Gunmen kill 21 in Plateau community

• Bandits abduct traders on Kaduna road as Taraba ex-SSG’s family members regain freedom
• FG delegation, APC govs visit Zamfara over killings
• NAF ups training to meet emerging security challenges

Gunmen have killed no fewer than 21 persons in Ncha community, Bassa Local Council of Plateau State.

The Guardian gathered that the gunmen also razed many houses in yesterday morning’s attack, which lasted several hours, while some villagers sustained injuries as they ran for dear lives.

Efforts to confirm the incident from the police proved abortive, as the phone line of Plateau State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ubah Ogaba, was switched off when The Guardian called.

ALSO, bandits reportedly abducted some traders travelling to Kano from Birnin-Gwari Local Council of Kaduna State yesterday.

The bandits were said to have blocked the highway between Birnin-Gwari and Kaduna at Unguwar Yako forest to abduct the traders.

A source, who prefers anonymity, said: “We spotted four empty vehicles and they said an unspecified number of persons moving from Birnin-Gwari axis to Kano have been kidnapped.”

Spokesperson to Kaduna Police Command, ASP Muhammad Jalige, did not respond to phone calls for confirmation of the incident.

AT last, the six family members of former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Taraba State, Gebon Kataps, have regained freedom from their captors.

The victims, who The Guardian learnt were on their way from the Mambilla Plateau in Sardauna Local Council to Jalingo, were abducted last week at Jamtari village of Gashaka Local Council of the state.

Confirming their release via a WhatsApp message, yesterday in Jalingo, the victims, according to Kataps, regained their freedom in the early hours of yesterday.

ONE week after bandits raided some villages in Zamfara State, killing about 200 residents, a Federal Government delegation arrived Gusau, yesterday, to sympathise with the government and people of the state.

The delegation was led by the Minister of Defence, Maj-Gen. Bashir Magashi (rtd); his Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management ministry counterpart, Sadiya Farouq; and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu.

Others include the Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi; National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno; and Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Baba.

This came few hours after the governors of All Progressives Congress (APC), visited the Zamfara governor, Bello Matawalle, over the killings.

MEANWHILE, the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, has stated that for personnel of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to be combat-ready and operate at an optimal level against domestic and foreign threats, there is need to review the curriculum of its training institutions.

The CAS stated this, yesterday, during the winging ceremony of some pilots and operators at NAF Headquarters, Abuja.

According to Amao, NAF recently reviewed the curricula of the various schools in the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT); to meet expected standards, while also conducting instructional training for the instructors to ensure enhanced performance.

He also revealed that the curriculum for NAF cadets at the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA); had been reviewed and new criteria specified for NAF officers to be eligible for posting to the academy as instructors.