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Benue: Farming communities deserted as herdsmen attacks escalate

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As farming season sets in, communities in Benue State are unsettled owing to the escalation of attacks by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

Findings by DAILY POST revealed that armed herdsmen militia have killed at least 28 persons, including six security operatives of the Benue State Community Volunteer Guards and Livestock Guards, in a fresh attack on three communities in Gwer West Local Government Area, (LGA) of Benue State within the last one week.

The attacks came just one week after 17 victims of herdsmen attacks were given a mass burial at Mbaikyor Mbalom Gwer East LGA of the state.

Chairman of Gwer West LGA, Mr Henry Agba, who confirmed the incident, said several other persons were injured.

According to him, “The attack started on Saturday; six security operatives of the state, comprising Benue Security Community Volunteer Guards and Livestock Guards were killed.

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“They (operatives) escorted a family of a deceased to a village called Mbabwande where they had gone to bury their loved one and they ambushed them and killed them.

“On Sunday at about 11 pm they attacked a community in Gyaluwa and 14 people were killed.

“Also on Monday, they attacked a community along Naka/Adoka road where the villagers have so far recovered six dead bodies. Many people were wounded and receiving treatment at some clinics within the LGA.”

In a similar tragic incident, bandits descended on about nine communities in Apa Local Government Area of the state, killing and setting houses on fire.

DAILY POST reports that while some locals gave the casualty figure as 25, the lawmaker representing the area in the state Assembly, Abu Umoru, said he had lost count of the casualties.

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The lawmaker said, “About 95 percent of a section of my community is displaced and I can mention them.

“The entire Edikwu community has been displaced; the entire Opaha, where I come from, nobody in is that community; Odugbo, nobody is there; Akpete, Ikobi, Akpata, Idiaha, Ochumekwu, Adija nobody is in those communities.

”Every day they will be burning houses in Akpete. As I speak to you, for three consecutive days, they have been going to Akpete and burning houses after chasing them out of their ancestral homes.”

Before now, no fewer than 50 persons, including a family of seven, were feared dead, following the invasion of the Gbagir community in Ukum Local Government Area of the state by suspected armed Fulani militia, with another sixteen people killed during an attack on Wa-ndoo, a community in Mbalom, Gwer-East Local Government Area.

A survivor, Tersoo Adagher, who lost four family members in the attack, said the attackers, suspected to be armed herders, invaded the community at about 7 pm while some of the residents were having supper.

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“The herders invaded the community with guns and machetes. Then they began shooting indiscriminately.

“I took cover in the bushes. But by this morning (Friday), we have recovered 16 corpses, including that of a child,” Mr Adagher narrated.

DAILY POST also gathered that several persons were killed in a fresh attack on Ogboju community in Agatu Local Government Area of the state.

Confirming the incident, a former deputy chairman of Agatu Local Government, John Ikwulono, said nine corpses were recovered after the attack.

“Suspected armed herdsmen came to Ogboju community in Agatu local government yesterday night to attack our people again. This attack claimed nine lives as at the last count of the recovered corpses,” he stated.

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Similarly, two persons were killed while several others were declared missing from their farms after suspected armed herdsmen attacked the Onipi community of Adoka in Otukpo Local Government Area of the state.

A local, who pleaded anonymity, informed DAILY POST that “after killing the victims in the farms, the herdsmen also burnt down yam barns and a mini-truck conveying tubers of yam from the farms.

“It was an unprovoked attack because the people had no issues with them. Nobody can tell why they are doing this to our innocent farmers, who toil day and night to produce for their families and to sell for sustenance.

“So far, two persons have been confirmed dead while many others are missing but the search for them is ongoing and we hope that they will be found alive.”

In another tragic incident, gunmen suspected to be herdsmen also killed a farmer at Olakpoga community of Entekpa Council Ward in Adoka District of Otukpo LGA of the state.

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Two others also sustained injuries, while one farmer was reported to have been kidnapped.

Findings by DAILY POST indicated that the deceased and others were among those who fled their homes recently as a result of constant attacks.

They were said to have returned to their farms in the community not long ago.

According to a local in the affected community, “All the victims are IDPs who went to fetch food on their farms and were attacked by the same armed herders who chased them away from home in the first place.”

Speaking to DAILY POST, the caretaker chairman of Otukpo Local Government Area, Alfred Omakwu, said the entire Entekpa Ward comprising seven villages has been deserted.

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“As I’m talking to you, all the villages in Entekpa Ward, where I come from have been displaced. All the villagers from these areas are kept in an IDPs camp in Adoka centre,” he lamented.

He confirmed the recent killing of two people, adding that the armed herders again attacked another village, Upu, in the Entekpa Ward but were repelled by soldiers who engaged them in a gun battle from the afternoon until 7 pm.

Omakwu said, “The IDPs are camped in St. Charles Primary School; most of them, as they are going to their farms to fetch farm produce, rented one room for their family to stay in Adoka central.

“They (victims) left Adoka where they were taking refuge and went to their farms at Umogidi when they were attacked, two of them were killed.

“There was another attack in Upu village; they (armed invaders) opened gunfire on the village, the soldiers were there, so they engaged them and chased them to the bush. They exchanged gunfire till 7 pm and they (armed invaders) ran away. There was no casualty.”

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Speaking on efforts to arrest the situation, Omakwu said it had been resolved that different security operatives be deployed to all the affected communities.

He said, “The last security meeting I had with the security heads in the local government is that we agreed to deploy security personnel to patrol around the farms so as to protect the farmers while they do their farming activities and also shield them as they return home from the farms.

“Now the planting season has set in and our people must go to the farm because farming is our occupation. If they do not go to the farm, then hunger is imminent.”

Speaking to DAILY POST, a farmer, Amodu Igoche, lamented the situation facing them, especially as farming season sets in, calling on the authorities to intensify efforts to help them go back to their farms, which he said is their source of livelihood.

“We have never encountered a situation like this before. For more than two months now, we cannot access our farms because the armed herdsmen have taken over our farms.

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“They shoot, kill and maim anybody they see. Any of our people that dares goes to the farm risks being macheted to death. They have macheted a lot of people that went to the farm to pick foodstuff,” he lamented.

Another farmer, Aboje Edache, who spoke to DAILY POST, said the armed herdsmen who have taken over the farms, either set their cattle to eat up their yam seedlings and other harvested farm produce or set fire on them without being challenged.

“As I speak with you now, all the yam seedlings people harvested and kept in the barns at the farm are either being eaten by their cattle or set ablaze. What kind of wickedness is this?” He queried in anger.

CREDIT: DAILY POST

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UniAbuja ASUU divided over strike

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There is discord among members of the University of Abuja’s Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) regarding the indefinite strike recently announced by the union. Following the declaration of the strike on Thursday, a faction of lecturers known as the “Anti-strike ASUU Members” distanced themselves from the decision.

The announcement of the strike came after the Abuja chapter of ASUU concluded its congress at the Permanent Site of the institution. However, immediately after the strike declaration, the Anti-strike ASUU members held a press conference to express their opposition to it.

Abubakar Kari, the dean and former convener of ASUU National Political Committee, along with Prof. M. Y. Gana, the former Nigerian ambassador to Japan and head of the Department of Agriculture Engineering, asserted that a select group within the local ASUU leadership was pushing for the strike to serve their own interests rather than the broader concerns of ASUU members and the University of Abuja.

Kari emphasized that they, representing numerous other like-minded members, were committed to protecting the integrity of the University of Abuja’s academic calendar and ensuring the smooth operation of the university. They strongly opposed the decision to initiate an indefinite strike without seeking the input of ASUU members through a vote, stating that it did not align with ASUU’s standard procedure for calling a strike.

Therefore, they asserted that the so-called strike did not accurately represent the views of the majority of ASUU members and was invalid.

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N615,000 minimum wage demand most realistic — NLC

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The national President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Joe Ajaero, has said that N615,000 minimum wage demand is the most realistic amount.

Ajaero made this statement on Thursday during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today monitored by DAILY POST.

DAILY POST reports that the federal government had approved a pay rise of between 25 and 35 percent for civil servants across various consolidated salary structures.

But the NLC rejected the increase, saying it was too low.

During the interview, Ajaero said that the labour unions were receiving pressure from workers, while the government was calling them names.

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“If you are talking about realistic, the N615,000 demand is the most realistic amount. And being realistic is not about collecting a salve wage. Never.

“And we have a breakdown of this into 30 items. Accommodation is about N40,000. I want you to tell me where you can get a room and a parlour for N40,000 in Abuja. Electricity/power we allocated N20,000. The current tariff will not last you for more than one week.

“Utility and water is just N10,000. The cooking gas cylinder is filled for N14,000. You have to buy twice a month as the case may be. Food for six people: four children plus husband and wife. We allocated N9,000 per day. It’s N1,500 per person. If you calculate it, you get N240,000 per month. We look at medical and allocated N50,000, assuming you are not on admission and no major ailment.

“Education we allocated N50,000, assuming your children are on free education. Sanitation, N10,000. Transportation, N3,000 for 30 days. If you sum all the items up, you will have N615,000,” he said.

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CREDIT: DAILY POST

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Nigeria should be giant in development, not only in population – Shehu Sani

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Shehu Sani, a former senator from Kaduna and a prominent social commentator, emphasized that Nigeria should not only be recognized as the most populous country in Africa but should also excel across all sectors of its economy. He made these remarks while attending the Inaugural Memorial Lecture of Prince Emeka Obasi, the late Publisher of Business Hallmark, titled ‘If this Giant Must Walk; Manifesto for a New Nigeria’.

Reflecting on his tenure representing Kaduna Central in the 8th National Assembly and his role as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, Sani noted that Nigeria has yet to reach its full potential.

Despite Nigeria’s population of 220 million people, Sani pointed out that being a ‘Giant of Africa’ should extend beyond mere numbers. He advocated for Nigeria to excel in manufacturing, exports, shipbuilding, automobile production, information technology, agriculture, and education. Sani stressed that Nigeria’s status as a ‘giant’ should not be limited to population size alone.

Expressing dismay at the persistent challenges facing the country, Sani called for concrete actions to address these issues. He questioned why Nigeria, endowed with abundant natural resources, continues to grapple with problems like water scarcity, power shortages, and hunger, attributing these challenges to self-inflicted causes rather than divine intervention.

Sani emphasized the urgency of addressing Nigeria’s security challenges, particularly the threats posed by terrorists and bandits. While acknowledging some progress in tackling these issues, he stressed the need for decisive action to combat terrorism and kidnapping, which are destabilizing the nation.

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Advocating for substantial investments in science and technology, Sani highlighted the importance of a well-equipped and adequately funded security apparatus to combat threats effectively. He underscored the critical role of security in Nigeria’s progress, emphasizing that without it, the nation cannot move forward.

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