ALERTS DATE
The following section illustrates the date alerts were reported on Thursday, 19th January, 2023.
ATTACK
- Boko Haram fighters have attacked farmlands in Makilwe village, Jere Local Government Area, Borno State, killing one farmer. According to sources, insurgents armed with sophisticated weapons infiltrated the farms on Tuesday evening. The terrorists also kidnapped about eight farmers. One of the sources claims that the sect has contacted the families of those who have been kidnapped and has demanded millions of Naira in ransom.
KIDNAPPING
- Last Saturday, four tipper drivers were abducted from a farm in Ilorin, the state capital, where they went to excavate sand for supply to their customers. According to sources, the four abductees were members of the Oyun Garage branch of the Association of Quarry and Sand Dealers in Ilorin. According to reports, the kidnappers have contacted their families and demanded a ransom of N5 million from each of them. On Wednesday, the state’s police public relations officer confirmed the kidnapping.
- The Emir of Yauri has urged the federal and state governments, and security agencies, to free the remaining female students of the Federal Government College, Yauri, Kebbi State, who have been kidnapped by bandits since June 17, 2021. The emir made the appeal while receiving the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate and his campaign train at his palace in Yauri. According to reports, approximately 11 girls remain in captivity 19 months after the abduction of 80 students from the school.
KIDNAPPING RESCUE
- We are pleased to announce that the last two victims have been rescued and seven suspects, including two village chiefs, are in custody, said Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation following the first weekly State Executive Council meeting of the year.
- Kidnappers released three members of a Baptist Church in Iwo, Osun State, who had been kidnapped on Tuesday. The kidnappers kidnapped two church members six days ago while they were returning from their farms in Osun State’s Ile Ogbo area. The kidnappers later demanded N10 million in ransom, but victims’ families negotiated it down to N6 million. At a location in Kogi State, three church members were chosen to deliver the ransom when the kidnappers also took them after receiving the ransom. According to a family source, the two church members who were previously kidnapped, and one of those who paid the ransom to the kidnappers, were released on Wednesday morning. According to the source, the kidnappers demanded another ransom, but the victims’ families refused to negotiate with them.
INSECURITY
- To increase security during the ongoing distribution and collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in the state, the governor of Imo has donated 27 brand-new Toyota Hilux vehicles to security agencies. On Wednesday in Owerri, the Governor gave the vehicles to agents of the state’s “Operation Search and Flush.” The action is a deliberate effort to strengthen security agencies’ efforts to occupy political space and ensure the state’s next election goes off without a hitch.
- The Edo State Government has charged members of the State Security Vigilante Network with ensuring the protection of life and property, avoiding violence, and carrying out their duties in accordance with the law. The Deputy Governor of Edo State, gave the charge at the graduation of ‘Batch A’ trainees of the network, comprising 574 operatives drawn from the six local councils of Edo North, who completed a two-week intensive training session at the Police Training School, Ogida, Benin City.
- The Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), a human rights organization, has condemned the rising wave of violence and insecurity in the country, saying such developments portend a polity crisis. The group specifically condemned the assassination of a Catholic Church priest in Niger State, stating that the country cannot continue to shed unnecessary blood.
- President Muhammadu Buhari revealed on Tuesday that his administration has spent more than$1 billion on weapons from the United States and other countries in the fight against insurgency since assuming office in 2015. The President reminisced about how terrorists controlled two-thirds of Borno State, half of Yobe State, and some local government areas in Adamawa State. He accused some Nigerians of exploiting their personal religious beliefs to advance their political and economic interests.
CULTISM ATTACK
- Following what appeared to be a brief respite, a renewed cult clash in Benin City, said to have begun last Sunday, has claimed the lives of four people near Erediauwa, a road connecting Sapele Road and Sakponba Road. According to a local, the killing began on Sunday and has resulted in the deaths of four people.
ELECTION VIOLENCE
- The UN and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) warned Nigeria on Tuesday against violence in this year’s general elections. While the UN warned that if things went wrong in Nigeria, it would have serious consequences for the peace and stability of the entire region, ECOWAS stated that if violence breaks out in Nigeria, no other country in the sub-region would be able to accommodate Nigerian refugees. They issued the warning during a mediation training and interactive engagement with the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) and other stakeholders from the North-Central and North-East on non-violent 2023 elections in Jos, Plateau State capital.
