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Scores killed in Anti-government protest in Sierra Leone

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Scores killed in Anti-government protest in Sierra Leone

Scores killed in Anti-government protest in Sierra Leone

By Bodunrin Kayode

Violent anti-government protests has erupted in some parts of the West African state of Sierra Leone leading to a high level of casualties.

The violence which started on Wednesday this reporter learnt was as a result of what some of the residents regard as very harsh policies of President Julius Mada-Bio who has been midwifing the nation since 2028.

Since the country came out of the covid 19 scourge which ravaged Freetown and all the provinces, they alleged that the government did not insert enough palliatives to enable young people get out of the economic crisis the scourge brought on them.

” As a matter of fact, it’s been one problem or the other since President Mada-Bio took charge as commander in Chief but he has been trying his best to insert stability onto the polity because he is in charge of the armed forces and not the chair of the police who were the main target of these demonstrators” said a source who wished to remain anonymous in the Sierra Leone High CommissionA it in Nigeria

Vice President Mohammed Jalloh confirmed in a nation wide broadcast today that there were gruesome casualties on both sides but was unable to be specific while announcing the curfew which started 3pm Freetown time yesterday.

Eye witnesses however told this reporter through phone that the anti-government protesters and police clash started mostly in the Eastern part of the capital and resulted in the death of at least two policemen who were
murdered by the opposition mob as at Wednesday evening.

” The rioters clashed with police in the streets of the East end of the capital due to tensions over the rising cost of living especially food and fuel. It was when the vice president who is the chair of the police gave the directive for the curfew to be effective that the tension heightened.

“But the West end area up to st John and beyond were mostly peaceful as most residents were seen gathered outside their homes discussing the unfolding development before the Government slammed the curfew starting from 3pm to stop the rioters who had started destroying Government properties worth millions of Leones including buses, cars and police stations in the provincial areas.

In his national broadcast on Wednesday, Vice President Mohamed Jalloh confirmed that lives have been lost on both sides of the fracas and that it was the business of Government to keep the peace of the state.

No comment was heard from President Julius Mada-Bio even as most of the protesters on Wednesday were calling for his resignation even before the anticipated general election in ten months time.

Incidentally, Mada Bio was elected President in 2018 and has about 10 months for his first term to end.

He however has already said that registration of new voters will commence on the 3rd of September so that the program for the next general elections can be rolled out accordingly.

Eye witnesses said that the demonstrators chanted “Bio must go” as they made their way from the hinterlands through the capital, Freetown.

The people of Sierra Leone have gone through a litany of lingering woes which includes a decade long war caused mostly by tribalism, outbreak of Ebola which engulfed the entire country resulting in very high casualties and the recent outbreak of corona which resulted in the death of hundreds in the war torn country still rising from the ruins of a civil war that ended in 2002.

Scores killed in Anti-government protest in Sierra Leone

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Armed Mob Led By “Bullet” Storms Aboh Ogwashi-Uku, Attacks Police Officers, Destroys Property Amid Ongoing Federal Court Case

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Armed Mob Led By “Bullet” Storms Aboh Ogwashi-Uku, Attacks Police Officers, Destroys Property Amid Ongoing Federal Court Case

Aboh Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State —

Pandemonium broke out yesterday in Aboh Ogwashi-Uku as a violent group of attackers alleged to be from Ibusa descended on the community in a coordinated assault that left residents injured, properties destroyed, and a serving police officer seriously wounded.

Eyewitness accounts and security sources confirmed that the attack was led by one Lucky Abuah, popularly known as “Bullet,” described by law enforcement authorities as a repeat offender and a person of interest in multiple violent incidents across jurisdictions.

The attackers reportedly invaded the area in broad daylight, unleashing violence on residents and damaging structures before security forces responded.

Swift intervention by officers from the Ogwashi-Uku Area Command and reinforcements from the Delta State Police Headquarters, Asaba, brought the situation under control after an intense confrontation.

The attackers were eventually repelled, restoring a tense calm to the area.

Police sources disclosed that Lucky Abuah is already wanted by authorities in Abuja in connection with similar violent activities, and that criminal charges bordering on aggravated assault and grievous harm have been filed against him at the Delta State High Court.

A senior community leader, Chief Ralph Okafor, reacting to the incident, condemned the attack in strong terms, describing Abuah and his associates as “notorious land grabbers” who have repeatedly carried out violent incursions into neighbouring communities.

“This is not an isolated incident. These individuals have a pattern of using violence and intimidation to push false claims. What happened in Aboh Ogwashi-Uku is a clear example of lawlessness that must be decisively addressed,” he stated.

The attack comes at a highly sensitive time, coinciding with the commencement of proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja on March 18, 2026, before Honourable Justice Omotosho, concerning the proper name and legal location of Admiralty University.

Members of the Ogwashi-Uku community maintain that the institution is situated within Ogwashi-Uku Kingdom in Aniocha South Local Government Area, and not in Oshimili North, stressing that local government boundaries are constitutional matters that cannot be altered arbitrarily or by administrative claims.

According to community sources, the recognized boundary between Ibusa (Oshimili North) and Ogwashi-Uku lies several kilometers away from the university’s actual location, and the matter is now squarely before the Federal High Court for judicial determination.

Observers have raised concerns that the violent incident may not be unconnected with attempts by certain elements to preempt or influence ongoing judicial proceedings through intimidation and public pressure.

There are also growing criticisms of calls from some Ibusa figures urging government intervention in a matter already pending before competent courts, a move legal experts describe as a dangerous encroachment on judicial independence.

Chief Okafor further dismissed claims circulating in some quarters about a purported 1986 Supreme Court judgment allegedly settling the boundary dispute, describing such assertions as “false, misleading, and legally untenable.”

“The Delta State Government does not execute court judgments. It is the courts that enforce their decisions through due process. How can anyone suddenly resurrect a supposed judgment from forty years ago, which did not even address boundary issues, and attempt to use it to justify present-day claims? It is completely absurd,” he said.

He emphasized that the actual boundary dispute between the two communities is currently before the Delta State High Court, presided over by Honourable Justice Obi, and urged all parties to respect the judicial process.

“No amount of intimidation, propaganda, or violent grandstanding will alter the facts before the court. Ogwashi-Uku will not be bullied or pushed around by fabricated claims,” he added.

The latest development sharply contradicts recent narratives from Ibusa representatives portraying the community as peaceful and law-abiding, raising serious questions about the credibility of such claims in light of the violent events in Aboh Ogwashi-Uku.

Security has since been reinforced in the affected areas, while residents remain on edge, calling on authorities to ensure the immediate arrest and prosecution of those responsible.

As tensions continue to rise, all eyes are now on both the Federal High Court in Abuja and the Delta State High Court in Asaba, where the legal battles over boundary and institutional identity are expected to provide definitive answers.

For many observers, however, one thing is clear — the rule of law, not violence, will determine the true ownership and identity of the disputed territory.

Armed Mob Led By “Bullet” Storms Aboh Ogwashi-Uku, Attacks Police Officers, Destroys Property Amid Ongoing Federal Court Case

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RPGs, ammunition recovered from neutralised bandits in Katsina

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RPGs, ammunition recovered from neutralised bandits in Katsina

By: Zagazola Makama

Security operatives in Katsina have recovered two rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) rifles and large quantities of ammunition from three bandits neutralised in a recent clash with community vigilantes.

Sources said the discovery was made on Wednesday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. in Sabon Gida Village, Jibia Local Government Area, following a violent confrontation between vigilante members and repentant bandits on March 17.

According to the sources, a concealed sack recovered from the neutralised bandits contained two RPG rifles, 139 rounds of live ammunition, and two magazine chains.

The items were safely recovered by security personnel.

RPGs, ammunition recovered from neutralised bandits in Katsina

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Troops arrest two suspected ISWAP informants in Borno

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Troops arrest two suspected ISWAP informants in Borno

By: Zagazola Makama

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have arrested two suspected informants linked to ISWAP in Kaga Local Government Area of Borno.

Security sources said the suspects were apprehended at about 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday following credible intelligence from a watchkeeper on suspicious movements within the Mainok general area.

According to the sources, troops of the 156 Task Force Battalion swiftly responded and intercepted the suspects while moving towards the Goni–Masari axis.

The sources disclosed that the suspects were found in possession of electrical cables at the time of their arrest, raising suspicions over possible sabotage or support activities for terrorist elements.

“They are currently in custody and undergoing preliminary investigation to ascertain their roles and possible links with terrorist groups,” the source said.

He added that the operation underscores the importance of community-based intelligence in ongoing counter-insurgency efforts across the North-East.

The source reaffirmed that troops remain vigilant and committed to denying terrorists freedom of action within their areas of responsibility.

Troops arrest two suspected ISWAP informants in Borno

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