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Herdsmen Attacks: Idoma youths spit fire
Idoma Youth Assembly has given the Fulani herdsmen residing in Benue state to vacate the state and particularly Idoma land by April 15, 2018 or have themselves to blame. A statement issued on Monday by the apex body of the youths, signed by the President, Dr. Patriot Ocheya Patrick Ekre, said the body has waited for so long anticipating that the government will take decisive action to put an end to the incessant killings and wanton destruction of lives and property going on in Idoma land and Benue state as a whole.
But while they waited, the youths said: “We’ve come to realize the sadistic attitude of the government towards the quandary state of our helpless people. The first major attack was launched on a part of Idoma called Agatu, where over 300 persons were massacred by the Fulani’s herdsmen; nothing like mass burial was organized for the dead, the river which was known and used as source of income for the fish farmers was completely made inaccessible because of the lifeless bodies thrown into it; some were left in the open field for the animals to feed on, some escaped death with various degrees of injuries without any help, crops and property worth millions were destroyed and to this moment hundreds of Agatus are yet to return to their ancestral homes for fear of the Fulanis.”
According to the statement, “Shortly after the massacre, our governor, Samuel Ortom with his counterpart, governor Tanko Almakura of Nasarawa state instead of condoling with us for those we lost, regrettably went ahead and ceded Agatu land to the same Fulani herdsmen who are killing us and as if that was not enough, the Army was sent to raid the houses of law abiding citizens who are predominantly farmers.
“We’ve carefully observed the role and the body language of both the state and federal government and it’s quite disheartening to note that they practically failed the electorate of their primary mandates which is to give them protection.
“It shows how nonchalant and insensitive this government is to the plight of the populace. Few days after the Agatu massacre, the IG of Police Mr Idris sat in his office in Edet house, Abuja and said to the world that it was only five persons that were killed in Agatu. Barely a year plus, similar incident occurred in Benue state and the same IGP Idris was ordered by the President to relocate to Benue state where lives and property have been destroyed on the daily basis. He defied that order but went and lodged in a presidential lodge in Lafia, Nasarawa State.”
Continuing, the statement said: “This has actually made it clear to the world the reason why IG Idris sealed the legitimate office of one of us, Ambassador, Dr, Dickson Akor, the Commandant of Peace Corps of Nigeria over one year even when the court have ordered the IG to unseal the premises in dual injunctions.
“The question here is, is the police boss still maintaining the law and order or defying the same order he ought to preserve?”
The statement also said: “We therefore call for the sack of IGP Mr. Idris with immediate effect and anything less than that will invariably put the integrity of Mr President to further questioning, especially as Benue people wholeheartedly voted for him. Benue state is one of the states that gave him the overwhelming votes that paved the way for him to enter that office and all we can receive in turn is killing and molestation.”
The statement recalled that in January this year in logo, Gwer and Guma local government areas, 75 lives were announced as killed but in fact it was over hundred souls which were lost and while mourning their loved ones, the so called Fulanis invaded Okpokwu Local Govt Area and 26 persons were killed, while the government remained economical with the truth and comfortable with the mental and physical torture of the people.
“Consequently, we want to categorically state here that we are highly disappointed at the President Buhari’s visit to Benue state since his visitation was not to proffer solution to the killing rather it seems we’ve been mocked and its quite unfortunate and amazing to hear from the Mr President who casually stated thus, I quote, ‘I didn’t know the IG of police never followed my orders’.
“For how long can we live in deceit and shift blames? Who is to be blamed, the IG or Mr. President? And now that he’s aware that IGP disobeyed his order what then is the sanction? To our greatest surprise, Mr President also stated that he told the Benue people many times to live in harmony with the Fulanis! So we are to take all the blames for our killings. We are extremely tired, Yes Nigeria must move forward but we refuse to fold our hands and allow this planned agenda going on in our land.
“Recently a woman stood in the hallowed chamber of the house of Representatives to state and I quote, ‘who knows if God created Fulanis to value the life of their cows more than human lives’ and one may ask if she was elected by the cow or if she is representing animals in that chamber.
“Whatever we the good people of Idoma Nation and Benue state in general take exception to, that evil comparative we condemn in totality and refuse to be replaced by cattle; we have the right to live and as such we can no longer continue in this lamenting state of life and governmental abandonment. We at this point concluded that President is not for the people of Benue state,” the statement declared.
“However, at this juncture, we task the Benue state governor, Samuel Ortom to ’’stop crying like a drowning man as he was tagged by the police boss. He should rise to the occasion and do the needful by strengthening the neighborhood watch; he should take a leeway from people like the governor of Rivers state, Barr. Nyesom wike, since this is an obvious and deliberate attempt to reduce the Benue people for political reasons,” the youths advised.
The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
The Guild of Private Broadcast Managers has extended its heartfelt congratulations to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary.
In a congratulatory message signed by the Guild’s National President, Ambassador Patrick Uzoyi-Peters, JP MNGRM, the guild described the milestone as a testament to the NUJ’s unwavering commitment to upholding press freedom, journalistic integrity, and the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.
“For seven decades, the NUJ has played a pivotal role in shaping the media landscape, advocating for the rights and welfare of journalists, and ensuring that the voice of the people remains strong and unyielding. Your resilience, professionalism, and dedication to ethical journalism have been instrumental in fostering transparency, accountability, and national development”.
Celebrating this historic achievement, the Guild’s President, Uzoyi-Peters recognized the sacrifices and contributions of journalists across the nation who work tirelessly to inform, educate, and empower society.
The Guild reiterated it commitment towards collaborating with the NUJ in promoting responsible journalism and strengthening the media industry for the greater good.
While wishing the NUJ continued success, growth, and greater impact in the years ahead, President Uzoyi-Peters prayed that the anniversary serve as a renewed call to uphold the principles of truth, fairness, and press freedom in our collective pursuit of a more informed and just society.
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