Troops attached to the Forward Operation Base of Operation Safe Haven, stationed in the Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State, have killed five bandits, including their kingpin, Kachalla Saleh.

Our correspondent reports that the incident occurred less than a week after bandits and vigilantes clashed in the Dogon Ruwa community of the council, resulting in four deaths.

A vigilante and youth leader in Wase, Abdullahi Haruna, told newsmen in Jos on Tuesday that the incident happened around 12 noon in Kinashe village, Bashar District, on Monday.

Haruna stated that the bandits, who posed a threat to residents’ lives, were caught off guard by security personnel, allowing for a resistance-free operation.

He said “The village is a bushy area, and residents had already fled before the latest incident, Haruna explained. “Bandits had displaced people from the area, using it as a hiding place. The bandits didn’t expect security personnel to descend upon them at that time, given the area’s nature.”

Residents of Wase, particularly Bashar District, commended the troops for the successful operation.

Our correspondent reports that Wase LGA villages have suffered from banditry for two years, resulting in numerous deaths, including security personnel.

When contacted on the development, the spokesperson of Operation Safe Haven, Maj Samson Zhakom, neither answered calls nor responded to the short message sent to him by our correspondent.

Mohammed Opatola, an operative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Osun State Command, attached to the Iwo Division, has reportedly died after suddenly taking ill at work on Monday.

Conflicting accounts of the events leading to his demise was given by his colleagues while social media users speculated about the cause of death.

A viral WhatsApp post had suggested that Opatola collapsed immediately after receiving a salary alert for October, which, according to some accounts, did not include promotion arrears expected by NSCDC personnel.

However, his colleagues refuted the claim, stating that Opatola did not immediately slump after seeing his salary alert, but rather went about his duties before the illness struck.

One colleague, who preferred to remain anonymous, disclosed to The PUNCH, “We were all disappointed when we saw that the promotion arrears were missing from the salary. Opatola, like the rest of us, was disappointed but didn’t collapse immediately. He went back to his office and performed some tasks before he suddenly took ill.”

The source further explained, “He excused himself to the restroom, but after some time passed and he didn’t come out, we checked on him and found him unresponsive on the floor. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.”

Another colleague speculated that Opatola may have suffered from high blood pressure following the alert, noting that employees from other agencies under the Ministry of Interior had received their arrears alongside the October salary, heightening NSCDC personnel’s hopes.

“He was visibly upset when he saw the alert. We all shared our frustrations, but it seems he took it harder,” the colleague added.

A third colleague mentioned that Opatola had been promoted and decorated with his new rank less than a week before his death, making the missing arrears even more disappointing for him.

“He was hale and hearty when he arrived on Monday. After receiving the alert, he appeared troubled and excused himself to the restroom, where he was later found unconscious,” the source said.

Efforts to get an official response from the Osun NSCDC Command were unsuccessful, as calls to the spokesperson, Kehinde Adeleke went unanswered, and a text message sent to her remained unanswered.

Investigating Police Officer Inspector Elizabeth Osikolu, on Monday, told an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court how a housewife, Omolara Alashe, allegedly forced a 19-year-old lady to sleep with her husband, to bear a child.

Omolara and her husband, Ramoni Lateef, are facing a three-count charge of conspiracy, rape and sexual assault.

NAN reports that the defendants, pleaded not guilty.

The witness, while being led in evidence by the State Counsel, Mr Babajide Boye, told the court that the alleged incident happened sometime in 2022, in Lagos.

Osikolu told the court that the mother of the victim died while they were living at Ojota and the couple offered to accommodate her.

She told the court that the victim said the couple also allegedly abused her physically whenever she made mistakes while living with them.

According to the witness, the first defendant (Omolara) on a particular day, allegedly woke up the 19-year-old in the middle of the night, and stripped her naked while the second defendant (Ramoni) slept with her.

The IPO told the court that her investigation further revealed that the couple had a baby but died sometime in October 2022.

The witness said: “The first defendant has not been able to conceive again after the death of the child.

“So they decided to use the survivor to bear children for him to prevent the husband from getting married again.

“The girl said they were in the sitting room one day when the first defendant started beating her, stripped her naked and inserted her fingers in her vagina.

“After she beat the girl, she threw out her belongings, seized her ATM card, MTN line and the salary she was making at the time to deny her access to her money.”

While being cross-examined by defence counsel, Mr Lekan Egberongbe, the witness maintained that the girl was not lying.

According to her, the first defendant admits it in her statement.

The witness told the court that if the 19-year-old had consented to the sexual assault, she would not have reported it to the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, DSVA.

“She would not have submitted herself for medical examination at Mirabel centre.

“The girl in question could not resist the man because she was intimidated by the wife,” Osikolu said.

Justice Oshodi adjourned the case to February 3, 2025 for continuation of trial.