Police arrest notorious Bobrisky after gun battle in Rivers State

The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a notorious wanted criminal, Honest Digbara popularly known as Bobrisky accused of terrorizing some parts of Ogoni axis and being behind series of criminal activities in the area.

Spokesman of the Command, SP Nnamdi Omoni disclosed this on Saturday morning, September 12, while showing the wounded suspect and that of his alleged second in command said to be his younger brother, at the command headquarters.

According to SP Omoni, the suspect was arrested alive in the early hours of today, in a joint security operation with a local security outfit at Koro community in Tai local government area of the state. 

Recall that the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike had earlier placed a N30 million bounty on the kingpin.

Gana left behind over 200 well-trained gang members, says deputy

ABOUT 200 trained members of the Gana-led terror group remain in the forests of Benue North East and parts of neighbouring Taraba State, according to a leader of the gang.

Aondehemba, as he identified himself to The Nation during an encounter in Keffi, Nasarawa State yesterday evening, said Gana had instructed his second in command to take over in the event that he (Gana) got killed during his trip from Katsina Ala to Makurdi.

Aondehemba a.k.a. “Major’ said  Gana, whose real name is Terwase Akwaza, seemed to have a premonition of his death before venturing out of the forest on Tuesday to accept the offer of amnesty from the state government.

‘Major’ spoke on his way to Abuja to commiserate with one of the widows of Gana.

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State said yesterday that he would not take issues with the military on the circumstance of Gana’s death.

Speaking in Tiv, ‘Major’ said: “We warmed him not to come out. We told him that the said amnesty was a ploy to get him.

“He agreed with us but said he had made up his mind to surrender and that he was tired of staying in the bush.

“He told us that he was coming out from the bush to honour the  Bishop of Gboko William Aveyam and Senator Gabriel Suswam, both of whom he said had been mounting pressure on him in the last three months to come out and embrace peace, and that he had made up his mind to embrace peace.”

Aondehemba said Gana had a structured ’empire’ in place in the forest with over 200 well trained armed men spread across Benue North East and parts of Taraba State.

“It is a battalion. We are many and have a very strong network. Gana was a leader that cared so much about us.

“On that very day, he assembled us in the morning in the bush and addressed us. He directed us on what to do if he did not return alive.

“He told us that if his coming out was a setup, the battle should continue, but if it was with genuine intention, he would want us to lay down our arms.”

Aondehemba recalled that Bishop Aveyam was always calling Gana on the phone, preaching the gospel to him to change his ways and embrace peace.

He added: “I can tell you that Gana accepted Christ before his death. He had planned to be baptized by the Bishop after the amnesty. He had even discussed wedding one of his wives in the church. He was actually tired of what he was doing.

“I was among the five gang members that disappeared in the convoy when the army stopped us in Gboko. Our vehicle was behind the official car of the local government chairman that was conveying Gana to Makurdi.

“Gana could not disappear because he had already handed over his power to the second commander before embarking on that ill-fated journey to Makurdi.

“His intention was to come back from Makurdi and make sure that peace returned permanently in Sankera (Logo, Ukum, Katsina Ala LGAs), and Suswam had assured him of full support.

“He had told us that one of the things he intended to do in Makurdi was to plead with Governor Ortom to forgive him and reassure him of peace in Benue.”

He claimed that Gana had super natural powers derived from burying his 12-year-old daughter alive 11 years ago in his Gbitse village.

“That was why he was very powerful. And those powers are still intact, because he gave them to someone very close to him.

“The military got Gana easily because he came out of the forest.

“Gana was in his village in Gbitse when he was declared wanted some years back, and each time the military went there to arrest him they were unable to identify him.

“Now Gana is no more but his spirit is still very much alive. He gave us a directive on what to do in case he died.

“At the moment, we are mourning him.”

‘I’ll not take issues with military on Gana’s death’ – Ortom

Governor Samuel Ortom  of Benue State, who was waiting in Makurdi on Tuesday for what was planned to be a historic meeting with Gana only to be informed of his death, said yesterday that he would not take issues with the military on the circumstances of the terrorist’s death.

The military had claimed that Gana was shot dead during an exchange of gun fire with soldiers while government officials in the same convoy with the deceased said he was dragged out of the car that was taking him to Makurdi, bundled into a security vehicle and later shot.

Speaking to reporters after an expanded meeting of the state Security Council, Ortom said his administration had decided to move ahead with the amnesty programme as Gana is dead and will not come back to life.

He however said he was waiting for explanation from the military on what went wrong.

Ortom said the people of Sankera had expressed deep concerns over the circumstances and stories surrounding the arrest and killing of Gana, noting however that government would continue to interface with the army for amicable resolution of the impasse.

He stated that Council also resolved that the amnesty programme be extended to other parts of the state, saying that a committee had been constituted to ensure the training and reintegration of the repentant youths into the society.

President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned the recent murder of five staff of humanitarian agencies in Borno State.

Buhari in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, sympathised with the families of the five aid workers.

He prayed that God will comfort them for their irreplaceable loss.

The President assured the families that his government will continue to do all it can to ensure that “every remaining vestige of Boko Haram is wiped out completely from northeastern Nigeria and that the perpetrators of this atrocity will face the law.”

Buhari further condoled with the State Emergency Management Agency, Action Against Hunger, Rich International, and International Rescue Committee, whose staff have suffered this gruesome fate.

He thanked them for their continued dedication and service to the victims of Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria. He assured them that security agencies in the state will work closely with their organisations to implement measures to ensure that no such kidnapping of staff occurs again.

602 Boko Haram members throw in the towel

•Repentant Boko Haram members

Some 602 repentant Boko Haram members, on Monday, denounced their membership of the group and swore Oath of Allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The ex-insurgents who have completed a de-radicalisation, rehabilitation and reintegration programme, denounced their membership of the insurgent group at the Malam Sidi Camp in Kwami Local Government area of Gombe State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that they denounced their membership of Boko Haram before an 11-man Quasi Judicial Panel headed by Justice Nehizena Afolabi, of the Federal High Court, Gombe.

Speaking during the exercise, Maj.-Gen. Bamidele Shafa, the Coordinator, Operation Safe Corridor, said the appearance of the repentant insurgents before the judicial panel was a major requirement, before their reintegration into the society.

“The panel is for the clients to appear before it to confess their pasts and denounce their membership of Boko Haram, Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP) as the case maybe.

“And swear Oath of Allegiance to be loyal, discipline and obedient citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and then make commitment.

“The commitment is that at the end of the programme, where they commit any offence, they stand to forfeit all privileges that they have acquired today and will be liable of offence against the State.”

Shafa revealed that since the operationalisation of the DRR programme in 2016, it had admitted 893 clients into camp while 280 including two Chadians had been transferred to their various national and state authorities.

The Borno State Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zuwaira Gambo, said there was already a structure on ground in Borno to continue from where the DRR programme stopped.

 

“We will provide them with psycho-social supports, continue with religious admonition in order to make them good citizens of the country.

“We will also give them starter packs to help them practice the skills that had been acquired in the camp here,” she said.

The commissioner said that those earlier released to the Borno Government from the camp had been assimilated into the society and were doing well.

She disclosed that one of them makes N250, 000 from barbing on monthly basis and had employed several youths.

In an interview with newsmen, Mr Jasper Ukachukwu, Senior Programme Officer, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) said the idea of setting up the panel was to ensure some level of accountability in the DRR programme.

“So that even when they step out of here they will also be held accountable to any offence they may commit,” he said.

Ukachukwu said that the programme was sending the right message to those insurgents who are still fighting for the Boko Haram group, adding that there had been success stories from the programme.

“When you are in the group and you are tired and want to come out of the bush, you need to see what is happening to others; so the DRR programme is sending the right message,” he said. (NAN)