Crime
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
FCT police arrest suspected ammunition courier for zamfara bandits
By: Zagazola Makama
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has arrested a 32-year-old man suspected of attempting to procure ammunition for bandits operating in Zamfara State.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that the suspect, identified as Ahmed Abubakar, of Gusau, Zamfara State, and currently residing at Anguwan Dodo, Gwagwalada, was arrested on Dec. 7 at about 3:30 p.m. by operatives of the Mabushi Division following credible intelligence.
Sources said that the suspect had allegedly contacted a Nigerian Army personnel, Cpl. Yusuf Mohammed, to help him procure 1,000 rounds of ammunition, which he claimed were meant for bandits in Zamfara for a monetary reward.
During preliminary investigation, Abubakar reportedly confessed that he was acting on instructions from his uncle, Ahmed Yakubu, of the same address, who is currently at large. The uncle allegedly sent him to purchase the ammunition and transport it back to Zamfara for use by bandit groups within their locality.
The police recovered ₦170,100 from the suspect, believed to be part of the funds for the illicit transaction.
The Command said the suspect is currently in custody undergoing further investigation, while efforts are ongoing to track down his fleeing accomplice
FCT police arrest suspected ammunition courier for zamfara bandits
Retired DCP killed in Ngor-Okpala attack as police intensify search for abducted victims
By: Zagazola Makama
The Imo State Police Command has confirmed that the victim of a gun attack along Portharcourt Road in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area has been identified as retired Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP Kingsley Woke, aged 56.
Zagazola learnt that DCP Woke, who last served as DC Courses at the Police Staff College, Jos, was travelling from Portharcourt to Umuahia in Abia State when he was shot in the chest by armed hoodlums on Dec. 7 at about 11:00 p.m. near Amala Autonomous Community, after Zion Ministry Church.
The deceased, who hails from Omuowu, Ikwerre LGA, Rivers State, had his personal belongings secured at the police station and later released to his sister, Mrs. Hope, who confirmed his death.
Sources said tactical teams, in collaboration with other security agencies, local vigilantes, and hunters, have intensified operations to track down the perpetrators and locate other victims who were reportedly abducted during the same attack.
Authorities assured the public that every effort is being made to apprehend the attackers and ensure the safety of residents along the Ngor Okpala corridor.
Retired DCP killed in Ngor-Okpala attack as police intensify search for abducted victims
Army troops neutralise 11 terrorists, recover weapons in Sabon Birni ambush in Sokoto
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of 8 Division Nigerian Army, conducting Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have neutralised 11 terrorists during a precision ambush in Kurawa Village, Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
Sources reliably informed Zagazola Makama that the operation was executed at about 0645 hours, on Sunday following credible human intelligence on the movement of a terrorist group attempting to cross towards Tara village in the same council area.
The coordinated strike was carried out by the 8 Division Garrison Strike Team leading to the successful interception of the terrorists along their crossing route.
According to the sources, the troops recovered eight AK-47 rifles after the encounter, while a follow-up exploitation operation to further clear the area is currently underway.
The ambush, described as “swift, surgical and professionally executed”, is one of the latest gains recorded under Operation FANSAN YAMMA, the ongoing theatre-wide offensive aimed at dismantling terrorist and bandit networks across Sokoto, Zamfara and neighbouring corridors.
Military authorities said more details would be provided after the ongoing exploitation and assessment of the battlefield.
Zagazola reports that 8 Division has in recent months intensified both kinetic and intelligence-driven operations, leading to the degradation of several criminal enclaves and improved security across the region.
End
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