TheNewsGuru

Tag: Benue State

  • COVID-19: Benue govt. lifts ban on religious gathering

    COVID-19: Benue govt. lifts ban on religious gathering

    Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue on Wednesday lifted the ban on religious gatherings as a result of COVID-19.

    Ortom, who announced the lifting of the ban while briefing newsmen in Makurdi, said Church and Mosque services could now hold in the state beginning from Wednesday.

    The governor, however, stressed that the duration of service should not be more than one hour.

    “The Churches and Mosques are to hold standard services to accommodate fewer people.

    “Social distancing must be observed in all religious gatherings. Wearing of face masks is mandatory for all.

    “There must be water and soap for washing of hands. Also, alcohol based hand sanitisers must be kept for use by the people.

    “We are going to monitor what is happening in Churches and Mosques,” he said.

    He further said markets could open, but with strict observance of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) protocol.

    “Here too, we will monitor as well to ensure compliance.

    “Burials and other ceremonies should not have more than 30 persons at a time.

    “Inter State border travels still remain closed except for transportation of essential services,” he said.

    He said civil servants from grade levels one to 12 in the state who were staying at home due to COVID-19 would resume work on June 8.

    “They are advised to observe all the preventive measures of COVID-19 while carrying out their duties.

    “All schools remain closed. We appreciate Benue people for their understanding and substantial compliance to all their directives,” the governor said.

  • No COVID-19 related death in Benue since outbreak – Commissioner

    No COVID-19 related death in Benue since outbreak – Commissioner

    The Commissioner for Health in Benue, Dr Sunday Ongbabo, says the state has not recorded any death related to COVID-19 since its outbreak.

    Ongbabo said this on Tuesday in an interview with newsmen in Makurdi.

    The commissioner who is also the Secretary, State Action Committee against COVID-19 , attributed the successful story to the proactive steps taken by the Gov. Samuel Ortom-led administration.

    “The proactive steps taken against COVID-19 by Gov. Ortom has helped the state not to record any death since the pandemic started,” he said.

    He urged the people of Benue to appreciate God for giving Ortom the wisdom to be proactive on all the issues concerning the fight against Coronavirus disease.

    He said that out of the 200 persons tested so far, only six tested positive for Coronavirus while four of them had been treated and discharged.

    He expressed the optimism that the remaining two persons would soon be discharged, adding that the entire people of the state needed to be proactive to make the state COVID-19 free.

    He said that the understanding demonstrated by the persons that reported the case of the Kano yam seller who contracted the virus, was exemplary.

    He also noted that Mrs Rebecca Apedzan and Mr Edward Manger were celebrated when they were discharged because they were also exemplary in conduct.

    “With the help of the governor , a world class laboratory for infectious diseases is being built at the state owned university.

    “When completed, the laboratory will be the best in the West African sub-region,” he said.

  • Troops neutralise criminals in Benue, arrest militia gang in Nasarawa

    Troops neutralise criminals in Benue, arrest militia gang in Nasarawa

    The Defence Headquarters says troops of Operation Whirl Stroke have succeeded in killing two gang members of Gana led criminal elements in Benue arresting members of militia group in Nasarawa state.

    The Coordinator, Defence Media Operation, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

    Enenche said the success was recorded when combined troops of Sector 2 deployed in Gbise and Zaki Biam in Benue and Sector 4 from Taraba State raided the hideout of Gana in Mtan village in Utenge Council Ward of Katsina-Ala Local Government Area (LGA) on Saturday.

    He added that while two members of the gang were killed in the encounter, others fled with various degrees of gunshot wounds.

    According to him, exploitation operation revealed that Gana narrowly escaped death with gunshot wounds.

    “Items recovered include: one locally fabricated machine gun, six locally made rifles, two locally fabricated cartridge guns and one dane gun.

    “Other items recovered are two revolver pistols, two cartridge pistols, 27 rounds of 9mm ammunition two motorcycles, one camouflage shirt, one generator set, one bag of gun powder and assorted charms.

    “Gana’s personal belongings, other items and thatched houses were destroyed,” he said.

    The Coordinator further disclosed that the troops of Sector 3 deployed at Ondori in Doma LGA of Nasarawa State raided the Bassa Militia camp at Kpelebewa village in Rukubi area and arrested seven gang members.

    He added that the raid followed a credible information that the militia group were planning to attack a Tiv community over land dispute.

    According to him, the troops apprehended seven members of the militia dressed in red shirts in the camp.

    “Items recovered include one locally fabricated machine gun, six locally fabricated rifles, two locally fabricated cartridge guns, one Dane gun, two revolver pistols, two cartridge firing pistols, 57 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, 29 rounds of 9mm ammunition, and 22 cartridges of ammunition.

    “Other items are one dagger, poisoned bows and arrows, desert camouflage head gears and pouch, six phone handsets and some charms.

    “The suspects are currently undergoing interrogation to be handed over to the police.

    “The Military High Command congratulates the Troops and requests the general public to continue to provide the Armed Forces with credible information to facilitate its operations in the Country,” he said.

  • COVID-19 infects NDLEA staff in Benue

    COVID-19 infects NDLEA staff in Benue

    Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue has confirmed a fresh case of Covid-19 infection in the State.

    Ortom, who made the confirmation on Tuesday in Makurdi while briefing journalists, said the victim, Mr Edward Manger, a returnee from Kano worked with the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

    He said the victim came into the state from Kano towards the end of April.

    Ortom said the victim had been taken to the Federal Medical Centre in the outskirts of Makurdi for treatment.

    The State now has two cases,the first being a female returnee from the UK, who is currently quarantined at the National Hospital Abuja.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Our Client is Not Positive, Lawyer of Benue Covid-19 Index Case Insist, writes Health Ministry

    EXCLUSIVE: Our Client is Not Positive, Lawyer of Benue Covid-19 Index Case Insist, writes Health Ministry

    … we have to allow them keep our sister for the interest of peace says family members…..

    Susan Idoko-Okpe (Nee Lawani), the controversial index case of Covid-19 in Benue state has continued her agitation for her release from the national Hospital whom she termed “detention” and “unlawful custody”.

    Mrs Okpe who couldn’t secure her release from isolation have decided to approach lawyer. To start she wrote a letter through her lawyer EBUN-OLU ADEGBORUWA, SAN to the Federal ministry of health dated April 23, 2020.

    The letter which was titled “REQUEST FOR THE RELEASE OF MRS. SUSAN IDOKO-OKPE (NEE LAWANI) FROM DETENTION” demands her immediate and unconditional release as well as a public apology by the Federal government whom she (Okpe) claims have been detaining for a Crime she knows nothing about. The letter have been trending in both social and traditional media.

    TNG in an attempt to verify the authenticity the letter approached the Lawani’s family who Okpe comes from. According to her eldest brother who is a former director general of the nigerian institute of Tripanosomiasis Research Kaduna ,Dr Felix Lawani, though he is not aware of the letter, he is sure his sister must have approached the lawyer since she has been agitating for her release from isolation. “I have not seen the letter, it’s not in my place to see the letter, I have recieved several calls regarding that letter but its not my duty to speak on the letter since it’s a legal document….but I know my sister must have approached a lawyer to get freed….”

    TNG reported on 30th March on how Mrs Okpe a British-Nigerian Citizen arrived Benue Nigeria to attend her mother’s burial ceremony but was forcefully isolated after showing some symptoms bof Covid-19. But in a twist to her case Okpe and her family who claimed they have not seen her Covid-19 test result insist she (Okpe) is negative, but she has been on isolation and have since resisted any Covid-19 treatment. ” I spoke to the honourable minister of health who was responsible for the movement of our sister (Susan Okpe) to Abuja.” Dr Lawani told TNG.

    Lawani a Forensic Pathologist and a former appointee of he Federal Ministry of health is already giving in to the influence of the forces holding his sister. TNG attempted to find out if the people Mrs Okpe had contact with in Benue were tested through contact tracing but Dr Lawani couldn’t respond. “…from what I know if a person is tested three times and is positive he or she has to be placed on isolation…. If my sister continue to resist treatment, it is now left for the government to know what to do….” He said. “….for now, we have allow them to keep our her for the interest of peace, the minister told me that it is for the interest of the public and you know the people’s interest overwrites the interest of one person….” He added.

    Other key flash points of the letter includes demands for her rehabilitation and compensation “upon her release and proper rehabilitation, our Client will determine the quantum of damages that she has suffered as a result of her ordeal and revert to you with details thereof, for settlement.” she added in the letter that

    “while thanking you for your kind considerations and positive response, please accept the best assurances of our warmest regards, always.”

  • BREAKING: Gov Ortom, Deputy, Commissioner submit to Covid-19 test in Benue

    Gov Samuel Ortom of Benue, his Deputy, Mr Benson Abounu and the Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Mr David Olofu on Thursday submitted voluntarily submitted themselves for the Coronavirus (Covid-19) test.

    In a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Terver Akase in Makurdi, they submitted their samples to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

    The statement quotes Ortom as saying “the decision to submit samples for the test was the right thing to do”.

    The governor, therefore, appealed to all Benue citizens to submit to the test and not wait for symptoms to manifest before going for it.

    According to Ortom, doing so will help to contain the spread of the deadly virus in the state.

    Ortom said:”there is no was shame in seeking to know your Covid-19 status”.

    He urged the people to cooperate with the COVID-19 Action Committee at the state and local government levels, while observing the preventive measures against the pandemic.

  • COVID-19: BNSG will follow all protocol no matter who is involved – Deputy Gov.

    COVID-19: BNSG will follow all protocol no matter who is involved – Deputy Gov.

    The Deputy Governor of Benue, Benson Abounu, has said that no amount of intimidation would deter the State Government from observing all the protocol concerning COVID-19.

    Abounu, also the Chairman, State Action Committee on COVID-19 disclosed this on Monday while briefing newsmen in Makurdi.

    The deputy governor said that they had followed all the laid down protocol regarding the index case of the virus recorded in the state.

    “We will not compromise the protocol no matter who is involved. We are determined to save lives. Her name was mentioned not because we want to tarnish her image but to save lives.

    “We want to save her family and the people she came in contact with. What we did was in the best interest of the public. We meant no harm,” he said.

    He, however, lamented that the lady was not cooperating with the committee to enable it track down the people she came in contact with.

    “Notwithstanding, we are doing our best. We have met with some of them. We advised them to go into self-isolation for two weeks, thereafter go for test to know their status.

    “We also directed the proprietor of Grace Cottage Hospital, Makurdi where she was first admitted to put all the staff that came in contact with her on isolation preferably within the hospital.

    “The self-isolation will be strictly monitored by members of the committee,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the representative of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Prof. Stephen Abah said that so far only one case of the disease was confirmed in the state.

    “The centre is interested in it. The centre does not want it to spread further. We want to ensure that whoever comes in contact with the disease is given due medical attention,” he said.

  • EXCLUSIVE: Family of Benue COVID-19 index case laments, faults NCDC test result

    EXCLUSIVE: Family of Benue COVID-19 index case laments, faults NCDC test result

    The family of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) index case in Benue State has come out to fault the test result released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for Susan Okpe Idoko Lawani (Mrs.).

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) recalls the NCDC reported a case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Benue on 28th March, and the State Governor, Samuel Orton, during a press conference announced name of the index case as Susan Okpe.

    Meanwhile, family of Mrs Okpe has alleged that the Government of Benue is imposing the COVID-19 positive test result on their daughter.

    TNG gathered that at the moment neither Mrs Okpe, her family, nor Cottage Hospital Makurdi, where she was admitted had seen the COVID-19 test result, which has been announced.

    Dr Felix Lawani, an elder brother to Mrs. Okpe, a British citizen, told TNG that his sister is seriously agitated and that she is determined to see this through.

    Dr. Lawani narrated to TNG that Mrs Okpe 54, who couldn’t visit Nigeria from London, her base since 1997 to bury her dad was emotional after losing her mum on the 6th of March, this year.

    “She said she is coming to bury her mum despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Of course, she, herself and her children in the UK had quarantined themselves and went for test and they were all negative, as a result of that she had the confidence to come,” Dr Lawani told TNG in a telephone conversation.

    Mrs Okpe according to Dr Lawani left the UK on 19th March on Kenyan Airways. She was in Benue 24th March where she had a family meeting with her siblings and relations.

    She later complained of feeling feverish and pains in her joints and was taken to the hospital where she was diagnosed of malaria and typhoid. She recovered after two days.

    But the family led by Dr Lawani, who is a Forensic Pathologist and former Director General Nigerian Institute of Tripanosomiasis Research Kaduna, advised that in line with government directives she (Mrs Okpe) should be subjected to the Covid-19 test.

    “The hospital agrees and immediately invited the Epidemiology Unit of the Benue State Ministry of Health who came on Wednesday and return on Thursday to carry out the test but the test results up till now has not reach Okpe and her family.

    “By Saturday, no results of the test announced was given to us. We expect according to medical ethics that the hospital will receive the test result from the National Centre for Disease Control but no, what happened was that during the day (Saturday) the Governor (Samuel Ortorm) had a press conference where he announced that there was an Index case of Covid-19 in Benue, he mention her name as Susan Okpe, against all known protocols, it is in the news and before the hospital could get hold of that the hospital was invaded, was sieged by government’s officials including the deputy governor, the commissioner of health, the state action committee on Covid-19, the police and a crop of press men with Ambulances and co,” Dr Lawani narrated.

    This apparently got Mrs Okpe agitated according to Lawani which made her confront the doctor for her test results. “The doctor claimed he has not see the test results”.

    Dr Lawani told TNG that the hospital later claimed they received a phone call from some persons who claimed to be the representatives of NCDC saying that Mrs Okpe’s test result is “Weakly Positive”.

    “We didn’t understand what it meant we asked where is the result, they said they sent an email to the hospital and copied the state government, but the hospital said they have not seen the mail,” Dr Lawani said.

    Mrs Okpe kept agitating and later approached the deputy governor together with her siblings which according to Lawani the deputy governor said Okpe doesn’t look sick but for the interest of the public she has to be isolated.

    Dr Lawani who expressed bitterness said the Benue state government has no plans for Covid-19 emergencies.

    “They don’t have isolation centres…” he said. According to him his sister Okpe was taken to a small room where the doctor apologised to them to manage as this is the only facility available.

    He said since his sister and the family have not seen the test results the agitation of the sister became necessary.

    “My junior sister was scared whether they want to kill her. She has received threatening phone calls, people calling saying that we the Lawani family have brought Covid-19 to Benue.

    “It’s very disheartening because we are a very prominent family on Benue State,” Dr Lawani said.

    For now, Mrs Susan Okpe remains agitated. She has reportedly taken her case to the UK Consulate in Nigeria and have been calling on the UK government and the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in her case.

    She insists she is Covid-19 Negative.

  • Benue,Taraba Govs offer amnesty to criminals

    Govs Samuel Ortom of Benue and Darius Ishaku of Taraba have resolved to grant amnesty to criminals operating along the border of the states.

    The offer is part of the resolution at the end of the joint security meeting between the two states held at the Federal University Wukari in Taraba.

    Ishaku, who read the communique at the end of the tour of some border communities of Abako, Sai and Dogon-Gawa, said the amnesty window took effect immediately and would expire by the end of January 2019.

    “We are willing to give amnesty to criminals who are willing to renounce criminality and surrender their weapons so that we can give them better jobs and reintegrate them into the society.

    “Criminals willing to surrender, including those that defaulted in the past, are free to contact any of us (governors), traditional rulers and security agencies.

    “Elections are around the corner and we will like to do this between now and end of January so that we can secure our places and synergise for peaceful elections,” he said.

    The meeting condemned the spate of kidnappings, armed robbery and banditry involving youths in the states at the border.

    It stressed the need for job creation as a fundamental tool to reduce unemployment which made youths to take to criminality.

    It called for adequate provision of logistics support to the security agencies by both the federal and state governments to sustain surveillance.

    The meeting called on the people of the areas to report all forms of criminality to appropriate authorities and not shield criminals in their domain.

    “The governors have resolved to constitute a joint security committee made up of people of proven integrity and locals of the area between the two states to address the security challenges and a joint security forces to be constituted with a police station at Sai.

    “The joint security meeting mandates the Boundary Committees of the states in conjunction with the National Boundary Commission to meet and ensure that boundary issues involving the two states are resolved,” he said.

    Ortom called on the people of the states to report criminals in their domain to security agencies, be law abiding and shun acts capable of dividing them.

    The security meeting was attended by heads of security agencies from both states, traditional rulers and top government functionaries from the states, including the immediate past governor of Benue, Dr Gabriel Suswam.

     

  • Breaking: Troops encounter, kill unspecified number of armed herdsmen in Benue

    Breaking: Troops encounter, kill unspecified number of armed herdsmen in Benue

    Troops deployed in operation Whirl Stroke along Gbajimba-Akor axis in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State encountered and killed unspecified number of armed herdsmen on Saturday.

    TheNewsGuru reports Director of Army Public Relations, Texas Chukwum revealed this Sunday morning saying the troops dislodged the armed herdsmen from their camp following a superior fire power.

    According to the Army Public Relations Director, the unspecified number of the armed militia men have been suspected to be killed while others escaped into nearby bushes with gunshot wounds.

    The Army said efforts are on to get other fleeing members of the armed militia men by the troops.

    “Troops deployed in operation WHIRL STROKE on 4 August 2018 while on clearance operation along Gbajimba – Akor axis in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State encountered armed militia men with large herds of cattle.

    “The troops dislodged the armed militia men from their camp following a superior fire power. Unspecified number of the armed militia men have been suspected to be killed by the troops while others escaped into nearby bushes with gun shot wounds,” Texas revealed.

    Items recovered include one AK 47 rifle, two AK 47 rifle magazines, 60 rounds of 7.62 mm special ammunition and five motorcycles.

    “Members of the public are advised to report any suspicious movements or activities in their area to the law enforcement agents for prompt action,” Texas said.