Buhari Meets Families Of Nigeria Train Attack Victims

 President Muhammadu Buhari has met families of passengers kidnapped during a train attack in late March in northern Nigeria.

It was the first time such a meeting between government officials and families of the hostages has been held.

Mr Buhari said rescue efforts were being complicated by the risk of collateral damage.

“My primary concern is to get everyone released safe and unhurt,” the president said.

“We have received several suggestions about the deployment of lethal military force in extracting those still being held in captivity…However, the condition to guarantee a successful outcome and minimize potential collateral damage could not be assured and therefore that course of action had to be reluctantly discarded.”

Recently relatives of the hostages held protests in the capital, Abuja, to call on the government to rescue their loved ones.

At least 31 passengers are still being held by their abductors, who have threatened to kill them if the government failed to meet their demands.

The abductors have been releasing hostages in batches. On Wednesday, seven hostages were freed – including six members of the same family and an elderly woman.

Those released spoke of horrific experiences and trauma under captivity.

…………………………………………………………

Five Suspects Arrested In Nigeria Catholic Church Massacre

 Nigeria has arrested five suspects in an Islamist militant attack in a Catholic church that killed 40 people in early June, Chief of Defence Staff General Leo Irabor said on Tuesday.

Nigerian authorities have said they suspect insurgent group Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) carried out the massacre of members of a congregation inside the St Francis Catholic Church in Ondo state on June 5. read more

ISWAP is waging an insurgency in the northeast but claims that it carried out the attack far away from its enclave have raised concern that the group is expanding its footprint in Nigeria.

Irabor said in a statement in Abuja that the attackers were arrested during joint operations involving the armed forces, the Department of Security Services and police. He did not say where and when the arrests were made.

He said he could not parade the suspects due to ongoing investigations.

“I will like to say that in due course, the world will see them and others who are behind other daring attacks in the country,” Irabor said.

Arakunrin Akeredolu, the governor for Ondo state, said a person who had provided accommodation to the suspects before the attack was also arrested.

ISWAP has claimed responsibility for a string of low level attacks as well as daring jail break in Abuja in early July that freed more than 400 inmates.

Source: Reuters

…………………………………………………………

Married woman who dated 18 men at once arrested for scamming them of $300k

 To fund her lavish lifestyle, a married woman in China reportedly conned almost 20 men into giving her a total of 2 million yuan (approximately $296,256) since 2017.

The 29-year-old woman, surnamed Wu, began luring men into fake marriage agreements in 2017, even allegedly dating 18 men at once, reported Shanghai TV.

Wu would reportedly enthrall the men into a fake relationship, convincing them that her feelings were genuine and that she was in love. She would take pre-wedding photos with the men, who would often call her “wife.”

Once Wu had captivated the men, the 29-year-old would allegedly request money, explaining that she needed it to help several family members. Some of her explanations included that her father has cancer, her cousin needed to be bailed out of jail and her brother needed money to buy a home after getting married.

Some of the men that Wu dated took out loans to fulfill her cash requests.

 

Wu’s boyfriends began to grow suspicious of her and threatened to report her to the police. She would then request money from her newer boyfriends in order to pay back the old ones.

Earlier this year, Wu’s elaborate scheme began to fall apart when she asked one of her boyfriends, surnamed Wang, to pose as her brother. She explained that she was trying to get rid of another man, surnamed Li, who she claimed was tracking her down over unpaid taxes.

Wang had loaned Wu around 900,000 yuan (approximately $133,315).

Following his suspicions, in June, Wang demanded a meeting between his and Wu’s parents, threatening to break up with her and take back his money if she refused. Wang reported Wu to the police after she stated that she was unable to return the money at the time.

 

“The man asked me when we could return the money to him. He said he is short of money and he had already sold his house,” Wang told police per South China Morning Post. “I instantly became suspicious of Wu. How could it be possible that a person who pushed others to pay taxes had sold his own house?”

Wu has been married since 2014 and has a 2-year-old son with her husband. Shanghai police discovered Wu residing in a rental home with her husband where she claimed to work as a fashion model.

During the investigation, Wu stated that she was single and was dating the men as a way of funding her expensive lifestyle. She added that the money was going towards her siblings and her parents, who live outside of Shanghai.

Police are currently investigating the situation.

…………………………………………………………

At Least Five People Killed, 100 Hurt In Somaliland Protests

 At least five people were killed and 100 injured in Somalia’s breakaway Somaliland region when security forces clashed with protesters demanding presidential elections be held in November, a regional leader said late on Thursday.

Somaliland broke away from Somalia in 1991 but has not gained widespread international recognition for its independence. The region has been mostly peaceful while Somalia has grappled with three decades of civil war.

Majority of those who were injured were security forces “who were attacked with clubs, metal bars, and stones,” Muse Bihi Abdi, president of Somaliland said in a Facebook post late Thursday. He did not say whether those killed were civilians or security personnel.

“We shall not allow chaos and demonstration in any town or in any village. They will be confronted. Unauthorized violent demonstration to destroy the nation will not be accepted.”

The president’s current term ends in November but the opposition suspect Abdi wants to delay that election and accuse him of seeking an extension of his term through “Guurti”, a council of elders that acts as the de factor parliament in Somaliland.

Opposition leaders said some of the deaths occurred after security forces beat and then opened fire on demonstrators in Somaliland’s capital Hargeisa and two other towns.

Videos shared on social media showed protesters throwing stones and burning tires in the streets of Hargeisa, while some security forces fired weapons and tear gas. Reuters was unable to independently authenticate the videos.

Abdirahman Cinro, a presidential hopeful and former head of Wadani, one of the two opposition political parties championing the protests said six people were killed.

“The demos will continue and it is just the beginning until we get full democratic space and freedom from dictatorship and bad leadership,” he said.

During the clashes dozens of security personnel were injured by protesters who were armed with knives, catapults and clubs, said Abdi Hassan Mire, deputy commander of the Somaliland police. Some carried weapons and fired bullets, he said.

Property and vehicles were also destroyed, according to police.

At least 100 people suspected of involvement in the clashes were arrested and will be charged soon, Ibrahim Abdi Haji, head of operations in Somaliland Police, said.

In a statement on Thursday six foreign diplomatic missions, including the U.S., U.K. and E.U., condemned what they called “excessive use of force” during the demonstrations.

…………………………………………………………

Violent Protests In Sierra Leone Over Cost Of Living

 Police in Sierra Leone say dozens of civilians and six police officers have been killed in anti- government protests.

The Reuters news agency puts the number of dead civilians at 21, citing multiple sources.

It also says smoke clouds and tear gas can be seen in the capital Freetown where large crowds have been throwing rocks, burning tyres and armed officers are patrolling the streets.

Journalist Umaru Fofana says the unrest is highly unusual for Sierra Leone, especially in Freetown

Hundreds of people have been taking part in the demonstrations in Freetown – and in places such as Makeni and Kamakwie in the opposition’s northern stronghold – because they are fed up the high cost of living, corruption and police brutality.

A night-time curfew enforced on Wednesday will remain in place, police say. According to the internet watchdog NetBlocks, there were intermittent cuts yesterday and overnight.

…………………………………………………………