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Tag: Plateau

  • One student killed, two injured in Plateau college protest

    One student killed, two injured in Plateau college protest

    One student was killed while two others sustained injuries as students of College of Education, Gindiri in Plateau, protested against non-issuance of new identity cards.

    The protest took place on Thursday evening and later turned violent when security men were drafted to intervene.

    However, Mr Cornelius Ka’ankuka, Acting Provost of the College, told Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau and his deputy on Friday that the management had promised to address the students’ demands within two weeks.

    Ka’ankuka said that the corpse of the deceased student, Manji Philemon, has been deposited at the state hospital mortuary and would be released to the family for burial.

    The provost said that the students burned down the school clinic after the injured students were treated and discharged.

    He said that 33 vehicles were damaged with seven of them, including the school ambulance, completely burnt.

    “The students shattered the windows of the administrative block, the school library and vandalised COASU Corporative Society Shop and looted all goods in the shop including bags of rice and vegetable oil.

    “The students also went to the rented residence of the former provost and destroyed some properties and burnt down two cars that were parked in the premises,’’ he said.

    Lalong expressed disappointment with the incident in spite of his administration’s efforts to improve facilities in schools in the state.

    The governor, who was on the spot assessment visit to the college, vowed to deal decisively with those involved in the ugly incident.

    He said that a committee would be set up to investigate the cause of the unrest.

    “After we receive the report we will show an example with those found wanting,’’ the governor said.

    The school has been closed down indefinitely as students were seen parking out of their hostels.

    NAN

  • Fire razes ultra-modern IDP camp in Plateau

    Fire razes ultra-modern IDP camp in Plateau

    The newly constructed ultra-modern Internally Displaced Persons ( IDPs ) Camp in Shendam Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau has been razed by fire.

    The camp was constructed by the Presidential Committee on Flood, Relief and Rehabilitation, which came into being after the 2012 flood disaster that ravaged 24 states in the country.

    Mr Bintan Wuyep, Director, Relief and Rehabilitation, Plateau Emergency Management Agency ( SEMA ) confirmed the inferno while speaking with our reporter in Jos on Thursday.

    Wuyep, who is the Acting Executive Secretary of the agency, said the disaster occurred on Tuesday.

    He said, however, that SEMA had been unable to assess the level of damage due to paucity of funds.

    “We don’t have funds even to fuel our vehicle to go to the camp to ascertain the cause of the inferno and assess the extent of damage.

    “We have gone everywhere even for a loan, but we have not succeeded.

    “Hence, we cannot give the exact level of damage caused by the sad incident,” Wuyep said.

    The Acting executive secretary described the incident as “a big loss to Plateau and Nigeria as a whole.’’

    According to him, the camp was meant to house Displaced Persons that might be affected in future disaster in any part of the state.

    Wuyep added that SEMA had already informed the Presidential Committee of the sad development.
    “The committee told us to assess the damage and formally write a report informing them of the cause and extent of damage.

    “But like I said earlier, we are constrained by lack of funds,” he said.

    Wuyep appealed to the State Government to empower the agency with funds to enable it function according to the law establishing it.

    He commended the State House of Assembly for its resolve to investigate the cause of the inferno.

    Wuyep stated that the action was not just timely but necessary.

    NAN

  • ‘We take security seriously in Plateau’

    ‘We take security seriously in Plateau’

    In this interview with Emmanuel Oladesu in Lagos, Mark Longyen, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, says contrary to speculations that the state had endorsed the proposed cattle colony of the Federal Government, it only opted for the ranching of livestock, among other issues: Excerpts: 

    Governor Lalong’s recent comments on the grazing law while at the Presidential Villa in Abuja did not seem to go down well with Benue’s Governor Ortom…

    Yes, it is because it was misconstrued. His advice to Governor Ortom was benevolent but the timing of talking to the media about the advice he earlier gave to his brother-governor, on a day of mourning and burial of about 73 persons Killed in Benue, was what sentimentally caused infuriation and exacerbated the issue. That’s why in a rare show of courage, humility and exemplary statesmanship, he immediately apologized to the Benue State Governor thereafter.

    The governor also sent a high powered delegation of Plateau elders to condole the governor and people of Benue State and followed suit with a condolence visit alongside some other governors. Governor Ortom accepted the apology and in turn apologized to Nasarawa’s Governor Almakura for the comment he (Ortom) too had earlier made against Almakura that was out of sync.

    Plateau State is said to have endorsed the Federal Government’s controversial Cattle Colony. What informed that decision?

    That is absolutely untrue. Plateau State never endorsed the Cattle Colony policy as was speculated. What the state has keyed into is Livestock Ranching. The Ranching Policy itself was actually initiated by the Goodluck Jonathan administration and inherited by the Buhari administration to which some states simply keyed into.

    What happened was that, upon assumption of office, Governor Lalong, like many others, simply inherited the Ranching Policy that was in abeyance awaiting implementation. What the Governor first did was that in 2016 he set up a 14-man Committee chaired by a professor of Agriculture, Ochapa Onazi, a one-time Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, to do some feasibility studies on the desirability and the benefits or otherwise of Ranching to the people.

    The committee visited the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in Abuja to discuss with officials and to understudy the nitty-gritty of the Policy.

    The Committee came back to the state and held a series of consultative stakeholders’ meetings with all stakeholders cutting across the state, following which the people of Plateau State opted for and adopted Ranching. Ranching is actually the modern way of livestock farming, which is not restricted to cattle alone but involves all kinds of livestock like sheep, goats, pigs, poultry, and any kind of animal husbandry that you can think of.

    It is the type of animal farming that is done in the developed world, which comes with lots of attendant socio-economic benefits. People simply acquire some piece of land in varying sizes and rear the animals of their choice. Government may also acquire a large parcel of land and develop a Ranch complete with all the necessary social amenities like water, electricity, animal clinics , roads , and grow alongside it special species of grasses, etc and rent out the Ranch to its citizens who are interested in Livestock Ranching. In that way the animals are well fed, producer higher beef and milk yield and are prevented from roaming about and straying into people’s crops and causing crises here and there.

    With the diversification of the Plateau State economy to Agriculture as the mainstay of the state’s economic future, the socioeconomic benefits of ranching in terms of employment and economic empowerment cannot be overemphasised. Right now, government is assiduously working towards coming up with a policy and legal framework for the full implementation of Ranching for the benefit of people who are interested in going into livestock farming.

    What then is a Cattle Colony or a Grazing Reserve all about?

    As I said earlier, a ranch can be owned by an individual or a group of individuals like a cooperative society, a company or government, which may rent it out to interested persons the way government builds lockup shops and rents them out to people. A Ranch can comprise as few as 200 to 300 cows, sheep, goats, pigs, etc.

    Cattle Colony, on the other hand, is strictly for cattle, as the name implies, and is much bigger in terms of concept, size and number of cows reared within the same geographical confine. So you can see that a Colony is, by and large, a settlement or a very large expanse of land designated for cattle rearers only. According to the Minister of Agriculture, 20 to 40 cattle rearers can share the same colony. In a cattle colony, you could find 30,000 cows owned by different owners coexisting. Plateau State never keyed into that.

    A Grazing Reserve, as the name implies, refers to a very large expanse of land reserved for cattle grazing with designated grazing routes. Herdsmen take their cattle to the Grazing Reserves for grazing  seasonally, instead of roaming about and trespassing on farmers’ lands and destroying crops causing bloody intermittent clashes in the process.

    For instance, Governor Lalong inherited a Grazing Reserve Gazette signed by his predecessor, Senator Jonah Jang, in April 2009, in which humongous funds were allocated in favour of Grazing Reserves. He jettisoned it and opted for Ranching based on the popular wish of the people following a wide range of consultative stakeholders meetings.

    I believe that with this explanation, you will agree with me that the report linking Plateau State with Cattle Colony is absolutely false and mischievous. The opposition in the state had tried to make political capital of the falsehood by going to town and circulating the fake story in the social media that the governor had already started the forceful seizure of people’s ancestral lands and giving them out to Fulani herdsmen for their Cattle Colonies. As far as the Lalong Government is concerned, it has keyed into ranching, which is right now at its embryonic stage.

    But Benue and Taraba State Governors don’t seem to share your principal’s thoughts on this ranching thing?

    Again, that is not true. The two states have keyed into Ranching like us. They have only enacted the Law prohibiting open grazing in their respective states, while we have yet to do same. The position of Governor Lalong is that he will create the enabling Law to prohibit open grazing only after putting in place measures that will provide succor or some kind of alternative for herders in order to cushion the negative effect of the decision on the people so as to stem crisis. As far as he is concerned, passing the open grazing prohibition Law first before putting in place a policy framework that would stave off its negative repercussions is like putting the cart before the horse and is a recipe for crisis as witnessed in the two neighboring states. So we are more or less on the same page except for the difference in the order of doing the same thing.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Plateau decries encroachment into Jos Wildlife Park

    Plateau decries encroachment into Jos Wildlife Park

    Plateau State Government has decried encroachment into Jos Wildlife Park by the host community, describing it as a threat to the safety of the wild species and members of the community.

    Mr Peter Mwankon, the outgoing Commissioner for Tourism, Culture and Hospitality, made this known while handing over the affairs of the ministry to Mrs Martha Azi, the Permanent Secretary, on Thursday in Jos.

    Mwankon said that an Inter-Ministerial Committee with membership from the Ministry of Lands and Survey, among others, had been inaugurated to investigate and proffer solutions to the disturbing situation.

    He said that the government recently acquired more animals as part of efforts to re-stock the park, adding that individuals found culpable would be made to face the wrath of the law.

    Read Also: Plateau Prisons Command gets new Controller

    According to him, the animals, including a pair of crocodiles, red-fronted Gazelle and a male Equis Calabus, were acquired in 2016 through exchange programmes with the Audu Bako Zoo in Kano State and Sanda Kyarimi Zoo in Borno.

    The outgoing commissioner said that during his tenure, moribund hospitality outlets were leased out to private organisations to resuscitate them and generate revenue for developmental projects.

    “ We signed a 15-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a France-based company, Kanerkrizo Parks Limited, which invested N81 million to renovate and upgrade the Pankshin Hotel in 2017 as well as another N60 million MoU with Jimroose International Limited to do same in Jos Plaza Hotel.’’

    Mwankon further said that the ministry resuscitated cultural festivals to promote indigenous culture of the people while also participating in both local and international engagements.

    He thanked the state governor for appointing him to serve and urged the staff of the ministry to cooperate with the incoming commissioner in order to make Plateau a tourism hub.

    In her remarks, Azi commended the outgoing commissioner for his open door policy and prayed for success in all his future endeavours.

    The Newsmen report that Gov. Simon Lalong had on Feb. 8, dissolved the State Executive Council.

    The outgoing commissioners were directed to hand over to their permanent secretaries, pending the appointment of new commissioners.

    NAN

     

  • PDP alleges plot to rig Plateau council polls

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of planning to rig the February 17 local government elections.

    The chairman, Damishi Sang, who addressed a news conference in his office at Yakubu Gowan Way, Jos, yesterday, said: “With two weeks to the council polls, the State Independent Electoral Commission (PLASIEC) has not deemed it necessary to display the voters’ register.

    “Under the PLASIEC law 2017, the voters’ register collected from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be on display at least one month to the date of election. But with just two weeks to go, PLASIEC is yet to display the list. Therefore, we are not sure of those qualified to cast their votes on February 17.

    “Under normal circumstances, recruitment of ad hoc workers should be properly advertised, but we are witnessing a secret recruitment handled by the state APC Chairman.

    “Worse of all, there is no existing law to govern the administration and functions of those to be elected. We are aware the House of Assembly passed the local government laws, which takes care of tenure and general administration five months ago. However, the governor is yet to assent to the law.

    “It is evident from these observations that the absence of the local government law is a deliberate attempt on the part of the governor Simon Lalong-led administration to build a house without a foundation, thereby creating loopholes for the collapse of the local government system, thereby allowing the governor to continue to impose caretaker committees to run the councils.

    “The non-display of voters’ register, as provided for by the law, is intended to disenfranchise our supporters, as we suspect the list is being doctored.

    “We wish to state that while we have worked hard to contain our supporter’s apprehension, we urge the government and PLASIEC to come clear on the issues raised.

    “However, despite the shortcomings mentioned above, PDP is fully ready for the February 17 elections.”

  • NLC tells workers to vote out defaulting governors

    NLC tells workers to vote out defaulting governors

    The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC ), Mr Ayuba Wabba, has urged workers to get their Permanent Voter Cards ( PVCs ) to vote out state governors owing salaries and allowances.

    A statement signed by Ms Freda Ukpoju, Media Officer, Say No Campaign, a Civil Society Organisation ( CSO ), on Tuesday quoted Wabba as making the call at the group’s “DoroCorruption programme’’ held in Abuja.

    Wabba decried the ordeal of workers at the hands of state governments in Nigeria, insisting that the Nigerian government treat workers like slaves.

    “It is time the workers used their numbers to push back; I encourage members to get their PVCs to vote out every defaulting state governor.

    Read also: NLC rejects APC panel’s proposal on minimum wage, local govts

    “State governments owing salaries were given bailouts and different Federal Government interventions, including the Paris club funds meant to offset their debts to state workers.

    “While some have met their responsibilities and paid off, chronic debtors like Benue and Kogi states remain adamant in fulfilling their responsibilities and clearing their debts.

    “The challenge is not lack of resources but sheer unwillingness and misplaced priorities. ‘’

    Wabba said that the reality of the matter was that the problem had never been about resources, saying “In most of those states, their priority is not to pay salaries but white elephant projects.’’

    He said that before this current administration came in, Plateau owed seven months salaries but through ingenuity, the governor utilised all the money given to him to settle everybody.

    He said that many states had utilised their money, but some states, about twelve of them, including Benue and Kogi had failed.

    He, however, said that the governors should be held accountable because democracy was about the people.

    He said that if as governors, they were not able to address the fundamental constitutional issue of security and welfare of the people then the people also must be able to hold them accountable.

    “Workers and pensioners must unite to use their PVC to chase these type of people out of government; if workers, in unity, demand it and also use their power of franchise to vote them out of office,’’ he said.

    Also speaking, the co-convener, Say No Campaign, Mr Ezenwa Nwagwu, encouraged citizens to join unions or associations and actively participate in ensuring that their collective interests were championed.

    Nwagwu said that where members noticed that leadership had been compromised or failed to promote their interest, there should be no hesitation in voting such leaders out.

    He said that the demand for accountability should begin at the  communities level, adding that only when citizens were able to hold their leaders accountable, would they have the courage to hold government accountable.

    He advised Nigerians not to be divided along ethnic or religious sentiments in the demand for accountability because citizens needed to develop the culture of giving ultimatums to government and demand urgent response to their plights.

    He condemned state governors owing workers and insisted that they were inflicting the worst kind of terror on their people by attacking their means of survival.

    NAN

  • Herdsmen kill 3 elderly men, raze 10 houses in Plateau

    Herdsmen kill 3 elderly men, raze 10 houses in Plateau

    A 100-year-old man Ahmadu Hwie and two others were killed by gunmen that attacked Huke, a rural settlement in Bassa Local Government of Plateau yesterday.

    The gunmen that burnt 10 houses also killed Hwie Odo, 90, and Gado Kondo, 70.

    Spokesmen of Plateau Police Command TernaTyopev confirmed the deceased were killed in their houses by the invaders that stormed the village in the night.

    He said that a Police patrol team was moving around Rafi-Bauna in Jebbu-Miango area when it received a distress call from Huke village.

    “The team received a report that a gang of armed men, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, were killing people and burning down houses at Huke village in Miango Chiefdom of Bassa Local Government Area.

    “On receipt of the information, the patrol team rushed to the area but could not apprehend the attackers as they took to their heels on sighting our patrol vehicle.”

    Tyopev said that more security men had been deployed to the area to forestall further attacks.

    “The attackers have adopted Guerrilla tactics; they hit and run. What we have done is to deploy more men to ensure a more robust patrol in the affected areas,” he said.

    Tyopev said that State Investigation Bureau (SIB) operatives had been deployed to the area to source for information that would lead to the arrest of perpetrators of the persistent attacks.

     

  • Plateau: 100-year-old man, 2 others killed in attack

    Plateau: 100-year-old man, 2 others killed in attack

    A 100-year-old man, Ahmadu Hwie, and two others were killed by gunmen that attacked Huke, a rural settlement in Bassa Local Government of Plateau on Saturday.

    Also killed by the attackers that burnt 10 houses were Hwie Odo, 90, and Gado Kondo, 70.

    According to Mr Terna Tyopev, spokesman of the Plateau Police Command, the deceased were killed in their houses by the invaders that stormed the village in the night.

    He said that a Police patrol team was moving around Rafi-Bauna in Jebbu-Miango area, when it received a distress call from Huke village.

    “The team received a report that a gang of armed men, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, were killing people and burning down houses at Huke village in Miango Chiefdom of Bassa Local Government Area.

    “On receipt of the information, the patrol team rushed to the area but could not apprehend the attackers as they took to their heels on sighting our patrol vehicle.”

    Tyopev said that more security men had been deployed to the area to forestall further attacks.

    ”The attackers have adopted Guerrilla tactics; they hit and run. What we have done is to deploy more men to ensure a more robust patrol in the affected areas,” he said.

    Tyopev said that State Investigation Bureau (SIB) operatives had been deployed to the area to source for information that would lead to the arrest of perpetrators of the persistent attacks. (NAN)

  • Eight killed in herdsmen-farmers clash in Jos

    Eight killed in herdsmen-farmers clash in Jos

    …Why killings persist in Plateau- OPSH

     

    At least eight persons have been confirmed killed in two separate incidents in Bassa local government and Bokkos local government since Monday this week.

    One of the incidences in Daho, Bokkos LGA involved dispute over a pieces of land between Fulani people and Ron people, while the second incidence in Bassa LGA involved Fulani herdsmen and Irigwe farmers.

    Both incidences led to the lost of 8 persons, burning of several houses and several other people injured.

    Confirming the incidences, Media Officer of the special military task force code named “Operation Safe Haven” (OPHS) Major Adam Umar said, “There is no denying the fact that these killings took place between the 22nd and 24th of this month. The first one that happened in Bassa was between Irigwe youths and some herdsmen, a head of cattle allegedly encroached into a farm belonging to Irigwe farmer, and that led to the killing of one of the cows, several other cows were injured.

    “When the report got to us, our men in sector seven mobilize to the area and effect some arrest and rescue some of the cows. In the night of that same day 3 dead bodies were found near a mining site and those bodies were identified as Irigwe boys, they were obviously killed by some unknown gunmen. Our men went and evacuated the bodies.

    “Related to that, security agencies in neighboring Kaduna State raised alarm that they saw some gunmen dresses in black uniforms in their area and asked for vigilant around the boundary areas, the next day, two bodies of Fulani boys were found and evacuated by the police.

    “So to restore calm in the areas, our men have been deployed to the general areas to forestall breakdown of law and order and calm has already been restored to the area”

    On the second incidence that happens in Bokkos, Major Umar said, “A Fulani young man was sighted molding building blocks in Daho village, some Ron boys contested the ownership of the land and in the fracas that ensued, the Fulani boy was killed. Eventually, the crisis escalated before we know of it and two more people were killed in the clash between the Fulani and Ron youths”

    According to Major Umar, “You see, these killings occurred because people often take laws into their hands, the normal thing is to report any grievances to security agencies, we keep preaching about this on daily bases, but people will not listen. We have often tell them to cooperate with security agencies and give us useful information at the right time, we have the capacity to use such information in a manner for peace to reign in the communities, that is why we are deployed here But the people, for reasons best known to them will want to handle the situation themselves and we frown at that”

    However, we are already maintain our heavy presence in the communities where these killings took place and everywhere is calm now, said Major Umar.

    However, youths in the state said the special military task force are so economical with the truth of the situation. They alleged that the communities are facing unprovoked attacked by armed Fulani who are contesting for grazing land with the natives.

    The Nation learnt that security meetings are ongoing in the state to prevent the issue from escalating into full blown war.

  • Planned cattle colony divides Abia, Plateau govts

    Planned cattle colony divides Abia, Plateau govts

    The Abia and Plateau State governments are singing different tunes on the plan by the Federal government to establish cattle colonies as part of the effort to Fulani herdsmen’s menace.

    Abia state is not keen on the plan while Plateau is ready to buy into it.

    Interested states are to provide 5000 hectares of land each for the ‘cattle colonies’ to be financed by the federal authorities.

    Cattle owners are to pay for their use of the ‘colonies’ according to Agriculture Minister Audu Ogbeh.

    The Abia State government categorically declared yesterday that there was no space for any such ‘colony’ within its territory.

    Mr. Enyinnaya Appolos ,the  Chief Press Secretary to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu,said in a statement in Umuahia that  Abia would not cede any part of it territory for the purpose of a cattle colony.

    He said the state does not even have sufficient land to accommodate the agricultural plans of the state government and  the agrarian communities in the state.

    He said: “We reject any plan to establish cattle colonies for herdsmen in Abia State.

    “We don’t have enough land for our agricultural activities and our people want more land. “Giving away any part of Abia land as a colony to herdsmen, wherever they may be from, will be most unjust and unfair treatment to Abia State and her people who are largely farmers.

    “Such alien land occupation will also cause unrest and crisis that may grow beyond what we can handle when it happens, so the best thing I think we should do is to reject such plans so that those behind it will know that Abia State is not party to it.”

    However, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State said the people of the state prefer ranching and colony to open grazing

    “I had a lot of opposition initially when I said Plateau was keying into ranching. I said whether I have land or not we have to provide land for ranching because that I see as solution to the conflicts,” Lalong told reporters on Thursday.

    He added: “In Plateau we have gone far, we have donated land voluntarily, many people donated land for ranching.

    “Last year, I sent a team of 12 to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, they spent almost a week there to study and the team was headed by former Vice Chancellor of University of Jos, Prof. Onazi.

    “We went round all the communities in Plateau.It took three months and Plateau people including the Fulanis accepted that we must embrace ranching.”

    A Jos-based non-governmental organization, Plateau Regeneration group (PRG ),also believes ranching is the only solution to farmers/herders clashes in the state .

    Spokesman for   the group Choi Bandung Chuhwak  said PRG was with  Lalong on the issue.

    “As a group, we want to state our total and unalloyed support to alternative to open grazing  which is ranching,” he said.

    “We also stand by our governor  that ranching remains the best option  to end clashes between herders and farmers  and call on all to explore the benefits in ranching and cattle colonies proposed by the Federal Government as an alternative to open grazing.”