AFP Copyright: AFP Local rights groups have long spoken out about the suffering inflicted on women and children Image caption: Local rights groups have long spoken out about the suffering inflicted on women and children

Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says there has been a wave of "horrific episodes of sexual violence" against women and girls over the past 10 days in northern South Sudan.

MSF has given "emergency medical and psycho-social support to 125 women and girls who were raped, robbed and beaten in Rubkona County", it said in a statement.

That's compared to the 104 sexual and gender-based violence survivors who used MSF's services in the first 10 months of this year.

Some of the survivors are younger than 10 years old while others are over 65, it added.

Their attackers reportedly robbed them of anything of value they had - including money, clothes and shoes - and destroyed their ration cards, preventing them from receiving food distributions.

MSF says the rise in attacks on women coincides with a rise in the number of displaced people seeking food aid distributions in the region.

They say women have taken to walking together in large groups for safety, but they are frequently targeted by groups of attackers.

A fragile ceasefire is currently in place in the country, after a power-sharing deal between the warring sides was signed in September.

Years of civil conflict have forced 3.8 million people from their homes according to the World Food Programme, while the UN has identified 40 officials who it says may be individually responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity.</s>The Nigeria Police on Friday killed 104 armed bandits during an attack on Mahanga forest in Birnin Mogaji Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

Force spokesman, Acting DCP, Jimoh Moshood stated this in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Friday, adding that 50 hideouts in three camps belonging to the bandits were also destroyed.

Moshood also stated that over 500 cattle and 79 Sheep were also recovered from the bandits, adding that a policeman was killed during the operation.

The statement reads in part: “At about 1600hrs on November 29th, the Police Joint Operation Team repelled ambush attacks from bandits at Birnin Mogaji Village, Zurmi LGA of Zamfara State and in the process killed 104 bandits and destroyed over 50 bandit hideouts in three camps.

“They recovered over 500 cattle and 79 sheep from the bandits but unfortunately lost a policeman during the attacks. The Police team has restored normalcy and peace in the affected areas.

“Following the development, the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris dispatched the DIG, Department of Operations, Joshiak Habila to Zamfara State. Other units are Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), Police Anti-Bomb (EOD) Squad and conventional policemen.

“The team headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police has been mandated to arrest and prosecute bandits, Kidnap for ransom and cattle rustling gangs operating in parts of the State.”

Moshood further urged members of the public with any information or in distress in any part of Zamfara to call the following numbers: 08037025670, 08033210966,08033312261,08123829666, 09053872244, 07082351758, 08091914752.</s>The Nigeria Police says it has killed no fewer than 100 suspected bandits terrorising communities in Zamfara State.

Force Public Relations Officers, Mr Jimoh Moshood, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday said the security operatives also destroyed several hideouts of the suspects.

According to him, the suspects were neutralised on Thursday in an operation conducted in Birnin Mogaji Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.

“The Police Joint Operation Team at about 1600hrs, November 29, 2018, repelled ambush attacks from armed bandits at Mahanga Forest in Birnin Mogaji LGA of Zamfara State and in the process killed one hundred and four (104) bandits, destroyed over fifty (50) bandits hideouts in three (3) camps, recovered over five hundred (500) cattle and seventy-nine (79) sheep from the bandits.”

Moshood, however, said a policeman lost his life during the operation and the police team has since restored normalcy and peace in the affected areas.

He explained that the Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, had deployed a Police Joint Intervention Team of about 1,000 police personnel on November 9 to Zamfara to arrest and prosecute armed bandits and other criminals terrorising the state.

The team, he said, comprised seven units of Police Mobile Force (PMF) headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), Police Anti-Bomb (EOD) Squad, and conventional policemen.

The Force spokesman revealed that the team arrested no fewer than 85 suspects and recovered several weapons and livestock from them.

They include 27 AK47 rifles and 52 locally fabricated rifles among other dangerous weapons, as well as 269 cattle and 109 sheep which have since been handed over to their owners.

“Consequent on the ambush attacks on the Police Joint Team which were successfully repelled by the police team, the Inspector General of Police yesterday, November 29, 2018, deployed DIG Department of Operations to Zamfara State, to be the overall commander of the Police Joint Intervention Force and add new impetus to the operations,” Moshood added.

He said the DIG arrived in the state with hundreds of personnel of Police Special Forces, CTU, as well as additional PMF and FSARS operatives.

The DIG was also said to have arrived with three surveillance patrol helicopters and crew members to coordinate the operation to completely rout-out all armed bandits from Zamfara and other contiguous states.

He was mandated by the police authorities to also coordinate the Commissioner of Police in Zamfara and personnel of the command to sustain and restore lasting peace throughout the state.</s>More than 100 "bandits" involved in cattle-rustling and other crimes in Nigeria's north-western Zamfara state have been killed, Nigerian police say.

The criminals were killed on Thursday when special forces repelled an ambush in Mahanga Forest, police spokesman Jimoh Moshood said.

Fifty hideouts were destroyed and more than 500 heads of cattle were recovered, Moshood said.

More than 85 suspects were arrested and more than 75 rifles and other weapons were recovered, he added.

One police officer was killed during the fighting.

One thousand police officers were deployed to Zamfara state earlier this month to arrest kidnappers and cattle rustlers, and the military has also deployed a large contingent to the area.

The situation in Zamfara reflects the worsening security situation in Nigeria, where the Islamist insurgent group Boko Haram poses a steady threat to communities in the north-east.</s>The police said on Friday that 104 bandits have been killed in a special anti-rustling operation conducted in Zamfara State on Thursday.

The police said 50 hideouts of the bandits were also destroyed and hundreds of stolen cattle and sheep recovered and handed to the owners.

One police officer was killed during the operation in Birnin Mogaji, Zurmi Local Government Area, police spokesperson Jimoh Moshood said in a statement.

Birnin Mogaji and surrounding communities have become a regular target of bandits who have been undertaking a series of robberies in the state in recent years. The bandits often target herders for their livestock, farms for their produce and even kidnap persons for humongous ransom.

Mr Moshood, an acting deputy police commissioner, said police officers on a patrol in Zurmi LGA were ambushed by the bandits, but sharply repelled the attacks.

Normal activities have been restored to the communities as of Friday afternoon, the police said.

The attack comes as Inspector-General Ibrahim Idris sent Habila Joshak, the deputy inspector-general in charge of operations, to oversee police operations in Zamfara State, all largely aimed at checking worsening banditry.

Mr Idris dispatched a contingent of 1,000 police officers to the state on November 9, under Police Joint Intervention Team. The team included seven units of Police Mobile Force (PMF) headed by an assistant police commissioner, Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), Police Anti-Bomb (EOD) Squad, and conventional police officers

The police said the operation has so far led to the arrest of 85 suspects, recovery of 27 AK-47 rifles and 52 locally made, amongst other weapons used by the criminals.

Two hundred and sixty-nine cattle, 109 sheep were recovered and handed over to their owners.

Plans to parade the suspects arrested within the period are already underway, police said.</s>Zamfara- Nigerian police claimed on Friday that over 100 “bandits” had been killed in a crackdown targeting crime in the northwest state of Zamfara, following a surge in kidnappings for ransom and cattle rustling.

Zamfara has been plagued by violent crime over the past year, with Amnesty International warning in July that people living in the impoverished state were “at the mercy” of armed bandits who take hostages and raid villages.

A joint operation team on Thursday “repelled ambush attacks from armed bandits” at Mahanga Forest in Zamfara State and “in the process killed one hundred and four bandits,” national police spokesman Jimoh Moshood said in a statement.

Confirming the death toll Moshood told AFP: “Yes, 104 bandits (were killed). Not people, armed bandits that had been terrorising and killing innocent people.”

Over 1,000 policemen had been deployed to Zamfara at the beginning of the month, the statement said, adding that since then 85 people have been arrested in connection with kidnappings and cattle rustling.

Amnesty International Nigeria spokesman Isa Sanusi said it was difficult to assess the success of security operations in the remote region.

“In many cases, the pronouncements of security agencies are quite contrary to the situation on ground in Zamfara state,” Sanusi said.

“Bringing the killers to justice is more important in taming the tide of impunity that allowed the security situation in Zamfara state to continue deteriorating.”

The kidnappings are just one security concern putting pressure on Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari who is seeking a second, four-year term in closely contested February polls.

Facing criticism for an increase in Boko Haram jihadist attacks, among other security threats, Buhari is working to show that his government is able to tackle rising violence in Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer.

The problem has sparked the concern of neighbouring Niger.

In August, Niamey announced it was sending security reinforcements to the Maradi area on the south-central part of the border, which abuts Zamfara.

Nigeria’s interior minister said in October that at least 30 bandits were killed in their troubled frontier.

In the last two years, kidnapping for ransom has reached unprecedented levels in the region, where entire villages have been deserted for fear of raids and kidnapping by criminal gangs.

Those abducted are often released within days if the ransom is paid but residents say they can be killed if no money is forthcoming, and their bodies dumped in the bush.</s>The Nigeria Police Force said it has killed 104 armed bandits during an attack on Mahanga forest in Birnin Mogaji Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

A statement by the force spokesman, acting DCP Jimoh Moshood, in Abuja on Friday, said 50 hideouts in three camps belonging to the bandits were also destroyed.

Moshood said that over 500 cattle and 79 Sheep were recovered from the bandits, adding that a policeman was killed during the operation.

He said that following the incessant attacks in the state, the Inspector- General of Police, on Nov. 9, deployed a Police Joint Intervention Team of about 1,000 personnel comprising the seven Units of Police Mobile Force (PMF).

Other units are : Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU), Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), Police Anti-Bomb (EOD) Squad and conventional policemen.

The spokesman said that the team which was headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police has been mandated to arrest and prosecute bandits, Kidnap for ransom and cattle rustling gangs operating in parts of the State.

He said that since arrival, the team has arrested more than 85 suspects, recovered 27 AK-47 rifles and 52 locally fabricated rifles and other dangerous weapons, 269 cattle, 109 sheep already handed over to their owners.

Moshood said that to further consolidate on the successes achieved so far, the I-G on Nov.29 deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Department of Operations to coordinate the operation.

“Members of the public with any information or in distress in any part of Zamfara should call the following numbers 08037025670, 08033210966,08033312261,08123829666, 09053872244, 07082351758, 08091914752,“ he said.</s>Senior police officers have told PREMIUM TIMES that the ambush on a police team in Zamfara State on Thursday ended with the loss of dozens of police officers.

The account, which was also corroborated by civilian sources near the scene of the incident in Zurmi Local Government Area, contradicted an official account provided by the police on the attack Friday afternoon.

Police spokesperson Jimoh Moshood said in Abuja Friday afternoon that officers repelled the ambush, killing 104 bandits in the process. He also said 50 hideouts used by the bandits were razed by officers, and stolen cattle and sheep were recovered.

Birnin Mogaji, an agrarian community where Mr Moshood said the incident occurred at about 4:00 p.m., and surrounding communities, has become a regular target of bandits who have been undertaking a series of robberies in the state in recent years. The bandits often target herders for their livestock, farms for their produce and even kidnap persons for humongous ransom.

Mr Moshood, an acting deputy police commissioner, said normal activities have been restored to the communities as of Friday afternoon. He also said Habila Joshak, the deputy inspector-general in charge of operations, had been dispatched to oversee police operations in the troubled state.

Mr Moshood later sent the names of 16 suspects, who range from 18 to 59 years to PREMIUM TIMES Friday night, saying they had been paraded for their alleged involvement in the ambush and banditry in Zamfara. Arms and ammunition allegedly recovered from them were also shown to the media.

But “that was not everything that happened,” a senior police officer said. “What was in the official statement is different from the reality being faced at the Force Headquarters.”

The officer said a series of emergency meetings have been held over the matter, amidst concerted schemes to contain the aftermath of the large-scale losses.

“The DIG Operations was hurriedly sent to supervise security over there. They would not do that if it was only a police officer that was killed,” the senior police officer added.

The officer preferred not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to journalists.

Civilian sources close to the community also said the word had already circulated around the area that dozens of police officers were killed in the shootouts with bandits on Thursday.

“We have heard of it, but because it is a security matter, we are being careful on what to say,” a resident said under anonymity to avoid being traced and victimised by security agents.

It was not immediately learnt the specific number of officers killed by the bandits, or whether their bodies have been recovered. They were amongst the 1,000-strong police contingent sent to the state in a fresh redeployment on November 9, police said.

Apart from hundreds of civilians killed, the police and the Nigerian Army have suffered casualties in Zamfara since security agencies were deployed to regain control of the state from bandits.

As of August 2018, an estimated 3,000 people have been killed and thousands of homes destroyed in the attacks in recent years, according to the state government. Thousands fleeing the crisis have been settling in neighbouring states, triggering humanitarian emergency.

The Nigerian Air Force has carried out regular aerial bombardments of the bandits’ positions throughout 2018, a response that has helped impose normalcy in many troubled parts of the state.</s>LAGOS: Nigerian police claimed on Friday that over 100 “bandits” had been killed in a crackdown targeting crime in the northwest state of Zamfara, following a surge in kidnappings for ransom and cattle rustling. Zamfara has been plagued by violent crime over the past year, with Amnesty International warning in July that people living in the impoverished state were “at the mercy” of armed bandits who take hostages and raid villages. A joint operation team on Thursday “repelled ambush attacks from armed bandits” at Mahanga Forest in Zamfara State and “in the process killed one hundred and four bandits,” national police spokesman Jimoh Moshood said in a statement.</s>SOUTH LA (CBSLA) — Thieves took advantage of dozens of people whose apartments on South Vermont Avenue in South LA had been tented for termites.

When they came home they found their units had been ransacked.

Neighbors and police say that the thieves targeted and ransacked at least 30 units — going through each one and stealing jewelry, money and other prized items.

The residents came home Wednesday after their building was tented for termite extermination.

At some point during the tenting the thieves broke in and had their way with the place.

“We had neighbors who had just gotten married and had their diamond rings stolen,” said Dominic Valdez.

Police on scene were trying to determine exactly how much was stolen.

The company who did the tenting — Mike’s Termite & Fumigation — said the thieves sliced through the tent and began their crime spree.

The company said the thieves likely understood the tenting process because tear gas is mixed in the solution but it fades at the end of the process.

CBSLA reached out to the landlord after hours but had not heard back as of Wednesday night.

“We have not heard from the landlord. I have not heard from my manager,” said a resident.

The owner of the termite fumigation company said that in the years he’s been doing this it is the worst hit job he has seen.
Nigerian police killed 104 cattle thieves in operations in the north-western state of Zamfara.