Suspected herdsmen kill six in Plateau

Following attacks on residents in two different communities in Plateau State by suspected terrorists, at least six deaths were reported on Monday.

According to information obtained, terrorists on the run killed two people in Wereng village, Kuru community, Jos South Local Government Area, and four people in Heipang community, Barkin Ladi LGA of the state.

Two people were killed in the Jos South community on Monday, according to Captain Oya James, spokesman for the military task force in charge of keeping the state’s calm.

When we were informed of the attack, the commander quickly dispatched officers to the Kuru village to address the problem. But sadly, one person had already been killed by gunfire before we arrived there yesterday (Sunday) he stated.

However, the Commander informed me this morning (Monday) that a second corpse had been found in the neighborhood. We don’t know who carried out the attacks, but based on what we’ve learned, the perpetrators didn’t enter the neighborhood; rather, it appears that they fired at residents as they passed by, which resulted in the victims’ deaths.

However, inhabitants of the Barkin community who witnessed the murders asserted that four people also perished in the attacks, which also left other locals hurt.

Police issue call for calm as Hausa, Gbagyi youths clash in Abuja

Residents of the Gwarinpa axis have been urged by the Federal Capital Territory, FCT police command to be calm despite the altercation between certain Hausa and Gbagyi youths.

According to the Middle belt Times newspaper, since Saturday’s altercation between the youths, which resulted in at least one person’s death, there has been a distinct sense of anxiety in the neighborhood.

The FCT Police Command said it had mobilized and sent personnel to the region to ease tension in a statement released on Monday by its spokesperson, SP Josephine Adeh.

In order to mediate peace between the Hausa and Gbagyi populations, she said that the acting commissioner of police for the region, DCP Ahmed Musa, met with traditional rulers of both communities on Monday at his office in the Command Headquarters.

According to the police spokeswoman, the commissioner and the traditional leaders discussed potential partnerships required to control youths and remove troublemakers from communities.

She claimed that the altercation between the two groups resulted in the arrest of one suspect who is now supporting the Police in their inquiries into the immediate and background causes of the conflict.

“The acting Commissioner ordered traditional leaders to consistently promote youth imbibing peace and resolving disputes through channels recognized by law.”

In her statement, the police spokesman said: “In the meantime, the Police have increased surveillance patrols in the regions for monitoring the situation to ensure that it does not further deteriorate.

“He [the acting commissioner of police] appeals to all law-abiding citizens of the FCT to go about their lawful business and to immediately report any suspicious persons, groups, or activities via Command emergency lines.”

Herdsmen murder Labour Party Chairman in Benue

Mr. Nathaniel Ochoche, the chairman of the Labour Party, was assassinated by unidentified gunmen who brought about havoc in Benue State.

The party’s Edikwu Ward 2 Chairman in the state’s Apa Local Government Area, Ochoche, and four other people were killed over the weekend.

The incident was confirmed in a statement released and made available to media on Monday by the party’s publicity secretary for the state, Mr. Tersoo Orbunde.

The statement reiterated the news of the gruesome murder of the Labour Party’s chairman who was ambushed and slain by armed Fulani militia,  and that until his passing, Mr. Ochoche was the epitome of a party man, working tirelessly to advance his community, constituency, and nation through both words and deeds

Tersoo urged the federal government to act quickly and put safeguards in place that would guarantee an ideal resolution to the threat.

Four Kebbi students freed by Terrorists after two years with two babies, while others remain in captivity

Four of the eleven girls still held captive two years after they were kidnapped from the Federal Government College in Birnin Yauri in Kebbi State by the notorious terrorist Dogo Daji have been freed after he was paid a sizable ransom.

Parents and other stakeholders had to come up with a ransom after the Kebbi State administration refused to comply with the demands of the terrorists.

Two of the released students are said to have returned with two infants who were born while they were being held captive, according to the Middle Belt Times. Before the remaining girls could be released, Daji stressed that the Kebbi State administration must fulfill a number of requirements.

According to sources, the government of Kebbi State was reluctant to satisfy the demands of the terrorists, thus the ransom had to be raised by parents and other stakeholders.

The parents had to plead with Nigerians for financial assistance in order to save their children form the abductors.

The “Committee of Parents of 11 Abducted Students of F.G.G.C Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State, Nigeria” passionately requested financial assistance in order to raise the amount of N100 million as ransom to be paid to the terrorists in exchange for their children and wards in a letter addressed to all Nigerians.

Salim Ka’oje, the chairman and Mr. Daniel Alkali, the secretary of the “Committee of Parents,” stated in the letter that their female children, who are between the ages of 12 and 16, have been in the hands of their kidnappers for almost 20 months.

Six days of discussions in the wilderness were necessary before four of the girls could be freed and given to us. Two of the parents are still in the forest attempting to obtain the release of the seven further children who are being held captive.

They said, “And the kidnappers want N100 million before they release the girls.” Recall that on June 17, 2021, bandits broke into their school and abducted 11 female students.

It was revealed in November of last year that some of the girls had become young mothers and that four other girls were expecting babies at the time.

Benue Youth Forum Criticizes President Buhari for Blaming Governor Ortom over Insecurity in Benue State

The Benue Youth Forum (BYF) has criticized President Muhammadu Buhari for blaming Governor Samuel Ortom for the Federal Government’s inability to safeguard lives and property in Benue State. This comes after Garba Shehu, the presidential spokesman, quoted the President as stating that the security situation in Benue State had worsened due to Governor Ortom’s refusal to accept and act on the intelligence provided to him.

BYF’s President, Terrence Kuanun, issued a statement on Thursday in Makurdi, stating that the statement from the presidency was ridiculous. Kuanun expressed displeasure at the President’s comparison of his accomplishments to that of a state Governor. He reminded the President that over 200 innocent Benue people have been killed in the last two months by armed herdsmen, and no appointee of the President has visited the state to see the damage caused by the attacks and console the people.

Kuanun also questioned if Governor Ortom’s supposed refusal to utilize intelligence was responsible for the President’s inability to end banditry, kidnapping, terrorism, religious tension, and general insecurity, particularly in the North and his home state of Katsina. The BYF President stated that the President was always blaming others for his failure to guarantee the security and welfare of Nigerians.

Furthermore, BYF expressed concern about the President’s celebration of the defeat of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 elections in Benue state. They stressed that “mocking Benue people” did not negate the fact that Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) used state instruments to militarize the polls and essentially seize the state for their allies, who they believe will undermine the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of the state to relinquish land to Fulani pastoralists.

BYF warned the governor-elect, Father Hyacinth Alia, to be mindful that he was viewed as an ally of the state’s enemies and should be cautious not to trade the people’s lives for political convenience and correctness. The group also advised the Benue APC to reconsider its stance and change the narrative of justifying the killings in the state.

Turbaning in Christian community in Southern Bauchi leads to violence

The Middle Belt Times reports that during the turbaning and installation of the local head in a predominately Christian community in Sang, a community in Bogoro local government, one person was killed, several others were injured, and 64 homes were set on fire as protests erupted

Markus Bitrus Lusa, the chairman of the caretaker committee for the council’s Sang village in Bogoro local government area in Bauchi State, expressed concern about the recent killings and disorder there as worrying.

The chairman made this claim in a statement that was made accessible to media in Bauchi yesterday and was signed by the local government’s information officer, Gomna James.

Lusa also appealed to the people of Sang village to go about their normal business as normalcy has since been restored.

He also urged them to collaborate with law enforcement and security organizations to find long-term solutions to the issue.

Workers in the Plateau protest 45 months of unpaid wages

Over 45 months of unpaid salaries caused ad hoc staff to disrupt operations at the Plateau State College of Health Technology in the state’s Pankshin Local Government Area yesterday.

At around 10 a.m., they blocked the institution’s main gate while holding signs that described their suffering.

Mr. Wambutda, their leader, called it disgusting that despite their hardship, there are constant staff substitutions in open jobs without giving the ad hoc workers any attention.

“The non-confirmation/absorption, continual replacement of staff, and non-payment of our stipend for 45 months are the reasons for the protest.

He stated, “The demonstration is a chance to draw the government’s and other relevant agencies’ attention to the injustice and unfair treatment we have endured in the institution for the last years.

The demonstrators vowed to keep up their activity until their demands were satisfied. The Provost of the College, Dr. Fwangje, did not return calls at the time of the news, therefore there was no official statement on the incident.

Ortom and The Middle Belt Forum Call For Postponement of 2023 Census

The Middle Belt Forum and Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State have urged for postponing the 2023 census until Internally Displaced Persons (IPDs) in the region are relocated.

When the Middle Belt Forum’s leadership visited the state to express their condolences over the murder of more than 134 people in one week, Ortom made this call.

The Mgbam village in the Guma Local Government Area was the scene of the attacks. Herdsmen are accused of carrying out the attacks in the state’s Apa, Otukpo, and Guma regions.

The governor was comforted by the Middle Belt Forum’s leadership, who also took the opportunity to urge the National Population Commission to postpone the census’s start date from May 3, 2023.

Ortom claims that during the past six years, numerous lives have been lost as a result of these attacks on Benue communities.

JUST-IN: In New Kaduna Attack, Bandits Kill 9 and Kidnap 20

At the Sabon Layi community in the Birnin Gwari local government area of Kaduna State, bandits killed nine locals, including four vigilantes.

Nine people were slain by intermittent shooting by the bandits who are claimed to have assaulted the region in huge numbers before kidnapping over 20 others and rustling several livestock.

As previously mentioned, troops of operation Forest Sanity under the 1 Division Nigerian Army ambushed and neutralized a notorious bandit leader, Isiya Danwasa, and his gang after receiving a tip from human intelligence sources.

We’ve Lost 130 People In 10 Days, Says Ortom

Samuel Ortom, the governor of Benue State, has disclosed that over 130 people had reportedly been killed by purported armed herdsmen in the state during the past ten days.

The governor also announced the two-week suspension of the operation of livestock guards who are tasked with apprehending stray animals during an enlarged security meeting in Makurdi.

He claimed that the decision to halt the operation of livestock guards was made to allow the herdsmen who had flooded the state with herds of cattle within the allotted time to return to where they had come from. He added that, in the event that they were unaware, the security agencies leading them should inform them that open grazing is illegal in Benue.

Governor Ortom also confirmed that the President has issued directives to ensure the arrest of the perpetrators of the recent massacre across the state.

Ortom further stated that, “In order not to join issues and create more problems, I have taking it that the herdsmen who have flooded the state with their cattle are not aware that there is a law prohibiting open grazing in Benue, so we have decide  to step down the operations of the livestock guards for two weeks to enable them go back to where they came from so that our people will go to their farm unhindered.

“So, I am sounding this warning that no one should go after them to rustle their cattle and claim to be members of livestock guards or attack or kill anyone, because anyone caught perpetrating evil will be dealt with according to the law.”