Military Steps Up Efforts to Restore Peace in Plateau State, Relocates Base to troubled area as Govt imposes Curfew

By Steven Kefas, Kaduna

In response to a recent spate of violence in Mangu Local Government Area, the military has relocated its headquarters to the area and imposed a 24-hour curfew.

Maj.-Gen. Abdusalam Abubakar, the Commander of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), said the move was necessary to work in synergy with the local authority to mitigate the situation.

“I have relocated the headquarters of OPSH here so we can work with the local authority. We will stay here until we stabilise the situation.

“The governor is disturbed by the happenings, and that is why I am personally here to lead my troops. We won’t allow the situation to deteriorate further. We are not here to joke; and so we will be decisive, fair and firm,” Abubakar said according to reports from the News Agency of Nigeria.

Meanwhile, due to the recent unrest in Mangu Local Government Area of the State, the state Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has imposed a 24-hour curfew in the area to restore law and order and to forestall further loss of lives and destruction of properties.

The curfew, which began on Sunday, is in effect until further notice. Movements within the local government are banned except for security personnel and persons on essential duties.

Governor Caleb Mutfwang said the curfew was necessary to “restore law and order and to forestall further loss of lives and destruction of properties.”

“The government is working round-the-clock to restore peace and security in the state,” Mutfwang said.

The violence in Mangu Local Government Area is the latest in a series of attacks that have plagued Plateau State in recent years. The attacks have often been blamed on ethnic and religious tensions.

The military’s decision to relocate its headquarters to Mangu and the state government’s decision to impose a curfew on the affected area is a sign that the government is taking the violence seriously. It remains to be seen whether these measures will be enough to restore peace to the state.

Protesting Plateau Youths Block Jos-Abuja High Way

Youths in the Riyom Community, which serves as the entrance to Jos, the capital of the Plateau state, have blocked the Jos-Abuja route in protest of what they claim are ongoing killings in certain parts of the region.

In protest of the uptick in killings committed by terrorists in their Communities, youths and community members have stopped major highways coming into and out of Jos, according to the Middle Belt Times.

Many vehicles and travelers were reportedly being stranded along Mararaban Jama’a as a result of the development, and many commuters have been forced to turn around and take an alternate route.

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.

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.

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.”

JUST IN: 10 Killed, Scores Wounded In Fresh Southern Kaduna Attack

No fewer than 10 people have been confirmed dead in yet another new attack in the Langson community of Kaduna State’s Zango Kataf local government area, with scores of others suffering injuries of different severity.

The attack transpired despite the 24-hour curfew that was in place after last week’s attack and retaliation that left 17 people dead. It is believed to have taken place on Tuesday night up to the early hours of Wednesday morning in the impacted community.

The Atyap Community Development Association (ACDA) leadership, who acknowledged the most recent incident, has voted against the security personnel stationed in the region to safeguard people and property.

“Security officers posted to this Southern Kaduna are no longer guarding us,” claimed Mr. Sam Achie, the national president of the ACDA, “since this massacres have persisted for long and continued unabatedly and yet the government remains mum about it.”

Achie noted that it was troubling and cause for concern that the Kaduna State administration had remained silent about the area’s ongoing attacks when he visited the location of the attack.

He therefore asked the government to back up its words with deeds by apprehending the attackers because, in his opinion, the government knew who they were and where they resided.

The MOPOL detachment in the Langson community was however praised by the ACDA National President, who also urged the populace to continue to be vigilant in order to defend their homes and communities from oppressors who are determined to seize their ancestral lands and prevent other killings.

He revealed that several of the local hospitals were providing medical care to those hurt in the attack.

Mr. Francis Sani, the chairman of the Zango Kataf local government, who also verified the attack, called on the State government to send more security personnel to the LGA in order to stop the frequent attacks on innocent people and their property.

Around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, the attackers broke into the neighborhood and began shooting sporadically, killing some civilians and injured others before being driven back by the MOPOL.

As at the time this story was filed, Lt. Col. I.S. Takwa, the spokesperson for Operations Safe Haven, could not be reached for comment.

Peter Obi urges security personnel to act in response to the Kaduna killings

Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s nominee for president in the election of February 25, 2023, has decried the reported massacre of inhabitants at the Ungwan Wakili community in Kaduna State’s Zango Kataf Local Government Area.

In a statement released on Sunday, Obi claimed that the attack had resulted in several casualties.

The former governor of Anambra stated that one of the guiding principles of his agreement with Nigerians is to preserve and combat insecurity as little as possible.

Obi stated that any news of violence or terrorist strikes in Nigeria makes him saddened.

“The reports of a terrorist attack on the Ungwan Wakili community in Kaduna State’s Zango Kataf Local Government Area with significant deaths astound me. I completely condemn the act,” he declared.

Any serious government in power, according to the LP candidate, must place a high premium on ensuring Nigeria’s and Nigerians’ security.

Obi tasked security personnel with carrying out their responsibilities in order to create a new Nigeria where Nigerians can live in safety and freedom.

Invoking God to offer the victims of the attacks eternal repose and comfort their grieving families, he pleaded with security personnel to bring the attackers to justice.