Traditional leaders in Ondo State’s Ose Local Government Area have urged security organizations to increase security in the area’s villages due to an invasion of what they have dubbed “strange herdsmen”.
Eight people were killed in an attack on three towns last month, according to Adetunji Adeleye, commander of the Ondo Amotekun Corps, who claimed that several herders were driven to neighboring states after the attacks.
The traditional rulers, in a message to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, after a stakeholders meeting, said there was a spike in attacks on farmers, kidnapping, rape and the destruction of farmlands.
They said activities of the strange herdsmen have been hindering preparation for the new planting season
The traditional rulers of the region, including Olute of Ute, Oba Oluwole Akinrongbe, Olumoru of Imoru, Oba ‘Rotimi Obamuwagun, Arujale Ojima of Okeluse, Oba Oloyede Akinghare, and Odibiado of Ijagba, Oba Andrew Okioya, claimed that farmers who were supposed to mobilize for the new farming season had been driven from their farms by heavily armed miscreants.
The state administration and security agencies were urged by the royal fathers to act quickly to put an end to unjustified attacks on nearby towns, villages, and settlements.
“That the frequency, intensity, and scope of unjustified attacks on cities, villages, and communities in the southern Ose Local Government Area are extremely ominous and humiliating.
“These recurring/constant attacks typically leave in their aftermath huge destruction of lives, properties, fires, rapes of married women, teenagers, and minors, kidnapping, murder, etc.”
Herders stormed the Ole-Esu community in Kogi State’s Omalla local government area, resulting in the death of one person.
An unnamed local claimed that the incident began on Saturday when migratory herders were seen destroying fields in the Ole-Esu village.
According to him, tensions between the Ole-Esu community’s people and herders reached a breaking point over the previous weekend, triggering a conflict. They then learned that one person had been discovered dead in the aftermath.
We spoke with another resident who said, “We are not against the herders travelling through our territory, but they should respect our own ways of life.” Seeing what you worked so hard for destroyed in an instant is heartbreaking.
While confirming the occurrence, SP William Aya of the state police stated, “The situation is already peaceful. Vigilantes and hunters are keeping close watch over the sites, as are police and other security organizations.
Five people have been killed in yet another attack by alleged herders on the Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State.
Mamud Abubakar, a Superintendent of Police, the Naka Divisional Police Officer, and five other people were killed in separate incidents nearby around two weeks ago.
In the most recent attack, which took place on Thursday, the attackers reportedly attacked the Nagi Mbachohon council in the Gwer West at around 5 p.m., leaving five people dead and seven others injured.
According to a local who talked to journalists under the condition of anonymity, “the herders invaded the Nagi settlement yesterday around 5pm” (Thursday).
“They came in large numbers and opened fire on anything they saw; the attack lasted for approximately 30 minutes, after which they fled. After things had calmed down, we discovered two ladies and three men—five dead bodies—on the ground. They also set fire to a number of residences, including the community’s traditional ruler’s palace.
Lt. Col. Paul Hemba (ret.), the governor’s security adviser confirmed the attack.
Akinola Akinnibinu, a 40-year-old farmer, was allegedly murdered on his farm at Oko Oparun Village in Ondo East Local Government Area of Ondo State by some suspected herdsmen
According to information obtained, the accused herders murdered the deceased after the farmer’s wife failed to provide the N700,000 ransom sought by the kidnappers.
A source claims that when the victim went to harvest cocoa on that fatal day, a call was put to Mrs Akinnbinu, his wife, where she was ordered to collect N700,000 from a POS machine and bring money to the farm. The victim’s wife was also alter contacted with the demand that she wire the money to the account number they had provided.
“The wife summoned the Amotekun Corps and other villagers to accompany her as she traveled there out of dread. However, when they arrived at the crime scene, they did not run across the spouse and the kidnappers.
It was learned that his lifeless body was discovered on the fourth day, inside the farm, splashed with a substance that appeared to be acid. Narrating the incident, Mrs Akinnbinu said the kidnappers kidnapped and killed her husband over the issue of ransom.
“My husband left the house in the morning to work on his farm. He later contacted me to pick up cash from a POS close to our home,” she stated. When I questioned him about his plans for the money, he replied that I should bring it and that he would explain them once I arrived at the farm.
“When I arrived at the location, I did not see them, and after leaving, we did not hear from the villagers again until yesterday, when they reported seeing a dead body shrouded in bamboo leaves and smeared in chemical residue. My husband’s body was there.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Funmilayo Odunlami, confirmed the event and stated an inquiry had started.
The PPRO said, “It happened a few days ago, and we’ve started an investigation into it.”
Three people were killed in an attack by Fulani herdsmen on the Ikobi community in the Apa local government area of Benue State on Saturday, February 4, 2023.
Operation Whirl Stroke (OPW) personnel were sent to the area after the attack to stop further assaults. The military, according to neighborhood members, gallantly resisted the invaders.
The killer herders ambushed the OPWS troops in Mbappa, Gwer West local government of the state, but the troops were able to defeat the attackers despite the fact that three of the soldiers were hurt.
In separate attacks just last week, armed Fulani militants killed Superintendent of Police (SP), Mamud Abubakar, the Divisional Police Officer of the Gwer West local government area, along with two other policemen, two children, and three women.
The area has been under siege by killer herders for the past few days, and some analysts attribute the attacks to remarks made by the deposed Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, and 51 other people, who accused the governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, of using livestock guards and the laws against open grazing and ranches establishment to drive Fulanis out of the state.
The President of the Tiv Youth Organization, Timothy Hembaor, discussed the tragic incident with journalists in Makurdi. He described the attack on the military personnel in Gwer West as senseless and barbaric and questioned why the herders would ambush security personnel whose job it is to maintain peace.
Hembaor urged the appropriate security authorities to quickly start an inquiry into Sanusi and the other Fulani elders whose recent comments, in his opinion, have encouraged the herders in Benue State to commit more atrocities.
“It is not by chance that armed Fulani’s are currently operating in Benue State. They must have been briefed by the senior citizens who just petitioned President Buhari to remove Governor Ortom. Performing an investigation will undoubtedly reveal the facts. In Benue, we are aware of who is attacking us.
Shande stated that “Sanusi and the others must be held accountable for the recent uptick in attacks against our people.
Three days ago, the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), a socio-cultural organization, raised the alarm that the deposed Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido, and 51 other people should be held responsible if anything untoward happened to the governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, regarding the alleged killing of pastoralists in Nasarawa State.
Additionally, the group urged the Federal Government to take action to stop herdsmen attacks on defenseless farmers in Benue State and other Middle Belt regions.
Killer herders have attacked security personnel in Benue State on numerous occasions over the past few years, including the ambush on the military in Gwer West.
The traditional leader is renowned for encouraging locals to refuse paying ransom to criminals who kidnapped their loved ones
The wives and five children of Sani Muhammed, the district chief of Mutum Biu, were killed by gunmen who are believed to be bandits.
Mutum Biu is the administrative center of Taraba State’s Gasol Local Government area.
Ibrahim Ya’u, a senior Gasol Emirate official, informed reporters of the event on Saturday in Jalingo, the state’s capital.
On Saturday night, the killings were also confirmed by the state’s police
“Reliable sources have reported that seven of the Emir of M/eight biyu’s family members were murdered by their attackers. Usman Abdullahi, the state police spokesperson, stated that one individual had fled from the forest.
One of those taken hostage together with the district head’s family, according to Mr. Ya’u, was able to escape.
After the gunmen raided the homes of the monarch, a retired judge, and a second-class chief, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the district head’s family was abducted in Jalingo.
According to Mr. Ya’u, the bodies of the traditional ruler’s family members were placed in the district head’s residence in Mutumbiyu on Friday in preparation for Islamic burial on Saturday.
After the gunmen raided the homes of the monarch, a retired judge, and a second-class chief, the district head’s family was abducted in Jalingo.
According to Mr. Ya’u, the bodies of the traditional ruler’s family members were placed in the district head’s residence in Mutumbiyu on Friday in preparation for Islamic burial on Saturday.
Residents of the town had said that the attackers targeted the monarch because he had aided local security forces and the Taraba Marshall, a state-sponsored vigilante group that has been battling local criminals, in their efforts.
Suspected herdsmen attacked the Maiyanga community in the Bokkos LGA of Plateau State on Monday where three deaths were verified. It was learned that two additional people were shot during the attack that took place on Sunday night.
Bulus Sule, a resident of Maiyanga community, confirmed the incident to The PUNCH in Jos on Monday and stated that the injured were transported to the hospital to receive treatment.
Sule stated, “The assailants came and attacked the residents of the Maiyanga neighborhood last night (Sunday). Three people were killed by gunfire, while two others were wounded. Just too much shooting took place. The community is suffering right now.
Ilya, a different community member, decried the murders of the locals.
The security personnel, he claimed, were informed of the attack and arrived in the neighborhood a few hours after the shooters had left.
He urged the administration to step up security in the area to prevent further assaults on the populace.
When reached regarding the attack at the time of making up this report, Alabo Alfred, the spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, could not be reached for comments.
Following a recent bombardment of individuals thought to be herders on the border of Benue and Nasarawa States, it has been claimed that suspected Fulani herdsmen have exacted revenge on Tiv communities in Nasarawa State.
This follows comments by the deposed Emir Sanusi concerning the killings in which he had earlier alleged that the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom was responsible for the alleged airstrike in Rukubi, a village on the border between Nasarawa and Benue States which left 56 persons dead with others injured.
Emir Sanusi said “All the air strikes that took place in Nasarawa were masterminded from Makurdi. We must hold him responsible since we know his position against Fulani. It’s only an investigation that will avail him of the allegations. Why won’t t there be an investigation to reveal who masterminded the bombardment? And who gives orders to the Air force to always launch these airstrikes?
However, the Tiv community of Nasarawa State claimed yesterday that suspected armed herdsmen were continuing to attack and murder innocent Tiv people in the southern portion of the state as retaliation for the recent bombing.
Mr Peter Ahemba, president of the Tiv Development Association (TIDA) in Nasarawa State, raised the alarm yesterday in a press conference in Lafia. As a result, he urged the federal and state governments to take immediate action to put an end to the ongoing attacks and killings.
He further said that heavily armed herdsmen had singled out and attacked the Tiv people, highlighting the fact that numerous innocent Tiv farmers had already been killed and driven from their homes in the state’s Doma, Keana, and Obi Local Government Areas.
Ahemba emphasized that the intelligence report available to the TIDA leadership showed that the heavily armed herders were preparing to launch more lethal attacks on Tiv settlements throughout the state’s southern zone, as well as portions of the Kokona and Nasarawa Local Government Areas, in order to ensure the complete annihilation of the Tiv nation in the state.
“Thousands of our people have been displaced from across Doma, Keana, and Obi LGAs of the state and armed herders have massacred scores of our people in the previous few days.”
“Chabo village has been devastated to nothing but ashes. As the entire Tiv community in Doma has been forced to flee their homes and numerous others are being slain in isolated communities, a fatal attack was launched on Ajo village in Keana LGA, according to the TIDA President.
The Tiv people of the state were unaware of the recent airstrike that was being used as justification for the widespread killings of the Tiv farmers and destruction of their property, he said, describing the attacks on them as barbaric.
“We request assistance from the federal and state governments, who should provide sufficient security personnel to our communities in the impacted LGAs. All escape routes are still blocked by the herders, who are currently killing our people like animals, according to Ahemba.
Samuel Ortom, the governor of Benue State, has referred to accusations linking his administration to the deaths caused by an airstrike on a community in Nasarawa State as malicious.
The governor claimed that neither he nor his administration were involved in the terrible event.
He insisted that he did not give anyone the command to commit the deed and that he lacked the authority to direct the air raid operation which resulted in the killings
The governor said it was sheer mischief for someone to try and tie him into something he had no knowledge of and questioned why he would be associated with the occurrence.
Just weeks after a police officer and 22 others were reportedly killed, with another 12 in critical condition in an attack in Gbeji community and police station in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, a former Deputy Rector of the Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo was shot dead by unknown assailants along the busy Otukpo – Eke Ugbokolo – Otukpa highway
His death comes after the Information Officer of Ukum local govenrment was also shot dead by unknown assailants who trailed the deceased to his house according to Steve Ayua who spoke to the Vanguard Newspaper.
Meanwhile, the former Rector was reportedly killed while on his way back from Ugbokolo from Otukpo in Benue State whilst in the company of his wife.
According to reports, the deceased travelled for a public engagement and ran into an ambush by armed men. He was flagged down and upon making the stop, was shot and killed. There was also an attempt to kidnap his wife but she was abandoned upon the sighting of approaching military personnel.
These series of events also point to a deterioration of security architecture in the area – as another lecturer was also killed a few months ago from a similar incident and numerous passengers who ply the road have also been either killed, kidnapped or shot at by these gunmen.
Frontline Civil rights advocacy group- HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack all his military service chiefs, the Director General of the Department of State Services, the Inspector-General of Police and the National Security Adviser Major General Babagana Monguno(rtd) for gross incompetence and for crass dereliction of duty.
The Rights group said President Muhammadu Buhari ought to stop his frequent lamentations over his failings in the area of security because that is not why he was elected but to take immediate and comprehensive measures to dismiss any or all of his service chiefs now since they have manifested through their actions and inactions that they have not got what it takes to defeat terrorists just as the security Chiefs most of whom are Moslem Northerners are behaving like they are aiding and abetting the successes recorded so far by Islamic terrorists abd the Fulani terrorists.
HURIWA reacted against the backdrop of the massacre if soldiers in Shiroro Dan a strategic National asset by the Islamists terrorists known as boko haram even as the Prominent Civil rights advocacy group-HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA accused the President of abandoning his duty to gallivanting and globetrot meaningless over the World.
HURIWA recalled that the Nigerian Army has confirmed the attack in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State by bandits who killed scores of security operatives, including soldiers and police.
According to reports, at least 43 people, including 30 soldiers and seven mobile police personnel and civilians were killed when the armed men stormed the Gold mining site. They also abducted several Chinese nationals.
Confirming the attack, the Nigerian Army, in a statement issued by its Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, said some bandits were also gunned down during the attack.“Sadly, a number of personnel paid the supreme price in the fierce firefight that ensued.“Subsequently, the location has been reinforced and troops are on the trail of the criminals with some already neutralized.The GOC 1 Division has moved to the location to take charge of the follow up operations”, the statement added.
HURIWA however said the Army should cover her face in shame that it is unable to defend the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria even when the defence sector collects the giant allocations every year from the federally released annual budgets and wondered why despite the fact that the governmenxt made claims of buying equipment from all over the World, the Islamists are being allowed to crush a trained and professional Army such as the Nigeria Army just as the Rights group said it is now certain that some saboteurs within the Army may be the moles selling the Country out to Jihadists. HURIWA has therefore called for the sack of all the service chiefs and is asking Nigerians not to die in silence but to stage protests to demand action from President Muhammadu Buhari to stop the widening insecurity in Nigeria. HURIWA said it is unfortunate that Nigerians are letting the government abandon it’s statutory duty to the citizens but failing to actively protest the heightened state of insecurity in the Country and demand the dismissal of compromised security Chiefs and the National Security Adviser who has absolutely nothing to offer.
