The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Benue

  • Benue, Ortom and Governance Failure

    Certainly, Nigerians now know there is a serious leadership deficit in Benue state. Since Governor Samuel Ortom assumed the mantle of leadership of this agrarian state in May 2015, peace and progress have eluded the 42-year old state very pathetically.

    Whether it is by fate, ill-luck or design, what is incontestable is that Benue has wobbled from one calamity to another, in the last three years under Gov. Ortom. The people are tormented, traumatized and oppressed in multiple ways by a government which is overtly very insensitive to the feelings of the masses.

    And the afflictions are multifarious. If flood is not displacing thousands of people in the state; armed militia allegedly sponsored by the state are visiting the people with mass killings or deaths resulting from months of unpaid salaries and pensions. Before the pain is absorbed, workers who are alive are branded ghost workers and sacked.

    At every point, Benue peoples have found themselves groaning under the leadership of Gov. Ortom. Even the burden of the Israelites under King Pharaoh was not as heavy as what Ortom and his cohorts have inflicted on the people of Benue.

    Unfortunately, the people cannot point to any development project initiated by the Ortom administration in the three years of his government. But what has arrested his mind is how to retain power beyond 2019 and he has indulged in very subterranean destructive plots against his own people.

    And to complete the circle of evil of Benue, Gov. Ortom until, yesterday, he planned the sale of the few surviving government companies and industries under some phoney deals. It took the sustained pressure of the people for him to rescind the decision. But his mind is still on it, as he said, the decision is suspended to allow for wider consultations with stakeholders.

    But of all the tribulations of the state, the herders and farmers crisis appear to be the most stubborn fly to kill. And it has steadily assumed the character of terrorism. But to the less critical mind, especially Gov. Ortom’s acolytes, the official rehearsals’ and veil provided by Governor in the guise of the implementation of the anti-open grazing law is enough justification to trumpet his innocence.

    But beyond the veneer, the shadows in the prolonged herders/farmers crisis unearth very frightening images of state complicity and even sponsorship of the mass killings of its people.

    The Army’s arrest of a Boko Haram suspect and leader of the Benue State Livestock Guards Aminu Yaminu or Aliyu Teshaku is gradually divulging some vaunted secrets on the spate of killings imposed on Benue state.

    It is still a mystery why Gov. Ortom would find anybody with Boko Haram links worthy of appointments as his special aide. So, preliminary investigations by security agencies indicate that Aliyu Teshaku is the mastermind of the recent killings in the state, including the attack on a Catholic Church in Mbalom, Gwer East LGA of the state, in which at least 16 worshippers’ were killed, including two catholic priests.

    And security agents have further established that before Teshaku’s unexpected arrest, he had completed plans with his terrorists kingpins in Bauchi, Borno , Yobe and Nasarawa states to visit t Benue with more severe carnages. More chilling and baffling is the speculation that N1.6 billion is allegedly found in Teshaku’s personal account. This cannot be ordinary co-incidence.

    Nigerians who are keenly interested in what is happening in Benue state would recall that despite the stagnation of development in the state and Gov. Ortom’s failure to pay salaries and pensions. He has always explained it as paucity of funds. But the EFCC is trailing him and some of his aides over the alleged withdrawal of N18 billion from the treasury for no apparent reason.

    The EFCC is reportedly investigating the Governor and some of his aides over the withdrawal of N18.830 billion deposited in GTB, UBA and First Bank accounts’ by Messers Oliver Mtom, Aorga Emmanuel and Ochoga Peter. And the report further alleged that the three aides confessed to the EFCC of undertaking the withdrawal of the stupendous amounts on behalf of the Governor.

    And suddenly, Teshaku who is arrested in connection with the Benue killings is alleged to have a colossal sum of N1. 6 billion in his personal account. Teshaku has no known business or source of income. And his total emoluments as a Governor’s aide cannot allow to accumulate such fortune in his bank account. So, one can conveniently guess the source of his funding.

    Agreed, other states in the federation are also under the spell of killings. But the case of Benue is exceptional and it is safe to guess that the anti-open grazing law and mindboggling corruption thriving in the Ortom government are the prime reasons oiling the killings.

    Before the arrest and confessions by Teshaku, others had alleged that Gov. Ortom has initiated killings, hired and armed militia. But it was not taken seriously

    The arrest of the nine JTF members in January offered the first clue. The suspects confessed during interrogation that they were hired by Gov. Ortom and indeed, paid monthly stipends by the same government. It explains why the killings’ have refused to extinguish because people are making huge political capital out of it.

    Therefore, Ortom merely used the anti-open grazing law as a spark or cover to keep the state in perpetual conflagration and torment to divert attention from his irredeemable failures. But the arrest of Teshaku and his confessions’ have again lent credence to the allegations.

    Herders and farmers have always had crisis or disagreements which are settled amicably between the parties without external interferences. It is curious that the current crisis rocking the state, which started in December 2017 has refused abate.

    In the recent revelations by Teshaku, it can reasonably be inferred that the state actors, led by Gov. Ortom know their complicity in the crisis. And it appears they are working day and night to upscale the drama of mass killings, to permanently sway attention away from their inadequacies in governance.

    But nemesis is a deafening conqueror, which comes knocking when one least expects. Gov. Ortom is shocked that Teshaku could ever be arrested and the confessions he is making would certainly unveil the whole truth in due course.

    With the exposure of Ortom’s seeming complicity in the killings, it is only wise for the Governor to surrender himself to the International Criminal Court of Justice (ICC) for prosecution for allegedly instigating mass murder of innocent people. He should not wait to be told. The time to quit office and do the needful is now.

    Agada PhD is a Benue citizen and contributed this piece from Festac Town, Lagos.

  • ‘Codeine ban: A breakthrough in fight against drug abuse’

    Northern Governors’ Wives Forum (  NGWF  ) on Tuesday commended Federal Government for banning the production and importation of codeine syrup, saying it is a breakthrough in the fight against drug abuse.

    Hajiya Hadiza Abubakar, Chairperson of the forum and wife of Bauchi State Governor, gave the commendation in a statement signed by her Press Secretary, Rashida Yusuf in Bauchi.

    Yusuf stated that the governor’s wife expressed happiness over the ban, announced by Federal Ministry of Health on May 2, and described drug addiction among youths in the country as canker worm that had eaten deep into the fabric of societies.

    She quoted Abubakar as saying “the NGWF made the fight against drug abuse its priority intervention project.

    “The forum in collaboration with relevant stakeholders took holistic approach to curbing drug abuse in the country, particularly in the North where it was more pronounced.

     Read Also: Codeine: NAFDAC shuts Emzor, two Ilorin firms

    “Following training for northern governor’s wives from the six states of Benue, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kogi and Bauchi, we are at various stages of implementing a work plan.”

    She said that the forum had set up a drug control committee, a drug community volunteer scheme, skill acquisition centres, as well as a female rehabilitation wing to eradicate the menace.

    She explained that the centres were expected to among other things; rehabilitate victims of drug abuse by counselling and providing moral support that would enable addicts to become useful members of the society.

    She urged stakeholders involved in the fight against drug abuse to ensure all hands were on deck to achieve the target of a drug-free society.

    She also urged parents to monitor their wards with a view to nipping detected untoward behaviours in the bud.

    NAN

     

  • Court orders PDP to pay N180m professional fee to SAN

    Justice Jude Okeke of FCT High Court, Maitama, on Tuesday ordered the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ), to pay N180 million to Mr Samuel Okutepa ( SAN  ) being his professional fee.

    Okeke who delivered judgment in a suit filed by Okutepa against the PDP, said Okutepa deserved to be paid the money for handling the cases for the party.

    “The defendant is directed to pay the claimant N180 million being the earned professional fee for defending and prosecuting their cases listed out in the applicant’s statements of claims.’’

    The court also ordered PDP to pay N50, 000 to Okutepa for successfully handling the cases.

    The judge held that it was not right for the PDP not to pay for the work they knew was well handled by the plaintiff.

    He said that the defendant claimed that they did not give him job to do,  as no legal agreement was signed by the parties.

    The judge said that in the records before the court, the applicant was given the brief by the former Governor of Benue, Gabriel Suswam, and the Attorney General of Benue.

    Read Also: ‘PDP, Jonathan failed Niger Delta’

    He added that the constitution of PDP recognised a state governor as a high officer who can give instructions on behalf of the party.

    “The instructions given to the applicant to handle the matter is binding on the PDP.

    ” The defendant was aware that the applicant conducted the cases and never questioned the instructions of the governor.

    ” The defendant kept quiet and benefited from his services, permitted and encouraged him to labour only to claim that a legal contract was not signed.

    ” The defendant is not in denial that the applicant did not handle the cases, but they claimed they did not engage him,” he held.

    Some of the cases handled by Okutepa were: Terver Kakih Vs PDP and three others, three cases at the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, among others.

    NAN

  • Benue: ‘Fulani herdsmen’ come of age

    An April 24, the ubiquitous, all-slaughtering, “Fulani killer herdsmen”, the sweet headline invention of Nigeria’s southern media, struck again in Benue.

    In Ayer-Mbalom community, in Benue’s Gwer East local government, the “killer herdsmen” attacked St. Ignatius’ Catholic Church, killing two Catholic priests: Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha, among the 17 that lay dead.

    But when on April 27 preliminary arrests were made, the attack’s alleged mastermind, Aminu Yaminu aka Tashaku, was neither Fulani nor herdsman.

    Neither was he even Muslim at birth.  Security sources say he is a Tiv Muslim convert, with core Boko Haram records.

    Tashaku was among those original disciples, detained with Mohammed Yusuf, pristine Boko Haram leader, that survived Yusuf’s murder in police cell; and most probably a hardened veteran of the first wave of Boko Haram terror, in a blitz to avenge the killing of their master.

    Tashaku’s probable conspiracy dawned, even more, with the profile of his arrested “army”, armed to the teeth: again neither Fulani nor Muslim; nor even farmers or herders.

    The bulk were Benue youths, somewhat linked to the Benue government’s anti-open grazing enforcement militia.  Tashaku, said to be close to Benue Governor, Samuel Ortom, is a big player in that “people’s militia”.

    Said Olabisi Ayeni, an assistant  director, Army Public Relations, 707 Special Forces Brigade, on the Tashaku arrest: “Following an intelligence report, it was gathered that Aminu [aka Tashaku] had concluded plans with his cohorts in Bauchi, Borno, Yobe and Nasarawa states to lunch a major attack on innocent citizens in Benue State.”

    What was April 24 then?  A Muslim-Christian slaughter, as now being falsely trumpeted by many “men of God”, who should know better?

    Or a Christian-on-Christian, Benue-on-Benue massacre, coldly planned to further hang the omnipresent “Fulani killer herdsmen”, in the great southern media gallows?

    Besides, did anyone notice how fast the media drumming for another round of “public burials” quietened, the moment the Benue government realized this latest violence might just be home-brewed?

    Benue’s necromancy, for whatever end, appears unravelling!  But after how many wasted lives?

    So long for a media, led more by emotive, explosive clichés, than by even-handed treatment of news!

    But if you think Tashaku’s was a one-off or novel allegation, just consider this 24 July 2017 petition to the security agencies, by the Shitile community, in Katsina Ala local government of Benue State.

    According to Premium Times that reported the story, complete with a full copy of the petition, that community accused the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), allegedly sponsored by the Benue government, of ethnic cleansing and sundry human rights abuse.  CJTF is allegedly headed by one Aondona Ishenge aka Tor-Abaji.

    But guess who is also named as a local CJTF enforcer in Shitile?   See an extract from the petition, which alleges the CJTF: “is supervised and armed with sophisticated automatic firearms through the office of the Security Adviser, Edwin Jando (rtd) and commanded by one Aliyu Tashaku, who enjoys the ignoble fame of having been an operative of the Boko Haram terrorist group.”

    By the Shitile petition, the terror in that community started in November 2016, with the alleged murder, by CJTF, of two lads, Wangyo Mbatsav and Orkar Galgbom, in Utyondu village of the Mbayondo district.

    Again, a rather extensive quote from the petition, on how the Shitile terror flared and spread; citing dates, casualties and modalities:

    “In January 2017, there were many killed at Tse-Igbe, while on the 18th, 25th and 26th days of June, 2017, Tor-Abaji, dressed in military uniforms and armed with sophisticated automatic rifles, together with his horde of heavily armed gang, moved through Abaji settlement on a spree of destruction, burning down houses and brutalising women and children, after which he arrested some targeted persons whom he took away to an undisclosed location and subjected them to severe torture, resulting in scores of deaths.”

    Do a little content analysis of newspaper reports of these killings.  You bet they would all be belching: “Fulani herdsmen”!

    Aside from the recurring Tashaku, you probably have noted the eerie similarity between the Shitile attacks and the recurring Benue attacks, by their media reportage.

    That’s just a snippet of how the preening fourth estate has let down the realm in a period of dire need!

    Yet, these vile, one-track reports are not limited to Benue alone.  It’s the same in the extensive killing fields, spanning most of the Middle Belt and North East.

    July 2017, for instance, witnessed the great Taraba massacre, allegedly by a local “Christian” militia, with alleged Taraba government sympathies.

    The Nation, back then, reported the visit of Major-Gen. Ben Ahanotu, GOC 3 Division, Nigerian  Army, Jos, which security jurisdiction covers the Mambilla Plateau area, with its gory and heart-rending massacre: mangled were over 600 helpless Fulani villagers, including pregnant women, whose unborn babies were hacked off their womb.  Later Emir Muhammadu Sanusi would put the gory tally as no less than 800 slaughtered.

    Yet, this crime never grabbed screaming headlines.  The great southern media, that always bristles, over alleged Fulani “Christian massacres”, suddenly went blind, deaf and dumb.  Blessed are those whose sins are covered — by the media?

    This clear media conspiracy notwithstanding, one Kefas Dauda, a Junkun from Taraba, did an open letter to Governor Jonathan Ishaku, that alleged the Taraba government’s complicity in killings in the state.

    Part of that letter reads: “It is now indisputable that the youths allegedly armed by you are emboldened by General Danjuma’s persuasion of self-defence to commit more heinous crimes against our innocent people,” it charged, “by killings, maiming and destructions, which is erroneously but deliberately attributed to Fulani herdsmen.”

    Like Benue, like Taraba, then?

    But absolutely nothing in this piece has exonerated the criminal elements among the Fulani herdsmen.

    Or even the stark, daft and garrulous, among the Fulani, vomiting rubbish about some delusional divine right to subjugate others, fired by a so-called right of conquest.

    These are the stark lunatic fringe that give their kind a bad name.

    Still over all, the southern media has proved a millennial disgrace, sexing up doomsday news along North-South, Christian-Muslim divides; and furiously spurring this country, towards the ruinous cliff of Mogadishu and Kigali combined, by its criminal one-sided reportage.

    But since Rwanda had its consequences, these media and their editors had better brace themselves.

    Those Rwanda editors that drove their country to the abyss, later faced their own abyss in International Criminal Court (ICC) gaol houses.  The Nigerian editors, whose media daily belch emotive mischief, should be prepared for no less.

    Perhaps Nigeria would never hit such a tragic nadir?  Still, it’s good to appreciate how close our media are goading it towards that pit.

    Maybe that realization would force a change for the better before it’s too late.

  • Tiv in Lagos protest killings in Benue

    •Kinsmen hold candlelight for the dead

    The Mdzough-U-Tiv socio-cultural organisation in Lagos State has protested killings in Benue State.

    The group addressed a news conference at the Benue Plaza on Victoria Island, after a candlelight procession on Monday.

    The President, Simone Kwaghbo, said: “Tiv are being attacked on all fronts, socially, politically and economically. There is death on the farmlands, in the marketplaces, in our homes and even in our churches. Farm after farm are destroyed with a vengeance that is unprecedented and with no clear provocations. “Villages have been reduced to ruins overnight and the landscape of graves dotted everywhere. Amidst this, life is gradually becoming nasty, brutish and short in Tivland.

    “We held a peaceful demonstration last year to cry out to the Nigerian government, international community and well-meaning individuals to come to our rescue from the atrocities which have gone unchallenged for years.”

    Kwaghbo blamed the Federal Government for dragging its feet in resolving the issue, noting that the crisis is a test of the fairness and equity of this administration.

    He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to deploy security apparatus to decimate these “murderous herdsmen”, warning that if nothing is done, they would align with the submission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), which said Buhari should step aside to save the nation from collapse.

    Kwaghbo added: “The palpable fear and signs of an ethnic cleansing stare us in the face! It’s no news to any Nigerian that armed Fulani herdsmen have been killing and destroying property belonging to Tiv farmers without provocation. From all indications, rescue is not yet in sight.

    “Indeed, all efforts made so far have only increased and incensed the intensity of the genocide. It is a pity that the government of Nigeria, rather than acting decisively, has resorted to playing the blame game with the plight of the Tiv man.

    “The time for rhetoric, narratives, promises and political mileage is up. We, at the Mdzough U Tiv, Lagos State Chapter, look forward to immediate, constructive and effectual action to forestall imminent anarchy.”

    The group urged the Federal Government  to proscribe Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association and declare it a terrorist group; disarm the herdsmen; ensure that security agencies protect life and property in the Benue valley and rebuild affected areas, return IDPs to their ancestral homes, send their children back to schools and restitute the people for the losses incurred.

  • Killings: Protests, prayers in Lagos, Benue, Ibadan

    Anger in Akure

    March on Ekiti Govt House

    Pope prays for harmony, peace

    It was a day of prayers and protests yesterday over the killings in some parts of the country.

    Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) President Supo Ayokunle called for the protests as a wake-up call to the Federal Government that the bloodletting must stop.

    However, there were no protests in the Southeast. The protests in Lagos, Ibadan, Ado-Ekiti, Akure, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Makurdi, among others, were largely restricted to the Baptist Church. Rev Ayokunle is of the Nigerian Baptist Convention.

    Pentecostal churches, which are mostly affiliated to the Pentocostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), did not join the protest.

    In Kano, the state chapter of CAN chose prayers instead of a protest.

    It declared that the killings were the handiwork of mercenaries and urged the Federal Government to treat the killers as terrorists.

    State CAN Chairman Rev. Adeolu Samuel Adeyemo said the prayer was to seek divine intervention to end the killings of innocent Nigerians “after due consultation”

    He said:  ”The alleged herdsmen killers are mercenaries. We demand the Federal Government to declare and treat them as terrorists.

    “The military should confront them as thus to stop the dastardly act of theirs and, as well, demand that Federal Government should look out for their sponsors and bring them to justice.”

    The association praised Governor Aabdullahi Umar Ganduje and the Emir of Kano,  Muhammad Sanusi II, for the peace among residents.

    Rev. Adeyemo said CAN in Kano decided not to protest the killings so as not to give hoodlums the opportunity to hijack it, adding that through prayers, “God in His infinite mercy will intervene and restore peace in those trouble areas”.

    “We demand the need to go the extra mile to free the Chibok girls, Leah Sharibu and all those abducted by the terrorists irrespective of tribe and religion,” he said.

    Christian leaders in Kano gathered at Believers Baptist Church, 6, Zungeru Road where they prayed to God to save Nigerians from killers.

    Rev. Ayokunle led the protest in Ibadan where church members converged on the Oritamefa Baptist Church in the Oyo State capital. The protest was restricted to the church premises.

    Youth groups and women estimated to be about 2,000, walked round the church premises and vicinity. They called on the government to stem the killings.

    The service in the church was also to offer thanksgiving for the success of the just- concluded Annual Baptist Convention, which held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

    Inscriptions on some of the placards read, “CAN says No to Violent Killings”; “FG, stop this wicked act”; “CAN says No to Religious Killings”; “FG, release Leah Sharibu from Captivity”; “Enough of Bloodshed in Nigeria, CAN rejects FGN poor handling of insecurity”; “Human beings are more valuable than cattle, protect human beings”; “FG be sensitive to families that are mourning”; “No more excuses for mass murder”; and “Enough of unlawful killings in the country”, among others.

    There was also a protest at the Gospel Faith Mission International International (GOFAMINT) Church, Akanran Road in the Ona Ara Local Government Area.

    The protesters sang and condemned the  killings.

    In Lagos, protests were held at the Shepherded Hill Baptist Church, Obanikoro where congregants protested at the Obanikoro Bus Stop, chanting “no more bloodshed”. They carried placards, with inscriptions such as, “CAN rejects poor handling of insecurity”, “Arrest and prosecute wicked killers in Nigeria”, “Federal Government of Nigeria, take full responsibility for security in Nigeria”, “Enough of bloodshed in Nigeria” and “Federal Government ensure immediate release of Leah Sharibu from captivity”.

    Senior Pastor Israel Kristilere said the protest was to make Nigerians realise that the church was no longer find the killings palatable.

    “We want the whole world to know that we are against bloodshed in this country and we are not part of them.”

    He said the government must stand up and ensure security of Nigerians.

    “Government must be responsive and responsible. It is their responsibility to ensure the security of lives and properties and whatever it takes to do this can never be too much. If there is need for more gadgets, they should get it,” Kristilere said.

    He noted that many of those troubling the country were no ghosts, adding that if the government spends billions of dollars to tackle insecurity, it is not too much.

    “We are also demanding the release of Leah Sharibu from the custody of Boko Haram,” he said.

    Kristilere urged the government to be serious with insecurity.

    He prayed for the exposure of all those sponsoring bloodshed, adding that God will destroy all the plans of the wicked ones.

    In Ekiti, the protesters took to the streets from about 2.00 pm. Policemen and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) members watching over them.

    This was aside the protest in the early hours by various individual churches, such as Gospel Faith Mission International (GOFAMINT) and the Baptist Church among others.

    Led by the CAN Chairman Rev. Joshua Orikogbe, the protesting Christians marched from the CAN House at Ori Apata on Adebayo Road in Ado-Ekiti to the Adekunle Fajuyi Memorial Park. They ended the protest at the Government House where they sent a letter to President Buhari through Governor Ayo Fayose.

    The CAN chairman said: “We are for peace in Nigeria but it is like we are being pushed to the wall by these wanton killings of Christians and clerics.

    “To us in Ekiti CAN, the only way to sustain peace is for  the government of the day at the federal level to abandon politics for sometime and focus the needed attention on security and safety of lives,” he said.

    Fayose, whose Special Adviser on Religious Matters, Pastor Seyi Olusola, received the protesters, praised them for being peaceful.

    The Ekiti State Baptist Conference President Rev. Yinka Aribasoye has called on the Federal Government to stop the killings.

    He called for the resignation of the Service Chiefs if they could not guarantee the security of ordinary Nigerians.

     

    The presiding pastor of the First Baptist Church, Okeyinmi, Ado-Ekiti, Reverend Kayode Ayinde, enjoined Christians to pray for Shaibu’s safe return.

    Christian faithful in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, wore black and white dresses as a mark of mourning for the murdered Catholic priests and parishioners of St Ignatius Church, Mbalom, Gwer East Local Government Area.

    Two Catholic priests  Rev.  Father Joseph Gor and Rev. Father  Felix Tyolaha, as well as  16 worshippers were killed at  mass  on April 24.

    A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who went round some churches in Makurdi,  reports that most worshippers, regardless of denomination, wore black and white dresses.

    NAN also reports that the worshippers held peaceful protests within their churches to denounce “the acts of barbarism” on innocent citizens.

    They held placards with inscriptions such as  “Enough of the killings”, “We want peace in our state”, “No more bloodshed”, “Lord, what have we done to deserve this?’’  among  others.

    At the NKST church in Iyortyer, Makurdi, the worshippers carried placards, marching peacefully within  the premises.

    Pastor Frederick Ikyaan of   NKST  Church at High Level area of the metropolis said the Christian community was mourning

    “ We are saddened by these killings and we want the world to know our displeasure over these acts,’’ he said.

    Ikyaan said that the dress code was reminiscent of the  tradition of the church in  wearing sack clothes when faced with such calamities.

    “ In the olden days, Christians wore sack clothes when confronted with calamities of monstrous nature but since we no longer have such clothes, we wear black and white to show our grief and anguish.

    “Our concern is to express our displeasure and feelings to the immediate society, our leaders in Nigeria and President Buhari,  without mincing words that we are offended by the ongoing killings in the state and the  country,’’ he said.

    He said that with the killing  of the priests and worshippers,  it was very clear that the invaders were not after the green vegetation but the soul of the state.

    The cleric  said that the killing of the priests had further deepened their faith, adding that no amount of intimidation would stop them from practicing their faith.

    He said that the priests and faithful  killed had become martyrs of the herdsmen invasion in Benue,  adding that they were the seeds  sown by the church.

    Security operatives were patrolling the state capital while the church services were ongoing

    Members of the First Baptist Church in Rivers State staged a peaceful protest within the church’s headquarters.

    A church leader, who declined to be named, said: “It is unfortunate that President Muhammadu Buhari has not said much since the advent of the herdsmen killing of Christians in Southern Kaduna, parts of the Northeast and recently Benue State.

    ”We are demanding the immediate release of Leah. They want to turn this into a religious war. If the Federal Government does not act now and end this madness, Christians will rise up and defend themselves and Nigeria will be worse than Afghanistan, Mali and  Rwanda,” he said.

     

  • Benue killings: Avoid reprisal attacks, Bishop urges Christians

    The Catholic Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Most Rev. Wilfred Anagbe, has advised Christians in Benue to remain faithful to the tenets of their religion and avoid reprisals inspite  of unprovoked attacks on churches and killings.

    The advice was contained in a message to all parishes under the Diocese of Makurdi on Sunday.

    Reading the message on behalf of the bishop, Rev.  Father  Tavershima Tyagher  of the Catholic Youth Centre Parish, Makurdi, recalled the gruesome murder of the two priests at Saint Ignatius Parish, Mbalom, in Gwer East Local Government Council.

    He said their memory would forever remain  indelible in the minds of Christians  in the area.

    Anagbe described the  killings  as “an act of sacrilege”, saying Joseph Gor, one of the murdered priests, was actually in the process of consecrating the Eucharist when the herders struck and killed him in cold blood.

    “They first shot him three times but sensing that he was not  dead, they dragged him outside the church and slaughtered him.

    “For Father Felix Tyolaha, he was preparing for the burial of a parishioner when they came and killed him with his catchiest;  both deaths were in cold blood.

    “As  Christians, we are not to take revenge but continue to focus on Christ who  was also killed in order to secure salvation for mankind,’’ he said.

    He expressed optimism that their deaths  would never go unpunished and urged Christians to continue to offer prayers for the peace of the country and of the state.

    The Bishop said the times were ” tough” but called for relentless prayers for priests and their parishioners all over the state and warned against reprisal attacks.

    He said the murdered priests and the other worshippers would be buried at the Ave Maria prayer pilgrimage ground at Ikpayongo on May 22 as a mark of honour to them.

    Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria ( CAN ) has declared Monday to April 6 as days of mourning and urged Christians in the state to fast and pray for Gods’ intervention to end the  bloodshed in the state.

    NAN

  • Insecurity: Police arrest 500 suspects across Benue, Taraba, Adamawa

    The Nigeria Police Force is poised to effectively curb insecurity across the federation and close to five hundred suspects have recently been arrested across Benue, Taraba and Adamawa states, Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Jimoh Moshood has said.

    “Honestly we are dealing with the situation head on, that is why we deploy strategies to prevent much more than to be reactive and we are engaging the communities because there is no way you can police in isolation, that is why we are championing the cause of community policing.

    “Though these crises occur but we have prevented far many more than the ones that have occurred.

    “That is why every hand must be on deck; across the world, police alone don’t resolve issues that lead to crime, the communities are very important to assist the police in doing so.”

    According to Moshood, there is a special directive from the Inspector-General of Police aiming to reinforce police special operations through the release of more personnel from the protection of VIPs and police administrative duties.

    “We call for calm because the Inspector General of Police has directed all Commissioners of Police in state commands and the AIGs, along with all their personnel, to be on red alert.

    “They have also been directed to take more personnel from administrative tasks so that we will have more personnel to deploy for operations.

    “The withdrawal of personnel from the VIPs is enabling us to have more men to deploy.

    ‘We are using more of our technical and intelligence-gathering platforms; we have made a lot of success and the most important thing around this time is the mopping up of illegal fire arms and prohibited weapons from wrong hands and this effort has been largely successful across the country.

    “This will help us to have a firm grip on the herders and farmers clashes and other kinds of killings that has been occurring but most importantly, the community is the centre-piece of our crime prevention strategy as we speak,” he said.

    Identifying potential causes of further breaches to security, the police spokesman noted that some mischievous elites are seeking to exploit the problems in certain areas by giving it some ethno-religious colouration that can inspire worse violence.

    “The threat to security is taking different dimension, some people what to manipulate the threats and give it different colourations so that it can become a widespread crises across the country and we call on people to be peaceful and calm and report suspicious movements to the police.

    “However, there is need for people who want to take advantage of the situation for political gains to know that it will not do them and the nation any good.

    “Mischievous politicians should know that the security of everybody is paramount.

    “We discourage people from going on vengeance or reprisal mission and to allow the police to investigate thoroughly; the most important thing at this time is that people should be more vigilant.

    “The police deployment is thorough; we have increased the numbers being deployed not only to Benue but to all those other flash points.

    “Aside from those handed over by the military and other agencies, we have arrested close to 500 across north central states where we have this problem. We have so many successes from Benue, Taraba and Adamawa.

    “We have arrested about 500 suspects that are involved in killings of innocent Nigerians; we are making progress but we want people to trust and have confidence in us that will do much more and we are not resting on our oars.”

  • Benue’s week of bloodshed

    BENUE State is in the throes of security challenges occasioned principally by sustained by herdsmen’s attacks on hapless farmers. Since Fulani militia launched deadly attacks on Tiv settlements in Guma and Logo local government areas on New Year day and killed 73 persons, the attacks have continued unabated. Many villagers have been deserted, with more than 200,000 people taking refuge in eight internally displaced persons (IDP) camps spread across the state.

    Since January 1, 2018, a day hardly passes without Fulani herdsmen killing a farmer in cold blood. The attacks have continued unabated in spite of the deployment of a special military security outfit code named Operation Cat Race. The trend has assumed a catastrophic dimension since Saturday last week.

    The suspected killer herdsmen had launched a daylight attack in which they killed seven mobile policemen on Ayilamo-Anyone Road in Poovule community and made away with all their rifles in broad daylight. Thereafter, they moved to Tse Ginde village and commenced another round of attacks. This time, they shot and killed villagers who were asleep in the middle of the night, set their houses ablaze and looted their foodstuffs.

    After Tse Ginde in Guma Local Government Area, the attackers, who were well armed with sophisticated weapons, destroyed all settlements in Unzughul, Saghev district. The attack, which started on Saturday evening in Saghev District, continued until Sunday morning with the destruction of many settlements and property worth millions of naira. No fewer than 15 people were killed in the Saghev attack, with victims, including women and children.

    On Tuesday morning, at about 5 am, suspected Fulani militia launched another deadly attack on St. Ignatius Catholic Church Ukpor-Mbalom, Gwer East Local Government Area, killing two priests and 17 worshipers during a funeral mass.

    And while the dust raised by the killing of two priests inside a church was yet to settle, the marauders invaded Ali Agudu village and killed 13 persons. A survivor of the attack, Mrs Bridget Msensoo, said the invaders stormed the village in the night and shot at every door, and whoever attempted to escaped was gunned down.

    While the killings in Guma were going on, the same Tuesday night, another one was being carried out in Umenger village, another part of Guma Local Government Area, where more than 10 persons were brutally killed and houses set ablaze.

     

    Heartless methods

    The methods employed by the attackers are similar to those of the deadly Boko Haram sect. They hack their victims to death, after which they slice their throats with knives. If it is a pregnant woman, they kill her, rip her stomach open and bring out the baby. Security men are not spared as many of them have been brutally killed.

    Another strange dimension to the attacks is that they are targeted at the farming population in the state.

    For instance, all the inhabitants of Azegeh, Uzer, Gbeleve, Ikyungwa, Dzungwe, Ibor , Anyibe and Damsa communities in Logo Local Government Area, known for massive production of yams, groundnut, rice, millet and other cash crop, have deserted their farms following the attacks.

    In Guma, the country home of Government Samuel Ortom, renowned for Soya beans, rice and groundnut production, the inhabitants have fled their homes and farms and are now in refugee camps.

    Ironically, many of the more than 200,000 people in IDP camps around the state are clamouring to return home in order to live their normal lives.

    A 49-year-old farmer in Daudu IDPs camp, Tyona Ugoh, who lost his wife and two children when herdsmen overran his Umenger village, told our correspondent: “I’m tired of staying in the camp. I want to go back to my village and start a new life.”

  • Clerics condemn Benue killing, call for serious probe

    Two religious leaders in their separate reactions in Imo condemned the recent killing of two Catholic priests in Benue and called for serious probe into the matter.

    On friday, Pastor Ben Asimobi, the General Oversea of Christ Arena Ministry, urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to allow the issue be swept under the carpet like others.

    He said that Nigeria was in for “very big trouble if the perpetrators of this evil act are not brought to book’’.

    “Nigeria is prone to serious trouble if things continue like this and we all must work together to ensure that peace and unity thrive,” he said.

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    He said that if care was not taken, Nigeria might end up fighting a religious war and but this could be averted if perpetrators were brought to book.

    Another cleric, Pastor Obinna Izuchukwu, appealed to Buhari to focus on the security challenges in the country and not re-election.

    “Now we are having problem of security and people are talking about reelection of the president.

    “Mr President should not be distracted by his reelection bid; he must first face the problem of insecurity squarely,’’ he said.