Nigeria/Insurgency: Former gang leader gunned down in Port Harcourt

Media reported on Wednesday that Soboma George, a former Niger Delta gang leader had been gunned down by three armed men suspected to belong to a rival group in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State.

Reportedly, George had been killed in the shootout, but as his body was taken away by the assailants, police could not confirm his death.

Following the attack, police officers were mobilized in the area, as authorities fear that retaliation actions could be carried out by supporters of the former gang leader.

It is worth mentioning that George had been activating in the past within the “Outlaws Gang”, which is affiliated to the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and last year accepted to enter into the federal government’s amnesty program.

Nigeria/Insurgency: Four abducted journalists released

The Head of Nigerian Union of Journalist (NUJ) reported that the four Nigerian journalists and their driver kidnapped by gunmen a week ago in Abia State has been released unharmed on Sunday.

Abia State Police Spokesman confirmed the release, saying the journalists were in good health.

Last Sunday, NUJ Chairman Wahab Oba and three other members: Adolphus Okonkwo, Assistant State Secretary, Sylvester Okereke, Shola Oyeyepo and their driver, Yekini Aziz were abducted on the Aba-Ikot Ekpene Road in the south eastern state of Abia when they were returning by road from the National Executive Council meeting of the NUJ at Akwa Ibom State.

Reportedly, the abductors initially demanded a ransom of 250 million naira ($1.7 million), which they lowered to 150 million naira and then to N30 million. However, NUJ Chairman said no ransom was paid for their release.

Nigeria/Insurgency: Four die in religious violence

Nigerian Police stated that sectarian violence between Christians and Muslims in in the community of Bukari in the south-eastern Nigeria left at least four people dead on Tuesday.

Taraba State Police Commissioner said clashes erupted after Christian youths became angry about the location of a mosque in the community.

According to him, the youths burned down the mosque, which launched a counterattack by Muslims. Witnesses and security sources said Security Agents intervened this morning eventually restoring calm to the community.

Hundreds of people, including women and children from predominantly Christian communities were killed in March as sectarian violence flared up in the villages surrounding Jos. Similar clashes between Muslims and Christians already have killed more than 300 people in the same region last January.

 

Nigeria/Insurgency: Three local journalists kidnapped

Security Officials reported that unidentified gunmen kidnapped three journalists and a driver at Umuafouka junction near Ukwakiri in Obingwa Local Government Council of Abia State on Sunday.

Abdulwahab Oba, Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Lagos, Sylva Okereke, the Union's Assistant Secretary and Adolphus Okonkwo, Regional Secretary of the Union, were kidnapped at gunpoint.

Mohammed Garba, President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, said the reporters had just left a conference in Akwa Ibom state Sunday when a speeding car with gunmen forced their bus to stop.

According to police, the kidnappers demanded a ransom of 250 million naira (1.66 million dollars) to secure their release.

Nigeria/Insurgency: Pirates release 12 foreign hostages

Nigerian Navy announced on Sunday that 12 foreign sailors including seven Russians, two Ukrainians, two Germans and a Lithuanian- abducted by suspected pirates near Bonny in the southern Rivers state have been released.

Reportedly, unidentified gunmen kidnapped the sailors on Friday after attacking a German cargo ship BBC Polonia. The ship’s captain was shot during the incident.

Military Spokesman confirmed the release, saying the sailors are on their way to Bonny, where their ship was recovered. He added that the hostages were unharmed.

Nigeria/Insurgency: Two killed and one kidnapped in Niger Delta

(Michael Kamber/Polaris/Photo News)

Nigerian police stated on Sunday that unknown gunmen killed two people and kidnapped Eze Sunday Njoku, a traditional ruler while they were attending church services in the oil-producing Niger Delta.

Rita Inoma-Abbey, spokeswoman for the Rivers state police said at least five others were injured in the attack on Eze Sunday Njoku, the traditional ruler of the Umuebulu community near the oil hub Port Harcourt in Rivers state.

According to eyewitnesses, two persons who attempted to prevent the gunmen from abducting the royal father were shot dead on the spot.

No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction so far.

Nigeria/Terrorism:  MEND says clash with army in Niger Delta

Media reported that Nigeria's main armed group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) clashed with soldiers of the military Joint Task Force (JTF) in the creeks of Delta state in the oil-producing Niger Delta on Thursday.

MEND spokesman Jomo Gbomo stated that the fight broke out when one of the group's patrols ran into two gunboats of the JTF at Ogulagha in Delta state. According to him, the fighting lasted for 30 minutes and none of MEND fighters were injured during the gunbattle, however he added that the JTF lost 4 soldiers with an unspecified number injured.

Meanwhile, governmental officials refused to confirm information about the incident.

Nigeria/Civil unrest: Four killed in fresh clash in Jos

Monday clashes between Special Task Force (STF) and commercial motorcycle (Okada) riders in Jos, the capital of Plateau State left at least four people dead and two wounded.

Fighting erupted as STF made up of Police, Civil Defense Corps and the Vehicle Inspector Officers (VIO) had entered the city and began to seize motorcycles from the operators in enforcement of the ban on Okada riders from the metropolis.

Reportedly, Okada riders pelted STF agents with stones, who in turn retaliated by shooting into the air. Tension mounted as the police used tear gas to disperse the rioting Okada riders.
Chairman of the Jama'atu Nasril Islam's (JNI) Rescue Committee Mohammed Tanko Shitu confirmed the number of corpses brought to the mosque for burial according to Muslim rites.

Hundreds of people, including women and children from predominantly Christian communities were killed in March as sectarian violence flared up in the villages surrounding Jos. Similar clashes between Muslims and Christians already have killed more than 300 people in the same region last January.

 

Nigeria/Terrorism: Bombs explosions at Bayelsa Deputy Governor's house

Local media reported that two bomb explosions rocked the deputy governor's private residence located along Day Bridge Road, Yenagoa, and the White Eagle Hotel on Wednesday. No one injured in the blasts.

Deputy governor Peremobowei Ebebi was in Abuja when the incident happened at about 8.45 p.m local time.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. Meanwhile, a top security officer had ordered all security agencies in the state to beefed up security arrangement in President Goodluck Jonathan's home.

It is worth mentioning that on May 11, an explosion occurred in the two-storey office building of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in Warri, Delta State. However, no one was injured.

Nigeria/Security: Nigerian government lifts curfew months after sectarian clashes

Nearly one-and-half year after hundreds of people were killed in sectarian clashes between Muslims and Christian groups, Nigeria's central state of Plateau on Wednesday lifted a night-time curfew imposed on the city of Jos, where most of the violence occurred.

Nigerian government imposed curfew in November 2008 after hundreds were killed in election related violence in Jos. The curfew was extended last January because of insecurity in and around the Plateau state capital. However, many residents had complained that the curfew was not effective as killings continued to be occurred around the city.

On March, hundreds of people, including women and children, from predominantly Christian communities were killed as sectarian violence flared up in villages around Jos. Similar clashes between Muslims and Christians already had killed more than 300 people in the same region last January.

Nigeria/Terrorism: bomb blast rocks governmental building in Warri, no injuries

Officials and media reported on Wednesday that an explosion occurred in the two-storey office building of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in Warri, Delta State on Monday. There were no reports of any injuries.

Reportedly, the explosion, which occurred on Monday around 8:00 p.m. (local time) after the workers had closed for the day. Soon after the explosion, a man who claimed to be a leader of an armed group and identified himself as the "Udemegun of Niger Delta" took responsibility over the attack.

Monday's explosion comes less than two months after a bomb blast disrupted a conference  on March 15, aimed to resolve prolonged crisis in Niger Delta.  No casualities have been reported from the blast.  The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) had claimed responsibility for the attack.

Nigeria/Insurgency: North Nigeria State outlaws Boko Haram

Nigerian government spokesman stated on Monday that the government has outlawed the religious extremist group Boko Haram, responsible for the death of 700 people in northern Nigeria last year.

According to the spokesman, Borno state governor Ali Sheriff has signed an order to declare the Boko Haram group ''a dangerous religious sect to the state.” The source also mentioned that the decision was based on the recommendations of a committee set up to investigate the July 2009 violence.

Separately on Monday, four suspected members of the Boko Haram faced charges of  committing arsons, homicide, conspiracy and mischief to set public places on fire.

Nigeria/Insurgency: Shell shuts down a pipeline in Rivers state

(Michael Kamber/Polaris/Photo News)

On Friday, media reported that Royal Dutch Shell has shut down a Nigerian crude oil pipeline this week because of several fires on the Trans Niger pipeline at Ogoniland in Rivers state.

According to a shell spokesman Tony Okonedo, the pipeline which has a 150,000 barrels per day capacity, has been shut-in as a result of the fires. However, the Anglo-Dutch firm declined to specify how much production was affected.

The spokesman said Shell is investigating what caused the fire on its Trans Niger pipeline. The damaged pipeline is connected to oil production fields outside Ogoniland, feeding crude to Shell's Bonny export terminal.

Last month, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) had threatened to “expand the operational range of the attacks” and to attack oil firms that had been “spared in the past, such as those belonging to Total”.

Nigeria/Insurgency: Car exploded in Yenagoa, no one injured

(Michael Kamber/Polaris/Photo News)

A government official stated on Monday that a car exploded in the southern Nigerian oil city of Yenagoa late on Sunday close to a guesthouse owned by deputy state governor Peremobowei Ebebi. There were no reports of casualties.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was not immediately clear what caused the explosion and no individual or any group has claimed responsibility for the blast.

Sunday's blast came a month and a half after two car bombs exploded outside a government building in the neighbouring State of Delta. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), Nigeria's main terrorist group claimed responsibility for those attacks.

Nigeria/Terrorism: senior official and her relative kidnapped

Unidentified gunmen have kidnapped Victoria Denenu, the commissioner of the environment in Bayelsa State, and her mother-in-law from the city of Aba in neighbouring Abia State, reported local police on Tuesday. The two women were coming back after attending a wedding ceremony on Saturday. No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. Kidnapping for ransom has become a common incident in the oil-rich nation, where foreign nationals are often targeted.

Meanwhile, two journalists were killed while trying to cover ethnic violence and a third was shot to death in his home on Saturday. Deputy editor Nathan S Dabak and reporter Sunday Gyang Bwede, who worked for The Light Bearer, were on their way to cover a story on clashes between Christians and Muslims in Jos, in central Nigeria, when they were ambushed and stabbed to death. Edo Ugbagwu, a reporter of The Nation, was killed Saturday night in his home in Lagos by unknown gunmen.

Nigeria/Germany/Insurgency: kidnappers free 2 German hostages

Nigerian gunmen have freed the two German nationals they had kidnapped eight days ago from the Azumini Beach, along the Imo River in Abia State. Declaring the news on Saturday, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said the men were released somewhere near the city of Port Harcourt, capital of the neighbouring Rivers State.

Westerwelle, however declined to give information on whether there was any transaction for ransom that resulted in the men's safe release. "I thank the crisis committee and the German and Nigerian authorities involved for their untiring work, which made a fast and happy end possible," he said.

The two men, one apparently visiting from Lagos and the other working in Port Harcourt, were travelling without any security escort when the kidnappers took them. The abduction was the second incident in ten days in which gunmen have kidnapped foreign workers after four Syrians and a Lebanese, all construction workers, were abducted in Rivers State on April 9. No groups claimed responsible for both kidnappings.

Nigeria/ Insurgency: 6 Muslim nomads killed in new sectarian violence

A pastoralists' leader claimed on Tuesday that suspected Christian Berom militias had slain at least 6 Muslim Fulani nomads in the northern Kaduna State of Nigeria during a raid late on Sunday.

Saleh Momaleh, the head of Pastoral Resolve’s (PARE) Kaduna branch, said a woman was among the people killed in the overnight attack and that the militias had taken "a large number of cows". He also said many houses were burned down and at least 600 residents were displaced.

Police has confirmed the attack, but claimed that only three people were killed. "We are aware of an incident between farmers and nomads in Kauru where three people were killed," said Mohammed Tambari Yabo, a regional police commissioner, adding the police are now investigating the matter.

Meanwhile, there were also reports of an attack last Monday night allegedly carried out by Muslim Fulani nomads on Christian farmers in Riyom village, south of Plateau State's capital Jos. Residents claimed that 2 of their men were killed and another 2 are still missing.

Nigeria/Germany/Kidnapping: 2 Germans abducted from Abia state

Armed men in Nigeria's oil-producing south-eastern state of Abia have kidnapped two German nationals, security sources said on Sunday. "The Germans were kidnapped at Azumini Beach strip at Imo River as they were heading to their vehicle. This was likely an opportunist abduction as there was no security around, just a local driver", the source said.

It has been reported that the identities of the two men, aged between 45 and 55, is not yet known, but one of them works in Port Harcourt, capital of neighbouring Rivers State, while the other resides in Nigeria’s commercial capital of Lagos. Meanwhile, a statement from the German Foreign Ministry confirmed the validity of the report and said it was looking into the matter.

Gunmen in the Niger Delta often kidnap foreign workers for ransom and the latest incident is the second incident in just 10 days. On April 9, four Syrians and a Lebanese, all construction workers, were abducted in Rivers State and released five days later.

Nigeria/Insurgency: Unknown gunmen ambushed the Governor’s vehicle: one police officer killed, driver kidnapped

Unidentified gunmen  shot dead  a security guard and kidnapped the driver of Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State on Tuesday on Aba-Port-Harcourt Road in Abia State.

Reportedly, the governor's driver, who is also a police inspector has been abducted on his way to Port Harcourt, Rivers State for the servicing of the governor’s official vehicles. Frank was accompanied by two other cars.

According to sources, the kidnappers, dressed in military uniform,  blocked the road and fired several bullets on the bullet-proof vehicles of the governor. The attackers shot dead a police corporal attached to the Governor, while other security officer escaped into the bush. The driver also tried to escape from the car but was caught by the attackers and taken to an unknown location.

Later it was reported that the kidnappers have demanded a payment of N100 million as ransom for the release of the driver. Meanwhile this information has not been confirmed yet by the police.

Nigeria/Insurgency: Nigerian kidnappers liberated four foreign workers

(Michael Kamber/Polaris/Photo News)

Rita Inoma Abbey, spokeswoman for Rivers state police announced on Wednesday that Nigerian kidnappers have freed four Syrian and Lebanese construction workers after four days of captivity.

Unidentified gunmen seized the four foreign workers at gunpoint near the southern Nigerian oil hub Port Harcour on April 9, killing a police officer assigned to the construction firm.

The spokeswoman did not say if any ransom has been paid for the release of the workers. The kidnapping comes merely two weeks after Nigeria's main armed group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) had threatened to “expand the operational range of the attacks”. Earlier this month, unidentified gunmen had already kidnapped a local employee of the French oil company Total in Nigeria's southern Niger Delta region.