Metro
SAD! Travellers k!lled as bandits plant explosives on Zamfara road
An unconfirmed number of travellers on Wednesday were confirmed dead after a vehicle conveying them ran on explosives planted along the Dansadau-Gusau Road in the Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
An anonymous source told Daily Trust that the explosives were planted by some bandits after the completion of community work on the road.
The source, a resident of Yar Tasha village, narrated, “We recently conducted community work on the road and the bandits used that opportunity to plant the device at one of the spots.
“The victims were rushed to Dansadau General Hospital and nobody can ascertain whether they are dead or alive for now. Security personnel comprising soldiers and police have been deployed to the scene of the incident.
“It appears that the bandits in Zamfara State have developed a new strategy of operation, especially in this Dansadau axis. This is the second time they would plant an explosive device in this area within a week. They planted one on Sunday.
“Government should take decisive measures to stop this trend otherwise, travelling by road will now be a difficult thing among the people of the state. The security personnel and communities should be vigilant and always keep an eye on them. This is a terrible method deployed by the bandits and it needs to be tackled as soon as possible.”
Another resident of the area, identified as Abdullahi Dansadau, told Channels Television that a Volkswagen Golf 3 vehicle exploded after it ran over the explosives, killing three people, and leaving eight others injured.
“It was this morning, one Golf 3 vehicle stepped on the bomb and exploded. We have six dead bodies here now and eight others sustained injuries. The vehicle was destroyed completely,” Dansadau said.
However, confirming the incident in a statement made available to the TV station the Coordinator, Joint Media Coordination Centre, Joint Task Force North West Operation Fansar Yamma, Lit. Col. Abubakar Abdullahi, stated, “We acknowledge the reports regarding the suspected bandits planting explosives along the Dansadau-Gusau Road, which unfortunately led to some destruction.
“The safety and security of our citizens are of paramount importance. We are currently coordinating with local law enforcement to assess the situation and ensure that those responsible do not go free.”
When contacted on the telephone by our correspondent, the Public Relations Officer, Zamfara State Police Command, Yazid Abubakar, stated that he was yet to confirm the incident.
He also noted that he couldn’t ascertain the number of casualties and those injured.
He said, “At this moment, I don’t have such information but I’ll call the DPO there to confirm whether the incident happened. I’ll get back to you.”
In early September 2024, no fewer than eight security personnel were reportedly killed by bandits near the Tazame village of Tsafe LG of the state.
An indigene of the area, Mubarak Mohammed told PUNCH Online that the security personnel, consisting of five policemen and three soldiers, were attached to a road construction company, Satraco Nigeria Limited, when the armed bandits suddenly came out of their hiding place and opened fire.
Mohammed explained that the deceased police and military personnel were always on the road to give protection to the construction workers who were repairing the Gusau-Tsafe-Zaria road.
Daily Trust
Rainstorm has destroyed properties worth millions of naira at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp in Yikpata, Kwara State.
Tribune Online gathered that the heavy downpour, which began early Saturday morning, was accompanied by strong winds that wreaked havoc across the camp premises.
According to a source, the extent of the damage was significant, as key structures affected included the multipurpose hall, the administrative block, the camp mosque, and several hostel blocks housing corps members and camp officials.
The rainstorm also left a trail of destruction on the camp’s saluting dais and the newly constructed volleyball court, which had been one of the major attractions within the camp.
In addition, two vehicles belonging to camp officials were completely destroyed when a big tree, uprooted by the strong wind, crashed down on them, rendering them beyond repair.
An official of the NYSC in the camp suggested that relevant authorities should take steps to assess the extent of the damage for necessary repair work, in order to restore affected facilities and ensure the continuity of activities in the orientation camp.
A 37-year-old woman, Linda Stephen, on Tuesday, approached a Kaduna Customary Court, seeking divorce over her husband, Felix Stephen’s excessive sexual demands.
In her petition, Mrs Stephen, a resident of Ungwan Sunday in Kaduna, also accused her husband of beating her whenever she rejected his sexual advances. They have been married for six years.
She told the court that she was no longer interested in the marriage as she can no longer cope with the husband’s excessive demand for sex.
“I urge the court to dissolve this marriage because I can’t stand his excessive sexual urge. He likes sex too much, and I can’t bear it.
“Most times, he would have sex with me from midnight till early hours of the morning. Even when I am crying, he will not stop.
“It has been three months since I moved out of his house, his relatives have been pleading with me to go back to him, but they do not know what I am facing,” she said.
She further said that her husband does not control himself whenever he needed sex, and that whenever she refused his sexual advances, he would beat her up, even in front of their two kids.
‘I’m ready to control my urge’ -Husband
Stephen, in his response, told the court that he is in love with his wife.
He pleaded with the court to help him pacify her, and not to grant her wish.
Stephen said he had been pleading with her wife not to seek for divorce, as he was now ready to control his sexual urge.
“I took my uncles and friends to her parents house to plead with her. But she refused to listen to us instead she walked out on us,’’ Stephen said.
He further pleaded with the court to give him time to sort things out and reconcile with his wife.
The judge, John Dauda, adjourned the matter until May 6 for a feedback and outcome of the reconciliation, while advising them to maintain peace.
The Oyo State Police Command has rescued 84 Congolese from a human trafficking syndicate operating in Ibadan, the state capital.
The victims were allegedly held captive for an unknown period in a building located in the Orogun area of Ibadan.
Sunday PUNCH gathered that the victims were trafficked to Nigeria under the pretence of providing employment opportunities for them.
According to reports, the human traffickers had extorted large sums of money, reportedly in US dollars, from the victims’ families and relatives as part of their scheme to lure the victims into the country.
In a video shared by Channels TV, the rescued individuals, including a baby, were seen being escorted to police vans and buses.
The victims were later transported to the Police Headquarters in Eleyele, Ibadan, where they are currently being held while investigations continue.
However, attempts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer of Oyo State Command, Adewale Osifeso, for comment on the development were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to his phone were not responded to at the time of this report.
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