The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Benue state

  • Benue govt spreads fake news about Buhari – Akume

    Sen. George Akume, the leader of the All Progressives Congress in Benue State has accused  the state government of spreading fake news against the Buhari administration to achieve cheap political gains.

    Akume, who had audience with President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Abuja said the people of Benue were tired of the misinformation.

    Akume, who represents North-West Senatorial zone of Benue, expressed the view when he fielded questions from State House correspondents after a closed door meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa.

    The senator condemned the activities of the Benue State Livestock Guards and alleged that they had been responsible for the farmers/herders clashes in the state.

    “When you talk about herdsmen and farmers clash, it’s a story that belongs to the past. Have you heard of farmers/herders clashes in Benue again? No. We know those who were behind that. Government was behind that.

    “I am talking about the state government through the Livestock Guards. They knew what was going on. So it is now a thing of the past.

    “And as for (Gov. Samuel Ortom), certainly he knows that there is fraud on the payroll. I have been in government before, everything that is going there is fraudulent in Benue State and the people are simply tired on this misinformation that they have been receiving. The narrative has changed.

    “It is not question of herdsmen; we are not talking about religious and ethnic bigotry. We are talking about performance of government.

    “If you cannot pay salaries, if you cannot pay pensions, if you cannot pay gratuity, what are you doing there? If you cannot provide infrastructure,  what are you doing there, what is the basic purpose of government? It is the welfare of the people, security for the people.

    “If you say your slogan is my people first and we are telling you `no’ my people last because you are chopping their money. So, it is not my people first, it is my pocket first in Benue State.’’

    Akume said he led “a very special’’ delegation of leaders and stakeholders of the APC Benue State to the president.

    He explained that the delegation was in the Villa to show solidarity to the president and to renew their total sense of involvement and commitment to his re-election.

    According to him, Buhari has worked so tirelessly to turn around the fortunes of the country and deserves to be supported by all well-meaning Nigerians.

    He said: “this has nothing to do with politics.

    “I am from the APC family but the truth is that, within three and a half years, what has been achieved under this government is monumental.

    “You cannot compare this with what we witnessed in the last administration which we always refer to as the Lancia regime.

    “Those of you who speak French will know the implication of referring to a government as Lancia regime.

    “Be it in the area of infrastructure you can see what is going on, in the rail transportation, yesterday (Thursday), we were in Keffi to flag off the Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi axis of dualisation of that road.

    “This is something that has been on the drawing board since 1999 when the PDP came to power. If you look at the performance of this government against the backdrop of what happened in the area of power, again you will give kudos to this administration.

    “I recall that in 2005 contracts were awarded for the purpose of increasing the power generation in the country. We were told and we believed because we all supplied money – the local governments, states and federal, pooled resources to ensure the increase in the power output in this country.

    “And by the calculation of government of the day, by the end of 2007, 6,000 megawatts of power would have been added to the national grid. My God, by the end of May 2015, we were still hovering between 3,000 and 5,000 megawatts. But today, the story is now different.’’

    The senator also observed that the Buhari administration had done well in the on-going crusade against Boko Haram insurgency.

    He said the government had initiated many programmes in various sectors of the economy meant to uplift the quality of lives of all citizens.

    “Look at agriculture, so many initiatives in that area. So when you look at this cumulatively, you will know that this government is working, three and a half years and the results are spectacular compared to what we witnessed in the past 16 years of the PDP administration and they are coming back again, they want to take over.

    “Let’s be honest, they have no message. If people could share 2.5 billion dollars meant to buy arms and ammunition, then of course those people do not deserve to see this place again,’’ he added.

    The governorship candidate of the APC in the state, Emmanuel Jime, who was part of the delegation, pledged to address the challenges facing Benue, particularly insecurity in the state, if elected in 2019.

  • Buhari, Benue APC leaders meet in Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday met behind closed doors with the All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders and stakeholders from Benue State.

    The meeting started around 12.20 p.m when the President arrived the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The delegation was led by the former Benue State Governor, Senator George Akume.

    Read Also: Buhari support group pledges victory for party

    Also at the meeting were the Benue APC Governorship candidate, Emmanuel Jime, and Paul Unongo.

    The APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh and the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, were part of the top government officials at the meeting.

    The meeting was still in progress at the time of filing this report.

  • Wife kills self, hubby, three kids in Makurdi

    The Police Command in Benue State has confirmed the killing of a man and his three children by his wife, who also took her life.

    “The man, Mr Nicholas Adetsav, a staff of Makurdi Local Government Council, and his children, were killed on Friday night in Makurdi. His wife, who we believe is responsible for the death of the quartet, also killed herself.

    “From information available to us, the woman has been having issues with her husband which might have culminated into this,” Mr Moses Yamu, the command’s spokesman, told our reporters on Saturday in Makurdi.

    Yamu said that the couple, who lived at Vandeikya street, were both staff of Makurdi Local Government Council.

    “They have been having issues; just yesterday (Friday), the woman was seen with a pestle trying to smash her husband’s car. No one knows the cause of their frequent fights.”

    He said that Police personnel sent to the house found the man foaming in the mouth, the three kids already dead, while the woman, also dead, was found holding a knife in her hands.

    “The incident happened around 8:30 p.m. on Friday; from what we have gathered, the couple fight on daily basis” he said.

    Yamu said that investigation had begun toward determining the reasons for the actions, while the corpses had been deposited at the St. Theresa’s Catholic Hospital, Makurdi.

    The Chairman, Makurdi Local Government Council, Mrs. Akange Audu, confirmed that the couple were employees of the local government council.

    “The husband worked in the Department of Finance while his wife worked with the Department of Agriculture,” she said.

    Read Also: My wife is my pillar of strength –Tayo Orekoya

     

    She also confirmed that the couple “were always fighting”, adding that the woman had warned neighbors to stay off their fights.

    A cross section of the neighbors, who spoke to our reporters, said that the couple had been having issues.

    They said that the couple had been fighting since Friday afternoon, but no one appeared sure of the cause of their fights.

    One of the neighbors told our reporters that she stopped intervening on their quarrels when Mrs. Adetsav threatened her with a knife during one of such interventions.

    NAN

  • 11 people died in Benue boat mishap – NIWA

    The National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), with headquarters in Lokoja, Kogi State, on Friday confirmed that eleven people lost their lives in the both mishap along River Buruku in Benue State.

    NIWA in a press release issued on Friday, which was signed by Mr. Tayo Fadile, the General Manager, Corporate Affairs, said twelve people were rescued, while the search for seven others is ongoing.

    He stated that these was contrary to reports that eighteen people lost their lives in the both accident.

    “The attention of National Inland Waterways Authority has been drown to media reports claiming that eighteen (18) people lost their lives along River Buruku in Benue State.

    He attributed the cause of the accident to overloading.

    “However, information made available to us by NIWA’s Area Manager in Benue State, Engr. Danjuma Mohammed Kabiru, who visited the site of the boat accident confirmed that eleven (11) people died while twelve (12) were rescued and eighteen (18) motorcycles that were on the boat recovered.

    Read Also: 69 percent out-of-school children in north – UNICEF

    “The search for the seven (7) remaining bodies is ongoing.
    It should be noted that as against the standard practice, a vehicular boat was used to ferry the 30 passengers on board which was obviously overloaded.

    “The Area Manager also confirmed that against NIWA safety guideline which stipulated that boats and river craft should not travel after 6pm on our waterways, this ill-fated boat started its journey by 9pm, and also contrary to NIWA safety guidelines none of the 30 passengers were wearing life jackets.

    “While we commiserate with the government and people of Benue State on this unfortunate incident, we are also using this opportunity to urge all intending passengers on our waterways to always adhere to the safety guidelines as provided by NIWA, especially the need to wear life jacket and to discourage traveling on our waterways after 6pm.

    “We are particularly worried that a ferry boat designed to carry only vehicles was illegally turned to a passenger vessel, causing the loss of eighteen (18) precious lives,” he stated.

  • TUC wants Justice for Elizabeth Ochanya

    …says rape is crime against humanity

     

    The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has asked Nigerians not to keep quiet about issues of rape which it described a crime against humanity, insisting that the government must bring to justice the 51 year lecturer of Benue state Polytechnic arrested for serially raping a 13 year old girl along with his son.

    Chairperson of the TUC Women Commission, Comrade Oyinkan Olasanoye said in a statement in Abuja that they will not keep quiet on this matter, adding that justice to Elizabeth on this case is justice to the thousands of women all over the world who have suffered same.

    Read Also:Lecturer remanded for alleged rape, murder

    The statement reads: “We have received with a deep shock the news of the death of Miss Elizabeth Ochanya Ogbanje, a 13-year-old pupil of Federal Government Girls College (FGGC), Gboko, Benue State.

    “We feel more saddened that her death was caused by a health condition called “Vesicovaginal Fistula” and other related diseases that arose from the several sexual abuses a 51-year-old lecturer in the Department of Catering and Hotel Management, Benue State Polytechnic, Mr Andrew Ogbuja, and his son, Victor, a student of the Federal University of Agriculture, Markurdi. The deceased was living with them and for many years they defiled her through her virgina and anus.

    “Truth be told, the incidences of rape have continued because the country is not doing enough to curb it. The act in itself is bad, but worse when minors are the victim. To imagine the mental torture the deceased went through in itself should be a torture to sane minds, especially women.

    “One however wonders how these things happened under the roof of Mrs Ogbuja without her knowledge: we suspect a foul play here!

    “We want to cease this opportunity to condemn the “loud silence” of victims and relatives when a rape has taken place. If rape is a crime of aggression with the sole aim of having sexual intercourse without the consent of the other person then we must not keep quiet.

    “The shame and stigmatization of rape victims have been going on for long and it has not done the womenfolk any good. Statistics of incidences of rape cases available has shown that if the country (especially the lawmakers, security agencies, Trade Unions and Non-Governmental Organisations) do nothing drastic, soon the magnitude will so increase that every home becomes a potential victim.

    “The time for parents to stop taking things for granted is now. From the look of things our children are no longer safe with uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces, and even people of the same faith. It is Elizabeth Ochanya today, who knows who would be next?
    “On our part as Women in Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), we will not keep quiet or do nothing on this matter. Justice to Elizabeth on this case is justice to the thousands of women all over the world who have suffered same fate.

    “To have carnal knowledge of a little girl through the anus and vagina since she was eight is unimaginable and a crime against humanity, especially the womenfolk. We urged the judiciary and security agents not to sweep this very case under the carpet.”

     

  • Ochanya’s rapists, killers must not go unpunished – Group

    The Catalyst for Global Peace and Justice Initiative (CPJ) has said the lecturer, Andrew Ogbuja, and his son, Victor, responsible for allegedly raping 13-year old Elizabeth Ochanya to death in Benue State must not go unpunished.

    Coordinator of the Initiative, Abraham Sam Aiyedogbon, who addressed reporters at the Realm of Glory Church in Calabar Friday, called for justice in the unfortunate matter.

    Aiyedogbon, who later led a rally on the streets in protest against the matter, called for the highest level of punishment for rapists.

    “We are joining other human right groups, civil society organizations, and other advocacy groups, and we are in solidarity with everyone in Nigeria saying there must be justice for Ochanya and other people in the country suffering every kind of injustice. On this particular matter, the perpetrators must be brought to book.

    “There must be the highest form of punishment for any rapist. Everybody should rise and stand against rapists. Nobody should directly or indirectly excuse any rapists for any reason at all. Everybody must condemn rape. There is no ground on which it must be acceptable,” he said.

    On October 18, 2018, Ochanya died due to a five-year sexual abuse and died of Vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) and other health complications at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi.

    She had been allegedly molested, defiled, drugged and abused since she was eight years old by her 52-year old uncle, Andrew Ogbuja, a Lecturer in the Department of Catering and Hotel Management of the Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, and his son, Victor Ogbuja.

  • Boat mishap: Ortom sympathizes with victims

    Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom has sympathized with families of victims of the boat mishap at the Buruku crossing point of River Katsina-Ala.

    Eye witnesses said the boat which left logo about 8pm on Wednesday capsized at the Buruku side of the river, drowning over 20 passengers.

    Governor Ortom who was represented by Secretary to the State Government, Professor Anthony Ijohor, SAN, visited the scene of the incident accompanied by Chairmen of Buruku and Logo local government areas, some commissioners and special advisers.

    He described the boat mishap as unfortunate and painful, stressing that a similar incident which claimed seventeen lives occurred at the same point five years ago.

    The Governor called on the Federal Government to construct a bridge across the Buruku axis of River Katsina-Ala in order to prevent the loss of more lives.

    Read Also: Ortom emerges Benue PDP guber candidate

    “His Excellency, Governor Samuel Ortom and his Deputy Engineer Benson Abounu are deeply saddened by this unfortunate incident, and the Government of Benue State will ensure that the victims are given the necessary support. Our appeal is that the Federal Government should construct a bridge here at the Buruku crossing point of River Katsina-Ala to put an end to the frequent loss of lives”, Professor Ijohor stated.

    He directed that the bodies which had so far been recovered be deposited at the morgue of General Hospital Buruku while government would assist in the burial.

    Mue Ter Ichongu, Chief Terngu Iorhuna from Logo who spoke on behalf of the affected communities, thanked Governor Ortom for his prompt response, saying the people of the area were consoled by his visit.

    In an interview, Chairman of Benue Motorcycle Association, Ugonduzua branch which lost 17 members in the incident, Mr. Felix Ikyaajime, said they were heading for a burial in Buruku when the boat capsized.

    At the time of this report, three corpses and 18 motorcycles were recovered by the rescue team while the search for others missing in the boat mishap was still in progress.

  • APC must resolve all crisis or lose 2019 elections

    Former Student Union Leader and Senatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) foe Benue South, Daniel Onjeh said on Friday that the fortunes of the party in the forth coming general elections will be determined by it’s ability to quickly resolve all contending issues arising from the party primaries.

    Onjeh who spoke with newsmwn at the party see Secretariat on Friday evening said the party may lose the general election if it failed to successfully resolve all contending issues.

    He also said that contrary to insinuations in the media, the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar poses no threat to the reelection bid of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The NANS President ho complained of being shortchanged at the recent party primary election in the Benue state, said the leadership of the APC must work hard to reconcile aggrieved members so that the chances of the party would not affected by the spill-over of the primary election crisis, adding that the appeal panel set up by the party must do what is right and just so as bring back members to forge a common front ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    While dismissing the endorsement of former Atiku  Ahubakar by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and religious leaders  Onjeh  said that President Buhari has done enough to earn him a second term.He said that the former president’s are ganging up against President Buhari because they will all be made to account for their ill-gottcn wealth if he is re-elected.

    Read Also: I’m under pressure to leave APC – Yari

    “The same Obasanjo who gushed over Atiku a couple of days ago, is the same person who wrote in the second volume of his hagiography, My Watch: Why I Did Not Let Atiku Succeed Me as President,” he said.

    On the alleged cases of corruption during the past PDP administration with similar scandals witnessed in the last three and half years of President Buhari’s administration, Onjeh said president has tried to deal with any such acts even if slowly. Onjeh said: “Atiku is not a threat to President Buhari’s chances of re-election in 2019. While Buhari is lionized as an epitome of integrity, transparency, and accountability, qualities which informed his adoption by the African Union as the continent’s anti-corruption champion, Alhaji Abubakar, a former deputy controller general of the then exceedingly corrupt Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), a man whose source of stupendous wealth is a mystery hidden in a Pandora’s box of riddles, has been mentioned in tales of corruption, shady and underhand deals”.

  • Farmer/herder: Stakeholders advocate for multifaceted approach

    Stakeholders have called for multifaceted approach to the farmer-herder crisis in the country.

    The stakeholders also urged the Government to set up a Federal Peace and Conflict Resolution Commission.

    In a communique issued at the end of the two day National summit on conflict resolution Organised by The Nation Newspaper and TV Continental in Abuja, it was also generally agreed that  government need to apply comprehensive approach in addressing the environmental factors that drive herders southwards.

    The stakeholders also recommended for the need to embrace the proposal for grazing reserves, beginning with consenting states while the old bonds that encouraged cooperation need to be built upon.

    Besides, they also tasked the government on the need to draw up implementation timelines for whatever suggestions put forward so as to ensure a more harmonious farmers-herders relationship.

    The Summit was conceived to provide workable solutions to the perennial herder-farmer clashes across the country.

    Dr. Kayode Samuel read the communique at the end of event, which was highly attended by stakeholders including herders and farmers from Plateau and Benue states.

    Other recommendations put forward by the stakeholders include the need to strengthen security arrangements to make both farmers and herders feel safe and to isolate the criminal elements.

    They also recommended for the resuscitation and massive funding of the various river basin authorities especially in the north to enable growth of grass for animal grazing to minimize nomadic mobility across the country.

    Also, the stakeholders recommended for existing conflict mediation and peace building mechanisms and avenues for constant dialogue between farmers and herders.

    The need to embrace Climate Smart Agriculture that sustains both crop farming and animal breeding was recommended by the stakeholders.

    Read Also: Firm mobilises stakeholders for school safety week

    In his welcome remarks, the Chairman of TV Continental, Mr Dele Alake said that Nigerians needed to dwell on the imperatives of peace and unity and to appreciate the country’s strengths and endowments.

    He noted that farmer-herders crises have implications for the cohesion of the nation as an entity and that Nigerians should keep working together peace, unity and progress of the country through dialogue.

    The convening of the Summit, he disclosed, was one of such desirable moves being undertaken by the two media organizations.

    Alake disclosed that the ultimate aim of the Summit is to afford the country a roadmap with which to address the multiple challenges now confronting her, particularly given the context of the forthcoming 2019 elections. He added that the groups in conflictare being encouraged through the Summit to freely express themselves in the hope that at the end of the event, significant levels of understanding would have been recorded.

    In his short remark, the Emir of Kano Mallam Lamido Sanusi advocated for more budgetary provision by the three tiers of government to maintain the grazing reserves across the country.

    The Emir who was represented by Professor Isa Hashim, the Jarman Kano said, ” The three levels of government should provide enough funds through our budgets for the maintenance of grazing reserves and stock routes, because this is what will help us to have an enduring peace in our country. The entire nation needs peace.”

    The CEO of TV Continental, Mr. Andrew Hallon who drew on the experiences of his home country, Ireland spoke on the need to set out a pathway to resolving the farmers-herders conflicts.

    He pointed out the importance of communication, respect for the points of view of others, a common desire for peace, a business-oriented approach to seeking solutions and the unlearning of harmful stereotypes.

    Also, Col. Ahmed Zubair (retd) former Director of Research of the Nigeria Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) pointed to the under-resourcing of the security agencies as a major drawback to the discharge of their role in conflict resolution.

    Mr. Kola Koko of DfID highlighted the fact that while population growth and climate change are affecting production, the country still has a static production system and called for improvements to the system.

    In his presentation, Dr. Saleh Umale of the Kaduna State Peace Commission described the farmers-herders crisis as a crisis long foretold. He identified the improvement of the livelihoods of Nigeria’s rural communities as key to the search for peace.

     

     

  • Group accuses Benue APC of plans to cause mayhem

    The Benue Liberation Front has accused a leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue state of plans to cause mayhem.

    Coordinator of the group, Mr Yunum Tyosor, made the allegation in a statement on Wednesday.

    Tyosor, who did not disclose the APC leader, also accused the Inspector General of Police of being part of the plan to cause trouble in the state.

    The statement reads: “There is a thick plot hatched by the leader of All Progressives Congress, APC in Benue State and the Inspector General of Police to cause mayhem in the state.

    “According to our sources, the said APC leader has been holding clandestine meetings with the Police IG to trigger crisis in Benue that can lead to the dissolution of the current democratic structures in the state. This is a desperate last gasp by enemies of the state who have failed in all their previous attempts to remove Governor Samuel Ortom from office.

    “We understand that the APC leader and his group have been heavily mobilized by the Abuja cabal with huge sums of money to prosecute the plot.

    “Part of the evil agenda is to eliminate key members of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Benue State before next year’s elections. Our sources further confirmed that the group has already drawn a list of those targeted for elimination.”

    Read Also: 2019: APC approves mode of primaries for states, FCT

    The group called on security agencies to move urgently and decisively to curtail any act capable of breaching the peace in Benue State.

    “We urge President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately sack the Inspector General of Police and replace him with a non-partisan professional who has the capacity to handle the nation’s security. We believe that the Nigerian Police Force has several capable hands to redeem its reputation from the hands of the present failure of IGP who is clearly acting the script of his twin sponsors – Miyetti Allah and APC.

    “We urge security operatives to place the leader of APC in Benue State on close watch and not hesitate to arrest him for questioning.

    “We call on security personnel to urgently dislodge the heavily armed thugs the APC leader has camped near his house at Judges Quarters, Makurdi. Those are the thugs he plans to use to unleash terror on Benue people during next year’s elections.

    “We once again caution political actors who have ulterior motives to shelve such intentions and work for the development of the state.

    “We will resist any attempt to throw Benue into avoidable crisis by any individual or group. Our people have known no peace since the beginning of the year owing to the invasion and killing of innocent persons by armed herdsmen. They will therefore not want to go through the trauma of political unrest,” the statement added.