News
Panic as terrorists target school kids, abduct over 800, kill many in different schools
Safety of schoolchildren is again under scrutiny as bandits carry out audacious attacks across the Northern part of the country.
On Wednesday, March 6 to Monday March 11, about 800 unsuspecting Nigerians, mostly schoolchildren, were kidnapped by daredevil terrorists in the northern part of the country.
According to Amnesty International, AI, Boko Haram terrorists abducted over 400 people, including women and children in Borno State on Tuesday last week.
The Islamic extremists abducted the victims who reportedly left the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camps in Gamboru Ngala council area to search for firewood.
The victims were mostly women and children sacked from their ancestral homes by the terrorists causing mayhem in the Northeast.
Barely 24 hours after the Borno attack, over 280 pupils and teachers of Government Secondary School and LEA primary school at Kuriga, Kaduna State were abducted by bandits on March 8, triggering national outrage.
The blood-thirsty bandits invaded the Kuriga area of the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State in the morning shooting at their victims before taking away at least 280 of the pupils and teachers.
A few days after the Kuriga incident, the assailants struck again in Buda community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, abducting over 61 people.
About four persons were reportedly killed during the unfortunate incident.
Armed men broke into a boarding school in Gidan Bakuso village of the Gada council area in Sokoto State on March 9 and abducted about 15 children. The attackers invaded the school when the children were sleeping.
Killing in Benue State
The same week, over 50 persons, including a family of seven, were killed following the invasion of Gbagir community in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, by suspected armed Fulani militia.
Recall that over 16 people were killed on March 8 during an attack on Wa-ndoo, a community in Mbalom, Gwer-East Local Government Area of Benue State.
The attackers, whom the state governor, Hyacinth Alia and residents claimed were armed herders, invaded the community at night while some of the residents were having supper. They opened fire on residents and whisked some away.
Tension in schools
Since the 2014 incident when more than 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped by the Islamic extremists in Borno State’s Chibok village, there has been a series of abductions of school children.
The armed gangs have targeted and attacked several schools for ransom.
The recent attacks, particularly the abduction of 280 students in Kaduna State have triggered tension in other school facilities across the nation, especially in the Northern region.
Parents in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja are worried over rumours of planned attacks in schools.
There are rumours that the terrorists are planning to launch attacks in some government-owned schools, particularly in Bwari, Bwari Area Council.
Some schools have adjusted their academic calendar to enable students to write their second-term examinations and proceed for Easter holidays.
One of the parents, Mrs Maria Adakwu, who spoke on Saturday, urged the Nigerian government and the security agencies to beef up security across schools in Abuja.
Maria is worried over the safety of her daughter schooling at the Federal Government College, FGC, Kwali in Sheda village, an outskirt of the nation’s capital.
Naijablitznews recalls that the school community was attacked in February 2022, forcing the Federal Government to promptly order the immediate closure of the facility.
According to Mrs Maria, “the government and the security agencies need to be proactive in ensuring the safety of our children. We don’t need to wait until it happens before we take action.
“Most schools in the FCT have remained the same in terms of security despite what has been happening around us. The kidnapping in Kaduna State should be a warning and a sign that it can happen anywhere.
“Parents, especially those of us who have children in boarding schools, hardly sleep with our two eyes closed. We need to be sure of the safety of our children”.
However, when contacted, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh allayed fear of any attacks, assuring that schools in the FCT were safe.
She said, “FCT is very safe. All schools are well fortified within the territory and there is no reason to fear any intimidation from any quarters.”
It was also gathered on Sunday that some parents in Kaduna State, particularly residents of Chikun Local Government are withdrawing their children from public schools over fear of attacks.
Although the state’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Mansir Hassan declined speaking on the matter, a security source who preferred not to be mentioned, confirmed that parents and guardians are withdrawing their pupils.
According to him, the recent abduction has triggered palpable fear in many parts of the state.
He said, “Insecurity is a very serious issue here. It is not just about school, people are scared of going out to places like marketplace, mosques and churches because of the bandits.
“Some security officers are also finding ways to be transferred from here.
“We are always the first target in any attack. Wherever they want to attack, they first attack the police formation in the area and sometimes, the attacks happen simultaneously.
“You can’t blame parents for withdrawing their children from schools. It is not possible for the police to be in every school at the same time.
“Some communities are very far from town, so securing those places can be a little difficult. This is why we need more hands. The government should recruit able youths that will help in this matter”.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government, on Wednesday, said it would not pay “a dime” as ransom for the release of over 280 pupils and teachers kidnapped from the Government Secondary School and LEA Primary School at Kuriga, Kaduna State.
The Government also said it had received offers of help from the United States and other countries to secure the student’s release and was weighing the offers.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
An Ekiti State High Court, Ado Ekiti Division, on Monday sentenced a 47-year-old cleric, Prophet Adeleye Akingbaso, to life imprisonment for defilng a 13 years old girl.
The convict was arraigned in September 2022 on a two-count charge bordering on rape and coercion.
The charge read, “The Prophet, sometime in July 2022, at Ado-Ekiti, did rape a 13-year-old girl. Also, in July 2021, Prophet Adeleye coerced the victim to engage in a sexual act to the detriment of her physical and psychological well-being.
“The offences are contrary to Section 31(2) of the Child’s Rights Law, Cap. C7, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012 and Section 4 of the Ekiti State Gender-Based Violence (Prohibition) Law, No.18 of 2019,” the charge stated.
In her testimony before the court, the victim, who described the cleric as a friend to her mother and was sleeping over in their house, said that the man committed the act one night when her mother was on night duty.
She said, “He woke me up at midnight and said I bedwetted, which was strange to me. He brought out a bottle of shea butter and rubbed it on my vagina; that was all I knew. I later discovered I had been raped that night. He threatened me that he would curse me and I would die if I told anybody.
“He came to our house again on the following day when my mother was not around. I was in the kitchen, and he told me he wanted to complete what he started the previous night. He attempted to rough-handle me, but I escaped and shouted for help, following which our neighbours came to my rescue. They called and informed my mother of the incident. She came home and later reported the case to the police”, the victim said.
To proof his case, the prosecutor, Taiwo Ariyo, called four witnesses and tendered the statement of the victim and medical report as exhibits, while the defendant, who spoke in his own defence through his lawyer, Adelanke Akinrata, called no witness.
In the court judgment, Justice Blessing Ajileye found the cleric guilty on the two counts.
Ajikeye said, “In conclusion, this court has found the defendant guilty on the two-count charge of rape and coercion and convicted him accordingly. This will serve as a deterrent to others in the class of the defendant who has not been caught up by the nemesis of law.
“On count one (rape), the defendant is sentenced to life imprisonment and on count two (coercion), the defendant is sentenced to three years imprisonment. Justice Ajileye pronounced that both terms are to run concurrently.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Olu of Itori, Oba Abdulfatai Akamo, on Monday, denied that he never conferred a chieftaincy title of ‘King of Street’ on controversial singer, Habeeb Okikiola Olalomi ‘portable’.
The monarch in a statement made available to newsmen by his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, titled ‘Setting the records straight’ said the story was untrue, denying any close relationship with Singer Portable.
He explained that ‘Portable’ was named ‘King of the streets’ by Farmers Association in Ore, Ondo, sometimes in 2024, saying he would never desecrate the rich culture and heritage of the Yoruba tradition.
Oba Akamo said ‘Portable’ adorned himself with the costume to the grand finale of his 21st coronation anniversary as a guest.
He therefore urged his colleague, the Eselu of Eselu, Oba Akinyemi Akintunde, to retract the statement as contained in the open letter.
Oba Akamo wondered why Eselu refused to cross check the facts from him before writing such an unsolicited open letter.
The statement read thus; “The attention of the Palace of the Olu of Itori Egbaland has been drawn to an open letter originating from the Eselu of Iselu, Oba Akintunde Akinyemi alleging the Olu of Itori Egbaland, His Royal Majesty, Oba Abdulfatai Akorede Akamo of purportedly installing Portable as King of street.
“This allegation in its entirety is unfounded, baseless and incorrect as Olu of Itori has been on the exalted throne of his forebears for more than 21 years and would not be involved in any act that can desecrate the rich culture and heritage of the Yoruba tradition.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the controversial singer Portable was named King of Street by Farmers Association in Ore, Ondo state, sometime in December 2024. The event, which was widely circulated in the print media, stirred controversy on social media. Check the punch newspaper of 7,December 2024. The controversial investiture of the singer was published in the paper.
The controversial singer even posted it on his verified social media accounts.
“During the just concluded 21st coronation Anniversary of the Olu of Itori which took place at Olu of Itori’s Palace on 28, February 2025, the controversial singer was dressed in the costumes to the event as a guest. He was invited by the official photographer to the Palace.
“On his arrival, he was requested to remove the costumes as it is a desecration of the rich culture and heritage of the Yoruba race. The singer immediately removed the costumes before entering into the event where the occasion took place.
“As a matter of fact, the controversial singer was brought forward to pay homage to Olu of Itori without the costumes, and he did not appear in those costumes throughout his stay at the event.
“It is important to set the records straight as the Olu of Itori can not be a party to distortion of the rich culture and tradition of the Yoruba race.
“We implore the Eselu of Iselu, Oba Akintunde Akinyemi, to retract the statement and put the accurate account of details into the public without further delays as he could have verified with the Olu of Itori personally as a colleague before writing this unsolicited open letter.
“This is the honorable path to follow as we would not like to dwell further on this matter.”
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Some retail outlets belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited have adjusted the petrol pump price to N860 per litre.
It was observed that while there is no official communication from the NNPCL Retail yet, some stations in Lagos adjusted their pumps to N860 per litre, down from N945 as of Sunday.
This comes a few days after the Dangote Refinery reduced its ex-depot petrol price from N890 to N825 per litre.
NNPC spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, did not respond to calls or messages regarding the development.
However, the National Vice President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Hammed Fashola, confirmed the development to PUNCH Online.
“It is true, NNPC is selling petrol at N860 in the filling stations. Though this has not been reflected on the portal, they told me they are working on updating the portal,” the IPMAN leader said.
Also, the National President of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria, Billy Gillis-Harry, said, “They reduced the pump price earlier this morning but I’m yet to get the details.”
The Dangote Refinery announced a price cut last week Wednesday, setting another price regime for the petrol market in Nigeria
Ekiti Court sentences 47-yr-old cleric to life imprisonment for defiling 13-yr-old girl
Oba Akamo denies conferring king of street title on Portable
After Dangote’s price slash, NNPC Ltd follows suit reduces petrol price
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