The Police Command in Gombe State has finally confirmed the killing Reverend Buba Galadima the pastor of Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Lubo community of Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area of the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the incident which led to the death of the pastor happened in the early hours of Sunday.

Confirming the incident, Buhari Abdullahi, the Command’s spokesperson told NAN that it was a case of robbery leading to the death of the clergyman.

Abdullahi stated that the Commissioner of Police, Mr Bello Yahaya, who visited the hospital where the body of the deceased was taken to, had deployed a special squad of police personnel to the area.

He expressed optimism that the culprits would be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law.

“The issue is a robbery because they entered into the house at night and maybe they attempted to rob him but unfortunately from the way he was shot at the back, maybe he was trying to escape which is natural and normal and he was shot,” he said.

Abdulahi said that Yahaya was at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe that same night up till 5am to see things for himself.

He stated that Yahaya had deployed a team of smart and technical personnel to the area and he expressed optimism that the police would get down to the root of this incident.

He debunked issue linking the incident to suspected bandits, noting that the state had no history of banditry.

We have coordinated a special operation and we are confident that the culprits would be arrested.”

On why the incident happened in spite of the ban on night-time movement by the police, Abdullahi said the restriction was only effective in Gombe metropolis.

He, however, said that Yahaya had directed all Area Commands in the state to replicate the restriction on night-time movement across the state.

Narrating the sad event to NAN, a resident of Lubo and an eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the gunmen entered the town around 1am, announcing their presence with multiple gunshots.

stated that the gunmen first visited the ECWA in the community before proceeding to a nearby compound where they stole some money.

He said that they entered the compound, stole N300, 000 and then ransacked the houses in the compound and afterwards asked for the deceased’s house which was a fence away.

The witness said on getting the information they proceeded to the pastor’s house where they shot him at the upper part of his back.

He said that in view of the incident, the community had been thrown into mourning and fear as many of the residents were yet to recover from the sad event on a Sunday morning.

(NAN)

Omagwa, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State is on fire following the alleged fatal shooting of a young man, Chikuma Egbule, by a police officer attached to the Omagwa Division of the Rivers State Police Command.

The incident, which occurred near Port Harcourt International Airport, sparked massive protests, with residents blocking major roads and demanding justice.

Protesters initially attempted to leave Egbule’s body at the Omagwa Police Station in a dramatic display of outrage, but they were repelled by security forces, escalating tensions further.

In response, the Rivers State Police Command confirmed the arrest of the officer involved, stating that an internal investigation is ongoing.

However, the incident has revived concerns about police brutality in Nigeria, where cases of extrajudicial killings often go unpunished. This article examines the circumstances of the shooting, the community’s reaction, the police response, and the broader concerns surrounding police violence in Nigeria.

What Led to the Shooting? Eyewitness Accounts and Police Response Details surrounding the fatal shooting of Chikuma Egbule remain unclear, but multiple eyewitnesses describe a confrontation between the victim and a police officer stationed at a checkpoint near Omagwa.

Official Police Statement Grace Iringe-Koko, spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, released a statement: “The command is aware, and the Commissioner of Police is on top of the situation.

Normalcy has now been restored, and adequate security is present on the ground to prevent any breach of peace.” She also confirmed: The officer has been arrested and detained.

The victim’s body has been deposited at the morgue.

An investigation is ongoing. However, critical questions remain unanswered: What charges will be filed against the officer? Will the investigation findings be made public? What measures will be put in place to prevent future cases of police brutality?

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Troops stationed in Abako town, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area, in Benue State have clashed with secondary school students over a girl.

The incidents resulted in the burning of an army checkpoint in Abako town by the irate secondary school students, where soldiers also allegedly opened fire on the students, and some sustained injuries.

The Nation gathered from a teacher in the school, Peter Anande, that trouble started when a soldier who was a boyfriend to a female student, Veronica, bought earrings for her.

Abako town is in Katsina Ala Local Government Area, Sankera geo-political bloc, was where the late gang leader Terwase Akwaza, popularly called Gana, held sway for long.

Peter Anande told The Nation on the phone that a soldier bought earrings for his girlfriend, and she wore them to school, and was seized by the head girl of the school because such earrings were not allowed to be used in the school.

The girl, Vero, reported the seizure to the soldiers who were at the checkpoint.

Anande said “While it was break time, the head girl proceeded to the main market to get breakfast, and at the checkpoint, she was harassed and assaulted by the soldiers for seizing the earring.

“A teacher who heard the incident rushed to the army checkpoint, he was also harassed and battered,” said Anande.

The news of harassment filtered into the school compound and the students mobilized and attacked soldiers at the checkpoint.

“The soldiers at the checkpoint fired at the students but they overpowered them and set the checkpoint ablaze and opened up the road, using the barricaded tyres and wood to make bone fire.”

There was tension in Katsina-Ala as residents who have been calling on soldiers to leave the area, expressed dismay on why troops who came for serious security situations would be romancing around with secondary school students.

They called for the withdrawal of the soldiers in Abako town.

Police Area Command in the area confirmed the situation and said normalcy had returned to the area.

At press time, the school said they would get a lawyer to petition the Chief Of Army Staff in Abuja.