100 suspected robbers attack Brinin-Gwari, kill three policemen

ABOUT 100 armed robbers on Thursday unleashed terror on the residents of Birnin-Gwari town, in the Brinin Gwari Council of Kaduna State, killing three policemen in an operation that lasted two hours.

The robbers also razed a police station and two banks in the area, according to the Kaduna State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Aminu Lawan.

A resident of the area who spoke on condition of anonymity said the robbers struck in the early hours of Thursday.

“They headed for the police station in the area and engaged the policemen on duty in a gun duel. They shot sporadically for hours and overpowered the policemen on duty.

“Thereafter, they went to two banks located in the town where we heard a deafening sound of a bomb across the town. They vandalised the banks and break their ATM machines,” the resident narrated.

The incident came barely 24 hours after the Emir of Birnin Gwari, Alhaji Zubairu Jibril, raised the alarm that armed robbers had taken over his domain.

The emir said the men of the underworld were in charged of affairs in the area.

Jibril spoke when he led other traditional rulers, politicians and traders on a courtesy visit to the Kaduna State Governor, Dr. Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, to make a formal complaint about the activities of armed bandits in his domain.

He said the robbers raped wives of victims, and that over 7,000 heads of cattle were stolen by the bandits.

The Emir had said, “From November last year, when we had the Dogondawa incident, the government promised to do something the late governor and the General Officer Commanding, One Division, were there, but till now, my people are still waiting for the action of the state government. The situation has worsened. They are doing what they like and they are heavily armed.

“Except in Birnin Gwari town , in other villages in my domain, I am not in charge, and you are not in charge too.”

In October last year, the sleepy town of Dogodawa in Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area of the state was jolted as unidentified gunmen went haywire, killing 20 people in the process.

Those killed in that attack were mostly Moslem worshippers returning to their houses in the early hours.

A source told our correspondent that the Thursday attack which occured at about 12 mid night and lasted for about two hours left the police station in ruins.

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Bomb Planted Near Major Bank In Kano

A bomb was detected near a first generation bank around 1pm at Murtala Mohammed Way in Kano. Police anti-bomb squad cordoned off the area and detonated the device.

Police public relations officer Musa Magaji Majia confirmed that it was a controlled explosion. He said the detonation was carried out successfully, adding that normal activities had resumed in the area.

Murtala Muhammad Way is home to many banks in the state.

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Bomb kills woman, injures other in northern Nigeria

A bomb explosion near a state-owned National Television Authority (NTA) station in a northern Nigerian state has killed a woman and injured five children.

Spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency, Yushua Shuaib said the overnight bomb blast occurred in Jalingo town in Taraba state.

He said a similar blast in the town had killed one person and left 14 others wounded on Thursday. 

Though no group has claimed responsibility, the only terrorist group that has been carrying out such bombing campaigns in the country is the Islamic sect known as Boko Haram.

The group wants an Islamic state in Nigeria's mostly Muslim north. More than 1,000 people have been killed in the north and capital city of Abuja since the sect started bombing and shooting at people in public places since 2009.

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Unexploded bomb discovered in another church in Kogi

 A bomb has been discovered at the Revival Church in Lokoja, the capital of Kogi state.Our correspondent in the state says that gunshots could also be heard in the town.

This development comes a day after the attack on the Deeper Life Church in Okene in which 19 people were killed, including the Church’s Pastor.The Church which is located at Eika Adagu in Okehi Local Government Area is now surrounded by officers of the Nigeria Police Force and soldiers as family members of the deceased are coming around in tears, to identify their bodies.

It is still unclear how many people were wounded in the attack Monday night as a number of the church members sustained various degrees of injuries.

According to the Military spokesman, Lt. Col. Gabriel Olorunyomi, the gunmen surrounded the church in the middle of a worship service and opened fire with AK-47 assault rifles on the worshippers.

Soldiers searched for gunmen through the night, but have made no arrests as of this morning.No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) spokesperson Yushau Shuaib said his agency has dispatched rescuers to the area.

The Primate of the Anglican Church, Reverend Nicholas Okoh has condemned yesterday’s attack on a church in Okene, Kogi state which claimed the lives of sixteen people.

Reverend Okoh who spoke with journalists in Abuja said that securing places of worship should not be left in the hands of the church alone.

He called on government to expedite action to secure the lives of its citizenry.

Responding to the call for the resignation of the president by members of the Boko Haram sect, the Anglican Primate said that the sect members are not responsible for Dr. Goodluck Jonathan’s election and should therefore not call for his resignation.

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Bomb blast scare in Lokoja

Reports in the wires say that just after Monday night massacre in Kogi State, another bomb blast has happened in Lokoja the Kogi State Capital. 

The bomb blast  is said to have occurred Tuesday morning, and  happened at the Harmony Nursey and Primary School at Genaja Junction in Lokoja, the state capital.
More to follow.

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