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APC’lI win Edo gov poll– Ganduje

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APC’lI win Edo gov poll– Ganduje

The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, on Thursday expressed optimism that the party will win the September 21 Edo governorship election.

Ganduje spoke while receiving the leadership of the Kano State Correspondents’ Chapel of  the NUJ led by its Chairman, Aminu Garko on Thursday.

He said a political machinery has been put in place to pave the way for a landslide victory of the party’s candidate.

Ganduje said, “I believe our campaign is in high spirits, we are getting ready for that election and we believe we will be able to recover our state.

“This is because it was an APC state but because of internal bubbles, we lost it to PDP but we are sure we will recover that state.

“For Ondo state, it is already an APC state and when the former Governor died, he left a number of problems, but we were able to resolve those issues.

“We conducted primaries, we succeeded in getting the person that they want.”

He said that the party was also getting ready for the election, which comes up in November.

Ganduje said, ”If we win Edo, we will be getting an additional state for the party. It will be 21 states out of 36.

“Next year, there will be Anambra, which has been a state governed by APGA for many years, but we have introduced a new scheme.

“The North, South-East political zones are all claiming that they have been marginalised.

“The South-East geopolitical zone is saying the same thing. But what we are telling them is that marginalisation has been created by them.

“How can you have five states ruled by four political parties? What will be your political bargain?”

He said that the party was working very hard to ensure that it gets more states from the zone, saying, ” We want to start with Anambra.

“Already, we have Ebonyi and Imo. Now we are encroaching into that zone to ensure that we capture most of the states.

“And if we get what we want, we capture all the states,” Ganduje said.

 

(NAN)

Fire guts Lagos govt staff quarters 

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Fire guts Lagos govt staff quarters 

Fire gutted part of a three-storey building at the Lagos State Government Staff Quarters in Odunsanmi Street, off Wempco Road in the Ogba area of the state.

The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Dr Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed this in a statement on Friday.

Oke-Osanyintolu said that LASEMA received distress calls through the 767 and 112 toll-free emergency lines at about 2.39 am.

He said that the agency activated its response team from the Alausa command and control centre.

“Upon immediate response, it was confirmed that one of the two-bedrooms in Flat 5, of Block 21, a two-winged, three-story building of 16 two-bedroom flats, was engulfed.

“Investigation conducted by the agency’s response team revealed that the fire originated from the children’s room as a result of a power surge.

“The prompt and coordinated efforts of the agency, Nigeria Police Force, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, ensured the fire was contained,” Oke-Osanyintolu said.

He said that there was no injury or life lost, however, the fire completely consumed the children’s bedroom, resulting in loss of properties worth millions of naira.

“We also enlightened the occupants on the proper use of electrical appliances,” he said.

NAN

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APC encouraging internal democracy to reduce tension, factionalisation

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APC encouraging internal democracy to reduce tension, factionalisation

The All Progressives Congress National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, has stated that the party is encouraging internal democracy to reduce factionalising in its fold.

Ganduje said the measure was also aimed at reducing tension in the ruling party.

He said this while receiving members of the Correspondents Chapel of Kano State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) led by Chairman Alhaji Aminu Garko in his office in Abuja on Thursday.

“We always encourage internal democracy so that we reduce tension and factionalisation of the Party.

“Though you may have incidences here and there at the same time we have internal democracy.

“There is more understanding and there is more hope, especially when you are facing an election,” he said.

He said there was a need for synergy between party officials and political office holders.

“That is if you are talking about the governors, they have a close relationship between them and the party’s structure in the state level and the same thing at the national level.

“So, we normally invite our officials from the state level and give them some information; educate them on issues like internal democracy,” Ganduje said.

The former governor of Kano State said APC had established a Progressives Institute as an intellectual Wing of the party.

“On the issue of having an intellectual wing for the party, we established what we call the Progressives Institute.

“It is to analyse national issues so that they can get the attention of the government to become an agenda for the government,” he said.

Ganduje observed that political parties in developing countries like Nigeria were only normally active during electioneering campaigns, adding that it should be so.

This, he said, informed the decision of the APC to change the narrative and be active all-year-round.

“When we came in we said we must change the narrative. In our political party, the APC, as an institution, we want to be active throughout the year that is why we directed our offices and chapters at the ward level to ensure that all our offices are renovated so as to be habitable and also become operational.

“That is only possible when they create activities that will be taking place at the party offices right from ward level to the Local Government level up to the state level,” he said.

(NAN)

Gunmen shoot three students dead in Yobe school

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Gunmen shoot three students dead in Yobe school

No fewer than three students of Faudiya School in Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State have been confirmed dead after an attack by gunmen at the school early Friday.

The school is reported to belong to the Islamic Movement in Nigeria — a Shiia sect.

The gunmen, who haven’t been ascertained whether they are members of the dreaded Boko Haram insurgency group or bandits, rode into the school premises on motorbikes, wielding AK-47 rifles.

When contacted, the state command’s Public Relations Officer, Dungus Abdulkarim, told our correspondent in a telephone interview that the police “received a distress call that some hoodlums came on motorbikes with AK-47 rifles and then entered into the school and shot dead three,” adding that one of the students who got injured had been taken to an undisclosed hospital where he’s receiving treatment.

The state PPRO noted that a teacher who was in the school managed to escape and told the police that there was no sort of confrontation with any member of any armed groups, saying, “It came to him (the teacher) as a surprise.”

Abdulkarim added that an investigation has commenced as the police are working to “unravel who is behind it, the purpose and credible witnesses who might have seen the incident.”

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INEC fixes dates for signing of peace accord, BVAS test-run

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INEC fixes dates for signing of peace accord, BVAS test-run

Ahead of the Edo State governorship election, the Independent National Electoral Commission has announced that the signing of the peace accord will be held on September 12, 2024, in Benin City.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who announced this during a meeting with political parties held in Abuja on Thursday, provided crucial updates on preparations for the election.

The agency also said Mock Accreditation exercise will take place on September 10 to test BVAS deployment and result uploads.

The signing of the peace accord organised in collaboration with the National Peace Committee aims to ensure a peaceful and credible electoral process.

“After consultation with the National Peace Committee under the leadership of our respected former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar GCFR, the signing of the Peace Accord for the Edo State governorship election will take place on Thursday, September 12, 2024, in Benin City. Supported by eminent members of the Peace Committee, the occasion will be presided over by the Chairman, General Abdulsalami Abubakar.

“You may notice that unlike the previous peace accords signed a few days before the election, it was decided to do so early this time around to enable the Peace Committee to monitor compliance with the code voluntarily signed by parties, candidates and other critical players in the electoral process such as INEC and the security agencies during the remaining days to the election.

“This will add further weight to the peace accord beyond mere ceremony as demanded by many observers and even some of the political actors themselves,” Yakubu stated.

With just 22 days remaining until the election on September 21, 2024, Yakubu outlined that INEC has successfully completed 10 out of 13 planned activities.

“It is exactly 22 days (3 weeks and 1 day) to the Edo State Governorship election. Campaigns are in full swing and we have already implemented 10 out of the 13 activities listed in our Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the election. The most recent activity was the presentation to political parties of the final register of voters containing details of the 2,629,025 registered voters for the election. This was done on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, in our State office in Benin City.

“We are now left with three outstanding activities, namely the publication of Notice of Poll scheduled for Saturday, September 7, 2024, the last day of the campaign by political parties which is Thursday, September 19, 2024, and, finally, the election day which is Saturday, September 21, 2024,” the chairman said.

Key preparations such as installing Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines and printing triplicate copies of the voters’ register for all 4,519 polling units in Edo State are completed.

Yakubu noted, “In addition to these statutory activities, we have intensified our engagement with stakeholders at State and Local Government levels. Similarly, voter education is ongoing. We have concluded the training of security personnel and we are finalising the delivery of the few remaining non-sensitive materials for the election.

“We are concluding arrangements with the land and maritime transport unions for logistics. The printing of triplicate copies of voters’ registers for each of the 4,519 polling units in Edo State is virtually completed. The installation and configuration of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines to be deployed on Election Day is completed.

“Observer accreditation tags are being produced. The portal for media accreditation closes next week and so far, 88 media organisations have applied by uploading the details of 698 personnel (journalists, technicians and crew members) to cover the election. We will soon commence the training of various categories of ad-hoc staff.”

Yakubu highlighted a significant achievement: 68.3 per cent of the new Permanent Voters Cards from the recent Continuous Voter Registration have been collected.

He urged further mobilisation to ensure even higher collection rates before the September 8 deadline.

“Early this week, the Commission announced that out of 184,438 Permanent Voters Cards from the recent Continuous Voter Registration, 125,928 PVCs representing 68.3 percent of new cards were collected at Ward level in Edo State in just five days.

“This is the highest rate of collection of PVCs since the introduction of the CVR for off-cycle elections in the Bayelsa and Kogi State governorship elections in 2015. The Commission appreciates the role played by political parties and other stakeholders in mobilising new voters to collect their PVCs. Just yesterday, Wednesday 28th August 2024, the collection of PVCs resumed in our 18 Local Government offices in Edo State.

“This will last until Sunday 8th September 2024. We once again appeal to stakeholders for the same level of mobilisation so that we can achieve an even higher rate of collection,” he stated.

Upcoming activities include a Mock Accreditation exercise on September 10 to test BVAS deployment and result uploads, and the signing of a Peace Accord on September 12, overseen by General Abdulsalami Abubakar. An INEC Stakeholders meeting will precede this on September 11 in Benin City.

“In the coming days, several other activities have been scheduled. On Tuesday September 10, 2024, the Commission will conduct a Mock Accreditation of voters to test-run the deployment of BVAS for the election as well as the upload of results to the INEC Result Viewing portal.

“The signing of the Peace Accord will be preceded by the INEC Stakeholders meeting to be held on Wednesday 11th September 2024 in Benin City. As usual, the meeting will be addressed by the INEC Chairman and the Inspector-General of Police,” he listed.

The INEC Chairman also addressed issues with the new digital platform for submitting polling and collation agents’ details. He stressed that manual submissions are no longer accepted and urged political parties to comply with digital procedures to ensure proper accreditation.

The National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Yusuf Dantalle, emphasised that political parties must respect the mandate of the people and ensure the sanctity of the ballot box.

“After 25 years of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria, we must get it right this time,” he said, noting that the Edo election will serve as a litmus test for the Ondo State governorship election on November 16, 2024, and set the tone for future elections.

Dantalle urged political parties to conduct issue-based campaigns, avoid violence, and prioritise national unity and development.

He highlighted IPAC’s role in ensuring a peaceful and credible electoral process, stating that the council will work closely with INEC, security agencies, election observers, and the media to guarantee that every vote counts.

Gunmen set ablaze LG secretariat in Anambra

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Gunmen set ablaze LG secretariat in Anambra

Some gunmen said to be in their large numbers, have attacked the Ogbaru Local Government Secretariat in Anambra State.

It was gathered that the hoodlums, who invaded the LGA secretariat in the early hours of Friday, set buildings, including a town hall meant for traditional rulers and some administrative facilities at the premises ablaze.

This is the second time in two months that gunmen would attack the Ogbaru LGA as a similar attack was carried out on June 15, 2024.

Although there were no casualties recorded at the moment, sources in the area who witnessed the Friday incident, said the hoodlums shot indiscriminately into the air thereby sending panic to residents.

The sources said the attack, however, has sparked renewed concerns about security in Ogbaru, with the locals saying that some days ago, a security man was killed as a result of bullet wounds he sustained from gunmen attack.

One of the sources in the area said, “Gunmen numbering about 30 who emerged from the bush at about 5 am, chanted songs as they stormed the local government secretariat, shooting into the air.

“They trekked from their hideouts and got to Atani Magistrate Court located near the council and started setting some buildings within the council ablaze, including the main secretariat and traditional rulers’ buildings.

“The hoodlums were about to set some other buildings ablaze before the arrival of security operatives who opened fire against them. The arrival of the police officers made them flee back into the bushes.

“Sincerely speaking a lot is happening and the security situation in the area is getting worse and nobody cares to speak up because of fear. Just yesterday a security man known as CY died as a result of the bullet wound he sustained during a gun battle with the gunmen at the Amiyi community on 27-8-2024.

“On August 5, two young men were shot dead by the hoodlums and five days ago, a retired policeman was beaten to death by the same criminal gang.”

When contacted, the Anambra state police spokesman, Superintendent of Police, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the incident, adding that a joint security operation is still going on in the area.

Ikenga said, “The Commissioner of Police, Anambra state Police Command, Commissioner of Police, Nnaghe Itam, has condemned the morning attack at the Ogbaru Local Government Headquarters Secretariat by the gunmen.

“The security operatives gallantly resisted the attack of the gunmen on Ogbaru LGA in the early hours of today, August 30. Some LGA properties were destroyed, and some buildings were also affected, but no life was lost.

“The hoodlums fled the scene due to the superior firepower of security operatives. At the moment, the joint security operation is still ongoing. Further development shall be communicated, please.”

Recalled that on June 15, 2024, some yet-to-be-identified assailants, arriving in large numbers on motorcycles, had also attacked the same Ogbaru LG, after shooting indiscriminately.

The attack, which destroyed four patrol vehicles belonging to the vigilantes, was described as an act of cowardice by the police.

Obaseki not funding my campaign, says Akpata

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Obaseki not funding my campaign, says Akpata

The governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Edo state, Olumide Akpata, has denied being sponsored by the State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, as speculated ahead of the September 21 election.

The immediate past president of the Nigerian Bar Association made the rebuttal when he was featured as a guest on Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.

Akpata said that despite being his kinsman, he could not be a Plan B to Obaseki’s government, which has been scored low by the Edo people for performing woefully in office.

The LP governorship candidate also cleared the air when asked to tell Nigerians where he got his campaign funding.

He said, “Who is funding me? I don’t want to appear to be ducking any questions. I am finding myself, and I have friends. You know the popular saying that your net worth is your network. I have friends who believe in me and in this cause. I have people from Edo State who believe we can do much better. Firstly, I am really flattered by the fact that there is so much attention focused on me. That means I am doing something very good and right.

“As I said on another channel, Na tree wey get stone dem dey stone. Nobody will come up to you if you have nothing to offer. With them working with me, we have been able to get the kind of funding that we require. Which general goes to war without first counting the costs? So we have taken into consideration all that is required for this race and I assure you, we are going to win.

“Those who are hoping and praying we run out of steam have something else coming for them. Initially, I was set to be the agent of Governor Obaseki. We were able to debunk that. Today, I am said to be sponsored by the APC. The conspiracy theorising, as it is termed, is so stupid. But we will push back on that.”

Akpata refused to back down when asked if he was truly an agent of Obaseki or the ruling All Progressives Congress.

The lawyer insisted that with the harsh treatment meted out to him by officials of the governor and the vandalisation of his campaign materials, he can’t afford to be seen mingling with their camp.

“That was what they were saying when I became the candidate of the Labour Party. We have told them clearly that there is a gulf between myself and Governor Obaseki. It is like night and day. I cannot be associated with a government whose performance has been underwhelming.

“You know I have been attacked and my billboards pulled down. Everybody knows that I am not his choice. I am not even his Plan Z. We have local government officials and the PDP going after my billboards. But we have warned them and they have desisted,” he lamented

Ghana-based Nigerian accuses Bayelsa policemen of N3m extortion

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Ghana-based Nigerian accuses Bayelsa policemen of N3m extortion

A Ghana-based Nigerian, Liberty Isaac, has urged the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to fish out some policemen who allegedly extorted N3m from him at gunpoint on Monday.

Isaac, who hails from Nguru Nworie autonomous community in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State, made the appeal while speaking with journalists in Owerri, the state capital on Friday.

He said the policemen accosted him and two of his friends on Monday at Udi axis in Bayelsa State and forced him at gunpoint to transfer N3m to them after manhandling him and threatening to shoot him.

Disclosing that he was in the country to attend a friend’s traditional marriage ceremony in Bayelsa State, Isaac stated that the policemen forced him to unlock his phone and on seeing a credit bank alert of N10m, they started beating him and threatened to kill him if he failed to transfer N6m to them.

He said, “I’m based in Ghana. I have not been to Nigeria for six years now. I came to Nigeria to attend a friend’s traditional wedding in Bayelsa State.

“After attending the traditional wedding, we were driving back to Imo State and around Udi axis, some policemen flagged us down. We stopped and they asked me to unlock my phone. I asked them why and they said I must open my phone. I reminded them that the Inspector General of Police asked Nigerians not to allow policemen on the road to access their phones. Immediately I said that, they started beating me.

He continued, “They handcuffed me and drove us away and continued beating me. They threatened to kill me if I refused to open it. I asked them to take me to a police station, but they refused.”

Isaac added that immediately they accessed his phone, they went to his messages log and saw a N10 million bank alert.

He continued, “Immediately they saw the alert, they shouted ‘na dem.’

“At that point, the beating increased. They said that if I didn’t give them N6m, they would kill all of us. Out of fear, I started negotiating with them and at end of the day, I transferred N3m to them in two bank accounts they provided and drove with us and stopped us at Ahoda in Rivers State and drove back.

“I have printed my account statements from my banks and these are the account details they provided to which I transferred the money.”

Isaac said he had consulted a lawyer who had written to the Police Public Relations Officer in Bayelsa State.

“All I need is my money to be returned to me and for the Inspector General of Police to fish out the policemen who are giving the Nigeria Police Force a bad image. I believe with these account details they can be fished out.

“I want justice. I want my money returned to me because it is for my project. I want justice. Let the policemen who did this to me be identified so that other Nigerians won’t become their victims.

“I don’t know if it is a crime for somebody to come back to his country. I don’t do any illicit business. I am a law-abiding citizen of this country. I want justice. Let the Inspector General of Police fish them out because they said they are from the IG Squad,” he added.

When contacted, the Bayelsa State PPRO, Musa Muhammed, said that he was unaware of the development.

He said, “I am not aware and I am yet to receive any petition to that effect. You can tell the victim to come and see me, so that we know what to do about his case.”

Obi’s reconciliation falters as two LP gov candidates emerge in Ondo

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Obi’s reconciliation falters as two LP gov candidates emerge in Ondo

The crisis within the Labour Party has taken a new turn, following the renewed rift between its leadership and the Nigeria Labour Congress, despite the reconciliatory efforts of the former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi.

This development comes just three months before the governorship election in Ondo, where two candidates are claiming to be the LP flag bearer ahead of the November 16 poll.

While the LP National Working Committee has presented Dr Ayo Olorunfemi as its governorship candidate, the NLC, which has vowed not to recognise the Julius Abure leadership, is insisting on promoting the candidacy of the Secretary General of the pan-Yoruba sociopolitical organisation, Afenifere, Chief Olusola Ebiseni.

Speaking with The According on Thursday, the Deputy President of the Nigeria Labour Congress Political Commission, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku, reiterated that the NLC has since taken over party affairs following the inauguration of its Transition National Committee.

He said, “The only Labour Party we know now is the one we control. The other one is made up of noisemakers and rabble-rousers. The Ebiseni they are talking about is our candidate. In fact, he is here with me now.

“How many members do they have in LP compared to our number in the Nigeria Labour Congress? Even at both local and national levels, we are there. We are not bothered about them. When we mobilise for the election, they will run away.”

Last week, the contentious candidate, Ebiseni, also shared the same position when he told our reporter that he was the authentic LP candidate for the November 16 governorship election in the state.

“They are the Abure faction of the party and their tenure has expired, so they have no authority to say I’m impersonating. I am the candidate of the party,” he stated.

However, the leadership of LP would not have anything to do with Ebiseni, whom it accused of impersonating the party’s representative.

In an exclusive phone chat with our correspondent on Wednesday, National Publicity Secretary Obiora Ifoh alleged that they are aware of the workers’ union’s attempt to sabotage the party on all fronts.

Obiora, however, noted that if the trend continues, they may be forced to resort to legal action to secure a restraining order to stop the planned impersonations.

He said, “Their (NLC) plan is that anywhere we field a candidate, they will look for somebody to use for the same slot. That is the agenda they have. We are going to approach the court to obtain a restraining order to stop all these impersonations.

“The truth is that the court has already given us a clean slate by recognising the Nnewi Convention as authentic, up to the Appeal Court. It doesn’t matter what anybody feels, doing anything contrary would amount to contempt of court. Anyone having doubts about which candidate will be on the ballot can find out from INEC. It is our name that is there.

“We are not in contest with anybody. I don’t understand how somebody can wake up and declare a candidate from nowhere. How? The party did not field you and your name is not on the INEC portal. It is just that the NLC has decided to continue troubling the Labour Party and we don’t know how long they plan to go on with it. But we know they are definitely working for some people.”

When reminded that the renewed hostility was proof that the proposed reconciliation by its presidential candidate had collapsed, Obiora disagreed.

According to him, reconciliation is a gradual process that does not happen overnight.

“No, Obi’s reconciliation is still ongoing. It is not something done in one day. But I believe at the end of the day, we will reconcile and resolve our differences,” he stated.

Obi’s campaign spokesman, Yunusa Tanko, also shared his optimism on Thursday.

Tanko described the current conflict as one of the teething problems often experienced in the course of resolving any hostile situation.

He said, “The reconciliation is still ongoing, and we are yet to have an all-inclusive meeting. So I guess this particular outburst you saw was an outcome of the old order that has not been fully laid to rest.

“We are hoping that pretty soon, all these issues will be put behind us.”

Police exhume bodies of murdered marine hunters, arrest suspects in A’Ibom

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Police exhume bodies of murdered marine hunters, arrest suspects in A’Ibom

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has exhumed bodies of marine hunters of the Ministry of Internal Security and Inland Waterways who were kidnapped, murdered, and buried by notorious criminals in Unyenghe, in the Mbo Local Government Area of the state.

It also disclosed that those suspected to be behind the hunters’ gruesome murder have been apprehended.

The police also revealed that the Village Head of Utit Antai, Chief Okon Asuquo Eteokpo, who was said to be fortifying the suspected murderers was arrested with the suspect.

The command, in a statement on Friday by its Spokesperson, Timfon John, said the bodies were exhumed on Thursday following information that the hunters were slain and buried in shallow graves.

According to him, the marine hunters were abducted,  killed, and buried in shallow graves within the community.

The statement read, “The command’s operatives upon getting the information embarked on a hot chase of the suspects and arrested the following suspects, Anthony Archibong ‘M’ 46yrs, Emmanuel Emmanuel Otoyo ‘M’ 18yrs, Daniel Edet Okon ‘M’ 26yrs, Eniete Harry Tom ‘M’ 34yrs, Joseph Okon ‘M’ 44yrs were arrested alongside the Village Head of Utit Antai, Chief Okon Asuquo Eteokpo, who is said to be their ally and spiritual fortifier; while a total of 15 live cartridges were recovered from them.

“Upon their arrest, a combined team of the command launched a comprehensive search for the corpses and found them buried in shallow graves after hours of frantic toil, with their heads dismembered.

“The command has again reassured members of the public of their intentional determination to rid the State of crime and criminal elements appealing to members of the public to always report suspicious people and movements within their domain to the nearest police station.”

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