Metro
Kogi monarch narrates how he jumped over his fence when Hoodlums raided his palace
The Etsu Lokoja, HRH Emmanuel Akamisoko Dauda-Shelika, Nyamkpa IV on Monday narrated how he jumped the fence to save his life when some suspected hoodlums attacked his palace and burnt his vehicle and property within the premises.
The palace which was located on plot 306, New Layout, Lokoja, was attacked by hoodlums at about 1:00am on Saturday, while the monarch narrowly escaped by scaling the fence.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the Nupe natives of Lokoja Development Union were planning to host the second edition of their end-of-the-year event, tagged: “Lokoja ‘24 Nupe Cultural Fiesta”, on Saturday, before the incident occurred.
The event was however aborted due to the unfortunate attack around 1:00 am, when many Nupe natives from neighbouring states had started arriving on the eve of the event.
Narrating his ordeal to our correspondent who visited the scene on Monday, the Etsu Lokoja, said: “It was around 1 am at night that I heard a big bang on my door and I woke up to check through the window, wondering what could have happened.
“Then, I suddenly saw wildfire coming out of my car as it had been set ablaze by attackers.
“I knew it was an attack on the palace, and could not come out because of fear of being attacked. So, I managed to come out through the back door and scaled the fence to save my life.
“Thereafter, I came out to the road and realised that all my neighbours in the community were on the ground trying hard to quench the fire. Unfortunately, the car was burnt as well as other property inside it.”
He explained that members of the planning committee for the event had a meeting till around 11:30 pm on Friday before departing to their various homes, lamenting that it was unfortunate that the cultural fiesta was aborted due to the ugly incident.
Dauda-Shelika appealed to the government and security agencies to investigate the cause of the attack and bring perpetrators and their sponsors to justice.
He, however, appealed to the Nupe natives in Lokoja to avoid any form of reprisal and continue to remain peaceful, law-abiding and allow government and security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation on the attack.
“We are appealing to His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, and security agencies to please use their good offices to investigate this unfortunate incident, and bring to justice whoever is concerned whether directly or indirectly.
“We also want government to kindly visit our issues by recognizing and grading the stool of Etsu Lokoja which had been in existence before colonisation.
“By officially recognising and grading Etsu Lokoja stool, we know everything will be laid to rest because that is the power of the government.”
When our correspondent visited the palace on Monday, a police officer on the ground declined to make comments as he claimed not to have not been authorised to speak on the matter.
Efforts to get the state police command to speak proved abortive as the Public Relations Officer, SP William Aya, did not take repeated calls to his mobile number. He also did not respond to a text message sent to him.
Spirited efforts to get the Security Adviser to the state governor to speak on the development failed as he did not take repeated calls to his mobile phone number. He did not respond to a text message sent to him as of the time of filling this report.
Troops of 22 Brigade under Operation Savannah Shield have repelled suspected terrorists, arrested two suspects, and recovered motorcycles during an offensive operation in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
Security sources said the operation was conducted at about 11:09 a.m. on April 14 by troops deployed at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Babanna, in collaboration with Combat Support Infantry Battalion XVI and Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF).
According to the sources, the troops carried out coordinated clearance operations across Dekara, Dongoru, Bakimba, Jigga, Gidan Kambarawa and Masaka villages.
During the operation, troops made contact with the terrorists along the Masaka–Dekara road, forcing them to flee and abandon their motorcycles.
The sources added that the troops subsequently encountered an ambush but successfully fought through the attack, recovering additional motorcycles.
“In total, nine motorcycles were recovered during the operation, while two suspects were apprehended,” the sources said.
They noted that two tyres of a Combat Support Vehicle (CSK APC) were damaged during the encounter.
The suspects and recovered items are currently in military custody for further investigation, while operations are ongoing to track fleeing members of the group.
Troops conducting ongoing clearance operations under Operation Wutan Daji have rescued 12 kidnapped victims and arrested key associates of a fleeing bandit leader during coordinated offensives across forested areas linking Plateau and Taraba States.
A military source said the operations, carried out on April 15 and 16, involved troops of the 33 Artillery Brigade in conjunction with an Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) tactical team.
According to the source, the operations were conducted in the Dajin Madam and Kumbodoro forest axis, spanning parts of Plateau and Taraba States.
The source said the sustained offensive led to the recovery of 12 kidnapped victims who escaped from their captors during the pressure mounted by troops.
The victims were subsequently taken into custody for profiling before being moved to an Internally Displaced Persons facility in Fukuk.
Troops also recovered a Dane gun, a fabricated AK-47 rifle and a power bank during the operation.
The Bauchi State Government has dismissed a driver, Aminu Abdullahi, over a fatal road crash that claimed the lives of two journalists and left 11 others injured.
The crash involving a vehicle conveying 13 journalists occurred on February 6, 2026.
A cameraman with Channels Television, Kani Ben, d!ed from spinal cord injuries he sustained in the crash.
The dismissal was carried out by the Bauchi State Civil Service Commission (CSC) during its recent sitting.
The Commission disclosed that Abdullahi, a clerical assistant in the state civil service, was sacked for misconduct.
The CSC explained that the disciplinary action formed part of decisions taken during its 13th plenary session held on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at its conference hall.
It added that Abdullahi’s termination was due to negligence while carrying out an assigned duty of driving.
According to the Commission, the misconduct contravened Rules 0312 and 0327 of the Bauchi State Public Service Regulations.
The CSC further stated that Abdullahi, a Grade Level 03 clerical assistant with the State Ministry of Higher Education, had been assigned “any other duty” and directed to drive a team of journalists covering activities of the North East Development Commission during the commissioning of projects in Alkaleri Local Government Area.“
“Aminu, who was accused of reckless driving, caused an accident involving more than 10 journalists. As a result, two persons lost their lives, while others sustained varying degrees of injuries,” the statement said.
The Commission noted that the action followed recommendations from the Ministry of Higher Education and resolutions of the State Executive Council on the disciplinary case.
Meanwhile, the CSC queried the management of the Ministry of Higher Education to explain why a clerical assistant was assigned the duties of a driver.
Just in: Tinubu assents 2026 Appropriation Bill, 2025 Budget Extension
BREAKING: Popular sports analystt, Okomi is dead
BREAKING: JAMB set to release first batch of 2026 UTME results today
-
Economy23 hours agoNigerian stocks rally again as investors gain N1.66tn, market cap crosses N136tn
-
News18 hours agoJust in: Ex-Senate president, Saraki, others to face death penalty charges
-
News24 hours agoI Am Ready For 2027 – President Tinubu Declares
-
News23 hours agoSenator Abdulaziz Yari Accused of Using Billions to Secure Vice Presidential Ambition
-
Foreign23 hours agoTrump Says Iran Agrees To Hand Over Nuclear Dust Amid Strait of Hormuz Blockade
-
News24 hours agoADC Reacts To Suspension Of Atiku, Lawal From Party
-
News23 hours agoINEC adjusts Osun governorship election campaign period
-
Metro24 hours agoBauchi Govt Sacks Driver Over Road Crash That K!lled Two Journalists
You must be logged in to post a comment Login