The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Benue killings

  • Benue killings: ASUU wants Buhari to arrest culprits

    Benue killings: ASUU wants Buhari to arrest culprits

    The Academic Staff Union of Universities ( ASUU ) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to go beyond condemning the killings by Fulani herdsmen in the country but arrest and prosecute perpetrators.

    It also called for victims’ compensation for those who lost their properties and relations in Rivers, Benue and Kwara states.

    The union said the rising insecurity profile under the present administration shows a faulty security architecture and policy.

    ASUU in a release signed by its University of Ibadan Chairman, Dr Deji Omole described as a sign of irresponsibility on the part of the Buhari Led federal government not to have tamed the ravaging killer-herdsmen.

    Omole who said that the Buhari government who claimed to have special interest in agriculture has failed security competency test to protect vulnerable farmers in indigenous areas of Nigeria added that the president through his inactions to Fulani carnages is compounding humanitarian and food crises in Nigeria.

    The ASUU boss who said that Nigeria will suffer when farmers are killed at-will lamented that the consequences of killing farmers is food insecurity.

    According to Omole, the president is building a dangerous trend where citizens will rise to defend themselves by taking up arms since they are not protected by the state.

    “The new year killings in some part of the country while the President was telling Nigerians that it has beaten Bokoharam should be rejected by all Nigerians. Time has come for all to rise and call on the government to fulfil her duties of protection of lives and properties or quit if it cannot do this. The government that wants people to go into agriculture but fold its arms when farmers are killed is not only irresponsive but also irresponsible. We have now added to the internally displaced profile of people in Nigeria. The problem is that the survivors are embittered that their government cannot protect them but prefers to set up campaign team for 2019 general elections. All victims must be compensated and all governors must visit the victims the way they all stormed Abuja to greet the son of the president who is hospitalised. If the son of the president is fortified with security meant for over 1,000 people even in hospital, it shows that the ruling class does not value the lives of ordinary Nigerians. ”

  • Governor blames Benue killings on criminals

    Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has said the most recent killings in the state were not perpetrated by herdsmen, but criminal elements.

    Ortom stated this after the state security council meeting in Makurdi on Monday.

    The governor also said the killings were not due to communal clashes, stressing that they were carried out by criminal elements bent on unleashing terror and mayhem on innocent citizens.

    He, however, promised that the killings would soon be nipped in the bud; and the perpetrators arrested and prosecuted.

    He further said the criminals had been identified and that the security agencies would soon go after them.

    “’We are not ready to surrender the state to criminals,” the governor said.

    He said all hands must be on deck to enable the government to succeed in addressing insecurity.

    “’Security challenges cannot be tackled by a single individual or by the police alone but all must cooperate for the overall benefit of all and sundry,” he added.

    Reacting to Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike’s recent comments on the issue, Ortom said he was ready for probe at any given time.

    The governor said he had nothing to hide as he was keeping Benue people abreast of every financial transaction undertaken by the state and what he had received from the Federal Government.

    Ortom advised Wike to concentrate on governing his state and stop making unguided utterances against him.

    NAN

  • Police arrest three over Benue killings

    The Police in Benue on Wednesday said three suspects have been arrested in connection with the Monday killings at Zaki Biam in Ukum local government area of the state.

    The state Police Public Relations Officer, Moses Yanmu, said the suspects were picked at various locations in the state.

    He said investigation on the matter is ongoing.

    The PPRO said 17 persons had been killed while 11 others were wounded by gunmen who attacked the village.

    Yanmu appealed to the public to volunteer information that would lead to the arrest of the perpetrators of the attacks.

    NAN

  • Buhari condemns Benue killings

    Buhari condemns Benue killings

    …Directs security agencies to check violence

    President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned wanton killings of innocent Nigerians across the country and challenged security agencies to rise to the occasion and end this blight on the image of the country.

    The president gave the directive in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in Abuja on Tuesday.

    Buhari specifically condemned the recent attack on a market in Zaki Biam by unidentified gunmen which resulted in the loss of lives.

    He commiserated with the government and people of Benue over the incident.

    The President, who condemned the wicked attack, directed security agencies to begin immediate investigation with a view to bringing the perpetrators of the dastardly act to book.

    While sympathising with those who lost loved ones, President Buhari also prayed that Almighty God would comfort the grieving families and grant the souls of the victims eternal rest.

    “We must condemn inhuman and unnecessary shedding of human blood all over the country.

    “We seem to have lost value for human life, which is sacred. Man is the glory of God’s creation and nobody has the right to unjustly and unlawfully take another person’s life in a reckless manner,’’ he said.

    Buhari enjoined all citizens to learn to live together in peace and brotherhood and not allow little misunderstandings to degenerate into heartless acts capable of straining the bonds of nationhood.

    Some unidentified gunmen had on Monday, March 20, carried out a raid in Zaki Biam, Ukum local government area of Benue, killing scores of innocent people.

     

  • Buhari orders probe into Benue killings

    Buhari orders probe into Benue killings

    President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered investigation into the clashes between herdsmen and indigenes of communities in Benue State.

    Buhari, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, expressed shock at the latest incident, which led to hundreds of deaths in four communities in Agatu.

    He ordered security agencies to get to the root of the problem.

    “We will conduct investigation to know what happened; the only way to bring an end to the violence is to look beyond one incident and ascertain factors behind the conflicts.”

    All Nigerians, he said, must learn to live together as one, in peace and in unity.

    “We are one nation and one people. There should not be any reason why Nigerians of any group or tongue cannot live with one another wherever they find themselves after decades of living together.”

    The President condoled with the government and people of Benue State, particularly the people of the Agatu communities, assuring them that the government would ensure that no such incident occurred again.

    “Once the investigation is concluded, we will address the problem,” he said.

  • Benue Killings: Ortom’s CSO denies murder allegation

    Benue Killings: Ortom’s CSO denies murder allegation

    The Chief Security Officer (CSO) to Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Dickson Pawa, a Superintendent of Police, has denied allegations that he was responsible for the killing of a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in the state, Atoza Ihindan.

    The late Ihindan was killed by gunmen suspected to be hired assassins penultimate Friday in Katsina-Ala town while inspecting the perimeter fence of one of his houses.

    The eldest son of the deceased PDP chieftain and former commissioner in Governor Gabriel Suswam’s administration, Mr Terfa Atoza, had accused Pawa of being one of the masterminds of his father’s death.

    Atoza, who addressed a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, said he had strong reasons for his suspicions, adding that he had already filed a petition to the Inspector General of Police over the matter.

    Speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria, the CSO, who also served under Suswam’s administration as his Aid De Camp (ADC), said the allegations were “spurious, vexatious and unfounded.”

    He wondered why anyone would link him with the elder politician’s death when he had no hand in it.

    He accused close allies of former Governor Suswam of fabricating the falsehood in order to create problems for him because they were opposed to his new position in the opposition Ortom’s government.

    Pawa had resigned his position as ADC to the immediate past governor towards the tail end of his administration following disagreements with his principal over Governor Ortom’s governorship aspiration.

    Commenting on the allegations, Mr. Tahav Agerzua, Special Adviser on Media and ICT to Governor Ortom said due process required investigation, prosecution and conviction before quilt can be established.

    The police have said they have arrested some suspects in connection with the murder.

    In another development, the Benue State Government has announced plans to convene a security summit and establish an airport in Makurdi, the state capital.

    Governor Ortom made the disclosure yesterday at the Benue State Executive Council retreat held at the Benue People’s House Makurdi.

    He explained that there was need for neighbouring states to meet and brainstorm over similar security challenges, hence the need for the summit.

    On the airport, he said the current one in Makurdi was a military facility with limitations, adding that when the civil one would be completed, it would avail farmers and business people who deal in perishable commodities the opportunity to export their products, among other things.

    The Governor who stressed the importance of security as one of the priorities of his administration, promised that he would spearhead the convocation of the summit with neighbouring states to evolve ways of tackling insecurity in the North Central axis so as to guarantee a stable atmosphere that could promote the safety of lives and property as well as boost foreign investment in the state.

  • Benue killings: Bloodshed can’t solve problems, says Buhari

    Benue killings: Bloodshed can’t solve problems, says Buhari

    The APC Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO) has deplored the frequent resort to violence to deal with perceived grievances by the people.

    Reacting to the incident at Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State, where dozens, mainly women and children, were killed by suspected herdsmen, the APC presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, said in a statement in Abuja yesterday that the resort to violence in whatever form was not acceptable and justifiable, no matter the grievances.

    The Director of Media and Publicity of APCPCO, Mallam Garba Shehu, quoted Gen. Buhari as saying he was deeply saddened that the cordial relationships that existed between and among the people have been replaced by intolerance and hate.

    According to the statement, leadership is the key to dealing with frequent communal clashes between the Fulani and Benue communities over disputes about farmlands and grazing lands.

    Shehu said political leaders should build trust among the people as the basis for dialogue, adding that “if the people can no longer listen to their leaders, such crises may persist and make life more miserable for the people.”

    Condoling with the families of the victims, APCPCO urged politicians, regardless of partisan divide, to unite and speak with one voice “over these embarrassing incidents.”

    According to Shehu, the interested parties should recognise the rights of one another and make compromises for peace.

    He advised Nigerians to stop killing one another when they face the challenges of insecurity, unemployment, hunger, disease and poor governance caused by corruption and other manifestations of bad leadership.

     

  • Benue killings: Delegate’s emotional out-pouring causes stir at confab

    Benue killings: Delegate’s emotional out-pouring causes stir at confab

    The out pouring of a Benue State delegate at the on-going National Conference on Thursday touched the heart of many at the talkshop.

    Magdalene Mbazenda Dura,a nominee of the State Government ,said a war of attrition is being waged on the Tiv in parts of the country.

    Dura listed Taraba, Nasarawa, Plateau, Niger and even Cross River States as places where Tiv people are denied their rights or are being systematically exterminated.

    Call Dura an activist on a mission to fight the cause of her people and you will not be wrong.

    Her words:“ I have gone through Mr. President ’s speech and  picked three key things that I observed ran across the entire speech.

    “These are the issues of inclusiveness, peace and unity which in a word are important to national development.

    “In looking at these, I have done in line with what Mr. President expects of us which, is to articulate and synchronize the views of our people in other to proffer proper solution to our problems. I will therefore comment on the President’s speech in line with the wishes of my people.

    “Talking about inclusivity, as a Tiv woman; the Tiv people when I was growing up, were known as the fourth largest ethnic group in Nigeria.

    “Today we are being relegated to the background because of arbitrary state creation and arbitrary boundary demarcation that have balkanized us into different states of the country.

    “In the states we have found ourselves including Taraba, Nassarawa, Plateau, Niger, Cross River, among others, our people are taken as second class citizens. They are denied the rights of citizenship, access to education, employment, even economic sustenance.

    “During election periods, in some of these states, one of the strategies used is to displace the Tiv people, or even kill them to ensure that they do not contest the elections nor vote.

    “When these scenarios play out, we ask: why are we different? Other tribes are conveniently found and are enjoying equal rights in five or even six states? Why are Tiv people different?

    “Why are Tiv people limited and tagged as people who should remain only in Benue state?

    “We therefore want the issue of indigeneship and settlers resolved. This is because we are also seen as settlers even when our ancestral homes are in the states Tiv people reside.

     “On the issue of peace, talking about peace from the perspective of a Tiv woman from Benue State, Benue State which is the food basket of the nation, which sustains the nation by providing yams, rice and others, has been turned into a blood basket.

    “Our men, children, women are being slaughtered on a daily basis. In fact the people who are killing us do not even respect the rules of war; when there is no war.

    “Under international humanitarian laws, you don’t kill women, children and the elderly. Here in Benue our women, children and the aged are being slaughtered.

    “The most dehumanizing part is that pregnant women are killed and their fetuses are removed and dump on the women.”