The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Makurdi

  • Makurdi protest: Ortom appeals for calm

    Makurdi protest: Ortom appeals for calm

    Gov Samuel Ortom on Saturday appealed to protesters in some parts of Makurdi, the state capital, to remain calm and directed security operatives to restore order.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Makurdi residents took to the streets in peacefully protest, over the killings in Guma and Logo local Government councils.

    Gov. Ortom, made the call in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and ICT, Mr Tahav Agerzua in Makurdi.

    The governor strongly condemned the protests in some parts of the state capital and directed all security operatives especially, the Commissioner of Police Mr Bashir Makama, to ensure restoration of order in the affected areas.

    “The governor appeals to residents to remain calm and report any breach of peace to security agencies for necessary action.

    “The state has suffered too much losses in terms of human lives and property and cannot afford another round of crisis.

    “The Police should arrest those who cause trouble whoever they are, investigate the causes of the protests, and prosecute those responsible for breach of the peace,” Ortom directed.

    He assured Benue people that efforts would be intensified with the collaboration of the relevant security agencies to restore peace and order to all parts of the state.(NAN)

  • Photos: Funeral service for victims of Fulani Herdsmen attack in Makurdi

    Photos: Funeral service for victims of Fulani Herdsmen attack in Makurdi

     

    Processing on going with coffins bearing the remains of 73 people killed by fulani herdsmen

     

    Some mourners at the IBB Square Makurdi, venue of the funeral service for the 73 persons killed during the Fulani Herdsmen attacks on Benue communities in Guma and Logo Local Government Areas, in Makurdi on Thursday. 
  • Benue Attack: Humanitarian crises overwhelm Guma LGA

    Benue Attack: Humanitarian crises overwhelm Guma LGA

    The Chairman, Guma Local Government Area, Mr Anthony Shawon, said the invasion of some villages in the council area has left a huge humanitarian and environmental crises that needed urgent intervention.

    Shawon said on Monday in Makurdi that the herders, who invaded Saav, Mbadyen and Uvir villages on January 1, had retreated to the forest of Dogon Yashi, stretching from Guma to Logo on the banks of river Benue, covering over 57km long.

    Shawon, who lamented the destruction of crops, farms and houses by the invaders, said survivors of the invasion had left their ancestral homes and were looking for shelter in nearby towns.

    He said the state government had approved the setting up of camps for the displaced persons but regretted that the few already established were overcrowded by the Internally Displaced Persons ( IDPs ).

    Read also: Support Open Grazing Prohibition law, Benue Reps beg Buhari

    “The camps at Guma and Gbajimba are overcrowded, but the Benue State Emergency Management Agency ( SEMA ) is already handling the situation because as a local government, the scale is beyond us.”

    He regretted that the invaders, who were hiding in the Dogon Yashi forest, were still attacking villages, burning down houses and destroying crops.

    Shawon said the attackers were still destroying crops kept in farms such as soya beans, yams, guinea corn and rice.

    “They are openly grazing on farms after which they set them on fire,” he alleged.

    The chairman, however, commended the men of the Nigerian Army for their quick intervention in quelling the crisis.

    He appealed to the army to enter into the forest and dislodge the herders there.

    He accused the Kabawa community in Guma of ferrying food to herdsmen in the forest in exchange for cattle.

    Shawon, however, disclosed that the Kabawa people who carried food to the herders had been arrested by the police in Abinsi.

    He, however, regretted that the herdsmen were still carrying out open grazing in spite of the anti open grazing law on an open stretch of land from Mbagwen to Lokobi in the Local Government Area.

    According to him, that place is still open for invasion as the herdsmen are still doing open grazing there.

    Meanwhile, Gov. Samuel Ortom has set aside Thursday, January 11 for the mass burial of the 71 victims of the invasion while Tuesday and Wednesday had been declared days of mourning.

    The flag will fly at half mast while government offices will close at 1 p.m.

    NAN

  • Herdsmen attacks: Ortom calls for harmony among ethnic groups in Benue

    Herdsmen attacks: Ortom calls for harmony among ethnic groups in Benue

    Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue has called for harmony among the diverse ethnic groups in the state to put an end to the seemingly endless attacks by herdsmen on communities.

    Ortom, who said this on Saturday in Makurdi while intimating the people on the incessant attacks on Benue people by herdsmen, decried the huge loss of lives and property.

    The governor said that he would henceforth give priority attention to safeguarding the lives and the property of his people.

    He called on the people to put aside their political and ethnic differences and work toward addressing the security challenges before them

    He vowed to ensure that the incessant attacks by herdsmen became things of the past.

    Ortom, who expressed regret that a significant number of lives had been destroyed by Fulani marauders since 2012, put the estimated cost of the property lost since then at N95 billion.

    The Catholic Bishop of Gboko Diocese, His Lordship, William Avenya, said that the incessant attacks on Benue communities by herdsmen, was a sensitisation to the people of Benue to the need to unite and forge a common front.

    The cleric further said that the attacks were providing an opportunity for the people to come together and reflect on their common challenges particularly, insecurity.

    He called all Benue stakeholders to all hands on deck to address the situation.

    Also, the Catholic Bishop of Otukpo Diocese, His Lordship, Michael Apochi said that they would continue to pray for the state to enable it surmount its security challenges.

    The Convener, Northern Elders Forum, Mr Paul Unongo, said that herdsmen were committing murder with impunity.

    He, however, said that the “dastardly act” needed to stop forthwith.

    Unongo said that there was no land for grazing in Benue and that the anti-open grazing law would not be reversed or repealed no matter the circumstances.

    Also read :  Benue youths protest killings

  • Photos: Massive protest against Fulani herdsmen killings

    Photos: Massive protest against Fulani herdsmen killings

    Public protests against the Fulani herdsmen killings in Makurdi .

     

  • PDP condemns Benue attack, urges presidency to intervene

    The Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) has condemned Tuesday’s attack by gunmen on Benue farmers, calling on the presidency to arrest and bring the culprits to book.

    The PDP Publicity Secretary in Benue, Mr Bemgba Iortyom made the call in a statement on Wednesday in Makurdi.

    “Once again, heavily armed gunmen on January 2, unleashed violence and mayhem on some rural communities in Benue.

    “This time in Guma and Logo Local Government Areas (LGAs), killing a yet to be determined number of peasant farmers, women, children and the aged inclusive.

    “The assailants also visited arson on property of the locals on a massive scale which is also yet to be estimated in terms of monetary value.

    “The Benue Chapter of the PDP totally condemns this barbaric act which qualifies by every standard as terrorism employed in the pursuit of an agenda which is genocide in character,’’ it stated.

    The party said it was in alignment with the position of Gov. Samuel Ortom that the Federal Government must move quickly to provide security to the people of the state as well as bring the perpetrators of the acts of criminality to book.

    According to the PDP, gunmen violence against farmers should be graded on same level with menace of Boko Haram insurgency and treated with an equally commensurate degree of security attention.

    Read also: Police arrest eight herdsmen over Benue killings

    “Evidence abound that the gunmen killing of Benue farmers, burning down their homes and destroying their farms, crops, farm produce and properties, do not differ from Boko Haram insurgents in mode and method of operation, as well as extent of impact and devastation on their victims.

    “We also use this opportunity to reaffirm our support for the law prohibiting open grazing of livestock in Benue State as the surest antidote, both in the short and long terms, to the menace of gunmen attack in the state.

    “We urge Gov. Ortom to explore broad-based and bi-partisan approaches involving all segments of the Benue community towards bolstering internal cooperation measures for the effectiveness and sustainability of the law,’’ the statement added.

    About 20 persons were killed after some gunmen attacked communities in Guma and Logo LGAs on Tuesday.

    NAN

  • Mixed grill in Lagos, Abuja, Ilorin, Makurdi, Aba

    Mixed grill in Lagos, Abuja, Ilorin, Makurdi, Aba

    The petrol availability across the country yesterday recorded a mixed grill.

    In Lagos, petrol supply eased off in most filling stations. People bought petrol freely in many areas of the metropolis.

    At the NNPC station in Omole on Ojodu road among other areas, queues were short. However, many independent and major marketers did not sell products.

    At the Mobil Filling station in Agidingbi, some vehicles remained parked in front of the station yet petrol was not being sold.

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) sealed off some stations in Lagos

    In Kaduna, the petrol situation was critical.

    Our correspondent Abdulgafar Alabelewe, who queued up at the Mobil Filling Station on Waff Road, Muhammadu Buhari Way at 11am could not get petrol to buy many hours after. There were over 100 vehicles in front of his car as at 9pm.

    In Ibadan, the queue was yesterday easing off. There were many stations with petrol and less pressure although it was being sold at above N145 per litre

    In Abuja,  the situation remained critical yesterday. All the petrol stations along Kubwa expressway, Airport Road and inside the city centre had kilometres-long queues of motorists waiting to buy petrol

    The NNPC petrol station along Airport Road by Sabon Lugbe did not dispense fuel throughout yesterday because its supply of fuel had not arrived. Others that sold along the Airport Road axis had at least two rows of vehicles queuing to buy fuel with the usual undisciplined crowd breaching the orderliness to petrol stations through the exit gates.

    Inside the city centre, the story was not different as long queues of vehicles besieged the filling stations.

    In Aba, Independent oil marketers started lifting petrol from the Osisioma Depot yesterday.

    Seventeen trucks billed for Imo, Abia loaded PMS and headed for their destinations

    Marketers were yesterday still selling between N245-N250 per litre.

    Some of the marketers who pleaded anonymity said they were selling at the old price because they had the old stock in their tanks.

    In Ilorin, there was no improvement in the situation yesterday. Many filing stations were yet to begin dispensing fuel as they remained under lock and key.

    Only the NNPC mega station and retail outlet along Asa Dam road, are in the last three days were attending to motorists. Bovas Filing Stations along Fate and Offa Garage Roads were also selling products. Queues were long in all these places.

    Transportation fares within and outside the metropolis were increased.

    Prices of  commuting within the metropolis have skyrocketed. A drop per taxi cab which used to be between N60 and N70 is now between N100 and N150.

    Black marketers were having a field day. Five litres now sell between N18000 and N2200 in the Ilorin township.

    The scarcity is acute in Benue State and a litre of petrol is being sold at N260 per litre at petrol stations in Makurdi, the state capital.

    In Gboko town a litre is sold at N280 a litre at the pump

    Most motorists spend long hours at NNPC mega station located on Makurdi- Enugu road in search of the product .

    In Port Harcout, the fuel situation eased off yesterday. People bought petrol without much problems. While the NNPC stations sold at normal price, many independent stations sold for prices above N200 per litre.

    In Warri, Delta State, most fuel stations were without product yesterday.

    The Matrix Energy’s fuel stations, which are the only ones still with steady supply selling at N143 per litre, the scanty number of other stations, which manage to sell at irregular intervals do so at exorbitant rates. At any other station or black markets, a litre of PMS is sold for between N250, N300.

    To buy at the stations that are available, customers stay on endless queues all round the clock.

  • Police arrest burglar of Sen. Nwaoboshi’s residence in Asaba

    Police arrest burglar of Sen. Nwaoboshi’s residence in Asaba

    The Police in Delta said they  had arrested  one Emeka Ezeonyi who allegedly broke into the residence of Sen. Peter Nwaoboshi in Asaba and carted  away cash and other valuables.

    The Police Public Relations Officer ( PPRO ) in the state, DSP Andrew Aniamaka, said this in a statement on  Tuesday in Asaba.

    According to Aniamaka, the suspect  stole cell phones, laptop computers and cash from the residence of Sen.Nwaoboshi..

    He said the suspect, who hailed from Umuchu village in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra, had confessed to have burgled Sen. Nwaoboshi’s residence.

    Aniamaka said the suspect had also  confessed to partaking in  many  other robberies and burglaries in Asaba, Owerri, Makurdi and Enugu.

    “The Delta Police Command, with effective collaboration of the IGP’s Intelligence Response Team on Oct. 24, 2017 arrested one Emeka Ezeonyi for his involvement in series of burglaries and stealing.

    “Upon his arrest, the suspect confessed to have burgled the residences of many identified prominent personalities in Asaba, Owerri, Makurdi and Enugu metropolis,” he said.

    The PPRO said the Commissioner of Police, Mr  Zanna Ibrahim, had commended the officers who arrested the suspect as result of  the effective deployment of tactical intelligence.

    NAN

  • Partly cloudy, thunderstorms expected on Tuesday, NiMet

    Partly cloudy, thunderstorms expected on Tuesday, NiMet

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency ( NiMet ) has predicted partly cloudy weather conditions with isolated thunderstorms in the central states’ cities of Makurdi, Abuja, Jos, Lafia, Mambila and Yola on Tuesday morning.

    NiMet’s Weather Outlook by its Central Forecast Office (CFO) on Monday in Abuja also predicted thunderstorms over Yelwa, Jos, Abuja, Kaduna, Ilorin, Minna and Lokoja in the afternoon and evening hours.

    It added that the central states would experience day and night temperatures in the range of 28 to 32 and 17 to 23 degrees Celsius respectively.

    The agency predicted that southern states would experience chances of morning thunderstorms and rains with localised thunderstorms and in the afternoon and evening hours.

    It states that the southern states would have day and night temperatures in the range of 28 to 31 and 20 to 28 degrees Celsius respectively.

    According to NiMet, northern states will experience partly cloud-to-cloudy conditions in the morning hours with sunny to partly cloudy conditions later in the day.

    “The region will experience chances of thundery activities with rains over Jalingo, Bauchi, Gombe, Gusau and Yelwa with day and night temperatures of 31 to 35 and 20 to 24 degrees Celsius respectively.

    “We expect cloudy and partly cloudy conditions in the northern cities while thunderstorms and rain showers are likely over most places around the central cites and southern states in the next 24 hours,” NiMet said.

  • Partly cloudy, thunderstorms, rains expected on Tuesday

    Partly cloudy, thunderstorms, rains expected on Tuesday

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted partly cloudy weather conditions with isolated thunderstorms in the central states’ cities of Makurdi, Abuja, Jos, Lafia, Mambila and Yola on Tuesday morning.

    NiMet’s Weather Outlook by its Central Forecast Office (CFO) on Monday in Abuja also predicted thunderstorms over Yelwa, Jos, Abuja, Kaduna, Ilorin, Minna and Lokoja in the afternoon and evening hours.

    It added that the central states would experience day and night temperatures in the range of 28 to 32 and 17 to 23 degrees Celsius respectively.

    The agency predicted that southern states would experience chances of morning thunderstorms and rains with localised thunderstorms and in the afternoon and evening hours.

    It states that the southern states would have day and night temperatures in the range of 28 to 31 and 20 to 28 degrees Celsius respectively.

    According to NiMet, northern states will experience partly cloud-to-cloudy conditions in the morning hours with sunny to partly cloudy conditions later in the day.

    “The region will experience chances of thundery activities with rains over Jalingo, Bauchi, Gombe, Gusau and Yelwa with day and night temperatures of 31 to 35 and 20 to 24 degrees Celsius respectively.

    “We expect cloudy and partly cloudy conditions in the northern cities while thunderstorms and rain showers are likely over most places around the central cites and southern states in the next 24 hours,” NiMet said.