News
Boko Haram Kidnaps 50 Loggers In Borno
Boko Haram jihadists abducted around 50 loggers in northeastern Nigerian close to the border with Cameroon, civilian militia and residents told AFP Thursday.
The hostages who were mostly from a camp for people displaced by jihadist violence were on Saturday rounded up by fighters loyal to factional leader Abubakar Shekau while collecting wood
“The men were rounded up and taken away by Boko Haram insurgents and nothing has been heard from them,” militia leader Umar Kachalla said.
“Two of the loggers escaped and returned home and broke the news.
“We don’t have a precise number of those taken but usually the loggers move in a group of more than 50 men,” Kachalla said.
The abduction took place at Bulakesa village, 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the town of Gamboru in Borno state.
The Boko Haram Islamist uprising in the region has claimed thousands of lives and displaced more than two million since 2009 in Nigeria alone.
In 2014, in a case that shocked the world, Boko Haram gunmen seized 276 girls aged 12 to 17 from a secondary school in the remote town of Chibok, also in Borno state.
The loggers taken in the latest incident had been encouraged to venture deep into the bush to collect firewood by a recent military operation that pushed the jihadists out of the area, another militia Shehu Mada said.
– Repeated attacks –
Last month troops dislodged the militants from the nearby town of Wulgo and surrounding areas following repeated attacks on loggers.
“The general assumption was that the insurgents had left the area only to suddenly appear and encircle the loggers,” Mada said.
“We believe the number of the those abducted exceeds 50,” said Gamboru resident Babagana Musa.
The story was slow to emerge due to limited communications with Gamboru residents.
The area has for several years been without telecom facilities following the destruction of telecom masts in Boko Haram attacks, forcing residents to rely on Cameroon mobile phone networks.
Gamboru loggers have suffered repeated Boko Haram attacks and abductions especially around Wulgo forest which was a known Boko Haram hideout.
In April Boko Haram militants gunned down 18 loggers on the edge of the forest, close to Gamboru.
Boko Haram has increasingly targeted loggers and farmers, accusing them of spying and passing information to the military and the local militia fighting them.
On Monday the jihadists killed nine farmers and abducted 12 others when they opened fire as they worked on their fields outside Mammanti village, near the regional capital Maiduguri.
In August 2014 the group seized Gamboru, a trading hub, along with the neighbouring town of Ngala.
– Troops ambushed –
Nigerian troops retook both towns in September 2015 with the help of Chadian forces following offensives lasting months.
Despite the recapture of the area which saw residents moving back, Boko Haram fighters continue to launch sporadic attacks, ambushing troops and vehicles, as well as attacking and abducting farmers.
News of the latest attack near Gamboru came few days after a Boko Haram splinter group killed at least 44 soldiers in attacks on three military bases in Metele, a remote village near the border with Niger.
On Thursday, seven employees of a French mineral and water drilling firm and a local official were also killed when gunmen attacked their site in southeastern Niger.
The Nigerian Senate said on Thursday it would visit government troops fighting the insurgents in the volatile region.
Senate president Bukola Saraki said on his Twitter account the visit was aimed at boosting the morale of troops on the frontline.
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The residents who bared their minds in a chat with newsmen said critical infrastructure in the ancient town had been in a downward trend for a long time, but the narratives have changed since the inception of the present administration.
A resident of Tam-Balogun, one of the roads under construction in the town, Mr. Oduwole Lawrence, recalled the harrowing experience he and his neighbours went through in the past, especially during the rainy season, adding that with the construction of the road, life would return to normal for those living in the area.
“The government is doing well, and I love everything they are doing about the roads because roads are one of the amenities people need to move forward.
“Before now, each government had its own plan for infrastructure, but this time around, in a year or two, Ijebu-Ode has developed significantly regarding roads,” he said.
Another resident of the area, Miss Dayo Oluwaremilekun, noted that with the reconstruction of the road by the Prince Dapo Abiodun-led administration, the fear of flooding during the rainy season is over.
“Honestly, to be candid, the construction of this road is a great relief to those of us living in this area because in the past, especially during the rainy season, we could not go out, and this affected our movement. But now we thank God we can walk freely; we want to thank the state government for this,” she said.
At the 12.5-kilometer Obalende-Abeokuta road, a resident, Alhaji Kehinde Moshood Sanni, thanked Governor Abiodun for embarking on the reconstruction of the road, which he said had been in a deplorable condition for a long time, urging the governor to continue with his good works.
Similarly, Ojoye Ademolu, another resident of the Obalende-Abeokuta road, who could not hide his excitement about the ongoing reconstruction of the road, said that the road, when completed, would bring joy to the people of the area.
“We are happy; we have been suffering prior to this particular time. Now, we are glad that the road is being reconstructed. All we ask for is for the contractor to hasten up and complete it on time so that we can be even happier,” he said.
Speaking on the progress of work done so far on the roads, the site engineer for Fort Hermon, the construction company handling the projects, Michael Umeh, said work has been intensified on the 0.85-kilometer Tam-Balogun road, 1.1-kilometer Osinubi road, and the 12.5-kilometer Obalende-Abeokuta road.
He said clearing the project site, excavation, stone base work, and construction of drainage systems have been completed and are ready for asphalting, noting that rain is the major constraint impeding the speed of work
The Command’s Spokesman, DSP Mansir Hassan, in a statement, said the individual, Umar Mohammed, a native of Anguwan Muazu in Kaduna,
The police admitted that the fellow was screened and admitted into the stadium as an All Progressives Congress (APC) supporter, wearing the standard campaign T-shirt and carrying banners bearing the images of the President and Governor Uba Sani like every other supporter admitted into the stadium.
The police explained that the individual, out of excitement, breached the protocol and jumped into the restricted arena out of curiosity to catch a closer look at the President. The police said the fellow was immediately blocked and arrested by the security team.
The police said the fellow was thoroughly searched and no incriminating item was found in his possession.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Muhammad, has warned mischief makers and members of the public to refrain from spreading falsehoods or politicising the incident.
The commissioner said the matter would be further investigated.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Friday, IPMAN’s National Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Ukadike, praised billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote for seeing a problem in the sector and deciding to tackle it.
“If you look at the Dangote statement, it is a strong policy statement, if you read down that statement you will understand that he foresaw a lot of problems in the oil and gas industry and also decided to tackle it.
“It is something that we welcome with a lot of cheers because it is going to bring fuel cheaper at our doorpost,” Ukadike said.
Aside from fuel easily getting to people’s doorposts across the country, the IPMAN spokesperson said that Dangote’s new plan will relieve marketers of unnecessary costs.
“Our pipelines have gone for years, nobody is talking about the pipelines wired all over the country from all the whole 21 depots. Products are not being moved. We are suffering the brunt of bringing these products from the sea shores of the country where DAPMAN (Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria) members have their tank farms.
“But if you look at Dangote’s statement you will see that a heavy load has been lifted out of the independent marketers,” he said.
On Sunday, the Dangote Refinery announced the free distribution of petrol and diesel to marketers, dealers, and other large users across the country.
It said it has procured 4,000 brand-new Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-powered tankers for the take-off of the initiative on August 15, 2025.
However, the announcement was greeted with complaints by oil marketers under the auspices of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN).
They said it would deprive depot owners, truck operators, and retail outlets who have special deals for the direct delivery of petrol and diesel to large corporations and multinationals.
But the IPMAN spokesperson disagreed with this position, saying that as a refinery, Dangote has the right to find a better way to get his products to the marketers.
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