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8 villagers killed in herders/farmers clash in Adamawa

From Kabiru R. Anwar, Yola

At least eight persons have died in a clash between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in Koh community in Girei Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

?Residents said people of the two communities clashed Saturday after a Fulani herder trespassed into a farmland and the owner raised an alarm, causing the Fulani man to leave and to reappear with his kinsmen who confronted the farmers.

There have been clashes between the herders and villagers in the area, culminating in the killing of a 10-year-old Fulani boy and a subsequent attack on Koh community that left more than 40 villagers dead earlier this year.

Eye witnesses reported that eight villagers died in the Saturday clash while seven injured ones were rushed to the Specialist Hospital and Zenith Hospital in Yola.

A politician from the area, Phineas Elisha, said he lost two relatives, including a policeman who was on leave, saying the policeman was killed by a stray bullet when he was running for safety.

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relation Officer in the state, DSP Abubakar Othman said one person was killed and two were injured in the clash.

Earthquake alert: FG, states urged on redemptive measures

From Dele Ogunyemi, Ibadan

The Nigerian Association of Water-Well Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners (AWDROP) has called on the Federal Government to take measures that could reduce the effects of the earthquake that has been predicted for Shaki, Oyo State.

Researchers from the Department of Geology, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, led by Dr Adepelumi Adekunle Abraham, had submitted in its report titled ‘Preliminary Assessment of Earth Tremor Occurrence in Shaki Area, Shaki West Local Government, Oyo State, indicating an impending ‘damaging earthquake’ in the next four years.

AWDROP, at a press conference addressed by its National President, Mr. Michael Ale, lamented that lack of Underground Water Abstraction Regulation in Nigeria could easily induce earthquake and sea water intrusion, “hence the need for government to ensure strict compliance in the implementation of code of practice in borehole drilling” in the country.

Ale said his Association had been informed of the salt water intrusion affecting underground water usage and subsidence along the land-ocean boundaries in shoreline areas like Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Warri, Bayelsa and Cross River State and advised the Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu, to create an integrated groundwater management modelling tools to improve sustainable management efforts and optimize resources utilization.

New face of insecurity: B/Haram militants force petrol from motorists

Hamisu Kabir Matazu, Damaturu

Boko Haram militants are obtaining petrol by force from motorists regularly plying routes that lead to Kusur, Burko, Zurgur, Damokwarwa, Gumsa, Dargo and Dilari villages in the southern part of Gaidam local government area of Yobe State, security and local sources have revealed.

Daily Trust gathered that the militants, who travel freely on banned motorcycles in the area, usually ambush motorists, empty their fuel tanks, and although they offer money for such fuel, motorists usually reject it because of making fuel available to the militants under any guise is an affront on a prevailing warning by the security agents which the motorists avoid at all costs.

One of the motorists who gave his name as Goni, said he was intercepted by a gang of armed militants that collected ten litres of petrol from his car tank and offered him N2, 500 per four litres. “I was on my way to Kusur when the insurgents suddenly appeared on four motorcycles, they were all armed with rifles. I packed and they drew two 4-litre gallon of petrol from my car tank. They offered to pay N2,500 per gallon but I refused to collect the money. One of them threw the money at me and they fled,” he said.

A top security officer, who spoke to Daily Trust in confidence, said they were aware of the situation and measure had been taken to reduce fuel circulation in the area to further starve the insurgents of fuel.

“We made it a rule that no vehicle shall be sold more than 25 litres of petrol in Gaidam. We made a swift operation recently where we discovered the insurgents’ hideout in Kadari bush, killed 15 and recovered arms and 12 motorcycles,” he said

Road crashes reduces 12% in Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa

From Christiana T. Alabi, Kaduna

The rate of road traffic crashes in RS 1 comprising Kano, Kaduna, Katsina and Jigawa states have reduced by 12 percent while fatality has reduced by seven percent, the Zonal Commanding Officer RS1 HQ, Assistant Corps Marshal Bulus B. Darwang, has said.

He disclosed this yesterday when he, in company of other officials of the zone, paid a courtesy visit on the Kaduna State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), saying, “Road traffic crashes have reduced by 12 percent, that is not enough because our corporate strategy plan for this year is to reduce road traffic crashes by 25 percent and fatality by 15 percent. If we are to achieve this target, we have to step up public enlightenment.”

He said speed violation remained the major cause of road traffic crashes, and that over-speeding accounted for 50.8 percent of road crashes. “Between January and April this year, another monster raised its ugly head, which is tyre-related road traffic crashes. We have had many instances along Kaduna-Abuja expressway where we lost doctors, minister and many more,” he lamented.

Based on the rise of tyre-related crashes, he said that the Corps last week flagged off ‘tyre safety campaign’ nationwide.

3 die, 7 abducted as Boko Haram attack hunters

From Shehu Abubakar, Maiduguri

Two hunters and one Boko Haram died as seven hunters were said to have been abducted by the insurgents when tens of insurgents on a hunting outing at the outskirt of Maiduguri were said to have been attacked by insurgents in broad daylight.

A senior member of the hunters association in the state, Malam Abba Abatcha told Daily Trust that about three weeks ago when he and other hunters drove in vehicles to Alau Dam at the outskirt of Maiduguri along Bama road, armed men believed to be Boko Haram insurgents attacked and opened fire on them.

“We disembarked from the vehicles around Alau Dam and walked for about one hour, still in the neighbourhood of Maiduguri. Suddenly, insurgents appeared to us from the nearby bush and opened fire on us. They took us by surprise because we were not expecting them close to Maiduguri. We had only Dane guns, machetes and arrows. They killed two of our hunters while we killed one of them. They also kidnapped seven of our men and left with them. We were surprised that they came very close to Maiduguri and attacked us. That proved to us that they are hanging in the bushes around Maiduguri or they can still come that close from wherever they are,” he said.

Abatcha said till date there was no information about their abducted colleagues, but that he was optimistic they would regain their freedom.