The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Benue

  • FG misfired in Benue

    SIR: The security problems that presently besets Benue State is not about Terwase “Ghana” Akwaza; it is all about killer Fulbe tribesmen who roam the rural areas at will, kill at will, sack communities at will, and occupy these communities at will.

    The Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Yusuf Buratai, has even informed Nigerians that these killers are foreigners from Niger, Chad, Mali, Northern Cameroon, Central African Republic, etc. It is so sad to read a cynical angle into the “swinging action” that the Federal Government has mandated the Nigeria Air Force and other security outfits to do in Benue State. Expending all those resources to go after Mr. Akwaza (who, in all likelihood, is hiding in Abuja because that is where the Tivs love to repair to) is futile whereas the simple solution lay in the adoption of the practice of cattle ranching, necessarily located in the vast open lands of Northern Nigeria especially at the geological province called the Sokoto Basin.

     

    • Sunday Adole Jonah

    FUT, Minna, Niger State.

  • Benue agog as NUGA begins

    Benue agog as NUGA begins

    Makurdi, the Benue State capital, was agog last Thursday when an awareness campaign was held to announce the 25th Nigeria Universities Games (NUGA) being hosted by the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi (FUAM).

    The sports fiesta, which hosts over 1,000 athletes, was declared open yesterday. Staff and students turned out in their numbers to participate in a road show held on major highways and streets.

    A convoy of seven buses conveyed the revellers round the campus and strategic locations in the city during the awareness campaign. Some employees and students, who spoke with CAMPUSLIFE, said the large turnout was an indication that members of the school community were excited to host the games.

    They expressed hope that the insitution would put up good performance and win trophies in the sporting fiesta.

    The competition will last for 11 days.

  • Recession: Man pays N42m tithe in Benue church

    Recession: Man pays N42m tithe in Benue church

    A man, whose identity has been shielded by a local church in Makurdi, has shocked church members with a tithe offering of N42 million.
    Investigations by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi revealed that the money was paid into the UBA account of the NKST Church High level Makurdi.
    Although the resident pastor of the church, Dr. Frederick Ikyaan, initially denied knowledge of such offering, a copy of the church’s quarterly financial report, covering the months of January – March, confirmed the payment of N42million tithe to the church.
    The report showed that the lodgment was the highest single offering from an individual for the quarter.
    The money was paid into the church’s account in January.
    The breakdown of the church’s financial report showed an income of N56.2 million and an expenditure of N33.7 million within the same period..
    The church’s records also showed that out of the income, N44.6 million was generated from tithe, while a single person accounted for N42 million.
    Reacting to the financial report, the pastor said his initial denial was based on the allegations that the donor was an appointee of the Benue State Government.
    “ I still stand by my words that the person that gave us that money is not an appointee of the state government. In fact, he does not even stay in Benue but is an indigene of the state.”
    He said there was nothing wrong with the offering and insisted that the church has nothing to hide.
    Meanwhile, the tithe offering has stirred controversy in a state struggling to pay the salaries of workers.
    Public discussion centred on the legitimacy of the donors income, as a man who pays N42m to a church as tithe must have made an income of N420 million in the month that he paid.
    The NKST Church is an abbreviation for ‘Non go Kristu U Sudan hen Tiv’, meaning the Church of Christ Amongst the Tiv.

  • Benue Police Command arraigns 2 men over cattle rustling

    The Benue Police Command on Thursday arraigned two persons, Pius Iwar and Dooior Orawase, over criminal conspiracy, theft and cattle rustling.

    The duo, of no fixed address, appeared before a Makurdi Magistrate’s Court.

    According to the police prosecutor, Mr Adama Owochio, the accused persons were arrested by a team of policemen, who were on patrol along Jato-Aka Adikpo road in Benue, on April 1, 2017.

    “As at the time of arrest, the accused persons were conveying two cows in the booth of a car.

    “When the security men checked, the cows were found dead; when asked how they came about the cows, they could not give a satisfactory answer.

    “During police investigation, the accused persons confessed that the cows destroyed their cassava and yams valued at N400, 000.”

    He quoted them as saying that they pursued the cows, caught two of them and tied them to a tree which resulted into their death.

    The accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them.

    The prosecutor told the court that investigation into the matter was still in progress and prayed the court for an adjournment, after explaining that the offence contravened sections 97, 321 and 208 of the Penal Code of Benue State 2004.

    Counsel to the accused persons, Mr Silas Torwuam, applied for their bail pursuant to section 341 (2) (3) of the Criminal Procedure Code, pointing out that the offence was bailable.

    He promised that the accused would abide by the bail conditions.

    The Magistrate, Mrs. Franca Yuwa, granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N50, 000.00 each with a surety in like sum who must be a civil servant and resident in Makurdi.

    Yuwa adjourned the case to May 16, 2017 for mention

  • Mark mobilises PDP members for Benue LG polls

    Mark mobilises PDP members for Benue LG polls

    Former Senate President, David Mark, has urged PDP members in Benue to mobilise voters and work hard toward victory in the local government polls slated for June 3.

    Mark gave the advice on Monday in Makurdi, during the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) caucus ahead of the polls.

    “The PDP is not in power both at the centre and in Benue, but it is still a good brand we must cherish and work hard to promote and protect.

    “The only way forward is for us to unite, work together and ensure that the party is stable and peaceful,” he said.

    Mark told members of the PDP to maintain their faith in it, urging them to come out and vote en masse for it.

    “You must vote and ensure that your vote count. You must also avoid any enticement by rival political parties,” he said.

    Mark advised contestants against fear of intimidation by the ruling party, and also cautioned PDP members against defecting to other political parties

    “There is no need to abandon a house you have toiled to build. The current crisis will not last forever. We can change our situation by being very positive,” he said.

    Other PDP stalwarts at the caucus included  former interior minister, Abba Moro, former commissioners, local chairmen, among others.

  • Six face panel over invasion of prison’s farm in Benue

    Six officials of Nigerian Prisons Service have been questioned over herdsmen invasion of Jato Aka Prisons Farm Centre in Benue.

    The Public Relations Officer of the service in the State, ASP Stephen Nwanchor, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Makurdi on Tuesday that a panel had concluded sitting over the matter.

    He said Tersoo Agidi, an inmate, was killed during the March 25 suspected herdsmen invasion of the Farm centre located on Jato-Aka/Kashimbila road.

    Nwanchor said the five-man administrative panel was headed by the state Comptroller of Prisons, Peter Pevigo. “Pevigo was the head of the five man panel because of the seriousness of the matter.’’

    He added that the panel had concluded its investigation and forwarded its report to Abuja on April 2.

    “I want to say that because of the sensitive nature of the issue and for security reasons the names of the affected officers will be announced at the appropriate time.”

    Nwanchor said the incident took place during a general clean up of the farm centre.

    The PRO said out of the 15 inmates that escaped during the invasion, 11 were recaptured, with four still at large.

    “We have evacuated the remaining inmates from the centre to Gboko, pending the outcome of the investigation.

    “We are not taking anything for granted. We are on top of the situation and all relevant security operatives in the state have been notified.”

    He said no arrest had so far been made.

    Nwanchor said the service had tightened security in and around all its facilities in the state.

    NAN recalls that the farm centre was established by the service and started operation in January 2017.

     

  • Benue SUBEB seeks balanced reportage

    Benue State Universal Basic Education Board has called on the media to always verify information to ensure balance in their reportage.

    The Board is also seeking truthful report devoid of any form of malice intended to deliberately tarnish the reputation of a personality or organisation

    Its Chairman, Dr. Philip Tachin, stated this at a meeting of Benue SUBEB management and the Civil Society Groups for Good Governance (CSGGG), led by its President Comrade Dominic Ogakwu, who visited the board headquarters for an assessment and evaluation of alleged seven billion contract scam in the Board.

    Tachin said he was above board because Benue SUBEB follows due process and the Public Procurement Act before awarding contracts. He said the board advertised for bids in two national dailies and one indigenous newspaper.

    He said a national newspaper reported alleged misappropriation by the board in September, last year, adding that that report triggered some misconceptions about the Board in the public domain.

    He said the medium had to retract the statement, following threat of litigation by the board.

    Denying a report that the Board awarded contracts to politicians, Tachin said the arrest by police of two cashiers of the board as earlier reported, had no link with award of contracts.

    The executive chairman also referred to the second segment of the story where it was reported that “two officials were held”. He explained that the arrest of the two cashiers had no connection with the issue of award of contracts.

    He said: “The Police headquarters in Abuja requested bank statements and other account documents from the board from 2011 to 2015, which was the period of the past administration. We promptly directed the cashiers to provide the documents for submission but their delay in complying to directive resulted in their arrest.”

    Tachin hailed CSGGG, saying he was particularly happy their officials came to Benue to seek clarifications before reporting.

    In his response, Ogakwu and Secretary of CSGGG Nelson Ossaieze, said members are okay  .

  • Gov. Ortom blames criminals for recent killings in Benue

    Gov. Ortom blames criminals for recent killings in Benue

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

    Ortom said this after the State Security 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 that 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 vowed.

    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 said.

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

    He 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. 

  • Three feared dead as Benue village comes under attack

    The Police said in Makurdi on Friday that Tse-Achia village near Kasar in the outskirts of Zaki Biam, Ukum Local Government Area of Benue, has been burnt.

    This is coming few days after Zaki Biam Yam Market was razed by hoodlums leading to the death of 17 people and 11 injured.

    The Police Public Relations Officer in the State, ASP Moses Yanmu, said the arsonists carried out the attack in the early hours of Friday.

    Yanmu said four houses were burnt while three persons, including a woman, were burned in one of the houses.

    The police spokesman added that preliminary investigations revealed that the attack was `retaliatory.’

    He said the identity of the attackers was still unknown but assured that the culprits would be apprehended and brought to book.

    Yanmu said investigations had revealed that the driver that drove the vehicle that conveyed the people who attacked Zaki Biam was from the village.

    NAN recalls that gunmen had besieged Zaki Biam village in a Toyota car few days ago shooting sporadically and destroying things on their trail.

    The police said they were yet to fathom the motive of the attackers, but appealed to those with useful information that might lead to their arrest to volunteer it to security agencies.
     

  • Benue lost N95b in herdsmen attacks

    Benue lost N95b in herdsmen attacks

    •Buhari condemns killings

    Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has said the state lost N95 billion in herdsmen attacks between 2012 and 2014.
    Ortom, who addressed a stakeholders’ meeting at the Benue People’s House yesterday, said the attacks necessitated the declaration of a seven-day fasting and prayer.
    According to him, the attacks put Benue in a difficult situation as agriculture, which is the state’s strongest point, is being destroyed, while payment of salaries and pension, amounting to N7.8 billion, continues to be a major issue.
    “We have no land for grazing and grazing routes; we cannot join grazing and farming,” he reiterated.
    The governor noted that with the ever-increasing population, ranching remained the best alternative, adding that the anti-grazing bill, sent to the House of Assembly, would be subjected to public hearing. He urged stakeholders to participate in the exercise.
    He said security committees have been inaugurated and appealed to the people to shun reprisals.
    President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the government and people of Benue State on attack on a market in Zaki Biam.