The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Makurdi

  • Gunmen raid filling station in Makurdi

    Gunmen yesterday attacked Verhemba petrol station in Makurdi and made away with undisclosed amount of money.

    The gunmen, numbering no fewer than 10, stormed the petrol station located opposite a popular drinking joint called Officon on Makurdi – Otukpo at about 2 am and operated unchallenged till 5am.

    One of the station’s security guards, Kabiru, who sustained injuries, told our correspondent he was sleeping outside because of intense heat when the gunmen pounced on him, tied his hands and forced him into another room.

    Kabiru stated the gunmen broke into offices one after another just as they ransacked drawers and carted away valuables.

    He added they broke the steel safe and made away with undisclosed amounts of money.

    The Divisional Police Officer in E Division Makurdi said investigations had commenced into the incident.

    It was also gathered another petrol station was attacked the same night.

     

  • 2019: former Benue varsity VC, 9 others jostle for PDP governorship ticket

    As politicians prepare for the 2019 general elections, Prof. David Ker, former Vice Chancellor, Benue State University, Makurdi, and nine others have indicated interest in the Benue governorship seat.

    The News men reports, Ker, who is seeking to contest on the platform of the PDP, will slug it out with Dr. Terhemen Tarzoor, the party’s flag bearer in 2015, lost to Governor Samuel Ortom.

    Other aspirants include Mr Felix Atume, Dr. Gabriel Nyitse, Mr David Iorhemba, Dr. Paul Orhii, Mr John Tondu, Dr. Stephen Hwande, Mr Richard Gbawuan and Prof. Tor Iorapuu.

    The news men reports that the aspirants met with the state working committee of the party on Friday in Makurdi, to formally intimate it of their interest.

    At the meeting, the PDP chairman in the state, Mr John Ngbede, assured the aspirants and other PDP members of free, fair and credible party primaries ahead of the 2019 elections.

    Ngbede said that the meeting had created a forum for interaction between the party leadership and the aspirants, adding that it would foster unity and engender healthy contest for the party’s ticket.

    Read Also: Buhari to rehabilitate 175,000 IDPs in Benue

    He promised to hold primary elections that would be accepted by all aspirants, and cautioned against desperate tactics.
    “The people of Benue are desirous of returning the PDP to power in 2019; we cannot afford to disappoint them,’’ he said.

    He restated the pledge by the party’s National Chairman, Uche Secondus, that PDP would correct past mistakes, and called on the voters to give the party another chance.

    “We have learnt a lot from our past. Impunity and imposition of candidates by party leaders will not be allowed,” he said.

    The chairman advised the aspirants and their supporters to avoid negative campaigns against one another, pointing out that they were one family determined to save Benue from collapse.

    The news men reports that the 10 governorship aspirants pledged their loyalty to the party, and promised to accept the outcome of the party’s primary election.

    The aspirants, in separate remarks, however, stressed the need for a free, fair and transparent primary election so as to boost mutual confidence, ensure togetherness and engender co-operation.

    NAN

  • UNHCR urges Cameroonian to respect human rights

    The United Nations High Commission for Refugees ( UNHCR ) has appealed to the Government of Cameroon to respect human rights of all citizens for the sake of peace.

    The commission’s representative in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Antonio Canhandula, made the appeal while speaking with newsmen on Monday in Makurdi.

    Canhandula said the instability in Anglophone Cameroon had forced thousands of citizens to seek asylum in Nigeria.

    He said Cameroonian Government should explore alternative ways of engaging with those who feel aggrieved for the sake of peace and that both parties should respect human rights.

    “UNHCR urges the Government of Cameroon to explore ways of engaging with those who feel aggrieved, for the sake of peace.

    “We also reiterate the need for respect of human rights by all parties involved,’’ Canhandula said.

    He said the refugees complained of exclusion from the national life by the Cameroonian Government, political processes and important positions in the government.

    “Longstanding grievances against the central government in Cameroon took a new turn in 2016 when a group of Anglophone Cameroonians triggered civil society-led demonstrations.

    “This was based on allegations of marginalisation by the authorities, particularly in the education and justice system.

    “Initially, the protesters called for the return to a federal system of government and greater autonomy.

    “However, on Oct. 1, 2017, the separatist movement, Ambazonia Governing Council, declared unilaterally the independence of Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest Regions.

    “Tensions ensued with government security forces clashing with movement, resulting in injuries and deaths and leading to an influx of English-speaking Cameroonians into Nigeria.

    “Critics accused government forces of killing dozens of civilians while the administration is also alleging that suspected separatists have killed more than 10 security personnel since the crisis intensified in October.’’

    Canhandula further said that the UNHCR had registered 20,485 Cameroonian refugees seeking asylum in Benue, Cross River and Akwa Ibom states.

    He explained that the commission also opened a permanent office for the coordination of their activities in Calabar, Cross River, field offices in Adikpo, Benue and Ikom in Cross River.

    Read Also: UNHCR launches $157m appeal fund for Boko Haram victims

    The UNHCR representative said that the Benue Government had allocated 191 hectares of land for the settlement of refugees in Kwande Local Government Area.

    He added that the site was being developed.

    According to him, each site has the capacity to host 4,000 persons.

    He, however, said that the influx is expected to continue and there is the need for more land in Benue.

    “We are still working with the state authorities in Cross River to identify a suitable location to move the refugees away from the border in line with international standards.

    “Issues of accessibility, security, topography, water resources, absorption capacity and good terrain for sanitation facilities are taken into consideration while selecting potential refugee sites.’’

    Canhandula said the commission was yet to gain access to Akwaya, where some Nigerian refugees in Cameroon were located.

    “The Akwaya sub-division, in particular, hosts small refugee population of around 1,800 Nigerians and around 600 Cameroonian returnees, who had been refugees in Nigeria before being repatriated in 2015 and 2016.

    “This area is very difficult to access, particularly during the rainy season.

    “Nevertheless, our office in Cameroon is working to organise an assessment mission there.

    “But we cannot provide first-hand information at this moment,’’ he said.

    NAN

  • Southern Kaduna elders back Ortom on ranching

    The Southern Kaduna Elders Forum has thrown its weight behind the Government and people of Benue State on implementation of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law as the best solution for herdsmen crisis in the state and other parts of the country.

    The Forum, led by its Chairman, retired General Zamani Lekwot and President, Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, Mr. Solomon Musa, on Tuesday made its position known when it paid a courtesy visit on Governor Samuel Ortom at the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi.

    General Lekwot expressed the support of the group to the Governor for the ranching law initiative, stressing that it was the only tool for peace between farmers and herders and for stability in the society.

    He said the population of Nigeria had increased without an increase in land and the need to adopt new trends in animal husbandry was imperative.

    Read Also: Ortom: I’m having sleepless nights over IDPs

    Earlier, President, Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, Mr. Musa said they shared in the grief and pains of Governor Ortom and people of the state, noting that they were together in prayers that God would expose the evil agenda and disgrace the perpetrators of attacks on innocent Nigerians.

    Responding, Governor Ortom stated that the crisis in Benue State caused by Fulani herdsmen was about occupation of the land and not for grazing purposes.

    The Governor said attackers of the state had admitted responsibility of their actions through various published statements and had not hidden their agenda.

    He disclosed that after the 73 victims were given mass burial on January 11, over 80 people had been killed in Logo, Guma and Okpokwu, stressing that people were being slaughtered in the state without any justification.

    Governor Ortom decried continued attacks on Benue communities with attendant increment in the number of Internally Displaced Persons, saying his concern was for people to return to their homes and continue with normal activities.

    He also commiserated with the people of Southern Kaduna over similar herdsmen attacks.

  • UMTE : JAMB assures candidates of hitch-free exams in Benue

    UMTE : JAMB assures candidates of hitch-free exams in Benue

    Mr Oise Ofala, the Benue Coordinator of Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB), has assured candidates writing the Unified Tertiary Examinations (UMTE) in the state of hitch-free examination.

    Ofala tod the Newsmen on Friday in Makurdi that JAMB staff involved in the examination as well as security personnel detailed to monitor the exercise had been assigned to the centres.

    He said the Computer Based Test (CBT) would be conducted in 12 centres spread across the three Senatorial districts of the state.

    The coordinator said that two security personnel had been assigned to each centre and assured that the back-up coverage would accommodate any computer challenge during the examination.

    Read Also: UTME 2018: JAMB vows to fight malpractice, cautions against fraudsters

    “We are 100 per cent ready and prepared for the examination; two security personnel are assigned to every centre. We are not relying on public power supply as we have our generators.

    ” Every centre has the capacity to carry 250 candidates per session and some centres can carry up to three sessions per day,” he said.

    He, however, declined to mention the number of candidates writing the examination in the state.

    ” I do not have that statistics; the whole thing was done before my arrival. As you can see, I just took over as the state coordinator,” he said.

    Newsmen Report that the examination will be conducted in Makurdi, Gboko, Katsina-Ala, Oju and Otukpo.

    NAN

  • Air Force Graduates Pilots for Unmanned Aircrafts

    Air Force Graduates Pilots for Unmanned Aircrafts

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Monday said it has graduated the first set in-house trained pilots for its Remotely Piloted Aircrafts (RPA).

    According to a statement endorsed by the Director of Public Relations and Information of the NAF, Air Vice Marshal Olatokunbo Adesanya, the newly trained five pilots were decorated with their wings by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar at the NAF Base Makurdi.

    The statement by AVM Adesanya reads: “The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on 2 March 2018 graduated the first set of in-house trained pilots for its Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), as part of the human capacity development initiatives of the current NAF leadership.

    “The 5 newly trained RPA pilots were decorated with their ‘wings’ by the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base at Maiduguri. The training of the new Pilots commenced in 2016 at the 401 Flying Training School, Kaduna, following which they later converted on the CH-3A RPA.

    “The CH-3A RPA conversion training, which started in May 2017, covered areas such as Ground Academics, General Airmanship, Instruments, Situational Awareness, Radiotelephony, Boldface exercises as well as handling of simulated and real emergencies.

    “The entire programme lasted about 2 years while the CH-3A RPA specifics phase lasted for 10 months, culminating in check rides for each of the 5 new RPA pilots. At the moment, the new pilots each have nearly a hundred hours each on the CH-3A RPA.

    “The CH-3A RPA, which formed part of the training platforms, is currently deployed in the North East, where the Air Task Force of Operation LAFIYA DOLE is using it against Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs).

    “With several hundreds of flight hours on the CH-3A RPA alone since induction three years ago, the NAF has developed commendable experience in its RPA operations. In the process, the CH-3A RPA, in combat role, has successfully delivered its ordnances against BHTs targets with high degrees of precision and accuracy, both day and night.

    ” With the recent feat of being able to train the pilots of the RPA in-house, the NAF is now poised to train additional batches of Student Pilots for its RPAs. This would ensure the availability of the required manpower, at minimal cost, to man the NAF’s RPAs, which are expected to increase in the coming years.

    “It would be recalled that the NAF recently inducted the first indigenous operational Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), named Tsaigumi, in its resolve to enhance its Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance capabilities.

    “Meanwhile, plans are already underway to mass produce the Tsaigumi UAV as well as develop the nation’s first indigenous Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle, which would be in the league of the CH-3A RPA”.

  • Makurdi records first rainfall in 2018

    Makurdi records first rainfall in 2018

    Makurdi, the Benue capital city on Friday recorded its first rain fall in 2018.

    Our reporter records that that the rain which was preceded by a mild breeze, started at about 10 PM and lasted till 1 AM on Saturday.

    NAN reports that the rain arrived much earlier than last year when it came in March.

    Apart from 2014 which experienced early showers, the rain always set in around March.

    NAN reports that the heatwave that had tormented Makurdi residents has eased for a more humid weather with farmers warming for an early commencement of the cropping season.

    Read Also:  February rain: NMeTs predicts bumper harvest in 2018

  • Missing N36m: Sen. Sani storms JAMB Hdqtrs with snake charmers

    Missing N36m: Sen. Sani storms JAMB Hdqtrs with snake charmers

    The Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Sen. Shehu Sani has today stormed the headquarters of the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board in Bwari, FCT with snake charmers.

    Sani said, the visit, was with a view to getting to the bottom of the issue surrounding the reported case of missing N36 million from the JAMB office in Makurdi, Benue.

    Philomena Chieshe, a sales clerk in the JAMB office, Makurdi, told the JAMB registrar and his team that “she could not account for the N36 million she made in previous years before the abolition of scratch cards.

    “In the course of interrogation, Philomena denied the allegations that she stole the money but confessed that her housemaid connived with another JAMB staff to spiritually (through a snake) steal the money from the vault in the account office”, the report said.

    According to Sani, his visit to JAMB is in response to the story that a snake swallowed N36 million.

    He lamented that it was of concern that such a huge sum of money was reported to have been swallowed by a snake.

    “I believe that the contribution I can make is to bring snake charmers from my constituency to the JAMB office and to help them fish out the snake and weed out snakes from their premises.”

    Sani further said that if a snake could actually swallow N36 million, one day Nigerians may wake up to say that a snake had swallowed the country’s foreign reserve.

    “I believe that my contribution to JAMB will help them fish out snakes within the office.

    “Even if it is a spiritual matter, we believe that these people I brought, they are some of the best snake charmers in the country and they will help in arresting both physical and spiritual snakes if there has been any in the JAMB office.”

    He explained that it was very clear the incident did not happen doing the tenure of the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede.

    “We are very proud of him. We believe he is someone who should continue to man this agency and he is acting in the right direction.

    “It is good for Nigerians to know this is what has been happening before he came into office. I believe the best thing we can do is to continue to support him.

    “People should understand the story which is very clear and if that is the case, if people, civil servants could have used the opportunity to have been in office to enrich themselves using snake stories.

    “It is high time for all Nigerians to know that there may be even dirty things happening in other places but this place has exposed it for us to see the truth and I’m very much happy about that.

    “We will continue to support him. And as far as we are concerned the story that public funds could be taken away by some people in the name of snake, it is virtually unacceptable.

    Sani thereafter presented cartons of snake repellent and chemicals to the agency.

    In his response, the Spokesperson for JAMB, Mr Fabian Benjamin explained that on assumption of duty, the present registrar discovered that there were a lot of loopholes in the sale of scratch cards.

    “Before the registrar resumed duty, what we were using to register candidates and all other services was scratch cards.

    “We discovered a lot of loopholes, we discovered that staff were exposed to cash and then he stopped the use of scratch cards.

    “The registrar thereafter introduced pin vending. After introducing pin vending, it was natural for him to call for audit or stock taking.

    “After taking stock it was discovered that in some offices they could not account for what they sold, or the card that was left.

    Read More: Snakes, charmers and witch-doctors

    “Ms Philomena Chieshe was entrusted with a number of scratch cards which she sold and N36 million could not be accounted for, when asked she actually said she sold them at the said amount, kept the money in the public vault.

    “According to her, a snake swallowed the money.”

    Benjamin further explained in the spirit of transparency, inclusiveness and openness the agency felt that Nigerians should know what was happening.

    He said Chieshe had been queried and has appeared before a disciplinary committee.

    “A report has been written and sent to the Minister of Education Mallam Adamu Adamu and as soon as that report is approved, she will either be dismissed or handed over to the security agency for proper profiling.

    “At the moment she has been interjected,” Benjamin said.

    He also noted that there was a case in Nasarawa State where the staff claimed on his way to submit the cards, he had an accident and the cards got burnt.

  • NAF redeploys three commanders, 14 others

    NAF redeploys three commanders, 14 others

    The Nigerian Air Force has redeployed three Air Officers Commanding (AOCs) and 14 other senior officers as part of routine exercise to enhance operational efficiency and effectiveness.

    The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, AVM Olatokunbo Adesanya disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

    According to Adesanya,  AVM Oladayo Amao is now the AOC of the Tactical Air Command, Makurdi, AVM Mohammed Idris, AOC, Air Training Command, Kaduna, and AVM Remigus Ekeh, AOC, Logistics Command, Lagos.

    In the same vein, AVM Ibrahim Yahaya, the former AOC Logistics Commanding becomes the Chief of Administration, NAF Headquarters, while AVM Christopher Okoye, who was the former AOC Air Training Command, is now Director of evaluation, Defence Headquarters, (DHQ).

    Read Also: NAF  takes delivery of additional 5 Super Mushsak aircraft

    Also redeployed are: AVM Olusoji Awomodu as Director of Operations at HQD, AVM Okechukwu Ntukogu, Senior Air Staff Officer, Headquarters Mobility Command, Yenagoa, AVM Napoleon Bali as Director of Operations at NAF Headquarters.

    The redeployment saw AVM Mahmoud Ahmed as Director of Legal Services at NAF HQ, AVM Dahiru Sanda, Director of Space Utility at DHQ and AVM Charles Ohwo, Director of Evaluation at NAF HQ.

    Similarly, Air Commodore Ado Inuwa is now the Deputy Commandant, Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna.

    Adesanya said Air Commodore Aliyu Bello who was the former Commander 401 Flying Training School, Kaduna State, had been redeployed as the Director of Training, NAF HQ.

    He said following the exercise, Group Capt. Ahmed Dari has been appointed as the Commander, 401 Flying Training School, Kaduna.

    Adesanya said that the postings will take effect from Jan. 29.

    NAN

  • Don’t cause panic in Makurdi, Ortom warns

    Don’t cause panic in Makurdi, Ortom warns

    Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has warned residents against raising false alarm and making inflammatory statements about the security situation in Makurdi.

    According to him, such an alarm can create panic and give hoodlums the opportunity to harass, rob and kill innocent people.

    The governor said last week’s protests in Makurdi had been brought under control, and urged the police to arrest anyone                  fomenting trouble.

    He urged residents to go about their normal activities without fear, and assist security agencies with information.

    Governor Ortom reassured the people of the government’s commitment to preventing further invasion and killings by herdsmen.

    After four days of bloody riots in Makurdi, Hausa and Tiv youths have resolved to lay down their arms.

    Warring youths, after a meeting brokered by Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Youths, Sunny Shior, marched on the streets preaching peace.

    They held one another’s hands, and displayed placards of peaceful co-existence, going from door to door and appealing to those who fled to return.

    Nyior told The Nation that they took the peace initiative to build the confidence of stakeholders and residents.

    He appealed to victims to return home, saying security measures have been put in place to forestall attacks.

    According to him, the people have resolved to give peace a chance and live together as one.

    Wadata has been in turmoil since last Saturday, following protests by Hausa youths. Many sustained injuries.