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.
I woke up on the 5th of June to see “Owo” trending on Twitter, thinking maybe the governor of the state Rotimi Akeredolu had done something a typical Nigerian government official would do, which would not surprise me, and, to which I didn’t care to take a look at. I found the real story after going through my WhatsApp status updates from contacts. Indeed, it was a horror, the pictures that confronted me.
Two days later, I found out that, three hours after the Owo attack, something worse happened in one of our villages in Southern Kaduna. The military shot at unarmed villages that were under Fulani militia’s attack and secured the militia.
THE JOURNEY
As is the norm with me, some stories strike more than just a chord. Some things should not happen in a democratic society, and even if not so, the 21st century should present us with better opportunities for conflict resolution.
I left Abuja a couple of minutes to 7 PM after the day’s tasks have been completed and headed to Kaduna. One notable thing on the road that night was an accident with survivors in it, but no one dared stop to help them, because of the fear of kidnappers and the elements of destabilization in that death trap called Abuja-Kaduna Express Way. Even my soul felt pity for those trapped in that vehicle.
Minutes later would be our turn. We were two in the vehicle when at 9:45 PM, we had a flat tyre that left us stranded on that road for an hour. I got to Kaduna minutes past 11 PM, crashed at a friend’s place, and continued my journey to the destination where a Nigerian Military helicopter was said to have shot and killed people.
KADUNA-CROSSING-MAIKORI VILLAGE
At first, I thought the attack happened somewhere close to Kaduna city, and at most, somewhere around Kajuru which is about 60KM from the city. Wrong!
First, my guide told me he was not in the village where the attack happened any longer. He had moved on to be with the IDPs in Kaduna and asked me to contact another survivor who would lead me to the village. The second guide was in Kachia, and had to take a cab to Crossing where we met.
“Oga Sir, are we leaving the car here?” he asked.
“No! Why should we leave it here bro?” I inquired.
“It is because the road is not good and the place is far…”
We would go on to travel in the car for convenience, but the motorable road came to an end at Maro which is about 25KM at least, from Crossing. We crossed into Ugakala, drove past quite a number of settlements for almost an hour, and decided to park at Chibiya village when our guide noticed how difficult it was navigating such a jungle. He pleaded with his kinsmen he met on bikes, borrowed their bikes, and rode on one with the cameraman while I and one passenger of the other bike rode on the other for another 30 minutes till we got to Maikori village.
HOW THE ATTACKS HAPPENED
A Sunday is a resting day for these agrarian communities. After Sunday service, it is a well-known fact that Southern Kaduna Christian communities see Sunday as a holiday where you don’t have to work or toil for anything. It is mostly all about going to Church, fellowship, coming back home, resting, or going to the village markets to relax and, or catch up with old friends and families.
According to one of the eye witnesses from Maikori Village,
“We were resting under a tree when we heard gunshots from Ungwan Sarki. We immediately mobilized to know what was happening and were told Fulani men had attacked the village. In the process of mobilizing ourselves to go help our brothers, we saw an influx of men on motorbikes. There were over 100 motorbikes carrying two people each, at least!”
Eyewitness
Another eyewitness said,
“They came in their large numbers. They were many, with sophisticated weapons and we were ready to confront them. It is our village. It is our streams and rivers. It is our farms. It is our bushes. Even though they used to graze here, they don’t know these places better than we do. So we were strategizing on how to defend ourselves when all of a sudden a helicopter came and started to shoot at us, while the attackers were left to burn our houses!”
Eyewitness
Mass grave of the victims
An elderly woman in her 70s said, “We thought the helicopter was there to help us but it was not. It opened fire on us as we ran. We were running and hiding under shrubs. If this were to be a dry season, the casualty figure would have been worse than this.
“Up till now, we don’t stay in our houses anymore. We are here because we are hungry. We stay in the bushes and not in the houses. We just came to get some corn to grind and then go back to the bushes where we are hiding. We fear they would come back.”
70 years old survivor
Multiple eyewitnesses confirmed the helicopter chased them into the bushes, shelled them, and left the terrorists to loot their barns and burn any structure they could. This operation that lasted for two hours had two people killed and one injured. Maniya Inuwa was killed by the terrorists, while Titus Yusuf was shot and killed by the helicopter. Shadrach Joshua was also shot by the helicopter.
A white Rooivalk Mk1 attack helicopter for illustration purpose. Credit: Australian aviation
Every effort to see Joshua was not successful, but luckily, he called me on the phone past 8PM just as I had arrived in Abuja. Apparently, Joshua woke up that morning, was taken to the hospital for treatment, and later hidden in the bush perhaps the Fulanis come back to re-attack the village again.
The attack on Ungwan Sarki claimed two lives, at Maikori two lives and one injury from the helicopter’s shelling, and thirty four lives at Dogo Noma.
ECWA Church Maikori after the attack
The people at Dogo Noma were in a market square having a good time when two men arrived on bikes, surveyed the environment, and left. Minutes later, they were rounded up in the market. Those who tried to escape were shot down while quite a number of them were captured numbering twenty-nine. To date, others cannot be accounted for.
KADUNA STATE GOVERNMENT’S ACCOUNT
The Kaduna state government had kept mum for four (4) days since the Sunday, 5th of June’s attack in Dogon Noma, Maikori, and Ungwan Sarki communities. The government only decided to speak when it became obvious that Southern Karuna was trending on Twitter and other social media platforms. The helicopter story was also spreading like wildfire.
The government speaking through its Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan acknowledged that there was an attack on Sunday 5th June but didn’t explain why it took her four days to comment. The government took time to mention the names of the victims killed during the attack but denied that the helicopter shot at the villagers. It said the helicopter belongs to the Nigerian air force and was on the ground to engage the terrorists.
What the state government has not been able to show to the world is proof that terrorists were killed by the so-called military helicopter. It is baffling to say that a military attack helicopter was on the ground to repel terrorists yet not a single terrorist was killed.
A destroyed vehicle at Maikori
This is not the first time victims of Fulani terrorist attacks are alleging sighting helicopters during attacks. In 2018, communities in the same Kajuru local government area of Kaduna state narrated how they sighted a white-painted helicopter landing in the bushes near them prior to the attacks. There was a video to that effect, where community members narrated their ordeals in the hands of the terrorists.
In June 2020, a captured terrorist confessed during interrogation in a viral video that a certain white painted helicopter was supplying them with weapons for operations.
In February 2022 a certain helicopter flying at low level shot a teenage boy in Kagoro, a community near Kafanchan, the boy survived with an injured arm.
The onion of proof that the terrorists are not in possession of air assets lies in the Nigerian Air Force. The Air Force must as a matter of urgency clear the air with satisfactory evidence otherwise the testimony of victims and survivors will continue to shape public discussions on terrorist attacks in Nigeria as it has never been heard that terrorists used planes or helicopters to visit their victims.
Two weeks before the Sunday 5th June attack, a retired senior intelligence officer had told MBT in confidence about the presence of a certain white painted helicopter which he said was suspicious and that it might be used for nefarious activities.
He said the white chopper is often seen landing at the Air Force Base in Kaduna. Even though he could not tell much about the ownership of the chopper, he said going by its flight nature and timing, he suspects the chopper was being used to either provide cover or facilitate the operations of terrorists or used to kill targeted people in the state.
With the statement earlier released by the Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan crediting the Nigerian Air Force Base with the helicopter being a rescue helicopter, it is left for them to verify who was the pilot of the helicopter, who gave the command for the helicopter to go to the rescue of the people which ended up killing one person and injuring another person and also providing cover for ground terrorists to kill and burn down houses.
Also, every helicopter has a visible number for easy identification, but this specific helicopter which is white in color does not fly close to the ground as would do other military helicopters. In Zangon Kataf for instance, the presence of the same white helicopter signals that an attack is imminent. This can be confirmed by residents of the local government which leaves us with no option but to request the Nigeria Air Force Base to do a proper investigation to identify this helicopter and its owner.
If the Nigerian Air Force Base cannot investigate, then we call on the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology to do due diligence. Both NAF-Base and NCAT are in Kaduna and are supposed to be privy to information on any flight within the territory in question!
RECOVERED HIGH CALIBRE AMMUNITIONSFROM TERROR SCENE
Middle Belt Times correspondent came in contact with some high calibre ammunitions recovered from the scene of the attack by the villagers. The sizes and shapes of the ammunition look different from the conventional AK-47 bullet shells usually found after attacks in southern Kaduna and elsewhere. These ammunitions look bigger than normal.
High calibre ammunition recovered from Maikori community
Middle Belt Times reached out to a retired senior Air Force officer who agreed to share his views on the matter on condition of strict anonymity. When he sighted a photograph of one of the ammunitions recovered from the attack site, he said the bullets are either 30 or 50mm calibre round mostly fired by machine guns mounted on attack aircrafts. Speaking on the yet to be identified attck helicopter alleged to be providing cover for terrorists, the retired Air Commodore said the government could deny such allegations as long as no clear evidence to hold onto.
The government could deny the helicopter because there are many around. Even the Nigerian Air Force has had some close incidents with unknown aircrafts. What would be overwhelming is the aircraft shot down else anything you put out can be denied.
Retired Air Force officer.
He went further to state that such ammunitions have no business in a rural community not at war.
Such high calibre weapons do not have any business in Kajuru except if the terrorists were also flying attack aircrafts or riding on armoured vehicles.” He said.
Retired Air Force officer…
Middle Belt Times carried out further checks on the 30 and 50mm calibre round and discovered that such ammunitions are typically not used against personnel, but rather as an anti-materiel or armor-piercing round. “Rounds of this size can be effective against lightly armored vehicles as well as fortified bunkers. 30 mm is also a popular calibre for shipboard close-in weapons systems, such as the Russian AK-630 and Dutch Goalkeeper CIWS.” [Wikipedia].
MBT reporter holding a recovered high calibre ammunition
Similarly, the 50mm calibre round is used typically as anti-materiel or armoured-piercint ammunition mostly mounted on attack aircrafts. The question begging for answer is, what could such dangerous weapons be doing in an agrarian community not at war with anybody?
CONCLUSION
While this investigation may not go down well with the powers that be, Middle Belt Times is not out to foment trouble. We are asking every stakeholder to get to grips with themselves and do the needful. Yesterday, it was AK47 riffles. Today, it is a helicopter. We do not know what befalls our communities tomorrow, maybe, chemical or biological weapons.
