Five-year-old girl abducted at Redemption Camp

The abduction of a five-year-old girl, Oluwaseun Ogungbemile, at the Redemption Camp of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, has thrown her parents into panic.

It was learnt that the girl, in company with her parents, had gone to the camp at Kilometre 46 on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, to attend the one-week annual convention of the church that ended on Sunday.

Punch metro learnt that the girl, who is the youngest child of her parents, was last seen playing with two of her cousins on Friday, August 9, 2013.

The victim’s aunt, Omotade Odunowo, told our correspondent that the matter had been reported to the police.

She said, “She (Oluwaseun) was staying at a rented chalet in the camp along with her parents. Around 10am on that day, she was seen with two of her younger cousins, who are between the ages of two and three.

Nigerian troops kill Boko Haram second in command, Abu Saad – JTF

The Nigerian military has announced that it has killed the deputy leader of the Boko Haram sect during onslaught against the group in Borno State.

The military Joint Task Force, JTF, said it killed Momodu Bama – aka Abu Saad – on August 4, during an offensive by the sect on a Mobile Police Base, and Bama Town.

Abu Saad was Boko Haram’s Operation Officer and second in command to Abubakar Shekau and was one of the most “vicious and heartless killer in the group with penchant for slaughtering his victims,” the military said in a statement on Tuesday.

Before his death, the JTF placed a N25 million bounty on him.

Soldiers Beat Policeman to a Pulp in Delta State

Soldiers on Monday, in Koko, Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State attacked and injured police officers from Delta State Police Command, who were on escort duty with the state Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Anthonia Ashiedu.

A police corporal, who drove one of the police vehicles, was beaten to a bloody pulp by the soldiers for allegedly blaring siren in the premises of the Warri North Local Government Council, which is close to a military outpost. He fainted in the process and was rushed to the hospital for medical attention.

Sources say junior police police officers were planning a showdown with soldiers in the state, as they said it has become a tradition for them to attack police officers in the state without justifiable reasons.

NEWS UPDATE: 35 Die as Nigerian Army and Boko Haram Clash

At least 35 people have been killed in two separate gun battles between Nigerian security forces and Islamist sect Boko Haram in northeast Borno state, the army said on Monday.

Boko Haram gunmen on Sunday attacked a police base in Bama, a town close to the Cameroon border that has been frequently hit by violence in recent months.

"Troops have successfully repelled Boko Haram terrorist attacks on a police base in Bama ... on 4 August," said military spokesman Sagir Musa.

Musa said one policeman and 17 members of Boko Haram were killed during the fighting, while two soldiers were injured.

He said four trucks, three motorbikes, dozens of explosive devices, three rocket-propelled grenades, 10 AK47 rifles and over 100 rounds of ammunition were recovered from the Islamists.

Boko Haram members also attacked a military base in the town of Malam Fatori, triggering a gun battle that left two soldiers and 15 of its members dead, Musa said.

Terror Alert: US Shuts 21 Embassies

Amid warnings over a fresh planned attack on Western targets, United States officials in Washington and diplomats in US postings around the world were on high alert at the weekend, leading to the closure of 22 embassies and travel alert to American citizens in the Arabian Peninsula.

The British Broadcasting Corporation reported Saturday that the United States is not the only one worried by the latest threat to peace. The United Kingdom, French, and German embassies in Yemen will also be shut Sunday and Monday.

The uneasiness was coming on the heels of warnings that fresh intelligence points to Yemen-based al-Qaida being on the final stages of planning an attack on Western targets.

The warning is specifically tied to Yemen.

According to a report by Associated Press, President Barack Obama’s counterterrorism adviser updated him on the potential al-Qaida threat before he left Saturday for a round of golf in Maryland to kick off his 52nd birthday celebration last weekend, officials said.

VIDEO: Army Confirms Al-Mustapha’s Status In Military

The Nigerian Army has confirmed claims made by Major Hamza al-Mustpha that he is still personnel of the Nigerian Army.

At a briefing by the joint security information committee, the Director of Army Public Relations who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Colonel Joe Agim, said that Major Al-Mustapha, the Chief Security Officer to late General Sani Abacha, is still enlisted in the Nigerian Army.

“With regards to Mustapha’s release, well, I want to confirm that he is still in the army” he stated.

“The case is going to be handled by the army administratively in line with the harmonised terms and conditions of service.’’

He goes on to add that his case will be handled administratively by the Army in line with the harmonized terms of service.

Army impounds petrol tanker loaded with arms in Kebbi

Soldiers in Kebbi State have impounded a petrol tanker loaded with arms and ammunitions.

The arrest was effected on Thursday during a joint patrol by the army and the State Security Service (SSS),the Commanding Officer, 1 Battalion Lt. Col. Sunday Ilori, said yesterday in Birnin-Kebbi.

Found in the fuel compartment of the oil tanker were three AK 47 Rifles, one RPG-2, nine AK 47 magazines, two bombs, three RPG chargers and 790 rounds of 7.62mm of special ammunitions

“The arrest and confiscation of arms was sequel to the on-going operations of the 1 Battalion of the Nigerian Army with headquarters in Sokoto, against insurgency and insurgent activities within its area of responsibilities.

VIDEO: Fox News Host, Bob Beckel Reacts to killings in Nigeria, Calls for Ban of New Mosques in US

Fox News hosts Bob Beckel and Greg Gutfeld were discussing on the show ‘The Five’, when Greg pointed out to Beckel that a militia group had killed at least 28 students at a boarding school in Nigeria over the weekend.

That comment obviously enraged Bob who went into a barrage of words:

“They are a bunch of thugs, murderers and they go after schools, Christian schools,” Beckel explained. “They’ve done this, they’ve burned them down. We don’t do that here. If we burned down your mosque here, you’d be really upset.”

“Now, I’ve already got enough mail from you all, that you don’t like what I say about not letting your students come here,” he continued. “If it were up to me, I would not have another mosque built in this country until we got it worked out who was not a terrorist.”

He later said, “And by the way, is any Muslim out there, any Muslim cleric, any Muslim leader said anything about this? No! You’re cowardly! Because you’re afraid they’re going to put a — what do they call it? — a fatwa on you. Well, fatwa this!”

See the video

Court Orders IG to Pay Detained Boko Haram Suspect ₦500,000

An Abuja High Court Wednesday ordered the Inspector General of Police (IG), Mr. Muhammed Abubakar, to pay a suspected member of the Boko Haram sect, Mohammed Sani Sambo, the sum of ₦500,000 as compensation for illegal detention.

Justice S. C. Oriji, sitting at Court No. 16, Jabi, Abuja, handed down the order in a ruling on the enforcement of fundamental human rights filed by Wan Mohammed Shehu, on behalf of the applicant.

Court processes showed that the applicant was arrested and detained since June 13, 2012 on the suspicion that he was a member of the proscribed Boko Haram group but he was never charged to court till date.

The applicant was first detained for about three weeks in Kaduna where he was arrested at his residence at No. 14 Abdullahi Balarabe Road, KTC Layout Kawo, before he was transferred to

“We Could Have Averted Killing of 30 Students if…” Gov. Geidam

Governor Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe State Wednesday said the reported killing of 32 persons, mostly students on July 6, at a secondary school in the state could have been averted had the telecommunications services to the state not shutdown, after the imposition of  emergency rule in the state.

The governor, who had been at the centre of agitation for the restoration of the GSM service to the state, said the people of the state were always willing to assist security agencies to arrest the criminal elements in the state but were handicapped by the shutdown of telecommunication services.

Geidam, who stated this Wednesday, when a team from the Defence Headquarters, led by the

Gunmen Kill 2 Soldiers, Abduct Expatriate Worker in Edo

Kidnappers in Benin City shot and killed two unidentified soldiers yesterday while another who was wounded is still on danger list at an undisclosed hospital.

This was just as one worker identified as an Israeli was abducted.

The soldiers were mainly on guard duty as orderlies to expatriate workers of the construction giant, Setraco Nigeria Limited.

The incident, which happened on the Aduwawa stretch of the busy Benin-Auchi road led to the abduction of two expatriate workers of the construction firm.

Details of the attack were still sketchy as at press time but a top army official confirmed the killing but promised to provide details later.

Breaking: Boko Haram and Minbar Ansar Deen group to be banned in UK

Membership of two extremist groups will become a criminal offence under planned changes to UK terror laws.

Home Secretary Theresa May wants to outlaw UK-based Minbar Ansar Deen and Nigeria-based Boko Haram.

An order to ban the radical Islamist organisations from operating in the UK will take effect from midnight on Friday if it is approved by Parliament.

Minbar Ansar Deen, also known as Ansar al-Sharia UK, allegedly promotes terrorism by distributing content through its online forum.

It encourages individuals to travel overseas to engage in extremist activity, specifically fighting, the Home Office said.

The Government said banning Boko Haram, which aspires to establish Islamic law in Nigeria, will prevent the group from operating in the UK and give the police powers to tackle any UK-based support for the group.

Decisions to proscribe the organisations are understood to be unrelated to the murder of

Delta State Imposes Curfew on Warri North

The Delta State Government Wednesday announced measures to check the escalation of crisis in Warri North Local Government Area of the state, following two days of violent attacks by suspected militants that have left at least four persons killed and scores of houses torched.

With the curfew, the government has banned movements on waterways between dusk and dawn as part of the measures to halt the spate of violence.

Also banned from operating on the waterways in the area are all speedboats with two horsepower and above.

Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr Ovuozorie Macaulay, announced the curfew yesterday, at the end of the State Security Council meeting, held in Asaba, and presided over by the state Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan.

Macaulay said: “(The) Council approved the immediate ban on all movements on the waterways in Warri North Local Government Area from 6p.m. to 7a.m. to check further skirmishes in the area.”

Military Takes Over in Egypt, President Morsi ousted

Late Wednesday, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the head of Egypt’s army, announced that President Morsi was no longer in office during a speech on state television.

Police later began arresting key presidential aides and the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Sisi also suspended the country’s constitution, saying that new parliamentary elections will be held.

The army chief declared Head of Supreme Constitutional Court Adli Mansour as the interim president.

Though President Morsi had said on his Facebook page that the army’s move was a “military coup,” asking the Egyptians to “abide by the constitution and the law and not to respond to this coup.”

Meanwhile, Egyptian security forces have detained two senior leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood close to Morsi. Rashad Bayoumi, the group’s deputy leader, and Saad al-Katatni, the leader of the Brotherhood’s political arm, were arrested just hours after Morsi’s overthrow.

State media also reported that arrest warrants had been issued for a total of 300 Brotherhood officials.

3 die, 1 abducted in Warri communal clash

At least three persons have been comfirmed dead, while over 5 people were injured and one held hostage in yesterday’s renewed attack on three Itsekiri communities in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State.

Most parts of the three communities were razed in the attack that forced the residents to take refuge in the bush.

The Commanding Officer of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the area, Lt Col. Frank Etim, could not be reached for comments, but the Chairman of Warri North Local Government, Mr David Edun, who comfirmed the attack to Daily Sun said investigation into the remote and immediate causes of the latest crisis was in progress.

Army Officer, 17 Soldiers Arraigned for Communicating with the Enemy, Other Offences

A lieutenant in the Nigerian Army, one Warrant Officer and 16 soldiers were yesterday arraigned before a General Court Martial for offences ranging from communicating with the enemy, cowardly behaviour, murder and manslaughter, among other offences. They were being tried by the 3 Armoured Division in line with its operational responsibility.

At the inauguration of the court, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3 Armoured Division, Major-General Ebiobowei Bonna Awala, remarked that the accused soldiers facing the court martial from the 3 Armoured Division, Joint Task Force (JTF), Maiduguri and Special Task Force (STF), Plateau State, had been duly investigated for the various offences they were alleged to have committed.

Awala said the court martial was one of those instruments conferred on him by virtue of the Armed Forces Act Chapter A 20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria to address problems of this nature. He said discipline was the fulcrum upon which the military career rests, adding that

JTF Arrests 4 Boko Haram Leaders, Recovers 200 SUVs from Insurgents

According to reports, the Joint Task Force in Borno State has said that it has recovered over 200 vehicles, consisting mainly of Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs), from the camps of the Boko Haram Islamic sect since the beginning of the onslaught against the insurgents from the end of last month when President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in the state, and neighboring states of Yobe and Adamawa. The vehicles which are believed to have been stolen from their owners in various parts of the country are preferred by the insurgents as they facilitate their quick escape in the desert area. On Friday, four members of the sect, including one believed to be very close to the Boko Haram leader, Sheikh Abubakar Shekau, were arrested by the ‘civilian joint task force’ in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

JTF arrests 14 suspected crude oil thieves in Delta, others

The Joint Military Task Force code named Operation Pulo Shield has disclosed arrest of 13 persons in Delta and Rivers states over their alleged involvement in pipeline vandalism and theft of crude oil along the creeks and waters in the Niger Delta region.

According to the JTF, three persons were arrested in Beneth Island of Warri South Local Council of Delta State and the Agbede Forest of Edo State for illegal oil bunkering.   Eleven other suspects were arrested in Kalamabo and Opukula communities in Akuku Toru and Bodo West of Gokana Local Council of Rivers State for their involvement in illegal oil bunkering and fire outbreak on the pipeline owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The JTF, in a statement issued Sunday in Yenagoa by its Media Coordinator, Lt. Col. Onyenma Nwachukwu, said some of the arrests were carried out by different formations of the Task Force with operatives lying in the bush for days in the region to trap pipeline vandals.

“The Joint Task Force OPERATION PULO SHIELD deployed in 3 Battalion of Sector 1 of the JTF has arrested three suspects running three illegal oil distillery camps in Opumani Gbekebor, Beneth Island of Warri South Local Council of Delta State and Agbede forest in Edo State. The suspects were arrested during an anti-illegal oil bunkering operation with four metal tanks, 236 drums and 13 pumping machines at the illegal oil distillation sites.

Traders ‘arrest’ 6 suspected Boko Haram members in Borno

Traders at Gamboru market in Maiduguri, Borno State, Wednesday, rounded up six suspected Boko Haram gunmen and handed them over to soldiers of the Joint Task Force, JTF, eyewitnesses said.

This is even as suspected sect members, yesterday evening, detonated an Improvised Explosive Devise, EID, in the metropolis, targeting the patrol vehicle of the JTF, in spite of the emergency rule imposed on Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, and the total ban on the use of GSM and Thuraya Satellite cell phones in the troubled states.

The gunmen, according to eyewitnesses, entered the market and were spotted by a trader that saw weapons hidden under their garments.

11,000 Bayelsa youths renounce cultism

Bayelsa State Government’s crusade against cultism received a boost weekend, with 11,000 youths openly renouncing their membership of various secret cult groups.

The oath taking ceremony for the repentant cultists was administered by the state Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Chief Francis Egele.

Speaking at the event, at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Yenagoa, Governor Seriake Dickson, said that government plans to train 10,000 youths drawn from the eight local government areas of the state in different vocations.

According to him, N1 billion had been set aside as soft loans for young entrepreneurs, adding that a youth summit would soon be held in the state to enable government identify their problems.

Commending the decision of youths in the state to renounce cultism and other acts of criminality, the governor, said that the empowerment programme was part of his administration’s Restoration Agenda.