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BAYELSA March 8 Gunmen suspected to be sea pirates have attacked a Yenagoa bound commercial boat, shooting two passengers including a pregnant woman in Bayelsa State. News monitored on Channels Television on Thursday indicated that the pregnant woman, known as Gulu Leghemo, was shot in the stomach and has been taken to a medical facility in Koluama II community.  She was taken alongside a young man simply known as Billy that was also shot by the suspected sea pirates. The boat was said to be travelling from Koluama to Yenagoa, the state capital, when the pirates attacked the passengers between Koluama I and II axis of the waterways.  Chairman of the Bayelsa State chapter of the Nigerian Maritime Workers Union, Llord Sese, confirmed the incident. He said apart from shooting the passengers, the pirates also went away with a 200 horsepower engine belonging to one Sunday Leghemo, as well as the personal belongings of the passengers.  Sese also confirmed that the robbe...

EDO March 7  Six Bureau De Change (BDC) operators at Third junction, near Ekiosa market, Benin City, Edo State, were yesterday injured, as suspected hoodlums attempted to extort money from them. The Nation learnt that hard currencies were stolen from the operators The situation caused panic at Third junction, as traders locked shops and ran. Eyewitnesses said the hoodlums stormed BDC operators’ offices in an attempt to extort money from them, but the operators resisted them. They said in the melee, six operators were injured, while the hoodlums looted shops.  One of the traders, whose money was stolen, Muhammad Basiru , alleged that a hoodlum had been coming to beg them for money. He alleged that they were surprised when the hoodlum invited his friends to steal hard currencies from them. The Chairman of Hausa Community in Edo State, Alhaji Gbadamasi Saliu , said he was in his office when he received a call that hoodlums had attacked the Hausa trading in hard currencies ...

ZAMFARA March 7  Notorious and dreaded armed bandit in Zamfara state, Tsoho Buhari , also known as ‘ Buharin Daji ’, was reportedly killed Wednesday evening at Nakango village in Dansadau Emirate, Maru local government area of the state. Nakango is a border town between Dansadau Emirate in Zamfara and Birnin Gwari local government area in Kaduna state.  A source in a telephone conversation with our correspondent said Buharin Daji was killed by some “repentant” armed bandits who attacked him and his gang members following his refusal to lay down his arms after peace talks with Zamfara state authorities. According to the source, trouble began about a week ago when Buharin Daji’s gang rustled about 700 cattle, some belonging to the in-law of one of his former second in command, identified as ‘ Jabe ’, who confronted him. Daji , it was said, refused to return the cattle to their owners. The source said that Buharin Daji and about 8 members of his gang were kil...

EBONYI March 6  At least nine persons have been butchered to death by suspected herdsmen who struck at Eche Alike Ikwo in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi state. The herdsmen attacked farmlands in the community, killing everyone they found including a 2-year old boy.

BORNO March 6 Four loggers were killed when they stepped on a landmine left by the jihadists near Dikwa , 90 kilometres (55 miles) east of the Borno state capital, Maiduguri. The four had gone to retrieve a vehicle abandoned the previous day following a Boko Haram ambush that left three dead. “Four people died on Tuesday just outside Dikwa as a result of an explosion from a mine planted by Boko Haram,” Babakura Kolo , a militia leader in Maiduguri, told AFP. “They were among a team of loggers who were attacked by Boko Haram on Monday while on their way to the bush to collect firewood under security escort. “Three loggers were killed in the attack while the rest fled to Dikwa and left behind a pickup van.”

Tottenham Hospur Have been knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by the Old Lady, Juventus FC. Juventus scored two second half goals(Higuain 64', Dybala 67') after Son had scored for Tottenham in the 39th minute in the second leg played The Wembly. The first leg had ended in a 2-2 draw. Juventus qualifies for the quarter finals on 3-4 aggregate.

ABUJA March   7  A Federal High Court in Abuja ine the evening, sentenced Charles Okah to life imprisonment. Charles, who is the younger brother of Henry Okah, was also involved in the 2010 Independence Day bombing in Abuja. Henry Okah  Also sentenced with him was one Obi Nwabueze, who also played a part in the bombing.  Henry Okah, one of the kingpins of the bombing is serving a prison term in  South Africa where he was based before his incarceration.

BORNO March 5 It was a  sad and sorrowful day for Benue State again as no fewer than 26 persons were confirmed killed in the evening in a bloody attack on Omusu village, at Ojigo Ward, Edumoga in Okpokwu Local Government Area of the state by suspected herdsmen. This incident happened same day President Muhammadu Buhari through his media aide, promised to visit the state.    The attackers also left several persons injured and many others missing, while the entire community has been deserted. Several houses, huts and food barns were set ablaze by the marauding herdsmen. A source in the community disclosed that the well armed herdsmen stormed the village about 4p.m., shooting sporadically at anything they sighted and burning down houses in the community. His words: “It was a bloody evening in Okpokwu . Armed herdsmen stormed Omusu village and opened sporadic fire on the locals, killing and butchering anyone and anything they came across.”

BORNO March 5 Two farmers were killed at Gudda  in the evening near Ladin Buta village in Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State when some group of insurgents attacked two farmers on their farm, slit their throats and left the victims in the pool of their blood. They (insurgents) fled after their victims were confirmed dead. 

EKITI March 6 No fewer than 20 people were injured when students of the Federal University, Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) and commercial motorcyclists, some of whom were said to be indigenes of the community, engaged themselves in a free for all, on Tuesday. Sources in the community in Ado Ekiti  said that trouble had started when a student and a commercial motorcyclist had an altercation over fare, which degenerated. A source said “the commercial biker slapped the student and that led to a fight between them, which other students latched into”. The source claimed that “it was as a result of the anger bottled by the students over what they see as their exploitation by the commercial motorcyclists and sundry business operators in the community.”  The clash was said to have exacerbated when the commercial motorcyclists were said to have mobilised against the students, who were also not ready to just be cowed. The injured students were treated at the university’s health centre and ...

BAYELSA 6 March Some pirates believed to have been the same gang that killed three persons the day before were reported to have invaded Ogbia town, another community in Ogbia LGA, abducting one Mrs. Augusta Apaga . A member of the State House of Assembly representing Ogbia Constituency 2, Munalayefa Gibson, who confirmed the incident, condemned the attacks in strong terms. According to him, the sea pirates shot into the community for over 30 minutes before towing away more than 10 speedboats. On the development in Ogbia town, Gibson said the invasion took place about 12:30am on Tuesday, noting that the hoodlums took Apaga hostage and also went away with four 75 horsepower engine boats parked at the waterfront.

BAYELSA March 5 Unknown gunmen suspected to be sea pirates have killed three persons and injured two others during their invasion of Ayama community in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. It was learnt that the incident occurred about 9pm. The suspected pirates, said to be about 10 persons, reportedly stormed the community and opened fire on a crowd of natives, killing three persons and stealing engine boats.

TARABA - March 5 A businessman in Jalingo , Taraba State capital, Mr. Kumachivir Iorkohol , was reportedly killed in the early hours of date by unknown gunmen in his house located behind Jolly Nyame Stadium. His shocked wife with seven months pregnancy, Dorothy, has been admitted at Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo . She told newsmen that the assailants came to their house at about 12:27a.m. In her own words: “He(husband) returned from his business place tired Monday and retired to his bedroom early, leaving us in the sitting room, watching television. I later joined him in the bedroom. Suddenly, our power generator went off outside. When the fan in the bedroom went off, my husband rushed to check what happened to the generator. As soon as he opened the door, we discovered about five armed men, who pointed gun at him and demanded for his phones. Three of them dragged him inside the room, while two were standing outside, keeping guard. They demanded for money and we gave them the s...

LAGOS - March 5 One person was in the n ight, killed in a fight between rival cult groups over the abduction of two girls on Sunday, along Idimu Road, Alimosho Local Government Area, Lagos. Three other persons said to have been severely injured. Trouble started on Sunday after two ladies, who had gone to watch a local boxing championship at Dantion , Orisubare area, were forcefully taken away by some youths suspected to be from Idimu . The girls, according to residents of Idimu , were not released despite frantic efforts by their apprehensive parents. Residents alleged that some members of Eiye confraternity were responsible for the girls’ abduction.  File Photo Determined to release them, some youths from Orisunbare , as gathered, stormed Idimu Road on Monday, where the suspected captors lived. The youths,  armed with cutlasses, axes and gun, stormed the area and started firing. They started the fight from Isheri Roundabout to Oboye and Dorcas. They were re...

LAGOS - On Sunday March 4 , two ladies, who had gone to watch a local boxing championship at Dantion , Orisubare area, were abducted by some youths suspected to be from Idimu . The girls, according to residents of Idimu , Alimosho LGA of Lagos State were not released despite frantic efforts by their apprehensive parents. Residents alleged that some members of Eiye confraternity were responsible for the girls’ abduction

Thailand’s ambassador to Nigeria, Wattana Kunwongse has refuted comments credited to Nigeria's Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh that Thailand accused Nigeria of being responsible for the collapse of its seven rice mills following the drastic fall in rice importation from Nigeria.  Tracked reports claim that Kunwongse described the minister’s claim as “misleading and a distortion of the actual discussion that transpired between them”.  According to reports, Ogbeh was reported to have said ''Just like two weeks ago, the Ambassador of Thailand came to my office and said to me that we have really ‘dealt’ with them.  Audu Ogbeh, Nigeria's Minister for Agriculture “But I asked what did we do wrong and he said unemployment in Thailand was one of the lowest in the world, 1.2 per cent, it has gone up to four per cent because seven giant rice mills have shut down because Nigeria’s import has fallen by 95 per cent on rice alone”. The...

The Anambra State Police Command has confirmed the death of a policeman in a fracas between some youths of Umuenze, in the Orumba South Local Government Area, and the police in the area. The incident occurred on Saturday, 2 March 2018. In a statement on Monday by the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Garba Umar, the command described the incident as unfortunate.While assuring law-abiding residents of police protection, it vowed that the command would not fold its arms and allow miscreants to violate the law with impunity. The statement read in part, “On March 2, 2018, police officers from Zone 9, Umuahia, were on investigation activities over a petition addressed to the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 9, on a matter bordering on conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace over land. “However, when the team got to Umuenze, the youths attacked them with weapons, and the policemen sustained severe injuries which resulted in the death of a policeman. “The area was rei...