News
Navy rescues 20 passengers from pirate attack in Rivers
The Nigerian Navy Forward Operation Base in Bonny, Rivers State said they have rescued 20 passengers including women and children on the Port Harcourt-Bonny sea route.
Commander of the NNFOB in Bonny, Maksum Mohammed who disclosed this to mewsmen said the Navy also uncovered a new strategy adopted by pirates to abduct travellers.
Mohammed said intelligence suggested that some of the boat operators may be working with the pirates to launch attacks.
According to him, the boat operators would load fully, get to the entrance of a river midway on the high sea, fake engine problem, and while pretending to be fixing the problem, the pirates would swoop on them and whisk the passengers into the creeks and demand ransom.
He said the latest incident showed a boat loaded with 20 passengers including infants, which he said almost turned fatal.
He said: “This is a clear case of willful endangerment of passenger safety. Why would any mariner in his right senses sail with passengers on board a boat whose engines were outrightly faulty and unable to sustain an hour’s journey?
“And then, we’re also dealing with recent cases of attacks on the river; what if these criminals had seen and approached them and taken them captive?
“What leverage would they have had to escape their assailants? It’s quite unfortunate that hapless passengers could be so exposed to avoidable risks and for the exorbitant amount they pay?”
Mohammed further said the case appeared to be a simulation, saying the places they saw the boat twice were exactly dangerous places for attacks.
“This is just in case, maybe, there was some kind of a plan because nearly all the kidnap incidents occurred where there was an engine failure or simulation in front of a river mouth, which now resulted in the kidnap as they come out and then pick their victims and carry on.
“We encountered the same boat again simulating another engine failure in front of another river entrance. Simulating another engine failure – as far as I’m concerned, I’ll use simulation – in a place that is also known for kidnap activities.
“It was at that point that we decided to evacuate the passengers onto our boats and continued with the movement”, he added.
Mohammed advised the coastal state governments and Local Government areas to urgently consider deploying ferries on the waterways, especially, the Bonny-Port Harcourt sea route as a safer, sustainable, and subsidized means of transportation.
Our correspondent reports that there have been related cases of pirate attacks and abduction of passengers on the waterway.
Last week 10 passengers who were abducted by pirates on their way to Port Harcourt from Bonny were freed after four days in captivity.
The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria led by the Chairman, Port Harcourt Commercial District, Israel Pepple, led a protest at Government House, Port Harcourt to register their complaints on the frequent attacks of water travellers by pirates and solicited the intervention of the Government for more security to protect them and their passengers.
The First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, on Saturday, refuted reports that she will be leading a seven-day national prayer for Nigeria.
This followed a report last week that Mrs Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Mrs Nuhu Ribadu, will spearhead a national prayer session to tackle the country’s numerous challenges.
The reports quoted the Director-General of the National Prayer Forum, Segun Afolorunikan, announcing the event in Abuja.
Afolorunikan had said the initiative, coordinated with Christian and Muslim religious leaders, intends to seek divine intervention for the country’s socio-economic and security issues, under the theme ‘Seeking the Intervention of God in Nigeria’s Affairs.’
“Christians will meet at the National Ecumenical Centre for a week of intense prayer, with prayer warriors from various denominations focusing their efforts on the nation’s adversities,” said the convener.
However, the First Lady has denied knowing any such arrangement saying a call for prayer must be done “willingly, conscientiously and correctly.”
Mrs Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mrs Busola Kukoyi, conveyed this in a statement she signed Saturday titled ‘First Lady of Nigeria Oluremi Tinubu, CON refutes organising national prayer.’
It read, “This is to clarify and inform the general public that the First Lady of Nigeria is not organising a national prayer.
“The news making rounds in some conventional and social media platforms is unfounded and misleading.
“Consequently, anyone who might have come across the purported news of the joint National Prayer for Nigeria should disregard it as false.”
Kukoyi said the First Lady, a Christian and strong advocate of prayer and praying for Nigeria, believes that prayer is an act that must be done willingly, conscientiously and correctly.
“She also believes that praying for Nigeria is the responsibility of every Nigerian, irrespective of religious belief, political affiliation, tribe or tongue.
“Members of the public are advised to verify the authenticity of any news or event involving the First Lady of Nigeria or her office through official channels,” the statement concluded.
A building of 25 shops has been gutted by fire in the early hours of Saturday in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital.
According to the state fire service, the incident occurred at Adeta roundabout at about 02.39 hours.
A statement in Ilorin on Saturday by the spokesman of the service, Hassan Adekunle, said the firefighters, upon arrival, found a block of about 25 shops engulfed in flames.
“Thanks to the swift action and bravery of the Kwara State fire service officers, only three shops suffered damage, including a soft drinks and alcohol shop.
“Preliminary investigations indicated that the fire was caused by a power surge,” the statement disclosed.
The Director of the State Fire Service, Prince John Falade Olumuyiwa, expressed sympathy for the affected shop owners, offering prayers for the restoration of their losses.
He also urged the public to prioritize safety and ensure all electrical appliances are unplugged when not in use.
The newly emerged terror group known as Lakurawa, is reportedly offering as much as one million naira to young men in exchange for their allegiance.
This was made known on Saturday by Zagazola Makama, a Lake Chad Basin counterterrorism and insurgency expert, in a post on his X handle.
Makama disclosed that an impeccable source informed him that Lakurawa, allegedly composed of individuals from Mali, Chad, Libya, Niger, and Burkina Faso, was actively recruiting local youths in Sokoto through substantial financial incentives.
He stated that according to witnesses’ accounts, the financial lure is part of an aggressive recruitment campaign aimed at attracting followers to their cause.
The security expert said that Lakurawa, unlike traditional criminal gangs, reportedly adhere to extremist ideologies linked to the Khawarij sect, similar to the beliefs of Boko Haram.
Makama added: “Local sources suggest that they employ a combination of financial incentives and ideological influence to gain support among vulnerable communities.
“Beyond the recruitment, the Lakurawa reportedly confront and expel bandits and confiscate their cattle in areas under their control.
Watch video below:
https://twitter.com/ZagazOlaMakama/status/1855319733282758848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
First Lady denies leading national prayer
25 Shops destroyed as fire guts building in Ilorin
New terror group Lakurawa offers N1m incentives to recruit Sokoto youths + Video
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