6 LGAs in Benue Under Fulani Terrorists Siege — ALGON Chairman

The Chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria in Benue State, Mike Uba on Thursday raised said that six local government areas of the state are under siege by Fulani herders.

Uba stated this during a press conference held in Makurdi and added that the attacks were being carried out simultaneously in the past two weeks.

According to Uba, the affected six local government areas include; Kwande, Agatu, Gwer West, Guma, Makurdi and Logo.

The ALGON boss who is the chairman of Guma LGA said that the attacks started shortly after the presidential and national assembly election, adding that several communities have been deserted and occupied by herders.

He said, “This is the first time in the history of Fulani herders, terrorists attacks in the state that six local governments are under attacks simultaneously.

“These are Guma, Makurdi, Gwer-West, Kwande, Agatu and some forays in Logo. In the past, attacks would be in two or three; Guma, Gwer West and Agatu.

“The new dimension speaks volumes of Command Room Coordination and Strategy. This is a strategic attempt that is also politically timed to coincide with the electoral season,” he added.

Uba, however, appealed to  President Muhammad Buhari to protect the lives and property of the people of the state.

(Nigerian Tribune, header modified) 

Herders attack six Benue communities

Six communities in the local government areas of Kwande, Agatu, Gwer-West, Guma, Makurdi, and Logo have reportedly been attacked by alleged herders in the state, according to Mike Uba, chairman of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria in Benue State.

In a press conference with media in Makurdi, Uba stated that the attacks took place concurrently over the course of the previous two weeks and that they began soon after the presidential and National Assembly elections.

He observed that some towns had been abandoned and were now inhabited by herdsmen.

He declared, “Six local governments are being attacked at the same time for the first time in the state’s history of herder assaults and terrorist strikes.

They include Guma, Makurdi, Gwer-West, Kwande, Agatu, and a few ventures into the Logo. Attacks in the past would be divided into two or three groups: Guma, Gwer-West, and Agatu.

“The additional dimension says a lot about command room strategy and coordination. This is a calculated effort intended to coincide with election season.

Uba, who serves as the head of the Guma Local Government Area, pleaded with President Major-General Muhammad Buhari (ret.) to safeguard the safety of people and property in the state.

50 killed as suspected herdsmen continue attack in Benue villages 

During a four-day assault by alleged herdsmen who invaded various communities in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, at least 50 people are presumed dead.

Adam, Iyarinwa, Abamde Ityuluv, Waya Boagundu, Agura Ayaga, and Azege villages in Turan Council Ward, Kwande LGA, are among the impacted communities

Tertsua Yarkbewan, the immediate past chairman of the LGA, told journalists on Monday that about 50 people were massacred during the attacks by alleged herdsmen.

He said, “My people are being massacred like goats. What we have been hearing is that there are Fulani attacks, especially in Turan in the Kwande axis. Even places where there were no attacks before are witnessing attacks.

“Now, every day you hear that five or four people were killed, you cannot have the exact number of those that have been killed because some corpses are still in the bush and yet to be recovered. But looking at the number of people being killed in the past few days, I think the casualty figures should be over 50.”

Herdsmen killings: Benue APC guber candidate, Fr Alia fumes

The All Progressives Congress’ (APC) candidate for governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, has decried the latest round of attacks by armed men on communities in the state, particularly Kwande and Gwer-West Local Government.

Since the Saturday presidential and National Assembly elections, multiple attacks in Local Government Areas have claimed the lives of over ten people.

Fr. Alia responded by asking why the herdsmen invasion of Benue Communities and the horrible death of innocent residents could not be stopped in a statement released on Friday by his media assistant, Isaac Uzaan.

The APC candidate criticized the return of the terrible killings, bemoaning the timing of these attacks after the elections that delivered Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the new president.

Fr. Alia warned those who may be profiting from the unrest in Benue State and also using it for political purposes to rethink and consider turning over a new leaf as soon as possible to avert God’s wrath. He also called on security agencies to deploy enough personnel and step up surveillance at the troubled areas.

Given the amount of security agencies based in the state and reporting to the state chief security officer, the priest of God specifically questioned why Benue State has continued to be exposed to similar attacks.

Rampaging bandits abduct Plateau female councillor

A female councillor in Plateau State, Hannatu Bawa, has been abducted by bandits.

The state’s Kanke Local Government Area’s Kabwir-Fadar Ward is represented by the abducted councilor.

She was reportedly in her home on Kabwir-Dawaki Road in the council area when the bandits attacked the neighborhood early on Tuesday and kidnapped her.

The kidnapping of the female councillor was reported by a source who chose to remain anonymous.

The Source told Middle Belt Times that “It was around 3am on Tuesday that the bandits came and abducted the female councillor.

She was being taken hostage while she slept in her Kabwir home. Her captors forcedfully removed her via a window after forcing entry into her apartment through a window 

“Her door was still locked when community members gathered at her place later.”

The spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, Alabo Alfred, also confirmed the incident when contacted.

“The command is aware of the abduction of the female councillor in Kanke Local Government Area. We are on top of the situation because our officers and men have been deployed to the community and are working to rescue the victim from her abductors,”

Explosion rattles Kogi LG; government claims saboteurs behind attack

The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed an explosion that rocked the administrative office of Okehi Local Government Area of the state.

It was gathered that unknown gunmen had stormed the secretariat around 5pm on Monday and planted the explosion that ripped through the administrative block of the secretariat.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP William Aya, told our Correspondent on Tuesday that the explosion occurred on Monday evening.

Also confirming the explosion, the State Security Adviser, Commander Jerry Omadara, said that the incident had been traced to saboteurs who wanted to cause panic during the election to prevent people from coming out to vote

Aya said officers had been deployed to the area to ascertain the extent of damages.

He urged for calm and stated that adequate security personnel have been deployed to the area while normalcy has since been restored to the area.

‘Strange herdsmen have invaded our lands’ – Ondo Communities

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.”

One killed as Herdsmen attack Omalla local government in Kogi State

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.

Suspected herders in Benue kill five, torch homes

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.

Herdsmen kill Ondo farmer after wife fails to raise ransom

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.”