The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Makurdi

  • Two policemen killed in Makurdi

    Two policemen attached to the Benue State Civil Service Secretariat were shot dead by suspected robbers yesterday.

    The hoodlums allegedly carted away money meant for the Ministry of Finance.

    An eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, said he heard sporadic gunshots at Ishaya Bakut junction, off Makurdi-Otukpo at 3pm.

    According to him, two men waylaid a government van with two policemen and a lady, who was later identified as a cashier with the ministry.

    “They shot the front tyres and brought the van to a halt. As the policemen attempt to return fire, the suspects opened fire and killed them; they then took a big bag and fled in their Toyota Corolla vehicle.

    The incident created a gridlock on Ishaya Bakut Road, which is a stone’s throw from the B Division.

    Police spokesman Daniel Ezeala told The Nation that the two policemen accompanied the cashier to the bank to withdraw money.

    Ezeala said the driver was arrested while the cashier is receiving treatment in the hospital.

    Commissioner for Finance Omadachi Oklobia said he cannot state exactly how much was withdrawn from the bank.

  • Makurdi’s new face at Yuletide

    Makurdi’s new face at Yuletide

    A time to travel, eat, drink and rest with loved ones. That is what Christmas is to many.

    For, Governor Gabriel Suswam, however, it is a time to work more and even take his people by surprise.

    During the Yuletide, the governor transformed Makurdi, the state capital, through a massive rehabilitation of   infrastructures, especially roads and public buildings.

    At the beginning of the December, the Ministry of Works, contracted Hajaig Construction Company to rehabilitate major township roads and streets in the state capital.

    Some of the popular streets and roads that were  rehabilitated  are Kashim Ibrahim Road on old GRA, Iyorchia Ayu Road in Wurukum, Old Otukpo Road, Ogiri Oko Road, all in Makurdi.

    The road leading to Government House Makurdi, where the  office and residence of Governor Gabriel Suswam was given a new look as asphalt was laid with  well pave street and flower planted in the middle .

    Apart from the roads and streets, attention was also given to almost all the round about in the state capital as they wear a new look.

    From Wurkum Round about, Mr, Biggs Roundabout, Highllevel Roundabout, Police headquarters Roundabout and Government House Roundabout were lavishly decorated bythe state government in preparation  for the Yuletide .

    Each roundabout was painted in black and white colours, with Christmas trees and light that illuminated the city at night through the period of Christmas and New year.

    Government House  Makurdi, the seat of power also witness massive renovations and decorations, with each section of the three wing building which housed the governor’s office, and that of the governor’s wife, Chief of Staff and Permanent Secretary,  Government House Administration change into christmas colours and lights.

    In a telephone interview with The Nation, Commissioner for Works, Hon. John Ngbede gave reasons for the massive renovations of Makurdi township  roads during festive season.

    “Christmas and New Year are a festive season  and there is expected high  volume of vehicular and human movement. As a  responsible government there is need to put in place critical infrastructure to boost the tourism sector.

    Ngbede said that Benue is one of the most peaceful states in the country today, and tourism is  the fourth money spinning industry  in the country, so the duty of government is to create the enabling environment to attract investors and holiday makers. He said roads are a critical sector which can boost economy of a state.

    Apart from festive season, the works commissioner noted that dry season just set in after heavy rains and it is the best period to renovate or  construct  roads.

    But in all, he said the road was to welcome back Benue indigenes who were away within and outside the country to appreciate what democracy is all about, so that they can also find an opportunity to invest back home and contribute to the development of the state.

    Mr Felix Atume, a lecturer with Federal University of Technology Minna, who was recently home commended the government for the massive rehabilitated road and decoration of streets in Christmas colours. Mr Atume said Governor Suswam has taken Makurdi to a higher level and called on those in diapora to support his administration.

    For fun seekers during the Yuletide, it was a befitting Christmas with colours and illuminations reflecting the new look of the state capital.

  • Counting the cost of Tiv/Fulani clashes

    Counting the cost of Tiv/Fulani clashes

    The Tiv/Fulani conflict has led to the displacement of over 50,000 persons, Godswill Chris reports from Makurdi

    Fear and grief have seized residents of Daudu, a modestly developing town in Guma Local Government council of Benue State following the recent Fulani invasion of some of the neighbouring villages. Over 30 persons died in that attack while properties worth millions of naira were destroyed.

    The recent attack in about five electoral wards in Guma and Makurdi local councils has led to the displacement of over 50 thousand persons across over 100 settlements and some villages.

    Some of the major towns and villages affected in Makurdi and Guma local government councils include Mbalagh, Agan, Ayaka, Torkula, Yogbo, Udei.

    The latest invasion by the Fulani militias leading to massive migration of the people to Daudu, a relatively peaceful town in Guma Local Government has created a big challenge for the state government and security agencies because of their guerrilla style of operation.

    According to one of the eyewitnesses, Mr. Igbaja Ibawa from Kwahemba Dam village, who was lucky to escape with his family to Makurdi, the strategy employed by the Fulani invaders caught them unaware, “they attack when we are in the farm, church or sleeping”.

    Mr. Ibawa was lucky to have found his way to a nearby village through the bush-path before proceeding to Makurdi to join his relatives, but that was not the same story for his kinsmen namely, Kwahemba Anyoko, Iowuese Inja, Danear Ibi and Kwahemba Dan, who lost their lives in the process.

    Narrating his story in Makurdi, he said, “I’m shocked because of the sudden death of these my brothers because these Fulani came in their numbers killing our people and destroying our houses”.

    The aftermath of the negative effect of these periodic killings is the influx of people to Daudu and Makurdi towns. Daudu town located about 20km from Makurdi, the Benue State capital, is currently over-populated as the people live in abject poverty and poor sanitary conditions with no assistance from either the state or federal governments.

    A visit to Dauda town shows that most of the displaced people in Dauda are either forced by circumstances to sleep in the Daudu market stalls or at the primary schools, while those with relations in Daudu and Makurdi have to make do with whatever is given to them in the name of accommodation.

    There is another unfortunate scenario: most of the displaced children are no longer going to school; many of them are seen hawking and engaging in other forms of economic activities to alleviate their plight.

    Also speaking, but looking helpless, Torjir Sabo described the lukewarm attitude of their elected representative and the Benue State government for not coming to their aid as very unfortunate. Mr. Sabo whose house was burnt down, lamented the way and manner security agencies are equally handling the ugly situation, which, according to him, has claimed thousands of lives and property worth million since 2011.

    The pastor of Mountain of Fire and Miracle, Pastor Augustine Igor acknowledged the high influx of displaced persons in Daudu town, resulting from the attacks in some neighbouring villages.

    “Well, we will not stop praying and believing that God will bring this ugly trend to an end.

    Speaking further, Pastor Igor said, “For now, the church branch at Udei has been closed because six persons were killed in the church there. The Daudu branch is currently trying to see how to alleviate some of the burdens of the refugees by giving out rice, yam and cloths donated by some members and the little resources the church can generate”.

    The man of God however observed that both the federal and state government have not  really done enough to address the security challenges in these affected areas, “while there are still drawing out road map to lasting peace, the need to send relief materials to these displaced persons need not be over-emphasized”.

    In an open letter to the President by concerned Tiv people of Mbagwen extraction in Guma local government council, the community stated that the Fulani fighters went into the hinterland and villages and compounds, killing and burning down houses and farm produce.

    The letter which was signed by the president of the community, Mr. William Iorshagher, the Secretary, Sylvester Ihyah, Chairman, Mbagwen Emergency Relief Management Committee, Ignatius Tsa and Secretary (MERMC) Michael Ubah, pointed out that this barbaric act has rendered the affected persons homeless as they now have no shelter.

    The Mbagwen community described the klling of Tiv people by Fulani militias as unacceptable and appeals to the President to set up a judicial commission of inquiry to unravel the remote and immediate causes of constant Fulani/Tiv feud in some parts of Makurdi and Guma.

    They equally appealed to the federal government to provide shelter and relief materials  to the affected people to alleviate their suffering; they also made a case fro the provision of security at the border of Benue and Nasarawa states, provide grazing areas for Fulani cattle and finding lasting peace and tranquility among the Tiv and Fulani.

    The refugees look helpless and uncertain about when to return to their various villages. Before they return, though, they worry about day-to-day living.

  • Air Force, community disagree in Makurdi over land

    There is tension at Akpen, a Makurdi suburb that is the host community of the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) Tactical Air Command (TAC).

    A few days ago,  personnel marked over 150,000 houses in the community for demolition and threatened to eject the occupants.

    They are claiming that the land belongs to them, but the residents told The Nation that they had been occupying the land since 1970 and that the NAF base was built in 1973.

    When our reporter visited the community, which is located on the Makurdi-Gboko Road, youths, women and men gathered in groups, preparing for a showdown with “anyone who would ask us to vacate our land”.

    A businessman, who built a filling station at Akpen, Dr. Paul Ubwa, told The Nation that he was given the land by a chief in the area, and there was a demarcation between NAF’s land and the host community’s.

    He alleged that Air Force men, a few days ago, stormed the community with guns and harassed women and children.

    Ubwa urged the Benue State Government to instruct the commander of the Base Service Group to restrain his men from further harassing innocent people who they are supposed to protect.

    The community leader, Chief Clement Chia, alleged that three of the youths had been whisked away to the NAF Base.

    He recalled that the youths were cleaning St. Francis Church, Akpen premises when Air Force men stormed the place, bundled them into their van, took them to their base where they tortured them by inflicting injuries on their bodies.

    The chairman of the Church Council, Gabriel Ator, said St. Francis Parish covers 2.6 hectares and the worshippers have been under intimidation and harassment by Air Force men, who had mounted a roadblock opposite the church.

    NAF Tactical Air Command spokesman, Squadron Leader Obi Obasi, told our reporter that he was not aware of the incident and declined to comment on the matter.

  • Floods destroy property in Makurdi, others

    Monday night downpour in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, and several other towns has caused heavy flooding of over 50 homes and destruction of property worth millions of naira.

    The rains began at 11pm on Monday and lasted till 9am yesterday. It was accompanied by thunder and windstorms, which uprooted trees and blew off homes in Gyado Villa, Idye, Agboul villages, including Wadata and Wurukum.

    Residents said there were no signs that the rain would fall before the downpour started.

    They said this made it impossible for them to evacuate their wares from their shops and their personal belongings from their homes.

    Environment Commissioner Eugene Aliegba said there had been frequent disposal of refuse into drainage, which caused blocked gutters.

    Mr. Paul Oche, a resident of Idye village, told The Nation that during the rains, he and other members of his family packed their mattresses and valuable documents to the roof top of their home to protect them from damage.

    “That was how we saved some of our property,” Oche said.

  • LOBI STARS TRIALS: Over 20 players storm Makurdi camp

    LOBI STARS TRIALS: Over 20 players storm Makurdi camp

    More than twenty new players arrived Lobi Stars training camp at the Maccdhy stadium, Markurdi for trials on Monday, it has learnt.

    A club official told SportingLife that the club was amazed with the eagerness shown by the players during the training session yesterday.

    The Markurdi-based side, which made top-four finish last season, wrapped up the first stanza of the ongoing Globacom Premier League on 12th position.

    SportingLife understands that the club is trying to secure the services of five experienced players to improve on the team’s position on the league table.

    “Every player wanted to play for Lobi Stars. I can tell you that more than twenty players came to our training camp for trials on Monday. You can see the seriousness in them. But it is a pity that we can’t pick more than five.

    “The club still hopeful that we can repeat the feat achieved last season. We want to create competition in the team by signing players in all departments. We want to add force to our attack, bring in goalkeeper with additional one or two creative midfielders,” a source said.

    “This is the second stanza and we can’t afford to fail. This is the only chance to make amend and we have to use it wisely. We want experienced and established players. I think by this week Friday we should round up the training and pick the best five among them.”

  • 70 Catholic Churches burnt in Benue crises – official

    The Catholic Church in Benue says 70 of its Churches have been destroyed in the crises that rocked Benue in the past few months.

    Rev. Felix Apine, Coordinator, Justice Development and Peace Commission (JDPC), an outreach arm of the Church, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi that the destroyed Churches were outreach arms of the Diocese.

    “Thirty Churches, mostly outreach stations in Gwer West Local Government were either burnt or completely destroyed, while the parishioners had fled to other villages for safety.

    “The remaining 40 are in Guma Local Government Area,’’ he said.

    The cleric said that primary and secondary schools belonging to the Diocese in the affected areas had also been destroyed.

    The Secretary to the Catholic Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Rev. Fr. Moses Mbachie, who also spoke to NAN, confirmed that “more than 70 Churches” had been destroyed and described the situation as “very sad’’.

    The Director, Information and Communication of the Diocese, Rev. Dr Moses Iorapuu, also spoke on the issue and said that the development was indeed saddening.

    “The situation is very bad; in fact, you can go to the affected parishes to physically ascertain the damage yourself,’’ he said.

    Archbishop Yiman Orkwar, Benue Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), who also confirmed the destruction of Churches and schools, however, said that CAN was still taking inventory of the total number of Churches destroyed.

    Reacting to the claims, Mr Daniel Ezeala, Public Relations Officer, Benue Police Command said that the command was not aware of such destruction.

    Ezeala told NAN that the command had not been informed of such destruction and alleged that people were just coming up with “all kinds of speculations about things that never happened.”

    NAN reports that the state had been turned into a theatre of various types of crises allegedly between herdsmen and Tiv farmers mostly in the hinterlands.

  • Police recover 2 bodies at Annune, Adaka villages near Makurdi

    The Benue Police Command on Friday said two bodies with wounds suspected to be gun shots, had been recovered at Annune and Adaka villages near Makurdi.

    Its Public Relations Officer, DSP Daniel Ezeala, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi that the corpses were discovered by men of the Anti- Riot squad who were drafted to the area to maintain peace and order.

    He, however, denied claims by residents of Adaka village that Fulani herdsmen had invaded the village and were killing Tiv people.

    Ezeala said the claims were “unfounded”. “What actually happened was that some of the villagers saw two armed men at Adaka village and got panicky.

    “some of them started fleeing the village,” the police officer said.

    Ezeala said the command had since deployed its anti-riot squad to forestall any break down of law and order in the area.

    The spokesman said that normalcy had since been restored while the villagers had already returned to their homes.

    But some of the villagers, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), however disagreed with the claims that normalcy had returned to the area.

    Three women, Mzamber Adaka, Patricia Agema and Rose Ngbata, told NAN that the armed men were “still in the village”.

    “The armed men are still attacking people.

    “We fled the village to Adeekke because we some of our people had been killed and the dead bodies left on the streets,” the fear-stricken women told NAN.

    Our correspondent found that other villagers had fled to the neighbouring settlements.

    NAN also reports that gunmen had persistently invaded some Tiv settlements on the border line with Nasarawa, leading to clashes that often result to several casualties, mostly women and children.

  • Youths light up Makurdi at Yuletide

    Youths light up Makurdi at Yuletide

    The weather was friendly. The sun shone brightly out of an azure sky. It was a day of cultural spectacle in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, and residents soaked it all up in grand style.

    The youths sang and danced, some staging a memorable procession through the capital city to mark the annual Benue Youth Pageant organised by the Office of the Special Assistant to Governor Suswam on Students and Youth Affairs.

    There was traffic gridlock along the designated routes of the carnival procession for several hours. Some of the major streets where traffic was heavy as a result of the procession were Wurukum, High-level Roundabout, up to Old Oturkpo Road and IBB Square.

    The youth, dressed in their various traditional regalia, matched through the major roads in Makurdi, even as residents lined up the streets in their numbers to catch a glimpse of splendid cultural display by Benue youths.

    Over 100,000 youths from the 23 local government areas and some African countries like Cameron, Niger and Ghana participated in the youth carnival.

    Miss Benue Carnival led the procession which started from Benue State University, Makurdi and terminated at the gigantic IBB Square.

    Children within the age range of between five and 10 years were not left of the carnival train as they competed favourably with adults in the procession. They danced and sang in the scorching sun during the five hours the street procession lasted.

    Benue State youth and cultural carnival has become famous since its inception three years ago when the Special Assistant to the Governor on Students and Youths Affairs, Terfa Akem initiated it. The carnival is a showcase for the rich cultural heritage of the people.

    The state governor Gabriel Suswam, represented by his deputy Chief Steven Lawani, described the carnival as the best in the country, even as he directed the Ministry for Culture and Tourism to help package the next edition of the carnival.

    Chief Lawani further stated that he has watched many carnivals but that of Benue State is the best and unique in nature as the cultural heritage of the people of Benue State has been richly preserved through the event which attracted hundreds of people to IBB Square in Makurdi.

  • Makurdi transformed at Yuletide

    Makurdi transformed at Yuletide

    Makurdi, the capital of Benue State, has been transformed in the spirit of the season.

    Every roundabout in the metropolis has been decorated to reflect the mood. From Wurukum Roundabout to Mr. Biggs to High-Level to Government House, bright and colourful decorations have changed the ambience. Banners in different colours flutter in the wind.

    All the major streets in the state capital are enjoying fresh coats of white and black paint while Christmas lights are seen  in strategic places.

    The roads are also rehabilitated, while collapsed portions are reconstructed and put into shape for smoother vehicular movement.Armed policemen,Civil Defence Corps and Federal Road Safety Corps personnel are in strategic places watching over life and property. A Government House source said the new look is part of  efforts to beautify the city for the festivities and also make it attractive to tourists.