NEWS

*Buhari: I Read It In Papers That Boko Haram Still Controls Some Territories*

President Muhammadu Buhari has acknowledged that insecurity is still a big problem for his administration. Although he underscored the efforts of the Army in restricting Boko Haram to Sambisa Forest, he conceded that he had read in the papers that insurgents are still controlling some territories in Nigeria.

Speaking during an interview with Voice of Africa (VOA), he also expressed the difference between leading the country as a former military Head of State and now as a democratically elected leader. He said: “I don’t get to listen to music but I find time to rest. When I was a general, I gave orders, but now I receive orders” Commenting on the state of his health, he said his doctor always insist on good diet and good rest for him.

Asked what different plan he has for Nigeria if re-elected, he said: “We have not even finished what we are doing now. Insecurity is still a problem. The worst thing that Boko Haram is doing now is to get small girls, hypnotise and put explosive devices on them to go and detonate in mosques, churches, motor parks and markets and kill people. However, they are not able to take over any territory now, although even today, I read in some newspapers that Boko Haram are still holding territory. Well, they may still be somewhere in Sambisa Forest but the Nigerian Army has prevented them from coming out”.

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*Scores Feared Dead, Houses Razed As Gunmen Attack Adamawa Villages*

Three communities in Numan Local government area of Adamawa State, Bolki, Bang and Gon have been attacked by armed bandits suspected to be herdsmen. Many houses were also razed down in the attack. Chairman of Numan Local Government Area, Arnold Jibla spoke with Channels Television. According to him, the number of casualties cannot be accounted for yet because the attack was still ongoing.

When contacted, the State Police Public Relations Officer Superintendent of Police says he is yet to be briefed. Bang village, is a border community between Adamawa and Taraba States. Local residents who spoke from Bang through a phone call said the entire village has been razed down.

The armed bandits were said to have stormed the village in large numbers in the wee hours of Wednesday unleashing mayhem on unsuspecting villagers. As at the time of this report the attack is said to be ongoing.

To read full article - http://v.duta.us/CdI51wAA

*Army Arrests Herdsman With AK-47 Rifle In Benue*

The Nigerian Army has arrested a herdsman caught with an AK-47 rifle and ammunition at Adagu village in Guma Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State. Commanding Officer, 72 Special Forces Battalion, Makurdi, Colonel Suleiman Mohammed, paraded the suspect on Wednesday before the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, and a team of senior officers in the state capital.

He said the suspect, who is identified as Idi Gemu from Adudu village of Obi LGA of Nasarawa State, was apprehended as part of the military’s resolve to rid Benue of criminals. Colonel Mohammed revealed that there was a connection between the sponsors of the suspect and that of the three other herdsmen paraded by the Army in the state last week.

In an interview with reporters, the suspect denied having any link with the other suspects arrested by the military. He said he had left Adudu village to find his missing sheep in Torkula Adagu village before he ran into another herdsman whom he claimed owns the AK-47 rifle.

To read full article - http://v.duta.us/YCQ7bgAA

*Declare killer herdsmen as terrorists, Bishop tells FG*

The Bishop of the Diocese of Badagry, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Rt. Rev. Babatunde Adeyemi, on Wednesday, condemned the killings in Benue, Taraba and other parts of the North-East. The cleric urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare the killer herdsmen as terrorists, owing to the number of killings they had perpetrated.

Adeyemi said this in a statement to sensitise Nigerians ahead of the diocese Synod which began on Wednesday. He urged the Lagos State Government to declare a new status for Badagry, adding that the region had played a prominent role in propagating Christianity and education nationwide.

He said, “We (Anglican Communion), condemn these mindless killings in our country. If the Indigenous People of Biafra could be termed a terrorist group, those who perpetrate these heinous acts should also be termed terrorists. But because these set of people come from a particular part of the country, they enjoy protection from the Federal Government."

To read full article - http://v.duta.us/ZukvGAAA

*We buried 86 victims of Mubi massacres, Adamawa grave diggers claim*

While government authorities said at least 29 people died in the blasts in Mubi, Adamawa State on Tuesday, local gravediggers at the town’s only cemetery said they buried 86 persons. The Federal Government on Wednesday ordered increased security around markets and places of worship after a twin suicide bomb attack blamed on Boko Haram killed scores of people in the worst civilian loss of life in more than two years.

The authorities said at least 29 people died in the blasts in Mubi, Adamawa State, on Tuesday; but local grave diggers at the town’s only cemetery said they buried 86. “We buried 76 people yesterday (Tuesday),” said one, asking to remain anonymous. Today, as at 3:00 pm (Wednesday), 10 more bodies were brought in and buried. “These people died overnight from injuries, obviously,” he told AFP.

Another grave digger, who also asked for his name not to be used, supported the account. “We hope we are done with the burials,” he added. The figures are in line with the accounts of two residents who, on Tuesday, evening said they attended the funerals of more than 60 people and that more bodies were still arriving.