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Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Gunmen shoot 14 dead in ‘ambush' at north-central Nigerian market
Nigeria's restive Plateau state has long been gripped by conflicts over attacks by armed gangs known as 'bandits'. (EPA Images pic) JOS : Unidentified gunmen in Nigeria's restive Plateau state killed 14 people in an ambush yesterday as they returned home from a weekly market, local residents and a Red Cross official told AFP. The north-central state has long been gripped by conflicts over dwindling land and attacks by armed gangs known as 'bandits', mostly across rural areas where government presence is sparse and impunity is almost guaranteed. Following the ambush, two youths were killed in a revenge attack across ethnic lines, residents said. The gunmen opened fire yesterday evening on vehicles returning from the market in Bokkos town, residents said, near a village called Mangor. 'Some armed men ambushed them, they fired gunshots indiscriminately,' Moses Maren, a local youth leader, told AFP yesterday. State Red Cross secretary Nurudeen Hussaini Magaji confirmed the toll this morning. 'Amongst the dead were males, females and children,' he said. The Bokkos area is known as a major hub for potato farming in Nigeria. The town's Monday and Thursday markets host traders from as far away as Chad, Benin, Niger and Cameroon. Insecurity is a major factor in food inflation in Nigeria. Consultancy SBM Intelligence recently recorded price hikes of rice, onions and pepper seeing hikes by more than 430% in neighbouring Bauchi state, blamed on bandit attacks as well as drought. Land used by farmers and herders in central Nigeria, including Plateau, is coming under stress from climate change and human expansion, sparking deadly competition for increasingly limited space. Most farmers are Christian and most herders Fulani Muslim. Reprisals often fall indiscriminately across ethnic lines. Land grabbing, political and economic tensions between locals and those considered outsiders, as well as an influx of hardline Muslim and Christian preachers, have heightened divisions in recent decades. In retaliation for yesterday's attacks, 'aggrieved youths have stormed a Fulani settlement close to the place where the ambush took place', Shanono Usman, a local trader, told AFP, killing two. Sale Adamu, a resident of Bokkos and also local leader of the Fulani community, confirmed the toll.
Reuters
5 days ago
- Reuters
Gunmen kill 14 people returning from market in central Nigeria
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, July 25 (Reuters) - Armed attackers ambushed a vehicle returning from a weekly market in the Bokkos area of central Nigeria, killing 14 passengers including women and infants, a local community leader said on Friday. The attack occurred at about noon on Thursday as the vehicle was carrying people back from the popular Bokkos market in violence-plagued Plateau state. Farmasum Fuddang, chair of the Bokkos cultural development forum, said the attackers had intercepted the vehicle and then opened fire. "Victims included women and little babies," Fuddang said in a statement. The latest killings follow calls for a stronger security presence in rural Plateau, one of Nigeria's several ethnically and religiously diverse central states where inter-communal conflicts have killed hundreds of people in recent years. Plateau police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Al Arabiya
15-07-2025
- Al Arabiya
Gunmen kill 27 in north-central Nigeria: Local sources
Gunmen killed 27 people in north-central Nigeria's Plateau state in the latest violence in this restive region, local sources told AFP on Tuesday. The attack on Monday evening in Jebu-Rahoss, in the Riyom local government area, wounded others who were sent to hospital, said Chuwang David, a local resident.
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Wetin dey behind increase in violent killings for Nigeria?
More Nigerians don die for di hands of jaguda pipo like terrorists and bandits for di first half of 2025 dan di numba wey kpai for di whole of 2024, according to official figure we di National Human Rights Commission bin release. More dan 2,266 pipo na im jaguda pipo kpai betwin January and June dis year, while di entire number for last year na about 2,194, Tony Ojukwu wey be di Executive Secretary of di NHRC tok. For only June 2025, di number of pipo wey die for violent attacks dey more dan 600, sake of mass killings for Yelewata in Benue State and communities for Plateau State. Dis NHRC report come out just some days afta anoda tori from Plateau State break say bandits kill plenty members of one vigilante group for Kanam Local Government Area. Some tori say di numba wey die reach 70. So wetin dey drive dis killings? Di wahala na a combination of different tins, according to Umar Aliyu, wey be ogbonge sabi pesin for security matter, and who be retired captain for di Nigeria Army. E get di issue of age-long crisis like di farmer/herder clashes, community land tuzzles, and more recently, banditry for di northwest region in particular. But e also get di issue of lack of action by di govment, and den sabotage. Herdsmen invasions, land grabbing and illegal mining For dis situations, herdsmen dey mobilise attacks for communities sake of allegations say dem kill or rustle dia cows or space to graze. E no be new tin for Nigeria but di mata don dey increase, di attacks don dey more dangerous as more pipo dey kpai. Some of di recent horrible killings for di central part of Nigeria don dey linked to di herdsmen palava but authorities don say e fit pass dat mata. BBC Pidgin bin don report accounts of pipo wey bin dey affected for previous attacks we happen for Benue State dis year, including di tori of one woman who say di jaguda pipo bin rape her eight times bifore day break, and anoda pesin wey lose six members of im family. Anoda example of dis na di Yelewata attack for June dis year, wey even get di attention of di head of di catholic Church Pope Leo XIV wey ask for prayers to restore security and peace. Official figures say di number of pipo wey die for di attack na about 200, but locals argue say e pass. For previous interview wit Channels TV, Govnor Hyacinth Alia say im no believe say di attacks na farmers and herdsmen wahala. E say di killers dey specialised and dem dey fight like pipo wey dey trained for guerrilla war. Govnor Alia bin also don tell tori pipo say dem go set up a panel wey go chook eye into di crisis and come up wit a white paper wey di goment go implement. "Dis white paper go help us to know who be di culprits, to know who be di sponsors, to identify di victims, and to see wia justice go dey applied," di govnor tok. Similar tin dey happen also for Plateau State, even though di govnor of di State bin tell BBC for one interview say e no believe say di issue na still herdsmen and farmers fight. One of such attacks happen for April dis year wia more dan 50 pipo kpai. Wetin dey happen na well-planned attack to pursue pipo from dia land and take over di place, Govnor Caleb Mutfwang tok. E say many communities dey for im state now wey di attackers don successfully take over, rename di communities and dey live dia. Again, e get di issue of illegal mining, wey di current minister of solid minerals development, Dele Alake, tell BBC Pidgin say e dey sure say some big men wey dey involve for mining for di kontri dey sponsor insecurity. "Wetin dey happen be say, dis criminal elites go buy gun give to some local criminals, dem go invade one community, shoot gun, maybe kill one or two pipo, and di pipo for dat community go run comot, den di criminals go enta and start to dig," Alake tok for di interview. E say goment go tackle dis by setting up new security outfit wey dia main work go be to tackle illegal mining. Lack of strong action by goment Oga Aliyu Umar say di failure of di Nigeria leadership to give clear objectives to di heads of di kontri armed forces, and make sure say dem dey deliver on dat objectives, follow for why Nigerians no dey see result for di security situation despite say di amount of security expenditure don increase well-well. "If my predecessor no achieve much for office and e stay for so much years, den I no get any prompt (or push) to do any beta wen I take over. But if my predecessor bin no achieve much and dem show am di way out, as I dey take over I go know say my job don dey cut out for me," Umar tok. "E dey sad to tok but I dey tell you say if di Nigeria armed forces na stock for di global stock market today, e no go sell for much. We fit deny am all we want, but dat na di truth." Capt. Umar say a situation wia by security expenses dey increase but di pipo wey dey handle di resources only get stories to tell instead of improved security, and dem go still keep dia office, "na di reason why we no dey see results and we no go eva get results like dat". Sabotage Several times, some top-top oga dem for govment including some state govnors don allege say some members of di Nigeria security outfits get hand for di insecurity for di kontri. Oga Umar say im work as a former intelligence officer show say dis no be just ordinary allegation, but na wetin dey happen true-true but di authorities no dey take am serious. "I bin once ask President Muahammadu Buhari say 'Your Excellency, Mr president wia is di law on sabotage and saboteurs for Nigeria?' As we dey tok now, dat question neva get ansa," e tok. "You don eva hear about such a law for dis kontri? No. Bicos probably di pipo wey suppose make di law dey work wit di saboteurs." "We no dey tok about suspicion now, but open, broad daylight sabotage and saboteurs, and di law dey silent on dem. Why? Food for thought." As long as di bad eggs for di military and even politicians continue to dey have a field day, and dia actions dey go unpunished, sabotage no go eva stop and insecurity go continue dey thrive, Umar tok. Goment tok-tok and wetin pipo feel no be di same Dis figures of violent killings wey di National Human Rights Commission publish, no tally wit wetin di goment of di kontri bin don tok say dem don improve di security situation. For inside one statement wey President Tinubu bin release for May dis year as e mark im mid-term for office, e tok say, "our administration don improve collaboration among security agencies, increase intelligence-driven operations, and welfare of our armed forces and security personnel." Similarly, di minister of state for defence Bello Matawalle, for May dis year say di Nigeria armed forces bin neutralise more dan 8,000 terrorists and bandits, arrest about 11,600 criminals, and recover more dan 10,000 weapons for 2024. But Oga Umar say e no be di job of govment to tok say security don improve well-well. "Na for di citizens, especially di ones wey dey live for rural areas, for dose ungoverned spaces wia you see bandits, terrorists and herdsmen even dey collect tax. Na dem go tell us true-true weda security don improve or not," e tok.
CTV News
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- CTV News
Handyman video shows how Montreal's parking app is stealing seconds
A Montreal handyman says the city's parking app is ripping people off. A Montreal handyman says drivers are getting ripped off by the city's parking app. A tongue-in-cheek video posted on Bob Murphy's account shows that he is getting less time than what he paid for. The video shows that despite paying for five minutes of parking, the countdown starts up 45 seconds later. 'I just started up the app 15 seconds ago. Where did that 45 seconds go? It's not much, but it adds up,' he said. He spends his days driving around the Plateau and Outremont, and considering how much time he spends on the road, the amount of parking adds up. 'Minimum of twice a day at different locations, but sometimes I'll use them repetitively,' said Murphy. He told CTV News that he ran tests on the current parking app, as well as the new version that is set to replace the old one at the end of the month, and experienced the same issue on both apps. CTV News tested the theory by selecting a spot and choosing five minutes of parking. After paying, the app said only 4:30 remained on the spot. The Agence de Mobility de Montreal's FAQ page says that 'as soon as a parking space has been paid, a timer appears.' CTV News requested a comment on the discrepancy but did not receive a reply. For Murphy, his time is money. 'They made a fortune off of me, but it's good. It's a good service,' he said, adding that it's about time for the city to fix the issue.
