News
Pakistani Taliban claim killing of polio vaccinator guard
- /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
https://naijablitznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Pakistan-map.jpg&description=Pakistani Taliban claim killing of polio vaccinator guard', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
- Share
- Tweet /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
https://naijablitznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Pakistan-map.jpg&description=Pakistani Taliban claim killing of polio vaccinator guard', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
By Francesca Hangeior
The Pakistani Taliban claimed the killing of a police officer as he travelled Monday to guard polio vaccinators on the first day of a nationwide immunisation effort after a year of rising cases.
The officer was travelling to guard polio vaccinators in the area of Jamrud town in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when he was killed, local police official Zarmat Khan told AFP.
“Two motorcycle riders opened fire on him. The constable died instantly at the scene,” he said.
Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan are the only countries where polio is endemic and militants have for decades targeted vaccination teams and their security escorts.
The Pakistani Taliban in a statement claimed responsibility for the “targeted attack” and said militants also “seized” the slain officer’s weapon.
Pakistan reported at least 73 polio infections in 2024, compared to just six cases in 2023. The vaccination campaign which started on Monday is the first of the year and is due to last a week.
“Despite the incident, the polio vaccination drive in the area remains ongoing,” Khan said.
Another senior police official in the area, Abdul Hameed Afridi also confirmed details of the attack and said officers have “launched an investigation.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif acknowledged the violence in a statement from his office, saying, “The anti-polio campaign will continue with full vigour.”
Polio can easily be prevented by the oral administration of a few drops of vaccine, but scores of vaccination workers and their escorts have been killed over the years.
In the past, clerics falsely claimed that the vaccine contained pork or alcohol, declaring it forbidden for Muslims.
In more recent years the attacks have focused on vulnerable police escorts accompanying the vaccinators as they go door-to-door. Last year, dozens of Pakistani policemen who accompany medical teams on campaigns went on strike after a string of militant attacks targeting them.
Pakistan has witnessed rising militant attacks since the Taliban returned to power in neighbouring Afghanistan.
More than 1,600 people were killed in 2024–the deadliest year in almost a decade, according to the Centre for Research and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based analysis group.
Islamabad accuses Kabul’s new rulers of failing to rout militants organising on Afghan soil, a charge the Taliban government routinely denies.
In November 2024, at least seven people–including five children, were killed in a bombing targeting police gathered to guard vaccinators near a school in southwestern Balochistan province.
Balochistan, which also neighbours Afghanistan, was the area with the largest number of polio cases in 2024, despite being the most sparsely populated.
President of the ANAP Foundation and founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank, Atedo Peterside, has said that Nigerians are monitoring Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, as he oversees the Osun State governorship election.
Peterside made this revelation on Saturday while appearing on an Arise TV programme focused on the Osun governorship election, stressing that the conduct of the poll would be closely watched by Nigerians.
He said the outcome of the election would provide an important indication of INEC’s level of preparedness ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, the Osun election would serve as a “link pin” to the 2027 elections, but Nigerians should not assume that a successful poll in Osun would automatically guarantee a successful general election in 2027.
“Osun will serve as a link pin to the 2027 election, and Nigerians should not go with the notion that because Osun was successful, then automatically the 2027 general election will be successful,” he said.
Peterside also warned against deliberate delays in the electoral process, particularly in areas considered to be strongholds of a particular candidate.
He said any deliberate attempt to delay voting or the transmission of results in such areas could raise serious questions about the integrity of the electoral process.
“In a situation where an election is deliberately delayed because it is a weak area for a particular candidate, clearly, it is a form of rigging,” he said.
He added that claims of technical glitches or other problems during the process should be carefully scrutinised, noting that such incidents could undermine public confidence in the election.
Peterside further expressed the expectation that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, election results should be uploaded promptly after voting and collation.
“All things being equal, by 5pm or 6pm, we expect that all the results must have been uploaded, as we experienced in 2023,” he said.
The Oyo State Police Command has nabbed 10 suspected members of a human parts trafficking syndicate and recovered suspected human remains, including a heart and pieces of a skull, during an intelligence-led operation in the state.
The suspects were arrested at their various hideouts in Iseyin and Saki areas of Oyo State following months of intelligence gathering, discreet surveillance and monitoring by operatives of the Command’s Monitoring Unit.
The suspects were identified as Adam Ibrahim, 42; Nasiru Kabiru, 22; Tijani Wasiu, 54; Abiola Nasiru, 45; Amusa Gbadamosi, 57; Raheem Taofeek, 46; Jimoh Muritala, 35; Suleiman Busari, 47; Ganiyu Nurudeen, 36; and Usman Abdullahi, 52.
According to the police, searches conducted at the suspects’ hideouts led to the recovery of several suspected human parts, including one suspected human heart, human flesh, pieces of human skull and assorted charms.
The Command said the recovered items had been secured as exhibits and would undergo forensic examination as investigations continue.
The suspects reportedly confessed during interrogation to varying degrees of involvement in the alleged trade in human parts for ritual purposes. The police said they were also assisting investigators in tracing the source of the recovered items, as well as establishing how they were procured and their intended use.
The Command added that efforts were ongoing to identify and apprehend other members of the alleged syndicate.
The Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, CP Abimbola Ayodeji Olugbenga, commended the operatives for the successful intelligence-led operation and their painstaking efforts in tracking down the suspects.poli
He assured residents that the Command would continue to intensify its efforts to combat criminal activities and protect lives and property across the state.
Ahead of today’s guber poll, the Police has deployed some of its security dogs to Osun state to ensure seurity is not breeched during and after the election.
The police dogs have been prepared to assist security personnel in detecting and confronting potential threats from violent criminals.
Osun Decides: We’re monitoring INEC boss from all sides— Peterside
Police Bust Human Parts Syndicate in Oyo, Nab 10, Recover Heart, Skull
Osun decides: Ahead today’s poll, police dogs deployed to combat thugs
-
News8 hours agoUS missionary kidnapped in Niger released after nine months in captivity
-
News8 hours agoAdeleke camp condemns release of APC Assembly candidate allegedly found with gun
-
News18 hours agoOsun 2026: Davido Raises Alarm Over Ebonyi REC’s Presence, Alleges Plot to Rig Election
-
News8 hours agoASUU decries unpaid 2022 salaries, demands education review
-
News8 hours ago2027: Atiku asks court to disqualify Tinubu over names, certificate controversy
-
News8 hours agoCourt remands ex-NBA chairman in DSS custody
-
News18 hours agoOsun govt owes the dead justice, Adeleke discloses plans over killings
-
News8 hours agoOsun 2026: Davido fires back at critics, says ‘I’ll be on ground before 7am’
Warning: Undefined variable $user_ID in /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/themes/zox-news/comments.php on line 49
You must be logged in to post a comment Login