Tag: Benue

The member representing Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Terseer Ugbor (APC, Benue) said on Monday, April 15, that Nigeria has been known as a major global trafficking hub for wildlife in recent years.

The lawmaker, who is also the vice chairman of the House Committee on Environment, also decried the illegal activities of poachers and smugglers in Nigeria, adding that illegal activities like poaching and smuggling are a major sabotage to the economy and called for action to stop the trend.

Speaking at a policy dialogue on “the endangered species conservation and protection bill 2024,” Ugbor said the activities of poachers portend grave dangers to the nation’s economy, adding that biodiversity is particularly threatened by the actions of those he called wildlife criminals.

He said further that wildlife crime also fosters corruption, facilitates insecurity and presents opportunities for the spread of zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19.

He said: “Nigeria has emerged with the unenviable status as a global hub for wildlife trafficking in recent years, and continues to be considered as one. Nigeria must therefore act swiftly and work to reverse this negative status and threat to our beautiful country and the world.

“The passage of this legislation will mark a major milestone for global conservation efforts and Nigeria’s international image. The passage of this bill will also advance the legislative agenda of the 10th House of Representatives for Nigeria’s environmental sustainability.”

The proposed law, he said aimed to “address threats to biodiversity in Nigeria and across Africa by providing a consistent and strong legal framework to put an end to wildlife trafficking. In doing this, it embodies recommendations made following a consultative and collaborative analysis of relevant Nigerian laws for addressing wildlife trafficking.”

While highlighting the importance of the dialogue, the lawmaker stressed that there was a need to ensure that Nigeria’s biodiversity is supported by strong and comprehensive endangered species legislation.

He said: “Nigeria is also a party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora obligating the strengthening of our legal framework for biodiversity conservation and this bill seeks to give effect to those obligations.

“Although not strictly a requirement of the lawmaking process, this policy dialogue is necessary to harmonize stakeholders’ position on the bill and clear the way for its expeditious approval and adoption as law.”

He commended the Environmental Investigation Agency, Africa Nature Investors Foundation, and Wild Africa Fund for their input in the bill even as he acknowledged the donations of the UK Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, the US State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, as well as the Pangolin Conservation Fund.

Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Oliver Stolpe called for a review of Nigerian legislation to provide for stiffer penalties for those involved in trafficking in endangered species, adding that the current legal framework does not meet the threshold of the serious crime definition in the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

He said pending the adoption of the Bill, Nigerian law enforcement authorities cannot fully activate the provisions of the UN Convention on Transnational Organized Crimes (UNTOC) and cooperate effectively with their counterparts in countries of origin, transit, and destination.

He said: “The weaknesses of the current legal framework are exemplified in the minimal sentences handed down to wildlife crime perpetrators who have been prosecuted and convicted in the past year and a half, thanks in part to the assiduousness of the Nigeria Customs Service.

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“The low penalties in the current legal framework are such that they can be discouraging to the dedicated intelligence-led investigations and prosecutions that have made these convictions possible. It is therefore an important milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to combat wildlife and forest crime that we are gathered at this policy dialogue to review the Endangered Species

He stressed that the provisions of the Bill align with UNODC’s Guide on Drafting Legislation to Combat Wildlife Crime, saying “UNODC is particularly pleased to see the Increased penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment depending on the type of offence meeting now the threshold of the “serious offences” definition in the UNTOC; a clear definition of individual offences and a comprehensive list of different types of wildlife crime and prohibitions on hunting, possession, and trade of scheduled species”.

He said the National Assembly should review the approach taken to establishing criminal liability for an attempt to the provisions of the Bill, to ensure a comprehensive and consistent approach to establishing liability while also including provisions in the law that will allow the Nigerian agencies to collaborate with their international partners and other countries in combating trafficking in endangered species.

The Benue state acting chairman of the Board Internal Revenue Service (BIRS), Emmanuel Agema, has confirmed that hoodlums intercepted two trucks of palliative and manhandled the drivers in the process.

Agema stated that the hoodlums posed as revenue officials at a collection point close to Aliade, Gwer East Local Government Area in Benue state when the unsuspected drivers conveying palliative from Adamawa to the eastern part of the country ran into their ambush.

Addressing members of the Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Benue led by the chairman, Emmanuel Anstwen, Agema said: “The hoodlums stopped the vehicles, broke their windscreen and stole the sum of #200,000 from one of the drivers at the illegal tax collection point.

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He said two persons have been arrested and transferred to the DSS on the governor’s directives that a thorough investigation be carried out to fish out those behind illegal tax collection in the state.

He stated: “Since I assumed duty as acting Chairman of BIRS, my biggest challenge is the activities of illegal tax collectors and so far 35 persons have been charged to court.

“On assumption of duty, we also terminate revenue contract, close revenue leakages about 90 percent, we are now using our staff making us generate more revenue for the state.”

The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Benue State, Sir Tersoo Kula, has disclosed that Governor Hyacinth Alia’s stand against corruption and other sharp practices necessitated the return of donor agencies, development partners and INGOs back to Benue State.

Kula stated this while briefing journalists at Government House Makurdi alongside the Director-General, Bureau for International Cooperation and Development, Benue State, Mr Aondoaseer Leonard Angelo Viashima.

The event was organised by the office of the Chief Press Secretary, to enable Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), brief the media on their achievements in office.

Responding to a question on what he thinks was responsible for the return of the INGOs, donor agencies and development partners back to the state, Kula emphasised that although many of them had left the state as a result of the insincerity they experienced during the previous administration, Governor Alia’s personality, sincerity and integrity has given them enough assurance for them to return.

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The CPS added that the governor’s posture against sharp practices as the head of government, has also sent clear signals to everyone working under him that the right thing must be done at all times, thereby curbing corruption in governance.

On his part, the Director General, Bureau for International Cooperation and Development (BICD) in Benue State, Mr. Aondoaseer Leonard Angelo Viashima, said as the brainchild of the Governor Hyacinth Alia administration, BICD was created basically to ”facilitate bilateral relations, coordination, knowledge sharing, strategic alignment as well as to foster sustainable development by leveraging on the contributions of non-profit organisations, INGOs and donor partners.”

He said already the aim of creating the Bureau has started yielding fruits, as the Benue State government through the efforts of the Bureau, has become the first state in Nigeria to subscribe to the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) subscription, enabling Benue indigenes to participate in the recruitment at the United Nations to improve Peer to Peer (P2P) and Business to Business (B2B) engagements.  

Fifteen victims of suspected herdsmen attack in Mbakor, Mbolom, Gwer East Local Government Area of Benue State were given mass burial on Tuesday.

Governor Hyacinth Alia vowed it would be the last time such incident will take place under his watch. 

Represented by his Deputy Sam Ode during the funeral, the Governor charged residents of the community to always remain vigilant with the view to protecting themselves.

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President General,.Masev Development Association Professor Vitalis Tarhule, called on the government to give the community the desired protection which according to him was the main aim they voted them into various offices.

” This is the third time the armed herdsmen are attacking our community killing more than 40 people. The first attack was in 2014, the second 2018 with the third in 2024. We are therefore, appealing to the government of the day to establish a security outfit in the community to stop this attack,” Tarhule stated. 

Two persons have been reported killed and 70 houses razed in a cult clash, which turned into a communal strife between Tiv and Jukun youths in the Veterinary area,  NorthBank, Makurdi, Benue state capital .

The incident, which started  on Sunday evening stretched  into Monday morning .

An eyewitness, Fidelis Oryiman, who narrowly escaped death, told The Nation the bloody crisis started as cult clash where two youths were hacked to death .

But as the crisis lingered into the night, it turned into a communal strife between Tiv and Jukuns tribe who populated the areas .

Oryiman said: “Houses belonging to  both Tiv and Jukun were set ablaze with property with millions destroyed.”

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Chairman of Makurdi Local Government Area , Hon James Dwem, who visited the crisis area on Monday morning, confirmed the incident to our correspondent .

Dwem appealed to the warring tribes to lay down their arms and embrace peace .

As of press tims, Benue Commissioner of Police Emmanuel Adesina was seen patrolling the area with a team of officers. 

The Nation gathered residents of Alia fled the area for fear of reprisal attacks.

The Benue State Government has agreed to partner with the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) to provide affordable houses to the people of the State.

Governor Hyacinth Alia made the disclosure when he played host to the team from the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), led by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Hon. Oyetunde Ojo, at the new Banquet Hall of the Benue State Government House, Makurdi, on Saturday.

The governor who expressed happiness at having the team in the state, said his administration has accepted the offer from the FHA, and will be collaborating with them to develop affordable houses for the people of the state, especially as their proposal is in sync with his administration’s desire to create a new Benue that everyone will be proud of.

Governor Alia, who used the occasion to highlight some of his achievements in office, such as the ongoing construction of the Underpass at High Level roundabout Makurdi as well as the one in Gboko, the massive road construction works within Makurdi and other towns, the installation of solar powered street lights, the injection of 100  new buses at the Benue Links Transport Company, provision of fertilizers to farmers at subsidised rate, the tremendous improvement in the health sector in the state amongst others,  equally appreciated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for agreeing to construct a flyover at the Wurukum roundabout, amongst many other interventions from the federal government.

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He said the efforts made so far by his administration, is to ensure Benue is placed in the rightful place, and as such, will not turn down efforts aimed towards that direction.

He promised to, on behalf of the state, provide land and any other support the Federal Housing Authority may require for the initiative to be achieved.

Earlier in his remark, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Housing Authority, Hon. Oyetunde Ojo, said they were in the state as part of the new policy of the FHA to consult with all the state governors for end user initiatives in providing houses to citizens of the country.

He said as custodians of land in the states, the governors are in the best position to provide lands and collaborate with the Authority for the success of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in Housing, being the reason they were in Benue state.