Metro
6 injured, money, valuables carted away as armed robbers invade Ibadan Estate with POS machine
No fewer than twenty armed robbers stormed once peaceful Alaafia Estate in Orogun, Ibadan, Oyo State around 11pm on Sunday night and operated till around 2am on Monday morning dispossessing residents of valuables running into millions of naira.
The robbers who made first appearance at the Estate about two weeks ago when they robbed a Superintendent of Police and three flats were said to have mobilised more gang members in a more deadly robbery where they carted away money, laptops, mobile phones and ATM card after obtaining their Personal Identification Numbers (PIN).
The robbers were said to have gained entry into the Estate through the recently dredged Carnal linking Barika, Agbowo, and Orogun.
Armed with machete, Guns and other dangerous weapons, the dare devil robbers divided themselves into the Estate and robbed concurrently in House number 33, 31, 25 among others.
Our man gathered that no fewer than twenty families were direct victims of the robbers with one Peter in House 33 sustaining machete cuts on his left hand while the wife was said to have been beaten with machete.
They forcefully gained entrance into their victims’ apartments, moving boastfully and daring the residents to come out if they were up to the task.
At house 31, where at least twelve flats were robbed, the robbers forced their victims to use the POS which they brought but when network failed the transfer, they obtained the PIN and went away with their ATMS.
As they moved to House 25, where the robbers were said to have accused some residents to have peeped through the window during their last operation in the Estate, doors and properties were badly destroyed as they threatened to unleash hell on them as they battle to break the security.
A resident said: “as they battle to break into the house, one of them was telling the new ones they recruited to join them this time around that somebody was peeping through the window from the house. They said we would see hell if they break into the house if we don’t willingly open the door”.
However, the Ojoo Police Division were said to have mobilised to the Estate blowing serene and releasing gun shots as they made their way into the Estate.
Hearing the gunshots, another resident told our man that the robbers shouted on themselves “big daddy (police) are here; won ti mbo, e ja ke lo.”
The police were said to have recovered four machetes and a locally made pistol around the scene of the robbery.
Narrating their ordeal, one of the victims who pleaded anonymity said “When they came, they jumped into our house and shot into the air. They started saying awon daa, wey money, they entered around 12:45am and left around 1:45am for other buildings.”
A tragic incident occurred on Saturday morning in the Ojodu-Berger area of Lagos State, as a building housing a popular local restaurant on Oremeta Street collapsed, leaving many feared dead.
The building was said to have given way at about 8:00 am, causing panic among residents and passers-by. Eyewitnesses reported a loud rumble before the structure came crashing down, trapping several individuals inside.
Emergency responders, including residents and rescue officials, have since commenced search and rescue operations at the site. As of the time of filing this report, the exact number of casualties remains unconfirmed, but several persons are believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.
Authorities are yet to issue an official statement regarding the cause of the collapse or the number of victims. However, efforts are ongoing to clear the debris and reach those who may still be alive underneath.
More details to follow.
Grief hung heavily in the air as the Zike community in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State laid to rest 51 of its residents brutally murdered in a pre-dawn attack that has once again cast a dark shadow over the troubled region.
The victims, mostly women and children, were gunned down in the early hours of Monday when yet-to-be-identified assailants stormed the sleepy village, firing indiscriminately. The massacre is the latest in a string of violent assaults that have plagued Plateau State in recent times.
At the mass burial held in the community, emotions ran high as families, friends, and sympathizers wept uncontrollably. Traditional mourners draped in black wailed as the victims’ coffins were lowered into the earth — a harrowing scene that has become all too familiar in the region.
Speaking at the funeral, a visibly distraught community leader, Davidson Malison, described the attack as “disheartening” and lamented the scale of the devastation.
“I can tell you the situation is very disheartening,” Malison said. “We are still searching for more corpses. Something needs to be done to put an end to this.”
The Irigwe women leader, Mary Dikwa, echoed similar concerns, calling on the government to step up its responsibility in securing lives and property.
“They have been killing us in this our community,” Dikwa said in tears. “Several times they will come and attack us. This situation has gone out of hand.”
Monday’s carnage came barely two weeks after another deadly assault left over 50 people dead and several others severely injured, despite repeated reassurances by the government to restore peace to the North-Central state.
Reacting to the renewed wave of violence, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered security agencies to track down the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
“I have instructed security agencies to thoroughly investigate this crisis and identify those responsible for orchestrating these violent acts,” the President said in a statement released by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga. “We cannot allow this devastation and the tit-for-tat attacks to continue. Enough is enough.”
As the Zike community mourns yet another loss, residents are left clinging to hope — that someday soon, peace will return to their land and they can finally bury their dead without fearing for the lives of the living.
At least forty people have been confirmed dead following a brutal attack by unidentified assailants on Zike community in Kimakpa, located within the Kwall district of Bassa Local Government Area in Plateau State.
According to local sources, the assault took place in the early hours of Monday, with the attackers storming the village and opening fire indiscriminately. Residents, startled by the sound of gunfire, fled in panic, but many were caught in the hail of bullets.
A community leader in Kwall, Wakili Tongwe, revealed that he and a group of vigilantes, along with some security personnel, were on patrol in a nearby community when the assault occurred.
“We were on routine patrol in a different area when the attackers struck. By the time we arrived, they had already done significant damage,” Tongwe said.
He added that while the joint team of vigilantes and security operatives engaged the assailants and eventually repelled them, the casualties were already high. Thirty-six people were confirmed dead at the scene, with four others succumbing to their injuries later in hospital.
Several other villagers sustained gunshot wounds and are currently receiving treatment in medical facilities nearby.
As of the time of filing this report, security agencies in Plateau State are yet to issue any official statement regarding the incident.
This latest massacre comes barely two weeks after a similar attack in the Bokkos Local Government Area of the state, where over fifty people lost their lives in coordinated assaults on several communities.
