The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Benue

  • Four killed in Benue village attack

    Suspected Fulani herdsmen allegedly killed four Tiv peasant farmers at Imande Jem village, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, yesterday.

    A community leader, Chief Dooga Imande, told The Nation that a housewife, who was fetching water in a stream, sighted some armed Fulani herdsmen at 10am.

    She reportedly informed the other residents, who called in soldiers from the 72 Special Forces Battalion, Makurdi, the state capital. The soldiers were said to be on patrol in the area.

    Imande Jem is a farming community located on the University of Agriculture, Makurdi (UAM)-Gbajimba Road.

    Imande said the military patrol team, with five armed soldiers, requested that some Tiv farmers show them where the herdsmen were sighted.

    He said: “Four of our men accompanied the military men from the 72 Special Forces Battalion. But while they were approaching the stream, some armed Fulani herdsmen emerged from the bush and gunned down four famers.”

    The community leader alleged that the armed soldiers did not respond to the suspected herdsmen’s shooting.

    He accused the soldiers of taking sides with Fulani herdsmen, especially those of Hausa-Fulani extraction in the area.

    Imande called for the immediate withdraw of the soldiers from the area, adding that they could no longer be trusted with the security of life and property.

    Addressing reporters after the incident, the lawmaker representing Makurdi Morth in the Benue State House of Assembly, Avine Agbom (Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN), described the attack as barbaric.

    He said a similar scenario started playing out in Jos, the Plateau State capital, adding that it was gradually extending to Benue and the North Central.

    Agbom expressed concerns over the alleged connivance of soldiers with Fulani in the killing of Tiv peasant farmers.

    The lawmaker urged the Chief of Army Staff to investigate the soldiers from the 72 Special Battalion Forces and the Nigeria Army School of Military Engineering (NASME), both in Makurdi, for their alleged involvement in the bloody Tiv-Fulani crisis.

    According to him, the killings have the dexterity of the military, thus suggesting the soldiers’ alleged involvement in Tse Iortim, Tse Madugu, Yogbo and 15 other villages in Mbalagh ward, Makurdi Local Government Area, where 30 Tiv farmers were recently killed.

    The lawmaker recalled that in the Mbalagh killings, he reported to the NASME Commandant and the Benue State Security Council’s meeting that two military vehicles, with registration number NA 725SF 13 and NA72SF 12 accompanied Fulani herdsmen during an attack in the area.

    Agbom said nothing was done, even though the NASME Commandant confirmed that the vehicles were on patrol.

     

  • Minimum wage: Benue teachers beat up NLC boss

    Protesting members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Benue State branch last week vented their anger on the Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Simon Anchaver, beating him to a pulp.

    The incident occurred during a protest march across the major streets of Makurdi over the non-implementation of the new national minimum wage for primary school teachers.

    Numbering over 1,000, the teachers condemned the indifferent attitude of government towards their plights.

    Mid-way into the protest, armed policemen in 10 Hilux arrived the Government House gate and tear gassed the teachers.

    Some of the teachers were horse whipped while many who sustained gun but injuries were rushed to hospitals for treatment.

    The agitated protesting teachers pounced on Anchver, beating him mercilessly.

    He was later rescued by policemen who took him inside Government House for safety.

    The teachers accused the NLC boss, who is nursing governorship ambition, of abandoning their minimum wage course for politics.

    Anchaver, who bled profusely, was smuggled to the Federal Medical Centre for treatment.

    In a telephone interview, he denied allegations he had abandoned teachers in the state in their struggle over National Minimum Wage.

    The NLC boss described teachers in the state as ingrate, stating he has done everything humanly possible for the implementation of their minimum wage.

  • ‘Cultists’ kill patent medicine dealer in Benue

    Ten gunmen, suspected to be members of a cult group, yesterday killed a 30-year-old patent store dealer in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

    Police spokesman Daniel Ezeala, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), told The Nation that the suspected cultists stormed the patent medicine store on David Mark Bypass at 8pm.

    He said the gunmen shot into the air to scare away the residents and shot their target several times in the head before they abandoned him in his pool of blood.

    Ezeala expressed surprise that the Magistrate’s Court often granted bail to suspected cultists on murder charges.

    The police spokesman said the war against cultists would be defeated if they continued to enjoy easy bail after committing heinous crimes.

  • Easter tragedy: 12 killed in Benue

    Easter tragedy: 12 killed in Benue

    Twelve persons were killed in a ghastly motor accident on Makurdi-Enugu federal highway on Easter Friday.

    An eyewitness told The Nation that the accident occurred when an 18-seater Volkswagen conveying passenger in an attempt to overtake a stationary lorry had a head on collision with a Toyota Corolla which was coming from the opposite direction.

    Ten passengers died in the bus while two died in the Corolla which was burnt to ashes.

    Eye witnesses linked the high casualty to the fire which prevented rescuers from going near the vehicles.

  • Politics of exco composition in Benue

    Politics of exco composition in Benue

    Correspondent  UJA EMMANUEL writes on the intense lobby for executive council positions in Benue State by politicians and other stakeholders.

     

    Since Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam sacked the Secretary to the government and 11 commissioners, there have been intense lobbying for cabinet positions by many politicians. Anxiety has also gripped the remaining five commissioners who were no were not affected by the sack, following feelers that they may be re-assigned to new portfolios.

    It was the first major cabinet shake-up since 2007 when the governor assumed office. Suswam issued a stern warning that nobody should lobby him or his deputy ,Chief Lawani, for appointment. He said the sacked commissioners had served the state and should come to terms with the reality that they cannot be in the cabinet for ever.

    Many believe that the dissolution was long overdue. However, the criteria for the sack and retention of four commissioners was strange to them.

    There is also disquiet in the various political camps over the fate of the affected commissioners because they were very close to the governor. Some influential political leaders are already mounting pressures on Suswan to re-appoint them. Some of the commissioners involved in the intense lobby to bounce back are Hon. John Ngbede( Water resources and Environment), Hon. John Tondo( Lands and survey) and Hon. Benjamin Ashaver(Works and Transport).

    Those mounting pressures on the governor on their behalf are of the opinion that, apart from performance, they are tested and trusted.

    There is also the feeling that Governor Suswam is very unfair to the trio of Ngbede, Ashaver and Tondo, who worked hard to ensure that he was re-elected for a second term and remained loyal when he was defending his mandate at the tribunal and court.

    Besides, the three of them command large followers, especially among the youths who are the strength of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) the state. Others have reasoned that their premature departure from the cabinet may likely affect the chances of the party in the future electoral contests. Some party leaders felt that the former commissioners may team up with the opposition to wreck havoc on the PDP.

    “John Ngbede is forced to reckon with in his Apa/ Agatu area and the entire Zone C,while Bejamin Ashaver is the only man from Sankera in the PDP who could check Professor Daniel Saror, his uncle, who contested the election against Suswam on the ticket of All Nigeria Peoples party (ANPP. John Tondo is the toast of the PDP youths as he has empowered many of them”, said a PDP chieftain in Makurdi.

    A youth leader in Gboko local government, Comrade Terwase Akure, told The Nation that those sacked from cabinet are incidentally the ones supporting Suswam to build the PDP and those retained have not added much value to the party. “The end of the PDP may be near becaue those sacked from the cabinet are popular and they may team up with the APC”, he added. But those retained disagreed with this view, saying that they are loyal to the party and the administration.

    To avoid any political calamity, Akure appealed to Governor Suswam to reappoit Asahver, Ngbede and Tondo in the interest of the party.

    It is not clear whether the governor will yield to these appeals. Lask week, he read a riot act to the PDP chieftains. He said that any political appointee who engages in 2015 campaigns would be sanctioned. They grumbled at this threat.

    For now, the ruling party and other stakeholders are waiting for the new list of commissioners. Many believe that the composition may shape the political calculations ahead of 2015 in the state.

     

  • ‘Benue roads need repairs’

    ‘Benue roads need repairs’

    Benue state Governor Gabriel Suswam has continued to draw attention to the deplorable condition of federal roads in the state.

    When the Labaran Maku-led team toured the state a few months ago, Suswam spoke up about the roads.

    He re-echoed the complaint during the courtesy visit of officials of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and committees of the federal legislature on Works and Housing.

    Newsextra investigation revealed that a journey from Makurdi to Gboko, a federal road, takes about 45 minutes. But because of the deplorable nature of the road, it takes more than two hours.

    It was further gathered that for more than 30 years since the road was constructed, no repairs had been effected on it. Hardly a week passes without a serious accident that soetimes claims several lives.

    Trucks belonging to Dangote Cement that ply the road have worsened their condition.

    It is the same story from Makurdi-Otukpo-Enugu that linked Benue with the East. Unfortunately, it is the road that leads to the country home of Senate President David Mark in Otukpo. Many souls have been lost on this road.

    Another worst road is Makurdi -Abinisi- Agasha-Ityulen-Wukari Road that linked Benue with Taraba State. As a result of the deplorable nature of the road, it has been abandoned by commuters.

    One hardly finds a vehicle on Abinsi -Agasha-Tyulen federal highway; not even on days of busy rural markets like Kwatan Sule, Agasha, Ayilamo, Uzer and Anyiin, that are situated on the road, except those residing in the areas.

    From Makurdi to Agasha and Ayilamo takes between 30 and 60 minutes respectively. But because the road has failed totally, it takes one more than two hours to reach the agrarian communities located along this federal highway.

    Not all vehicles apply the road, but okada and Peugeot 504 station wagons are the common means of transportation.

    A member of the community Hon Audu Moses told Newsextra that despite the area being yam producing area, transportation is difficult. He appealed to the Federal Government to reconstruct the road and build a bridge at Tyulen for easy access to the agrarian communities.

    But when will the Federal Government take up the responsibility of constructing federal roads in Benue State? Labaran Makurdi told the government and people of Benue State that the matter would be presented before the federal executive council after the good governance tour.

  • Benue lawmaker escapes death

    Benue lawmaker escapes death

    The Minority whip of the Benue House of Assembly, Hon. Terkimbir Ikyange, narrowly escaped death yesterday in Makurdi during a fire outbreak in his residence.

    But his posh cars, a Ranger Rover SUV 2006 model and a Toyota Avensis, were burnt to ashes in his new GRA residence in Markurdi.

    Narrating the unfortunate incident to newsmen, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) member representing Ushongo constituency, said he was attracted by the fire around 1am.

    Before his family and members could do much, he said his two vehicles were completely burnt to ashes.

    The arrival of fire fighters, he said, stopped the inferno from spreading to the main building.

    Ikyange dismissed insinuations that the fire might have been ignited from one of the engines, insisting none of them was on during the incident.

    The lawmaker attributed the incident to the handiwork of arsonists and political opponents.

    The Speaker of the Assembly, Barrister Terhile Ayua, who led other lawmakers on a sympathy visit to the residence, also condemned the attack, which he described as an attempt to stop the lawmakers from doing their job.

    He said the House would wait for the outcome of police investigation into the matter before taking the next line of action.

    The Publicity Secretary of ACN in Benue, Hon. Titus Zam, called on the State Police Command to fish out the arsonists.

  • Benue council poll not free, says group

    A network of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Benue State, under the aegis of Benue Network of Non-Governmental Organisations (BENGONET), has said last Saturday’s local government election in Benue State was neither free nor fair.

    The group said it started working on the election with the State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) and participated as well as sponsored programmes on radio and television stations to educate voters.

    It expressed disappointment with the outcome of the election.

    The Chairman of the group, Mr Justin Gbagir, addressed reporters yesterday at its head office in Makurdi on the interim report on the elections gathered by over 20 NGOs.

    He explained that in many local governments, including Konshisha, Gboko, Buuruku, parts of Makurdi, Gwer West and Gwer East, voters did not get election materials.

    The activist confirmed the violence that characterised the exercise.

    He said duly accredited members of BENGONET, including himself, were beaten up and sent away for moving close to what he called illegal polling units where massive thumb-printing was going on.

    Gbagir averred that in other places, including Tarka Local Government, where the election result announced by the BSIEC was allegedly different from the figures collated at the polling units and collation centres.

    The activist said in almost all the local governments visited by accredited observers of the NGOs, election materials, such as ballot boxes and ballot papers, were given to the Presiding Officers (POs) without result sheets.

    He said: “In Gwer East, a former Chairman and an Adviser to Governor Suswam were seen snatching ballot boxes to unknown destination. Also, a man, Clement Adzuanongo, was conveniently coordinating ballot snatching in Konshisha into a vehicle with registration number AE167WXE.”

    Gbagir said several ballot boxes did not have identification codes.

    He added: “This is just an interim report. Reports from other areas are still been awaiting. What we have given you here has been gathered from the majority of the local governments observed. We will compile the entire report and also make it public through the press.”

  • Activist alleges threat to his life over Benue poll

    An activist and Chairman of Benue Network of Non-Governmental Organisations (BENGONET), Justin Gbagi, has alleged a threat to his life over last Saturday’s local government election.

    Gbagi addressed reporters yesterday in Makurdi, the state capital, on his organisation’s assessment of the poll.

    He said someone called him with a strange number at 11am and warned him not to divulge what he observed during the election.

    According to him, the caller said it would be at the risk of his life to publicise what he saw during the poll.

    The activist said some youths from Buruku Local Government tore his clothes and seized his phones and camera during the election.

    Gbagi noted that the local election was a sham because it was marred by several irregularities.

    He listed the malpractices as snatching of ballot boxes, massive thumb-printing of ballot papers, voter apathy and use of thugs to intimidate voters.

    The activist alleged that in Gboko Local Government Area, the election did not take place because thugs snatched ballot boxes.

    Gbagi alleged that in Kwande, a former council chairman and the Special Adviser to the Governor were seen hijacking ballot papers and chasing away the state Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) officials from the polling units.

     

  • Benue council polls violence free

    Benue council polls violence free

    Despite the initial pockets of violence witnessed in the run- up to the council polls in Benue State, the election was held yesterday under peaceful atmosphere, throughout the 23 local government councils in the state.

    The turnout of voters was very high in some polling units, while other units witnessed low turnout especially in the state capital Makurdi.

    There was low turnout in Wurkum, Highlevel, Wadata and old GRA, but many voters were seen on the long queue casting their ballots along Ankpa quarters, Agan toll gate and David Mark bypass all in Makurdi metropolis.

    There were, however, complaints by the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chieftain in Gboko, the ancestral home of the Tiv people, Prince Simon Crucial Abua, who told The Nation on phone that materials for the election had found their way into the residence of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where they were thumb printing illegally.

    There was voting in Nenge polling unit of Tarka local government, Bernard Nenge, Special Assistant to the Governor on Abuja Liaison cast his vote at 2 pm, and told our correspondent that the process was generally peaceful.

    It was a different ball game in Asunkunya town, Tarka local government as an ACN chieftain Justine Anjembe said even though the election was peaceful, security agents were given cover to PDP members to perpetrate all manners of ringing.

    In Mbalagh, Buruku local government area, voters complain of non availability of materials, but voting was peaceful.

    In Zakibiam, Ukum local government area, there was unconfirmed reports that a former minority leader in the Benue State House of Assembly, Sylvester Atachin, was kidnapped by suspected PDP members as a result of internal wrangling within the party.

    In Kwande local government, those who spoke to our correspondent reported that they have not seen election materials as at press time, while in Logo local government, the country home of Governor Gabriel Suswam, it was a smooth sail for the PDP candidate, Kester Ikyenge, following the disqualification of the ACN flag bearer, Terna Utim.

    On a general note, no incident of violence was witnessed at press time as there were enough combined team of soldiers, police and civil defence officials who ensured the smooth conduct of the process at various polling stations.