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Tag: Taraba

  • Visit: Residents of Taraba, Benue, others won’t be hoodwinked by your ‘cosmetic sympathy’, Fayose tells Buhari

    Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has said residents of troubled Taraba, Benue, Zamfara, Yobe and Rivers states won’t be hoodwinked by President Muhammadu Buhari’s belated visit.

    The governor emphasized that the president never deemed it fit to visit the states when it matters most.

    Fayose, in a statement issued on Monday by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said it was the height of cruelty that the same President, who promised to lead from the front in the fight against Boko Haram, could not visit Dapchi, Yobe State where 110 school girls were abducted by the insurgents but went on merrymaking in Kano.

    “On January 9 and 12, this year, 88 victims of herdsmen attacks were given mass burial in Taraba State. Also on January 11, 2018, another 73 persons killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Benue State were buried in a mass grave in Makurdi, the state capital.

    “Meaning that in Taraba and Benue States alone, 161 Nigerians were given mass burial within three days! This never caught the attention of our President. Rather, it was a visit to Nasarawa, a neighboring State to Benue that was important to him.

    “To further demonstrate his lack of compassion for Nigerians, while the entire nation, especially parents of the 110 abducted school girls in Dapchi, Yobe State are still in anguish, President Buhari went to Kano last Saturday to attend a social function, thus sparking negative reactions from Nigerians.

    “Apparently, it was the negative reactions of Nigerians, especially on Social Media and the effects on the President’s reelection bid that necessitated his hurried visit to Taraba State today, and planned visits to Benue, Zamfara, Yobe and Rivers States.

    “I am sure the people of Taraba State won’t be hoodwinked by the President’s cosmetic sympathy, show of concern and crocodile tears, which he never bordered to shed when hundreds of indigenes of the State were being killed by suspected herdsmen,” the governor said.”

  • How we’re tackling herders/farmers clashes in Benue, Taraba, others – Osinbajo

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday unveiled the strategies by the Federal Government in tackling the herdsmen/ farmers clashes in Benue, Taraba and other states.

    According to statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity Laolu Akande, the government has been deploying mobile police forces, army and Air Force to troubled areas and Nigerian Army formations and units in Benue State.

    Osinbajo said “The approach of the government has been to deploy mobile police forces to troubled areas and also both the army and Air Force, the Nigerian Army formations and units in Benue State for example, especially 72 Special Forces Battalion, have consistently maintained Forward Operating Bases at the flash areas covering Guma, Logo, Katsina-Ala and Agatu Local Government Areas.

    “The operation has the generic name Operation MESA, but it is nicknamed Operation ZENDA in Benue State. The Army had within the last few days scaled up the size of troops and equipment in Agatu, Guma, Katsina-Ala and Logo Local Government Areas of Benue State.

    “The Army also recently deployed troops at Awe and Tunga Local Government Areas of Nasarawa State, in order to monitor and block the gaps that were presumed to be used as staging points by armed herdsmen to attack communities in Benue State.

    “Additionally, troops of 93 Battalion, Takum in Taraba State, also occupy blocking positions as well as maintain constant liaison with troops in Benue State.

    “Furthermore, the command and control structure of the Army formations and units in Benue and contiguous states have been reorganized.

    “Accordingly, more troops were deployed and the Commander 707 Special Forces Brigade was reassigned to Taraba State for effective command and control of troops operating in the entire Benue/Taraba general area. And next week, the Nigerian Army will flag-off Exercise AYEM AKPATUMA, to checkmate the activities of armed bandits and militias in Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa and environs.”

  • Herdsmen/farmers clashes: NAF to establish operational units in Taraba, Benue-Nassarawa axis

    The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar on Friday disclosed plans by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) to establish a Forward Operational Base (FOB) in Taraba State, as part of plans to further tackle the incessant herdsmen-farmers clash in the country.

    The CAS, who disclosed the plans while delivering a lecture to participants of National Defence College (NDC) Course 26 in Abuja, also announced plans to establish a Quick Response Wing along the Benue-Nassarawa Axis.

    The title of the lecture, which lasted one hour, was ‘The Nigerian Air Force – Challenges and Future Perspectives’.

    Participants of the Course are drawn from senior officers of the Armed Forces of Nigeria and those of sister African countries, senior officials of other security agencies in Nigeria as well as those of Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

    The lecture afforded the CAS to share thoughts with the participants on how the National Defence Policy prescribes that the NAF should be employed, out of which the mission statement of the NAF was coined. Air Marshal Abubakar also spoke on the current and likely threats as well as contingencies from the perspective of air operations.

    He then elucidated on his vision for the NAF while also highlighting current efforts at actualizing it. Some of the initiatives included but are not limited to the establishment of new commands and some units, improvement in human capacity development, improved aircraft serviceability and logistics support as well as enhanced personnel welfare.

    He also spoke about the efforts being made in the area of research and development towards improved self-sufficiency, as a result of which the NAF is currently making great savings in foreign exchange. Thereafter, he discussed the current NAF Force structure, doctrine, current capabilities and equipment holding in response to threats alongside the NAF’s strategic plan before looking at NAF future perspectives.

    The CAS equally examined the challenges and constraints to the NAF’s air power effectiveness before concluding the lecture by discussing the strategies to countering the challenges enumerated. The lecture was followed by a stimulating interactive session.

    In his closing remarks, the Commandant of NDC, Rear Admiral Adeniyi Osinowo, declared that “You cannot win any war today without an effective and virile Air Force”. He then added that there was no doubt that the current NAF leadership is taking a lot of laudable and unprecedented steps, especially in the area of technological development, in a bid to reposition the NAF for greatness.

    He particularly cited the recent feats by the NAF in locally designing and producing an operational Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, among many other breakthroughs in the area of research and development. He then seized the opportunity to congratulate the CAS on the recent passage of the bill establishing the Air Force Institute of Technology Kaduna, which he believed would further enhance technological growth in the NAF.

    Recall that NAF had also earlier announced plans to establish FOBs in Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, as part of its commitment to combatting emerging security challenges in those parts of the country.

  • Herdsmen/farmers clashes: Army launches ‘Exercise Ayem Akpatuma’ in Benue, Taraba, others

    The Nigerian Army said on Wednesday that it will begin Exercise Ayem Akpatuma covering Benue, Taraba, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Niger states in order to tackle the cases of kidnappings, herdsmen/farmers’ clashes among others.

    The Chief of Training and Operations, Maj Gen David Ahmadu, who announced this in Abuja on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai, said the exercise would run from February 15 to March 31, 2018.

    According to the army, Exercise Ayem Akpatuma, which is said to be the Tiv language for Cat race, will involve raids, cordon and search operations, roadblocks, show of force and checkpoints.

     

    Details later….

  • Herdsmen/farmers’ clashes: Enactment of anti-open grazing law responsible for killings in Benue, Taraba – IG

    The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris on Friday identified the controversial anti-open grazing laws in Benue and Taraba states as the source of the unending crisis in the two middle belt states.

    The police boss told s Senate Joint Committee on Police Affairs and National Intelligence that the enactment of the laws against the opposition of herdsmen was responsible for the problem in the states.

    Idris appeared before the joint committee in camera following the directive of the Senate in plenary that he should be summoned to explain why he failed to comply with the mandate of the upper chamber to apprehend perpetrators of the January 1st mayhem in Benue state.

    Herdsmen suspected to be Fulani swooped on two Benue communities on New Year Day and killed not less than 73 persons.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Senator Abu Ibrahim, refused to brief reporters after the closed door interface with the IGP.

    Ibrahim insisted that he would only report back to the Senate as directed.

    A source close to the committee, however, said that Idris was categorical that the anti-open grazing laws in Benue and Taraba should be blamed for the continuing killings in the states.

    The source also said that the IGP told the committee that a number of arrests have been made.

    The police boss was said to have told the committee that over 120 people have bee arrested as those behind the crisis in the states.

    Asked whether the IGP wanted the laws scrapped, the source noted that Idris was not categorical on the issue of scrapping the laws in the two states.

  • Ten hours after Gov Ishaku’s alarm, herdsmen invade Taraba, kill four

    Ten hours after Gov Ishaku’s alarm, herdsmen invade Taraba, kill four

    Barely ten hours after Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State raised alarm over impending attacks by Fulani herdsmen, they (herdsmen) went on a fresh rampage on Thursday night killing four persons, including a couple at Ngutwsem village in Gassol Local Government Area.

    The couple were named as Mr. Shiriga Vaawombo and his wife, Ngunan.

    A relation who witnessed the invasion said that as soon as Shiriga heard the first sound of gun shots,he took his wife to a place outside their house where he thought she could be safe.

    “He was returning to pick their baby when the invaders shot him. His wife then cried out from where she was hiding. She was gunned down too,” he said.

    Shiriga’s second wife, Iveren, 35, was all tears, yesterday.

    She was not at home during the invasion, having travelled to Sabon Gida.

    Some journalists were however in the village on Friday in the company of Ishaku’s media aide Bala Dan Abu, a senior assistant to the governor on Revenue Mobilisation, Jerry Tyolanga and three policemen.

    The village was largely deserted ,most residents taking to the bush to hide and fleeing to Sabon Gida..

    No policeman was sighted in the area.

    On seeing the journalists and the policemen, the hiding villagers came out and hurriedly used blunt diggers and hoes to dig two graves for the purpose of burying the victim.

    The graves were shallow and there was no coffin to put the dead inside.

    A cursory look at the bodies showed that after being shot, the assailants proceeded to cut them in the head, neck and back with machetes to ensure that they had no chance of surviving.

    The women cried uncontrollably.

    Recall that Governor Ishaku had said on Thursday that he received a warning from some people that they would strike within 10 days

    He said: “We are on notice that in 10 days, we (Taraba) shall be attacked. I have alerted all security agencies. We are waiting.

    “A helicopter has dropped arms and ammunition in the night without its mission established. It is not a time to keep quiet; we are living in fear,”

    The governor spoke at 12:47 pm. The killer-herdsmen struck at 10:09 pm.

    Simon Tsavwua, 45, a brother to one of the victims said he had gone to bed leaving some members of the household outside.

    Suddenly, he heard gunshots repeatedly.

    He knew they were under attack.

    He quickly ran outside and hid.

    The attackers were over 20,he said.

    They wielded automatic rifles and machetes.

    “But where I hid was close to where one of my brothers was killed. He cried before giving up. There was nothing I could do,” he said.

    He said he and some of the family members ran further into the bush. “When we returned to the scene later, we saw four people dead,” he said, displaying some of the bullets fired by the attackers.

    Sources said some of the militiamen were sighted in Sabon Gida, wearing mask, and armed.

    “We are afraid, “one of the survivors said.

  • Islamic State terrorists behind killings in Benue, others – DSS

    Security agencies, including the Department of State Service (DSS), have identified an Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) network operating within some areas in North Central and South South geopolitical zones as mastermind of recent killings in the country.

    According to them, the ISWA terror group use foreign terrorists and recruit young men to fight and kill innocent Nigerians ostensibly to exacerbate tensions along the county’s ethnic, religious and regional fault lines.

    This is reportedly contained in a report submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari by the security agencies.

    Reliable sources in the presidency said that this discovery was made following the arrest of several suspected attackers made up of Fulani herdsmen, government-sponsored militias, militants and other miscreants in Benue Sate.

    They said among those in custody were many who spoke none of the languages native to Nigeria but the French language.

    This is the first time security officials have confirmed that members of the Islamic State in West Africa are operating as a unit in Nigeria and the level of their penetration in the country.

    One of the sources revealed that a good number of the Islamic State terrorists have been arrested not only in the Benue valley but significantly in several towns in Edo State, specifically in Akoko-Edo, Okpella and Benin as well as in Okene, Kogi State.

    The presidency source who did not want his name in print said, “It is understood that the sect which has members in different parts of the country concentrates on recruiting young men to fight for the Islamic State in West Africa by unleashing the cold-blooded murder of innocent citizens.

    “There was intelligence that they had planned several attacks here, before and during Christmas and the New Year. Their bombing targets included fuel depots, foreign missions and police and military establishments. Their network is very wide.

    “But so much was achieved by the DSS which had made a significant number of arrests in the last two months that helped to preempt those attacks. This helped to save Nigeria from the spate of major terrorist attacks witnessed elsewhere that were syndicated by ISIS worldwide.”

    The reports said to have been submitted to the president also revealed that security officials now fear an influx of other ISIS members into many parts of the country. “We are learning more and more about this complex and sophisticated network.

    This is the main reason why the secret service is not parading those suspects so far arrested. It has become clear to us by now that the challenge facing this country is a serious one,” the source added.

    When contacted, presidential spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, confirmed that President Buhari had been receiving what he described as “report upon report on the situation in Benue and other states”. He added that though the DSS has recorded a lot of success lately, he had “not been briefed on any of those reports”.

  • ‎Taraba, Benue governors dragged to ICC over killings

    ‎Taraba, Benue governors dragged to ICC over killings

    Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State and his counterpart in Taraba, Achitect Darius Ishaku has been dragged to the International Criminal Court, ICC, over the spate of killings in the two states.
    A civil society organisation, Initiative for Civil Rights Advancement in Nigeria stated this in a petition dated January 16th, 2018 and signed by Engr. Yakubu Bulama, Information Officer of ICRAN and addressed to the Office of Madame Fatou Bensouda.
    The Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC), accused the two governors of poor handling of the Fulani Herdsmen and farmers crises in the states.
    According to the petition, it does appear that so much stories are being cooked up and sold to security agencies and the media in Nigeria as to what must have prompted the gruesome killings.
    “However, our investigations have revealed that the whole crisis started on 27th December, 2017 when Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State was traveling to attend the birthday of his political godfather named Senator George Akume at Gboko. It happened that somewhere along Makurdi-Gboko Road, the convoy of Governor Ortom ran into herds of cattle migrating to Taraba through the border axis of Logo Local Government Area. Out of anger that the cattle obstructed Governor Ortom’s convoy, his overzealous armed body guards and aides arrested some of the Fulani herdsmen, tortured them thoroughly before taking them into forceful detention.
    “On the next day being 28th December, 2017 another group of Fulani herdsmen were passing through Agasha-Gbajimba Road when they were again attacked by armed militia branded as Livestock Guards who stationed at Governor Ortom’s farm. This time, 3 (Three) of the herdsmen were killed and their cattle rustled away to unknown location.
    “Suffices to state that our Policy Evaluators who attended a security meeting in Makurdi, Benue State in the latter part of year 2017 can confirm that Governor Ortom warned the Nigeria Police Force to step aside and be ready to act as mere observers during the 2019 General Elections as the Livestock Guards together with the Civilian Joint Task Force which he set up have been mandated to violently intimidate the opposition party out of the way so he can rig election for purposes of achieving his second term bid on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC)”, he said in the petition..
    He said the group is disenchanted that Governor Ortom who is the Chief Security Officer of Benue State saddled with the duty of protecting his people has abdicated his duty and failed in all ramifications to deliver the dividends of governance. He said the Governor Ortom has become so obsessed with the pursuit of his second term ambition that he now cares less about the security and welfare of Benue people, which Section 14 (2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) clearly made “the primary purpose of government”.
    “It is safe to posit that the coordinated attacks launched by Fulani herdsmen on Benue indigenes this time around is centered on the selfish actions and inactions of Governor Ortom. The attacks have nothing to do with implementation of the Benue Anti-Open Grazing Law, 2017. Granted, Section 24 of the extant law established the Livestock Special Task Force and Section 26 thereof provides that the Task Force comprises representatives of the Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Department of State Services as well as Nigerian Legion of Ex-Servicemen. The records show that Governor Ortom has failed to tell the public how many members of the Livestock Special Task Force were killed during the recent crisis and whether those killed include any representatives of the aforementioned security outfits. We are yet to find a place in the grundnorm being the 1999 Constitution of the Federation Republic of Nigeria wherein armed militias are permitted to be used by a State Governor under the guise of enforcing a State Law”.
    He asked the court for the following prayers:
    “That the ICC Prosecutor opens an investigation of the Accused on her own accord under Article 15 (1) of the Rome Statute;
    “That the ICC Prosecutor also formally “submit to the Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC a request for authorization of an investigation” of the Accused under Article 15 (3) of the Rome Statute;
    “That the ICC Prosecutor obtain International Arrest Warrants for the Accused from the ICC in accordance with Articles 58 (1) (a), 58 (1) (b) (i), 58 (1) (b) (ii) and 58 (1) (b) (iii) and proceed to arrest the Accused so they can face their trial.
    “That the ICC Prosecutor compels the Accused upon conviction to pay compensation to the victims of genocide at Guma and Logo Local Government Areas of Benue State as well as Mambilla Plateau in Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba State in the sum of $1,000,000,000 (One Billion US Dollars) each as punitive damages.
    “That the ICC Prosecutor compels the Federal Government of Nigeria to set up a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the allegations contained herein beyond the ongoing media charade calculated to deceive the general public.
    “That Governor Samuel Ortom and his Taraba State counterpart, Darius Dickson Ishaku be accordingly investigated and tried for abdication of duty and instigation of war crimes against humanity to serve as deterrence to other State Governors who are planning to arm local militias for purposes of the forthcoming 2019 General Elections or outright ethnic cleansing”.

  • Taraba to rehabilitate 19,000 victims of Katibu herdsmen attacks

    Taraba Deputy Governor, Alhaji Haruna Manu, said on Sunday that the state government would rehabilitate the over 19,000 victims of the recent violent attacks, allegedly carried out by herdsmen in Katibu, Lau Local Government Area of the state.

    Manu announced this at Shawuya Primary School, Jalingo, where some of the Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs) were camped.

    He directed the council chairman, Mr Hassan Waniyafiwani, to liaise with the camp authorities to draw up a list of all the essential needs of the IDPs and submit same to government for action.

    The deputy governor also directed the immediate distribution of food items earlier provided by the state to the IDPs at Shawuya Primary School camp and other camps in the area.

    Manu said government was doing everything possible to ensure that adequate security was put in place at Katibu so that the victims would feel safe and return to their homes.

    He, however, said no amount of support by government would end violent attacks and clashes in the state if people failed to live in peace with one another.

    “ You must learn to tolerate one another and live in peace, because nobody will send away his perceived enemy since we are all natives.

    “ It was exactly seven months since I visited Lau over similar crises, and I was assured by various communities that there will be no more violence in the area.

    “ There are countries that have a population of over 100 million, but do not have the land mass of Taraba, yet they are living in peace. Why can’t we have peace?”

    Earlier, the Camp Coordinator, Dauda Godin, said the Jan. 7 attacks had displaced over 19,000 persons, no taking refuge in various IDPs camps.

    He said many of the IDPs were suffering from serious psychological trauma, caused by the loss of their loved ones and property.

    Godin noted that the poor sanitary conditions on the camp called for an urgent need to avert possible outbreak of diseases, adding that the IDPs were sleeping on bare floor.

     

  • Police place N10m bounty on killers of Taraba lawmaker, Hosea Ibi

    The Taraba State Police Command on Friday placed the sum of N10 million as reward for anyone who will provide “useful information” leading to the arrest of killers of Hosea Ibi, late member of the Taraba State House of Assembly.

    Ibi, a lawyer, who was representing Takum 1 State Constituency, was kidnapped on December 30 last year, in Takum when he went home for Christmas celebration. Eye-witnesses said he was whisked away at gun point by his abductors who rode on a motorbike.

    The lawmaker was not seen until 16 days later; he was discovered dead, after a ransom was reportedly paid for his release.

    Taraba State Governor, Darius Ishaku, said he has been devastated by Ibi’s death. “My heart has been broken,” he said, urging security agencies to fish out the killers.

    The governor revealed that he had fulfilled all the financial demands made by the kidnappers and was surprised that they eventually killed him.

    “They asked for money, I gave them, I thought I was dealing with kidnappers, I didn’t know they were assassins,” he said.

    Police spokesman, David Misal, on Monday confirmed that he was murdered. Misal said the body of the lawmaker was found in the afternoon at Kwari, along Takum –