The Nation Newspaper

Tag: killings

  • Enough of Rivers killings

    •Tomorrow’s re-runs should be a civic celebration to harvest votes, not a barbarous war wasting lives

    Twenty-four hours to the Rivers State National Assembly and House of Assembly election re-runs, voided for irregularities in the 2015 general elections, there is heightened anxiety, if not outright angst, in the land. The reason is not far-fetched.

    Rivers, in the build-up to the re-runs, has turned a crimson creek from heinous killings. News reports claim no less than 34 have already been slain: beheaded, clubbed to death or burnt, in fearsome violence. That an irate crowd in Omuku, bore aloft the headless remains of Franklin Obi, a local politician, in protest against his cruel decapitation, just epitomises a helpless people traumatised into sheer savagery!

    The violence that heralded the voided elections, held in March and April 2015, was hardly better. Indeed back then, opposing partisans, backed with election observer reports, claimed no less than 100 were slain, most of them traced to partisan rage, aided and abetted by the subversion of the state security apparatuses.

    Given the unfortunate turn of events, the verdict of the Supreme Court on the Rivers governorship election (voided by the Rivers Election Tribunal and the appellate Court of Appeal, but upheld by the apex court) may have inadvertently legitimised electoral violence. It would appear a classic case of how a court’s application of brute legalism tended to have turned the people involved into near brutes!

    But after all said and done, what is the state’s duty tomorrow? Simple: to conduct a peaceful, orderly and, as the cliché goes, free and fair election. It is a moot point however, given the heralding violence, if the election could again be free or fair. This is because of the palpable tension, resulting from the terrible sabre rattling, from both sides of the partisan divide.

    The emotive angling of what should otherwise have been a simple and straight-forward election is even more scary. If it is not a tussle for supremacy between incumbent Governor, Nyesom Wike and former Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, both Ikwerre sons, it is dubbed, by the Wike side, an invasion of federal security forces, to “subdue” and “electorally enslave” Rivers people.

    Ironically, it was the same “federal invasion”, skewed towards the Wike side, when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was Nigeria’s ruling party, that was responsible for the murderous impunity that turned the polls into an orgy of violence and slaughter, which eventually rendered the results nugatory.

    On the other hand, the new All Progressives Congress (APC) Federal Government is framing it as a bounden duty to secure the polls, and make them free and fair. President Muhammadu Buhari’s vow to deal with sponsors of electoral violence in Rivers State, saying it is “primitive, barbaric and unacceptable”, issues from that very logic.

    Given the rivers of blood that troubled state has turned into of late, that cannot be unreasonable. Indeed, it is imperative the bloodshed be stanched; and the big sponsors of the partisan violence be arrested, tried and punished according to law.

    But what the APC Federal Government cannot afford is slip into the subversion mode of the former Federal Government under President Goodluck Jonathan. It was that government’s willful commission and omission that have snowballed into the present Rivers mess. Rather, it must secure the election with no partisan bias. So, any officer of the law caught aiding or abetting rigging or violence must be apprehended and punished.

    It does not matter which side wins the Rivers election. What matters is the process: transparent, free, fair and peaceful. That way, the process wins; and the democratic system is further deepened.

    But equally important: every perpetrator of violence, both at the 2015 election  and tomorrow’s in Rivers — and elsewhere — must be fingered and lawfully punished. That is the only way to dam the Rivers threatening but steady dissent into savagery and barbarity.

  • Agatu killings: Food crisis imminent

    Food crisis is imminent in the country, following attacks on communities in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

    Since three weeks ago, the herdsmen have been attacking farmers, killing and torching homes and farmlands.

    The Nation learnt that the affected communities included Akwu, Aila, Okokolo, Adagbo and Ochonlonya.

    Many have become Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    Food items, such as yam, millet, cassava and groundnut kept in barns were set ablaze by the herdsmen, who were armed with Ak47 rifles, knives and axes.

    About 15,000 victims are taking refuge in three schools, namely LGEA Central School, Ugbokpo, Methodist High School, Ojantele and Methodist Primary School, Ataganyi, Ugbokpo, all in Apa Local Government.

    There is scarcity of water, food and toilet at the camps and fear of outbreak of diseases, such as typhoid, malaria and cholera.

    Officials of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) have moved into the camps with relief materials.

    A 33-year-old mother of two, who lost her husband, Mrs. Ada Ogwuche, said she would be happy if the government could provide security so that they could return to their homes.

  • Blame PDP leaders for killings, says Senator Abe

    The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Rivers Southeast Senatorial District in the March 19 rerun, Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, has said that the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should be blamed for the crisis in Ogoni land.

    Abe made the remark yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

    He said: “It is important that I make this statement with regard to the crisis arising from the military’s attempt to effect the arrest of Solomon Ndigbara (aka Osama bin Laden, an ex-militant leader), at Yeghe-Ogoni in Gokana Local Government Area, which led to the hoodlums burning down my senatorial liaison office in Bori-Ogoni, Khana LGA.

    “I am happy that Governor Nyesom Wike, as the Chief Security Officer (CSO) knew and approved the military operations in Yeghe, Ogoniland. There is nothing wrong if he, as the CSO, and after appraising the situation in Ogoni, approves that the military should raid the area of criminal elements and maybe recover arms.

    “The person who stands to be blamed for the crisis is Solomon Ndigbara and his group, who chose to engage the military in a shootout. Information available to me points to the fact that there was a deliberate attempt by the PDP to incite the people against my person and the APC.

    “PDP leaders know pretty well that we are innocent. But in their desperate attempt to exploit the situation for their political gain, they want to hang it on us. It is sad that this type of politics is being played by people who hold responsible positions.

    “It is unfortunate that the governor visited the home of ex-militant leader, Solomon Ndigbara, in Yeghe community, but did not deem it fit to visit my burnt senatorial liaison office building at Bori, which is less than two kilometres away from Yeghe.’’

    Abe, a former Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG), who hails from Bera-Ogoni in Gokana LGA, also pleaded with Ogoni people to eschew violence, lawlessness and to ensure that they maintain peace.

  • ONELGA killings: How 25 victims were murdered, beheaded

    Families and eye-witnesses relive the terrifying moments 25 persons were slaughtered like animals at Ogba/ Ndoni /Egbema Local Government Area of Rivers State (ONELGA). Precious Dikewoha reports

    A WEEK after the killing of their loved ones by yet-to-be identified gunmen suspected to be cult members in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, relatives of the victims are still groaning.

    The relatives gave emotional accounts of how their kinsmen were murdered by the gunmen, who invaded their homes. They also painted a grisly account of how 10 heads of the 25 victims, reported to have been killed by the assailants, were chopped off and taken away. The relatives were helpless.

    Last week’s invasion was not the first of such in ONELGA as residents had a similar encounter in the run-up to the 2015 general elections when 15 persons were killed by gunmen.  It was in the same ONELGA that 12 persons, including Chief Christopher Adube and his family, were murdered in a day.

    The Nation reporter was among the few journalists in the entourage of a Joint Military Taskforce (JTF) that visited the affected area in the state on a fact-finding- mission. The reporter had encounters with families of the victims.

    The atmosphere was not only tense; it was engulfed in fear and anxiety. Some of the residents, who saw the reporters, were afraid. Many residents had fled their homes for fear of unknown when the JTM team arrived in the community on Monday.

    Some parents have buried the remains of their children and ward, whose heads have been severed. Others took the remains to the mortuary.

    The Nation observed that none of those buried, or awaiting burial, has been accorded a befitting and formal burial rite.

    Ajie, one of the affected families on 5, Ndoni Stree lost two of its leading lights – Nwondo and Ahiakwu Ajie. Their father is late.

    Their uncle, Elder Benedict Ajie, narrated how his late brother’s two sons did not do anything incriminating to warrant the treatment meted out to them.

    Recounting what transpired on the fateful day, Elder Ajie said: “The gunmen entered our compound by 9: 30pm on that day and started shooting and everybody that was outside ran away.

    “It was after we stopped hearing gunshot that we came out from hiding to check what happened. Only for us to see the bodies of my late brother’s children in the pool of their blood and there was nothing we could do.  Then, later, we saw some people crying on the other side of the street.  It was then we discovered that a total of eight young men had been murdered on our street alone.

    “The worst thing is that we did not see any police officer until when the gunmen had wreaked their havoc and left the scene. I don’t know those who are behind this evil act but I know that those who are doing this are not bigger than the government. If actually the government is protecting the lives of the people, then they should help us end this bloody act.”

    On Elder Samuel Street, where two siblings were reportedly beheaded on house No.4, there was nobody to talk to. The main gate to their house was locked outside.

    But, a neigbour, who pleaded for anonymity for security reasons, told reporters that one of beheaded victims was preparing for his Junior Secondary School (JSS III) examination.

    According to the source, the gunmen allegedly scaled the fence into the compound before they forced their way into the living room, where they shot and beheaded their victims.

    They went away with the heads of the two victims. The neighbour said the offence committed by the victims to warrant their gruesome murder was unknown.

    At Uge’s family house on 19 Ume-Imegi Street, the cold attitude of residents showed they were yet to recover from the shock.

    The head of the family, Mr. Martins Uge, who lost his son and two tenants, said he has never witnessed the kind of brutal killing that he saw on that fateful day.

    According to him, the assailants gained access into victims’ room through the ceiling.

    “They killed six young men on this street before they entered my house through the roof. They ransacked everywhere and broke into my son’s (Elechukwu Uge) house and killed him.

    “They also forced themselves into the rooms of my two tenants, Anthony Okara, a driver with Agip Company and Emeka John.  When they finished their operation, they shot at my daughter on their way out but she survived it. My son was 31 years old, he was shot inside his room. The two tenants were dragged outside. They did not only kill them but cut off their heads.”

    Two other brothers, Eze and Okechukwu Nzeh were dragged outside their Omueyike Street home and murdered before their aged mother. Their heads were however not severed.

    Eze and Okechukwu’s mother, Mrs. Blessing Nzeh, who was seen being consoled by some women in the area when reporters visited on Monday, said the death of her two sons had turned her to walking corps.

    Her words: “We had just finished our night meal when we had gunshots. They came with all kind of weapons. The next thing I had was a loud bang on my door. They entered and dragged my two sons outside. I was shouting, pleading with them to have mercy. But my pleas did not make any sense to them. In my presence, they shot my two sons and confirmed they were dead before they left. Then I told one of them to please kill me because there is no need for me to remain alive.”

    The grave of 42-year-old Mr. Emaka Ohiakwu, in front of House 13, Omuchikere Street, was conspicuous. His widow, Mrs. Helen, who was still crying reporters visited the family, said she was not around when the gunmen killed her husband.

    She said: “I was not around but I got a call that my husband has been murdered by unknown gunmen.  And when I rushed back home, I saw his lifeless body that was the only thing I can say.

    “I don’t know those who murdered my husband. We have been married for the past 20 years and there was not any trace that he was a cultist or that he was involved in any shady deal.”

    In spite of the escort provided by JTF members, some reporters were afraid. They believed that the longer they stay in the community, the higher the risk of their being attacked.

    The reporters ended their investigation on Innocent Mazi Street, where Bishop Eleanya Ugoji lost his wife and to the assailants.

    The cleric, who identified his young brother’s name as Ikpela Ugoji, claimed no fewer than 25 persons were brutally killed by the raiders.

    He said: “After the devilish operation, we discovered that 25 souls were murdered and 10 of them got their heads cut off. My younger brother and his wife were also murdered. But, one thing that I know is that even if human beings will set the evil killers free, God will make them to account for those innocent bloods wasted.”

    As the reporters rushed into their vehicle, they sighted a elderly man – John Awe – who was very moody. He gave his own account of the incident.

    Awe said: “They killed about 25 people. It was a battle between the two strongest cult groups in the area.  Despite security presence and security checking points mounted on major junctions in the area, the killers operated freely without interception or obstruction.

    For the past two years,  rival cult members have taken over some villages in the area. You can see me sitting here, four of my cousins were among the victims and two were beheaded by the gunmen who made away with their heads.”

    But, uniformed and plain-clothed security operatives have moved in to secure the community.

    The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of Rivers State Police Command, Ahmad Muhammad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed the development.

    He said: “The incident is reasonably believed to be a battle of supremacy between rival cult groups in the town. As it is now, the situation is under control as more anti-riot policemen have been drafted to reinforce the existing security in the town.

    “The command has made some arrests and those arrested have been undergoing interrogation at the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID).”

  • Can lawlessness justify killings?

    SIR: On December 12, a dastardly carnage in the city of Zaria, Kaduna State, involving the Nigerian Army and the Shiite movement, an Islamic group, left many with an awful impression of the methods of the military to correct lawlessness. The clash which led to the deaths of hundreds of Nigerians, women and children inclusive suggests the brutal and disproportionate approach of the military at restoring order and discipline in the event of lawlessness.

    Unfortunately, the Shiite movement, like most other religious groups, both Islamic and Christian, have had most of their excesses, which are not limited to blocking of roads with frequent processions of their members or even taking over the roads, thereby obstructing free-flow of traffic and preventing other road users from having easy access, unchecked in the past.

    While the exact sequence of events that led to the encounter remained totally unclear, some facts which are already obvious in the public circle is that the “massacre” may have been provoked by the group’s insistence on denying the army chief, General Brutai use of the road for an official engagement. For as much the Shiite group action stand condemnable, the Army’s response is by even far more worse, as it left a tragic outcome of events yet to be witnessed in our national history.

    Rather than the deployment of full-fledged force against the Shiite movement, the Army has in its possession other civic sanctioned tools, such as rubber bullets, tear gasses and others that could easily curb civic disorders as that of the Shiites, with no or less casualties. It instead opted for waging sledge hammer on a mere ant, a clear demonstration of misappropriated strength.

    It is nauseating that the Army instead of showing remorse for the hundreds “massacred” in the avoidable clash, was only interested could offer justification of their actions when the tenets of democracy which we operate clearly dictates the procedure of how civic disorders are to be countered and punished. It is never an acceptable norm in a democracy that civic disobedience is to be punished with outright killings.

    While the setting up of judicial commission of inquiry by Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State to unravel the exact cause of events that predated the clash is highly commendable, it however behoves on the Army High Command to engage in civic engagement orientation of its men to bring to caution its trigger-happy officers in ensuring restraint to avert future clashes with armless civilians, knowing well that it is by far in strength. It must be made to understand that curbing lawlessness cannot be an excuse for careless/extra-judicial killings.

     

    • Sarafa Ibrahim,

    Abuja.

  • Residents jittery over killings, robberies in Delta communities

    Residents jittery over killings, robberies in Delta communities

    People living in the Oil City of Warri and environs and other parts of Delta State are living in constant fear once again. Unmitigated incidents of armed robbery, bizarre killings and other violent crimes spike in the commercial nerve centre and other communities of the oil-rich state.

    Investigations carried out by Niger Delta Report revealed that dozens of persons have been killed, maimed and robbed by daredevil robbers, whose operations have sent chill down the spines of residents and made the twin cities of Effurun and Warri living hell for inhabitants, within the past couple of weeks.

    Our findings revealed that seven persons were killed between Wednesday last week and the time of filing this report on Tuesday afternoon.

    On Wednesday, October 7, Mr Stephen Omare, younger brother to Frank Omare, a former Commissioner for Environment in the state, was shot by yet unknown gunmen around the Omimi Link Road between Refinery and NPA roads in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area.

    Eyewitness told our reporter that the young man, an engineer, was on his way to an appointment with some friends and his kinsmen at a popular hotel on Refinery Road when he was caught in the hail of bullets from his attackers. His car was badly riddled with bullets and he was pronounced ‘Dead on Arrival’ at a private hospital where he was rushed to shortly afterwards.

    A few days later, on a Sunday along Jakpa Road, a commuter was gunned down by armed men who rode in a tricycle (popularly called keke), around the White House (Asheshe) Road Junction. The cause of the broad day light murder was unknown, although some eyewitness told our reporter that the hoodlums who killed the young man ostensibly thought he was carrying cash.

    “They were probably trailing another victim, who was riding in a keke, because after shooting the man, they went in search of money inside the keke but could find none,” a bystander said.

    In-between those two cold blooded killings, there was a report about the shooting of a mobile policeman along the Okumagba Avenue area of Warri. The fate of the security agent was not immediately known.

    Similarly, there have also been reports of incessant robbery operations along the busy Airport Road and other parts of Warri and Effurun.

    Last Friday, several persons were casually dispossessed of cash and other valuables along the busy Airport road in broad daylight, despite the torrential downpour in the area. The criminals, who mostly rode in tricycle, wielded various sizes and calibres of firearms.

    The incidents have raised concerns over bloody “ember months” that are similar to that of 2011, when up to 100 people were mowed down across several areas by hoodlums who terrorised the state in Toyota Hilux vans, until the gang was neutralised.

    Already, people are fleeing the Udu/Orhumworun areas of the state following relentless attacks by knives, machete, broken bottle and cudgel-wielding cult gangs and armed robbers. The notorious groups have killed and maimed several people, as reported in Niger Delta Report of October 2.

    Mrs Omamurhomun Ukana, one of the latest victims of violent robbery in that area, was killed on her way home on Thursday, September 10. She was stabbed on the back, head and neck and bled to death shortly after the attack.

    A similar fate was visited on Mr Ogheneruona Oyibo, a staff of a state broadcasting outfit, who was lucky to survive with lifelong physical and psychological scars.

    Residents of the areas blamed the parlous security situation on the perceived neglect of the affairs of the Central and South districts of the state by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

    “Since he assumed office, the regularly security meeting that used to be held in the Governor’s Office Annexe in Warri, has stopped. There is lack of government presence in these areas. The criminals are filling the void left by government’s absconding from its duty,” a source said.

    Recall that before his inauguration, the governor had reportedly vowed to close down Warri. Although Governor Okowa debunked the report, he is yet to attend any official function at the Warri Annexe, nearly five months into his government.

    A security source that spoke on condition of anonymity because of security reasons, said the usual government support to security agencies in the state have stopped, ostensibly due to paucity of funds.

    “Most of the security agencies are not getting the usual government support again. If you go to some police stations now, there is no patrol vehicle. I am particularly aware of the situation at Ugborikoko Police Station, which has just one patrol van and that was provided by the Inspector-General of Police, and not the state government,” the source added.

    However, a cross section of individuals who spoke with our reporter, accused the government and security agencies of not being proactive in tackling crime in the state. Some of them, who blamed the increase in robbery incident on joblessness and government’s tightening the noose on illegal bunkering, said these fallouts are expected.

    “If the security agencies are on top of their games, they should have nipped the crimes in their bud before what we are experiencing now,” a lawyer said.

    Speaking further, the lawyer, who is also a security expert, advised the state government to look inward, particularly by holding meetings with former militant leaders in the state.

    “Some of these guns are owned by ex-militants. Government should address the issue of ex-militants; the Governor should call them to a meeting and pressure them to rein in their boys. They know these boys, you can’t say you are a militant, you receive money from government and yet you are still terrorising the state.”

    Meanwhile, the state government recently appointed Mr David Tonwe as chairman of the state security apparatus. The move is seen as a bid to stem the wave of violent crimes across the state.

    Attempts to get Tonwe to speak on the unpalatable prevailing security situation were futile at press time, as he did not answer our call. Police Public Relations Officer, Celestina Kalu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, was also not reachable.

    However, a senior police officer in the Warri Area Command said the increase in robbery and other violent crimes was expected during the last three months of the year, stressing that the police was working on how to curb the marauding hoodlums.

  • Protests in Plateau, Abuja over killings

    Protests in Plateau, Abuja over killings

    Crowds have marched through Jos and Abuja drawing attention to unending killings in Plateau State, reports YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU

    There was a note of exasperation when, for four days on end, gunmen raided a community, Bisichi, in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State killing about 20 people. After that incident, more bodies were recovered every day for a week. The event took place last month when United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon was visiting.

    It was a stunning development coming after Fulani cattle breeders and Berom farmers made peace, returning stolen cows on both sides and pledging love for one another.

    That was why protesters took to the streets of Jos, Abuja and other strategic locations to urge action from the federal government, making the point that containing insurgency in the Northeast is as much an emergency as stemming the bloodbath in Plateau.

    The protest in Plateau lasted two weeks, featuring clergymen and state and National Assembly legislators.

    They said, “President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government has, within his first 100 days in office, only concerned himself with the insecurity and humanitarian crisis in the Northeast without a mention of that of Plateau State as if those being killed on the plateau are sub-humans.”

    In Abuja, the protesters occupied Unity Gate for six days to welcome Mr. Ban with their posters. The next day, they moved to Transcorp Hilton Hotel where Mr. Ban was lodged. This was done strategically to draw the attention of the UN Secretary General to the humanitarian issues in Plateau State. Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, Senator Dino Melaye, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Chief Imam of Abuja, Nuru Khalid convened the protest.

    Some of the protesers
    Some of the protesers

    Then, the protesters addressed the press and continued the action in Jos where they occupied premises of the state House of Assembly for hours and then Government House in Little Rayfield.

    One of the banners proclaimed,”To Break the Conspiracy of Silence on Killings on the Plateau”. Another urged: “President Buhari must give equal attention to North Central and North East”.

    Members of the state House of Assembly joined the crowd of protesters as they moved to Government House. The representative of Riyom Constituency Hon Daniel Dem led his colleagues in the protest, which featured green leaves.

    The Anglican Bishop of Jos, Rev Benjamin Kwashi was at the head of the protest too, appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently address the crisis.

    He said, “Plateau State was losing too many citizens to the endless deadly attacks. As a pastor, I have conducted more burials occasioned by attacks than weddings and naming ceremonies since 2001. It’s sad to note that most victims of the attacks are harmless children, some infants, women and youths; the present administration must end the killings, attention should not be concentrated only at the Northeast alone; people are being killed here in Plateau, Benue Nasarawa and Kaduna states.”

    “A sad event that revealed that life cost nothing in the state was the fact that four persons that were supposed to be part of the protest were attacked and killed by unknown gunmen in just 12 hours to the protest. Painful as that may be, the protest had to go on as planned, said Dr. Daniel Menshak.

    At Government House, Governor Simon Lalong warmly received the protesters, listened to their grief and promised to convey their message to President Buhari.

    In the Abuja protest, the spokesperson was Mrs. Kate Pam, who addressed Mr Ban, saying,

    “We bring you greetings from the traumatised men, women and children of Plateau State. The attacks on our villages started over 10 years ago by Fulani herdsmen whom we willfully gave our land as pasture for their livestock. Things got to a climax on the 10th March 2010 with the Dogo Nahawa massacre, where over 500 men, women and children were slaughtered in a cowardly dawn attack. From then on, we have had not known peace. Our tormentors have moved from village to village, killing, maiming, looting, shooting, burning.

     

    “From May this year, the attacks on our villages have increased in frequency and intensity. The people of Riyom and Barkin Ladi are worst hit. An average of 10 people are killed every week. On the 2nd of May 2015, 27 people were massacred in a COCIN church in Foron. Amongst the dead were the pastor of the church, Rev. Luka Gwom, and a young woman who only just got married two weeks earlier. Two days later 30 people were killed in Zakupang in Barkin Ladi LGA.

    “Another attack on Kakpwis village left two men dead. The villages in Barkin Ladi have continued to suffer these attacks, at least twice every week. On the 29th of May 2015, over 500 gunmen invaded Shonong village, leaving a trail of corpses, ashes and smoke. That attack left over a thousand people displaced with about 300 houses razed to rubble. The month of June has also been a nightmare for the people of Barkin Ladi and Riyom. Over 20 villages have been attacked in well-coordinated attacks. In the first 10 days of July, we have witnessed quite a number of attacks already”

    The Abuja protesters said in a statement, “You are all witnesses to the effort by concerned citizens of Plateau State to draw national and global attention to our plight, as we face the daily threat of total annihilation. For 6 days, we have occupied the Unity Fountain in the FCT – the symbol of our national unity – drawing the empathy of men and women of goodwill. We have however been unable to draw the attention of the Federal Government, and it is not because we have not tried hard enough. The decimation of a people, their land, and heritage should spark national indignation and criticism, but it has not, as yet. It is almost as if the Nigerian State is in denial of this humanitarian crisis, or perhaps it is a victim of inertia.

    “Over a decade, Plateau State has been the theatre of a series of crises, this is no longer news. But in the past few years and especially from the second quarter of this year, the rural communities in Barkin Ladi and Riyom local government areas have witnessed sustained attacks from gunmen. The fury of these violent men is total. They kill and destroy everything in sight: men, women, children, the aged. At the last count, over 40 villages have been completely sacked and completely razed. Farmlands have not been spared. Thousands of acres of arable land have been destroyed.

    These attacks have left the people homeless, traumatised, living in abject poverty. The frequency, intensity and scale of these attacks have led us to the conclusion that this is a well thought-through, lavishly financed, and professionally executed act of terrorism.

    “While we feel that this crisis has been left to fester for too long, we hesitate to drop the blame at the feet of the federal government, even if it has jurisdiction over the entire security architecture of state. The silence of the victim has emboldened the victimiser. Our effort is aimed at breaking the cycle of violence by breaking the cycle of silence. But it is not only the victim and the victimiser that have been silent. The federal government has hidden its head in the sand, the state government is overwhelmed as its efforts have not yielded fruit as yet. There has been under-reporting of the seriousness of the situation by the media – print, electronic, online. It is almost as if these brutal killings are not happening, as if the people being killed are subhuman.

    “We also admit that we have not been quick off the block in speaking out. But it would be immoral not to do so with the recent turn of events. From May this year to date, over 300 people, mostly women, children, and the aged, have been slaughtered in several night attacks. Today, we buried Ibrahim Nyam and Jimmy Pam Pwat will be buried on the 1st of September. They were hacked to death by these evil men last week along the Barkin Ladi – Mangu highway. The death of these young men is perhaps a pungent reminder that we are all potential victims, for they were killed by the roadside, a route that we all ply almost always

    “Let us not be deceived that this is a skirmish between herders and farmers. Let us not also think that the problem can be wished away, or ignored. We are witnesses to how this started: a small night attack in 2001 on a remote village called Vwak in Jol ward was torched leaving over a dozen dead. Less than a decade after, 500 people were slaughtered in their sleep in Dogo Nahawa on the 10th of March 2010. From then on, the attackers have moved from village to village, killing, maiming, stealing, burning and destroying. At the last count about half of the local government areas in Plateau State have been attacked. Benue, Kaduna, Taraba, Niger, Nasarawa also count their losses from these evil men. This crisis is about good people and bad people; about killers and victims; about innocent Nigerians from diverse backgrounds and deadly, bloodthirsty gunmen. We are all victims, or victims-in-waiting.

    “Ladies and gentlemen, it is pertinent to remind you that the insurgency in the northeast started with a few disgruntled persons who had nonspecific demands. Sadly, the Federal Government underestimated the size of the fight. Now Boko Haram is not only a national and regional security threat but a global threat to world peace. God forbid that we allow this monster to grow beyond containment before we begin to act. It is better to over-deploy resources in containing the situation while it is still localized, than to wait until more lives are lost before we begin to enjoy citizen protection as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    This crisis has left our people in dire straits. Schools and health centres have been burnt, teachers and health workers have left. Children of school age have lost a minimum of 4 academic sessions; the health needs of the people are unmet. A recent survey, with 1,500 respondents revealed that 73% of the women are hypertensive. This may not be unconnected to the psycho-social trauma occasioned by this crisis. Schools have been converted to IDP camps that have swollen in size due to the influx of more IDPs from the northeast. The wanton destruction of farmlands has place the victims without trade or vocation. The economic effects of this are far-reaching: depletion of source of livelihood and loss of economic land; the state also losses IGR accruable from the entire value chain of vegetables and grains. The beautiful scenery of the Plateau is no longer attractive to tourists, with attendant loss of revenue.

    Permit us to acknowledge the role of the security agencies in the state. Without the presence of the Special Task Force, the situation would have been worse. The bravery of the Nigerian military is commendable. This was demonstrated several times. Notably, we acknowledge their role in warding off the attack on Kwi village in July this year. We however call on the military authorities to cull the bad eggs amongst them. For these few unprofessional soldiers, life is for sale and the highest bidder curries their favour. We are aware that those arrested in the past walk freely on the streets now. It has been brought to our notice that about a dozen heavily armed men were apprehended this week by the STF and handed over to the police. We have it on good authority that the police is under intense pressure to release these men and to look the other way.

    After all, the protesters put up some demands on the federal government; “We call on the Federal Government to deploy military high-command centers to be stationed in strategic locations within the state, fully equipped with surveillance equipment and hardware. The centers should have a rapid emergency dial code, to facilitate quick communication and a helicopter and vehicles to shorten response time.

    We call on the Federal Government to issue an ultimatum to the Nigerian Army to end the mindless killings of innocent people, especially women and children in Plateau State within 3 months as applied to the northeast insurgency.

    “As a matter of priority, the STF should work closely with the local communities in information gathering and utilization. Many of these attacks would have been forestalled had the STF been looped into the informal communication network that the natives share. Allegations of impropriety by soldiers should be thoroughly investigated. This is one way to engender trust between the communities and their benefactors – the soldiers.

    “We call on NEMA to urgently live up to its constitutional mandate of providing first-line relief to IDPs who suffer incalculable deprivation, and are currently suffering the effects of an inclement weather. Mattresses, bed nets, beddings, water supply, food and toilet facilities are either absent or in short supply.

    “Victims of these attacks should be resettled, rehabilitated and compensated, in a similar fashion as planned for victims of terror attacks in the Northeast.

    We urge the Federal Government to profile and classify these attacks as acts of terrorism and to diligently prosecute all arrested attackers.”

     

  • Market killings: Police quiz nine NDLEA officials

    Market killings: Police quiz nine NDLEA officials

    The police in Abia State command have started interrogating nine staff of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency who were said to have been involved in the shootings at Ariaria International Market on July 31.

    The officers reportedly went to “Black Kingdom” (a popular drug market located around the Bakassi Shoe Plaza) to arrest a drug dealer.

    It was alleged that when the operation failed, the NDLEA men   started shooting in the market at the peak of business activities which resulted in the death of some shoemakers while over six others were injured.

    The Abia State Commander of the anti-drug agency, Mr. Dele Akingbade promised that the agency was going to cooperate with the police in their investigation on the matter, adding that they would also be looking at the type of the ammunition  retrieved from the deceased and injured persons on the fateful day in order to ascertain whether it was the one used by the agency or not.

    The Abia State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ezekiel Onyeke Udeviotu confirmed that nine persons from NDLEA reported to be among the personnel of the drug law agency that went for the Ariaria operation were undergoing interrogation at the State Criminal Investigation Department.

    Udeviotu also said that Fire Arms Experts would be involved for analysis to ascertain the owners of ammunition that were used during the operation if the need arises, even as he expressed confidence that the panel investigating the incident were professionals who would to do a thorough job.

    “We can’t say that all of them were involved in the shooting. There so many issue surrounding the incident. It is not just the issue of people who went to work we equally have the issue of who shot and what made them to shoot. It is not something that we are going to do overnight. I don’t know the level of investigation and would not want to preempt the outcome of the investigation. Put I can confirm that they are in our custody and that they are helping us with the investigation.

    The caliber of the ammunition that were used will be determined by the people investigating the matter at the state CID and fire arm experts will be involved if the need be. But I must tell you that I am confident that the people doing the investigation will do a very good and thorough job. So, if the need to verify the type of ammunition arises, the fire arm experts will be involved in the matter” the PPRO stated.

    Meanwhile, traders at the Shoe Line where the incident happened have expressed worries that the NDLEA officials involved in the mayhem were yet to be brought to book in order to serve as a determent to others and however, advised the agency to ensure that they organized training courses for their officers on gun handling in order to ensure that there won’t be a recurrence of such.

    According to one of them who gave his name as Chukwuma, “There is no amount of punishment given to them (NDLEA) staff that would be enough to pay for the death of the three persons that died that very day.

    “All we want is for the officers that were involved in the unfortunate incident to be brought to book. But let me also advice that the NDLEA should regularly send their officers to shooting training. They should be properly thought on how to handle gun and what to do even when they want to scare people away from mobbing them as they claim was the case that unfortunate incident happened.

    “How can trained personnel of the drug agency while wanting to allegedly scare away people bend down and started shooting sporadically? Is that what they (NDLEA) teach their personnel? I am not sure that that is the case, but if that is the case, I guess it was high they were restricted from using arms. It is untrained personnel that will behave the way the officers behaved.

    “This should not be swept under the carpet. Let the investigating officers at the Abia State Command do a thorough and professional job to ensure that justice was done in this matter”, he pleaded.

     

  • In Plateau, the killings return after respite

    In Plateau, the killings return after respite

    The killings that had held some communities in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, Plateau State bound for long returned at a time it was thought that peace had finally returned to the area. YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU x-rays the renewed violence and the attendant humanitarian problems.

    The ongoing efforts by stakeholders, particularly the Plateau State Government, to restore peace in Berom land collapsed with another invasion allegedly masterminded by Fulani militia last week. This time, the centre of the bloodletting was Bisichi village in Foron District, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area. The invasion of the village resulted in the death of 10 Berom people, according to Bisichi Community Youth Leader, Mr. Mark Pam Bot.

    Narrating how the attack was carried out, Bot said: “This is not the first attack by Fulani militia in the locality. This time, the Fulani who are resident in the village went to hire some Fulani mercenaries from somewhere just to attack and kill Berom people.

    “Before now, there were reserved areas in our communities where we warned the Fulani herdsmen not to go to graze their cattle because such places are where our people perform their traditional rituals.

    “But each time the Fulani want to provoke an attack, they will go and graze their cattle in the forbidden areas. And each time they do that, they draw the anger of our people.

    “Our people have been warning them not to repeat the act, but because the Fulani are prepared for trouble, they keep going there.

    “You would realise that we also live with Hausa Muslims in the same village. But since they don’t rear cows, we are living peacefully with them.

    “The Fulani feel that no one can stop them from grazing. They also believe that nobody should restrict their cows from grazing.

    “But when they abuse the rules of the community and they are attacked, they vent their anger on our people in Bisichi village.

    “We learnt that they were attacked in Heipang for grazing in forbidden areas. We are not the ones that attacked them. But when they returned home, they launched an attack on us.”

    The Secretary of Fulani Cattle Breeders Association in Barkin Ladi, Adam Muhammed, however disputed Bot’s claims, saying that it was the Berom youths that came to surround Bisichi village to launch an attack on the Fulani residents, adding that it was the security agencies that rescued them from the attack.

    According to Muhammed, the Berom had killed seven Fulani people in the attack before the police came to their rescue.

    The accusations and counter-accusation notwithstanding, the conflict left in its trail some humanitarian concerns in the locality. Many victims of the violence writhe in severe pains at the Plateau Specialists Hospital in Jos.

    Curiously, all the injured victims in the hospital were Berom youths. One of them, a 19-year-old student of Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa, was seeing wallowing in pains in the hospital, having been shot in the left eye which his loved ones feared might have been lost. After the last surgical operation carried out on the eye, they said, there was no hope that he would see again.

    Many Berom people lost their homes to the latest attack. No fewer than 30 residential houses were demolished allegedly by Fulani militia. Owners of the affected homes are already taking refuge in a primary school within the locality. A visit to the school revealed the pains that filled the hearts of the victims. Their condition becomes even more pathetic considering that the rainy season is at its peak in the state. Women and children constituted the majority of the refugees in the camp. They were seen crying for help and relief materials.

    At the hospital, an elder brother of the victim, Geofrey Chuwang, who was at his bedside, said: “The boy came home from school to collect money for food. He was already returning to school when he was shot.

    “He was being escorted out of the village to where he could get a motor bike. All of a sudden, an armoured vehicle of the Special Task Force was coming towards them, and before they knew it, the soldiers opened fire and a bullet caught the innocent boy in the eye.

    “It was yesterday that the doctors conducted the second operation on the eye. They were not sure if the boy would be able to see with the eye again. He was never a part of any conflict. He was shot at about 11 am on Tuesday.”

    Chuwang, who also witnessed the crisis at Bisichi village, said: “Most of the killings during the attack were carried out by men of the Special Task Force and armed Fulani men. While the crisis in the village intensified, some youths went to convey a 90-year-old man from the village to another village where he would be safe. But a stray bullet hit him on their way and the old man died immediately.”

    Reliving the violent incident, Bot, the youth leader of Bisichi community, said the same Fulani who hired mercenaries to attack our people were also the ones who lied to the Special Task Force that they were being attacked by the Berom. “In response, the STF mobilised to hunt for Berom youths, and without hearing from us, the soldiers opened fire wherever they saw two people standing while armed Fulani men went behind to attack some other villages.

    “I can tell you the truth that soldiers of the STF opened fire on three Berom youths. They killed two of them while the third one escaped with bullet wounds. The same Fulani people mounted road block on the highway and attacked every motorist they saw. They killed two other Berom students found in one vehicle. They also headed to a farm where they shot and killed one old man by name Markus Dung.

    “The truth is that the STF aided the Fulani in killing many of our people. Apart from that, the Fulani took advantage of the soldiers’ support to enter into our farmlands to destroy maize farms.

    “There was a case where we reported to security agencies that we saw an armed Fulani man grazing his cattle on a farm. The Fulani man took to his heel on seeing that soldiers were coming to arrest him. While he was running, the magazine attached to his gun fell down and the soldiers picked it up. It was confirmed that the magazine contained 56 rounds of ammunition.”

    Fulani community leaders, speaking through the Secretary of Cattle Breeders Association, also known as Miyeti Allah, Adam Muhammed, said: “The Berom are only lying so as to cover up their own actions. We had earlier reported that seven of our men were killed by Berom youths without provocation. That was the action that provoked the violence, because we cannot wait until the Berom had killed all of us.

    “If not for the security agencies, the Berom would have wiped out the Fulani from these communities.”

    Considering the weight of the attacks on their kinsmen, the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM) has called on the Federal Government to ensure that justice is done over what they described as unprovoked attack in Bisichi village.

    A press statement signed by Chuwang, the President of the group, and the Secretary, Davou Gyang, demanded that those arrested by the STF in the course of the violence should be prosecuted for peace to reign in the locality and to serve as deterrent to others.

    The group said the militia Fulani did not only attack Berom homes and farms, they blocked the highway and attacked innocent travellers on Barkin Ladi Road. They alleged that at least 10 travellers were attacked and killed on the federal highway by some unknown gunmen last week in Bisichi village during the four-day carnage.

    The Berom youths also alleged that some Fulani headsmen suspected to have carried out the attacks on the highway were arrested by men of the Special Task Force (STF) code named Operation Safe Haven.

    The statement added: “We are seeking the intervention of the federal government in this case because very soon, the suspected militia caught by the Special Task Force will bribe their way and will be released and they will escape justice.

    “The federal government should make the STF to disclose the identity of the suspected terrorist group. Any attempt to allow them to go scot-free will attract serious protest across the state, because these are some of the unknown gunmen who attack us at night.”

    Dalyop noted that “while we commend members of the STF for this laudable feat, we wish to caution against any attempt to release these culprits without the law taking it full course on them. And any attempt in that regard shall be vehemently resisted within the ambit of the law.”

    The statement noted that, “Recently, 30 Berom Villages were razed completely and over 800 inhabitants of these villages killed. Among them were school principals, senior civil servants, farmers, traders, students and artisans who were ambushed in diverse locations while going about their legitimate duties, and over 500 inhabitants rendered homeless by the Fulani militias.

    “We wish to emphatically draw the Federal and Plateau State governments’ attention to these callous activities of the militias, which has over the years truncated the peace and serenity of Barkin-Ladi and parts of Jos South LGA without concerted efforts by the security outfits to thwart the persistent annihilation of the Berom nation by the heavily armed terrorists.

    “We wish to make it clear that we shall not continue to preach peace and harmony while we fold our arms and watch our enemies evict us from out territories, leaving us with the option of seeking refuge in other people’s lands. The government must live up to its task of guaranteeing security in all the troubled areas or else we seek possible ways of self defence and protection of our cherished heritage.”

    Meanwhile, the member representing Barkin Ladi/Riyom Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Istifanus Gyang, has appealed to both the Berom and the Fulani to sheathe their swords for peace to reign in the constituency.

    Reacting to the renewed violence in the constituency, the federal lawmaker said: “Our internal peace effort is failing because of external factors. The invasion by militia men from outside the state is causing us serious problems. That is why we have some discordant voices on this crisis.

    “The discordant voices can be categorised into three: those who have objective understanding of the underlying ​factors and are genuinely desirous of finding a lasting solution; those who are ignorant and express their ignorance on the ​issue and those whose perspectives are informed by prejudice, sentiment, ​partisanship and hate.”

    He added: “In morality and in law, wrong is wrong and right is right irrespective of who does it or who it affects. That is why neither God nor law has respect for persons. I am therefore calling on all men of goodwill who are advocates of peace to join me in my commitment to rebranding Barkin Ladi-Riyom Federal Constituency of Plateau State from an axis of violence and bloodshed to one of peace and prosperity. May we rise beyond ethnic and religious sentiment and become advocates of national integration, peace and harmonious coexistence.”

    Hon Gyang also said: “My constituents who elected me, including Berom, Atten, Attakar, Hausa, Fulani, Ngas, Taroh, Mwaghavul, Ron, Idoma and Yoruba, they did so on the basis of a clear legislative agenda that gave primacy to the restoration of peace and security to the people. You can therefore only imagine the pain in my heart when the attacks and killings are persisting.

    “Options available to us in resolving this problem are twofold. The first is the deployment of conventional security of the military and police to vulnerable communities to protect law abiding citizens and end the attacks.

    “It was with this in mind that I raised a motion on the floor of the House and placed a demand on government under President Mohammadu Buhari, being the one that has the constitutional responsibility to protect every citizen, to issue a clear directive to the military high command to act decisively to end the attacks. Once this is done, it will create an enabling environment for the peace option to materialise.

    “We have elaborate peace architecture at the level of advocacy and practice by which we shall partner with state and non-state actors in constructive community dialogue towards the attainment of lasting peace through mediation, conciliation and healing of fractured relationships.”

  • 11 NDLEA personnel in police net over alleged Ariaria killings

    11 NDLEA personnel in police net over alleged Ariaria killings

    Police in Abia State on Friday said 11 personnel of the National Drug Law Enforcement (NDLEA) who allegedly raided the drug section of Ariaria Market, Aba, on July 31, had been arrested.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Mr Udeviotu Onyeke, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Aba.

    It will be recalled that in the raid on drug hotspot popularly known as ‘’Black kingdom’’ allegedly carried out a combined team of NDLEA, Army and the Police, two persons were confirmed dead, while six others sustained various degrees of bullet wounds.

    Onyeke said that the suspects, though participated in the raid, may not be responsible for the killings, explaining that they were all taken into custody to aid investigations.

    He said that the investigation may not be completed quickly because the persons involved were security agents and not ordinary civilians.

    According to him, if the investigations are done hurriedly, it may not bring satisfactory result, which is not what the people want.

    The PPRO said that any of the suspects found liable may not be taken straight to court for trial ‘’because they are security agents’’.

    ‘’They will first go through certain internal procedures and punishments by their organisations before they can be turned-in for court trials.

    “So, I urge the people to be patient so that the investigations will be done thoroughly and with satisfactory results,” he said.