The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared incumbent governor of Plateau State and Candidate of the All Progressive Congress APC Barrister Simon Lalong winner of the 2019 Governorship election.
The total results was declared at exactly 4am on Sunday at the end of the collation of results which lasted between 9pm on Saturday night through the early hours of Sunday.
The governor was declared the winner by the Returning Officer, Prof Richard Anande Kimbir, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue state.
Lalong emerged winner in the March 9th election and also emerged winner in the May 23rd supplementary election.
By the total results, Gov Lalong defeated his major rival, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, General Jeremiah Useni (Rtd) .
Lalong polled a total of 595, 582 votes to defeat the PDP candidate Useni who scored 546, 813 votes .
Results for the nine LGAs that took part in the supplementary poll, including Langtang South, Barkin Ladi, Bassa, Bokkos, Jos North, Kanam, Mangu, shendam and Pankshin showed that Lalong scored 12,327 new votes, while the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Jeremiah Useni, earned 8,487.
Not less that three personnel serving the Special Task Force in Plateau code named Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) have been killed while trying to restore calm between herders and farmers in the state.
Herders and farmers in Barkin Ladi local government of Plateau state have been involved in violent conflicts leading to lost of many lives in recent past.
The commander of OPSH Major General Augustine Agundu who broke the sad news to pressmen in a Jos on Saturday, vowed to bring the killers of the personnel of the task force to justice.
Gen Agundu said, “I have lost three men, they were killed in action as a result of this circle of violence that has resurfaced. The worst of it is that the proliferation of arms in Plateau is out of magnitude.
“I have locked down Barkin-ladi, this act will never repeat itself. We have made efforts to reconcile the Waring factions but they have remain adamant. My troops have resolved to end the on going hostilities in Ryiom, Barkin-Ladi and Bassa LGA’s.
“The message I am sending to all level of leadership is to get their youths to decorum and civility so that the ordinary man and woman in the community could live peacefully. We are determined to return Plateau to its slogan of Home of Peace and Tourism”, he said.
The Nation learnt that the circle violence in some communities in the State has not abated in spite of the efforts of men of the special task force. There have been harvest of deaths in the communities within the last few weeks.
There are no sign that the violence will abate soon as killings continued almost on daily bases.
Unknown gunmen struck again in Barkin Ladi local government of Plateau State killing four members of the same family in a pre-dawn attack.
The four persons include a Pastor of Church of Christ in Nation (COCIN) LCC Abonong, Foron in Barkin Ladi LGC of the state, Rev Adamu Gyang Wurim, alongside his wife and three children.
The victims were said to have been burnt alive by the unknown gunmen.
One Church was also razed by the attackers.
Eye witness, Mr. Isaac Choji said the gunmen surrounded the house, set it ablaze and waited to ensure no one came out of the burning house.
A female neighbour was also shot by the attackers when she mistakenly ran them
The Nation learnt that the pastor and members of his family have been buried in a grave by the church.
The attack has caused panic in the village as the villagers now live in fear while appealing to security agencies to come to their aid and defend them against the gunmen.
Media Officer of OPSH, Major Umar Adam said the command is working to get the details of the attack.
He however appealed to residents to remain calm and cooperate with the security agencies to unveil the truth of the attack.
No fewer than 100 children in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps are feared to have been affected by diarrhoea, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
Four Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) confirmed the development to our reporter on Monday in Jos during a free medical outreach at the camps.
The NGOs are Saphira Global Center For Social Development; Voice For the Girl Child Foundation; Damark Pharmacy and African Child; and Mother Care Safety Initiative, respectively.
NAN reports that several persons were recently displaced from their homes following the recent attacks on 11 communities in Barkin Ladi and some parts of Bokkos and Riyom Local Government Areas of the state.
More than 10,000 persons, including women and children, are reportedly being sheltered at the different IDP camps across the state.
Spokesperson for the NGOs, Mrs Mildred Bako, in an interview with our reporter, attributed the illness among the affected patients within their short stay at the camps to the deplorable health condition of the environment.
Bako disclosed that many of the affected patients were between the ages of one month to five years.
She noted that the camps lacked basic amenities such as portable drinking water and clean environment, hence the “victims became vulnerable to contacting all kind of diseases’’.
Bako described the various camps as an “eyesore”, saying that the hygienic condition was poor and needed urgent attention from government and kind-hearted individuals.
“There is practically absence of basic amenities at the various camps, and so making the displaced persons fall prey to all kinds of diseases.
“When we got information that children at various camps are vomiting and passing watery stool, we swung into action to arrest the situation.
“We assembled a team of medical professionals, who diagnosed most of the children and discovered it is diarrhoea.
“We have in our little way developed a mechanism to treat the children and even adults diagnosed with symptoms of malaria and other diseases,” she said.
Bako explained that Riyom camp, housing over 2,000 persons, was the worst hit, with the highest number of children infected with the disease.
She urged government and spirited individuals to also consider donating health materials and improvement of the health condition of the displaced persons rather than concentrate on donation of food items alone.
The State Emergency Management Agency (PLASEMA) and the affected local councils are yet to react to the development.
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has condemned killings in Barkin Ladi and Riyom local government areas in Plateau State and commiserated with victims of attacks, urging for urgent action to end the spate of killings in different parts of the country.
In a statement, the governor, who said that it was regrettable that such wanton attack could be meted on fellow countrymen, stressed the imperative for peaceful coexistence and tolerance in curbing conflict among different groups.
The governor commiserated with the families of the deceased, noting, “It is with a heavy heart that I received the news of the death of about 86 persons in a conflict that erupted in Barkin Ladi and Riyom local government areas of Plateau State.
I reiterate without equivocation that these deaths are not only needless, they must be put to a stop and those behind them should be made to face the full wrath of the law.”
He said the government and people of Edo State join in mourning the loss of lives on the Plateau, assuring that they are not alone in their moment of grief.
“The recent killings would weigh on the conscience of any Nigerian, who values human life and stands for peace and progress of our country. I stand with the people of the affected families and local government areas in this sad moment of our history as a people,” he stressed.
Calling for urgent action to stem the spate of violence, he said, “The killings, once again, put a question on the internal security architecture of the country. Urgent steps must be taken to protect Nigerians, which is one of the primary duties of government. It is not out of place to, at this juncture, call for a review of the security architecture to respond to the peculiar needs of the Nigerian people.”
The National President, National Council of Women Societies (NCWS), Mrs Gloria Shoda, has appealed for calm and restraint in Plateau, where 86 people died in the violence that erupted in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.
The police in Plateau confirmed that 86 people died in the violence that erupted on Saturday in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.
The violence, allegedly by armed herdsmen, almost led to reprisal attacks by in Jos, the state capital, on Sunday; leading the government to declare a curfew.
According to a statement on Thursday, Shoda, expressed concern over the violence which led to loss of lives and destruction of property.
“As wives and mothers we are saddened by the continuous spate of killings and communal clashes across several states in our country.
“The killing span through Taraba, Benue, Ebony and Kaduna, the most recent is in Plateau.
“Murder and maiming over resources has never solved anything. It only sows further seeds for more mayhem and violence, deepens mistrust and breeds instability and as we can see there are reports of retaliation by the affected communities,’’ she said.
She said that while the security agents were trying to unravel those behind the acts of criminality, youths in the affected local governments should resist from taking the law into their own hands to retaliate.
Shoda condoled with the bereaved called on the leaders in the affected communities to continue to assuage the fears and concerns of the people not to abandon their homes or seek vengeance.
The national president advised the affected communities to allow the due process of the law to take place.
Shoda urged the law enforcement agencies to mount a thorough investigation in order to bring the perpetrators of these crimes against humanity to book and for justice to be served.
She expressed hope that the state government under the leadership of Gov Simon Lalong would provide the post-conflict support to the victims and their families.
“In times like this we should ensure that the bereaved and injured receive all the support that they need to overcome their losses, recuperate and carry on with their lives.
“Women all over Nigeria urge that the necessary security measures be put in place to prevent these kinds of acts from reoccurring.”
Following the recent killings that has continued in Barkin Ladi, Gashish, and several villages, residents of Jos, Plateau State have opted for keeping watch all night.
At Abbatoir Junction, most residents could not sleep Tuesday night as they ordered their youths to stay up and watch in case of any possible of any attack.
Going from house to house, members of the age groups armed themselves with clubs and formed patrol gangs.
In the wee hours of the midnight at the boundary hill right to Abbatoir complex, some persons were spotted moving on the mountain in vantage positions and while some Christians patrol groups stayed together in anticipation of imminent attack.
In other to forestall any attack in the volatile area where both Christians and Muslims resides; a Christian delegation went to meet the Muslim community by a communication mast where their peace talks lasted for some time.
In the end, both parties resolved that they were equally at watch for any Fulani herdsmen attack in case it spreads further to the city centre to avoid the other group misinterpreting the attack as inter tribal.
The peace talks lasted long till 3am, but both groups resolved to sending the people away to prevent panic brewing in the area.
“This evening, a meeting will be called by the head of the age group to speak to the youths on matters on insecurity,” said the leader of the youth group in black.
Gunmen on Tuesday attacked Wereh village in Barkin-Ladi, Plateau State, killing former Plateau Head of Service, Moses Gwom, and two other persons.
Sources from the village indicated that the assailants invaded the village at night, shot many people, and ran into the bush.
“The attack lasted about 10 minutes or so,” the source told the on Wednesday in Jos.
Mr Terna Tyopev, the Public Relations Officer ( PPRO ) of the Plateau Police Command, who confirmed the incident, said that it took place “around 8 pm on Tuesday”.
“The incident took place on Tuesday, that I can confirm. Another thing I can confirm is that a former Head of Service was killed and many others were injured,” he said.
He said that investigation had begun toward unraveling the mystery behind the killings.
The recent attack is the third in the last few weeks in Plateau.
Last week, gunmen killed Alhaji Mohammed Suleiman, the Village Head of Gyangyang in Jhar Chiefdom of Kanam Local Government. Twenty-five others had been killed at Ncha village in Miango, Bassa Local Government, a week earlier.
A man returned to his house at 1 a.m., insisted on having sex with his wife that had spent the whole day at the farm while he caroused about the town. The woman complained she was tired and begged for more time to rest, so as to be better ready to fulfil her filial duty.
Her protest was in vain as she got strangled by her spouse.
A Plateau High Court in Barkin-Ladi, where this incident was narrated, has sentenced the culprit, 37-year-old Benjamin Toma, to death by hanging for killing Vicky, the mother of his two children.
Justice Samson Gang, in a 68-page judgement, condemned Toma after he pleaded guilty to the one-count charge of culpable homicide, punishable with death, under section 221 of the penal code.
The incident was only one of the many cases of rising violence against women in Plateau state.
“We have recorded 430 cases of violence against women and girls in Plateau in the last few months. The situation keeps getting worse,”said Mrs. Comfort Zawaya, Senior Project Officer of the Christian Women for Excellence and Empowerment in Nigerian Society (CWEENS).
The story of a lady, Charity Thomas, killed by her male friend, a married soldier was also illustrative of the worrisome trend.
The lady had visited the man. While in the kitchen, her phone rang in the living room. The man picked the call and the caller turned out to be another man. He rushed to the kitchen to demand the identity of the caller.
Just as the flustered Charity wondered why a married man should worry about her caller, the jealous lover, in a fit of anger, used the kitchen knife to stab the girl to death.
The army had promptly court-martialed Sunday Umaru, dismissed him after he was found guilty of killing Charity, and handed him over to the police for prosecution.
The dismissed soldier, Umaru, who was attached to the Special Task Force (STF) and on posting in Barkin-Ladi at the time of the incident, is currently facing a one-count charge of culpable homicide before a Barkin-Ladi High Court.
JUstina DUsu, after the attack. She has now given birth
JUstina DUsu, after the attack. She has now given birth
In another incident, Ms Simi Dusu, a Jos-based business woman, noticed her little sister, Justina’s bulging physique and voiced out her fears.
The sister confirmed her suspicion. She was two months pregnant for one Stephen Luka, an unemployed resident of Tudun Wada, Jos.
Justina told her sister that Luka had owned up to the pregnancy, but wanted an abortion. Simi was opposed to that and insisted on meeting Luka.
At the meeting, Luka again claimed responsibility for the pregnancy. But he restated his desire for an abortion, which the two women promptly rejected.
To demonstrate her understanding of Luka’s situation, Simi told him that he would be relieved of the financial responsibility for the coming child.
“I merely wanted to be sure of the man responsible for the pregnancy. If she delivers safely, we shall take the child to our mother and be responsible for the upkeep,” she reportedly told him.
Angered by the rejection of his abortion request, Luka grabbed a machete and attacked the two women, killing Simi instantly. Justina was also gravely injured, but she survived to deliver the unwanted baby a few weeks ago.
Luka is currently being tried by a Jos High Court over the incident.
In an even more abominable and bizarre incident, a 24-year-old man, Godwin Banchir, has confessed to killing his 65-year-old mother, Saratu Banchir, for refusing to respond to his greetings !
Banchir, who confessed to committing the crime at their Fuskar-Mata village in Bassa Local Government, is also facing trial at a Jos High Court.
He has told the court that he used a stick to beat his mother till she collapsed.
“I used a stick to beat her, but I did not know that it will lead to her death,” he said.
Violence against women is on the rise in Plateau State, especially in the last year, according to the NGO, Christian Women for Excellence and Empowerment in Nigerian Society (CWEENS), which is keeping track of the attacks.
Mrs. Comfort Zawaya, Senior Project Officer of the NGO, said in 2016, an observatory platform was set up by the National Stability and Reconciliation Programme, facilitated by CWEENS, to collate reports, make referrals and respond to gender issues in Plateau.
“The Observatory Steering Committee, made up of more than 23 stakeholders of state and non-state actors, recorded a number of 430 cases.
“The committee also recorded 123 rape cases out of which 80 per cent involved minors,” she said.
Zawaya attributed the violence to the lack of tough laws to prosecute perpetrators of such acts, saying that the NGO had established a home for women and girls battered, raped or bedevilled by harmful widowhood practices.
Secretary-General of WRAPA, Saudatu Mahdi, has spoken in the same vein and declared that government must take drastic measures to address the growing incidence of violence against women.
Worried by the rising violence against women in Plateau, the state’s chapter of the International Federation of Female Lawyers (FIDA), recently organised a rally to enlighten women on measures to eliminate violence.
Mrs. Hashimu Nshi, FIDA chairperson in Plateau, told newsmen that the rally, which was held inside Terminus Market, Jos, was to offer stakeholders the opportunity to examine the best legal options to curb the violence and secure the Plateau woman.
“Some women keep suffering in their husbands’ houses; Plateau’s situation is particularly bad. As I speak, we have lots of cases of violence against women at the courts,” she said.
The FIDA official said that the group was always willing to handle cases of violence against women and children, and called on those affected to come forward.
“Our focus is to ensure justice for every women; whoever feels victimised should not hesitate to complain,” she said.
Mrs. Tongnaan Bawa, Secretary, National Association of Women Journalist (NAWOJ), North-Central Zone, has also expressed concern over the rising cases of violence, and declared NAWOJ’s resolve to enlighten women to fight for their rights and report abuses to FIDA.
“Wife battering is on the rise in our society; women are human beings that need love and care.
“The beatings cause psychological and health effects on the woman and the children. Ultimately, the society is the loser because we raise children who witnessed such violence and grow up feeling that nothing is wrong with it,” she said.
For Mr Garba Mancha, Social Welfare Officer of Jos South Local Government, the only solution to the problem is for women to promptly report “the slightest” abuse to the authorities, so as to avoid something worse.
“Not long ago, we arrested a 43-year-old evangelist, Christopher Sule, accused of torturing his two children, including his wife.
“The children’s teachers reported the matter to us. We checked the children, aged eight and six, and discovered that the father had persistently used cable wires to beat them. We found deep wounds on their bodies, but the mother kept defending her husband,” he said.
He expressed shock at the mother’s attitude, saying that curbing domestic violence would be difficult with such denials.
Mr Peter Azi, Speaker, Plateau House of Assembly, says that the legislature is equally saddened by the rising violence against women, and was working towards enacting laws to tackle the menace.
“Currently, we are working on an executive bill for the establishment of a Plateau Penal Code. We have always used the Northern Nigeria penal code and most of the laws are not only archaic and obsolete, but do not address modern crimes.
“The provisions of the bill, if passed into law, will adequately protect women and children against any form of abuse. It contains very severe sanctions against any form of abuse,” he said
But Sarah Sani, a university lecturer, does not believe in the instrumentality of law alone.
She suggested the strengthening of women economically.
“We must strengthen the individual and collective abilities of women for positive action. Women empowerment will lead to a balanced partnership of both sexes, eliminate fallacies and check gender stereotypes,” the sociology lecturer said.
She said that raising the consciousness of women must be done through all the agents of socialisation starting from the family to the community, schools, Churches and government.
Miss Ambang Julie James, Vice President, National Association of Plateau State Students, believes the number of women killed by aggressive men would be reduced if women were more careful when in love, noting that such emotional attachment makes them vulnerable.
“Women have a great capacity to love and men take advantage of that. Women do everything to please their loved ones, but instead of being loved in return, they get cheated and even killed,” she fumed.
James advised women to avoid aggressive men, and confide in friends or colleagues for possible advice, anytime they found themselves in abusive relationships.
But a psychologist, Azumi Sylvestre, says that the only remedy to abuse is for women to flee from violent lovers and avoid relationships that seem to hurt them.
“Women must open their eyes very wide and try to study the warning signs. They must avoid hot-tempered and very jealous men. Women should also avoid cruel and possessive men.
“They should also be very careful with men that are frustrated because they can vent that anger on anyoe around at the slightest excuse,” she said.
However, violence against women is not peculiar to Plateau. It is a trend shared with some other northern states.
The Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi, has expressed deep concern over this.
Sanusi, who spoke at an interactive session organised by Women Rights Advancement and Protection Agency (WRAPA), declared that any society desirous of growth must be fair and just to its women.
“Islam abhors any form of maltreatment, injustice and discrimination against women; it is to protect women against such abuses that I have been canvassing for the promulgation of laws that will restrict violence against women via severe sanctions for culprits.
“Husbands must treat wives with respect and dignity in accordance with religious and traditional injunctions,” he said.
A fresh outbreak of cholera has been reported in Barkin Ladi and Jos South local government areas of Plateau State.
It was gathered that 17 victims were rushed to clinics in Bukuru, Jos South Local Government.
The epidemic started in Barkin Ladi Local Government on Sunday.
Before noon, more than 10 people have been reported dead at the Barkin Ladi General Hospital.
More victims were reported to have died yesterday morning.
A resident, James Abok, said: “This thing is serious. Between Sunday and Monday, not less than 20 people have been killed by cholera. Two of my neighbours are among the dead.”
The Chairman of Barkin Ladi Local Government, Emmanuel Loman, confirmed that five people died and 32 were hospitalised.
“We are advising the people to keep their environment clean, wash their fruits before eating and avoid staying in congested environment and report to the nearest hospital, if they notice any symptoms.”
