newport News, Virginia, a city in the south-eastern part of the state. Police said they were notified about 2pm that the teacher had been shot inside the school during an altercation of some kind. “We did not have a situation where someone was going around the school shooting,” Newport News police chief Drew told reporters. “We have a situation in one particular location where a gunshot was fired.” He added that the shooting was not an accident. The student has since been taken into custody, and the teacher, a woman in her 30s, was taken to a local hospital to be treated for injuries that were “believed to be life-threatening”, according to the police department. Drew told reporters the teacher’s condition had improved somewha

  The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya has approved the redeployment of senior officers in an effort to ensure administrative and operational efficiency in the Nigerian Army (NA). The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement on Saturday, said the new postings and appointments was aimed at sustaining the recent operational successes recorded in combating emerging security challenges in the country. Nwachukwu said that the officers affected are Major Generals and Brigadier Generals amongst several other senior officers across army formations and units. He added that those affected in the redeployment include some Principal Staff Officers of the Army Headquarters, Corps Commanders, Commandants of Army Training Institutions, Brigade Commanders, Commanding officers and several others. In the new appointment, Nwachukwu said the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Division, Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Ali, moves to the North East as Theatre Commander

T he Ogun State Police Command has arrested a couple and six accomplices for allegedly killing and selling the body parts of a woman in the state. The couple, Taiwo Olutufese Ajalorun and Salawa Oyenusi Ajalorun, were arrested with six others- Lukman Oladele, Kayode Ibrahim, Bello Akeem, Alebiosu Adebayo, Fatai Rasheed and Fatai Jimoh for kidnapping, killing and dismembering of a 26-year-old mother of two, Oyindamola Adeyemi. The command’s spokesman, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi in a statement revealed that the suspects were apprehended following a report lodged at Obalende divisional headquarters, Ijebu-Ode by one Ojo Omolara who reported that her neighbour, Oyindamola Adeyemi left home since the morning of Wednesday, 28th of December 2022 but did not return home and that her phone had since then been switched off. “But the following day, being 29th of December 2022, while a patrol team from Obalende division were on routine patrol, a dismembered body of a lady was discovered by the roadside a

  The Plateau State Police Command, in its aggressive fight against crime and criminality, has again foiled the attempted kidnapping of the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Sanda. According to a statement issued in Jos by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Alfred Alabo, he said three unidentifield gunmen operating in an grey-coloured CR-V Jeep arrived the Speaker’s residence at the Federal Low-cost Housing in Jos South LGA of the State on Thursday. He explained that after trailing the Speaker to his residence, the hoodlums attempted to enter his house to kidnap him but their mission was made impossible by the intrepid Police officers on guard duty, and the timely response of the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), SP Ayuba, and his men, who joined forces with the men on guard duty to repel the assailants. Alabo further added that the Command was making concerted effort to track down the fleeing suspects and get them arrested. The PPRO thanked member

  While news of fresh cases of brutality on maids are brought to light on daily basis, stories of vicious household workers who unleash mayhem on their employers and in most cases their children also abound. These stories are mostly amplified by the employers to highlight the danger of getting household helps without doing background checks. It is a known fact that there are many ‘Margaret Joshua ’in at least one out of every 10 homes in the country. Remember Margaret? She is the 11 -years -old girl who died in Jos as a result of alleged physical abuse by her guardian, Mrs. Nneamaka Nwachuku, a Microbiologist who works with one of the Research Institutes in Vom, Jos South local government area of Plateau State. The victim who is from Kebbi State and was fleeing from insecurity in her community before a supposed helper brought her to Jos to serve in the Nwachukwu’s home. While Margaret’s case can best be described as a typical example of child abuse, child labour, torture and man’s inhu