Fulani herdsmen crisis: Scores of Ogun indigenes now refugees in Benin Republic

 Following the recent attacks on Yewa communities, scores of Ogun indigenes have relocated to Benin Republic, DAILY POST reports.

In the past few days, there have been cases of attacks by people suspected to be herdsmen in Yewa North and Imeko Afon Local Government Areas.

In Imeko, DAILY POST reported how a farmer, Dele Olowoniyi, was slaughtered by gunmen, who attacked Oha village at night.

A few days after, about six persons were claimed to have been killed in Owode Ketu area of Yewa North when the attackers invaded the community overnight.

After this, several other Yewa residents were reportedly killed, many houses burnt, while a yet-to-be identified number of people, including children sustained varying degrees of injuries.

Last week Monday, Governor Dapo Abiodun visited Yewa to sympathise with the victims. But, when he was at Owode Ketu and other places visited, some suspected herdsmen kidnapped one Mrs Ajoke Ishola and later dumped her lifeless body behind Obasanjo’s farm at Igbo-Ori.

It was a similar scenario the day Abiodun sent a delegation to the area. The delegation had hardly returned to the state capital in Abeokuta when the people of Agbon Ojodu were visited by the suspected killers.

Earlier before the recent killings, DAILY POST recalls that there have been lamentations from traditional rulers in the area. The Obas had sent a petition to the state government, the police and the Army, lamenting that some soldiers led herdsmen into their villages, flogging anybody who tried to stop them from grazing on farmlands.

But, due to the alleged failure of government to take actions, the cries of the monarchs and residents of the area attracted the attention of the popular Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo Igboho, who visited the state to displace Fulani herdsmen in Igua.

During Sunday Igboho’s visit, houses belonging to the Fulani and Kara market in Igua were set ablaze by some hoodlums, who allegedly took advantage of the development.

Some analysts have opined that the recent incidents were reprisal attacks launched by some Fulani herdsmen to avenge the burning of their houses.

In an attempt to put an end to the killings and other security challenges in the area, Gov Abiodun held a meeting with four Northern governors and Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State.

Also, Abiodun visited President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday to present a report to him on the crises in Ogun, saying relative peace has returned to the troubled areas.

To him, the killers in Ogun state are bandits who are cattle rustlers, noting that people could not differentiate between peaceful Fulani herdsmen and bandits.

However, another set of people were kidnapped around 4am on Saturday along Ayetoro-Abeokuta road.

According to the police, one of the kidnappers arrested was a Fulani man.

Today, many residents of Yewa North have become refugees in Benin Republic.

“When we are not sure of our safety in Ogun State. We have to relocate to nearby Benin Republic,” a resident of the area told DAILY POST.

It was gathered that five of the refugees have given birth in the camp allocated to them by the government of Benin Republic.

Findings by our correspondent confirmed that many villages in Yewa North have been deserted over fear of another invasion by those Gov Abiodun called “cattle rustlers”.

On Sunday, when the peace committee took food items to the area, it was learnt that there were no recipients.

Commenting on the matter, the Eselu of Iselu, Oba Akintunde Akinyemi, said the residents were not on ground to receive the rice, noodles and other items from government representatives.

Oba Akinyemi, explained that the people preferred being slaves in Benin Republic than coming back home to be killed.

“It is a terrible situation; nobody is around. They have deserted the houses, the schools, everywhere. Palliatives are in Tata; we can’t go and pick them because we are still looking for who to give them to,” the Oba said.

According to the traditional ruler, some residents said they would not return to Nigeria until there is maximum security.

DAILY POST gathered that government has deployed a taskforce of security agents to the Ogun West axis of the State to foil any further attack on villages.

Ogun West shares mutiple entries with Benin Republic through Imeko Afon, Ipokia and Yewa North.

Indigenes of the senatorial district have constantly alleged marginalisation, being the only zone that has not produced a governor since Ogun was created 45 years ago.

- DAILY POST

Zulum: Each state in north-east can provide 5,000 hectares for grazing

 

Babagana Zulum, governor of Borno, says each state in the north-east can provide at least 5,000 hectares to cover grazing for around three million livestock.

He stated this at the launch of the rapid response initiative projects in Borno, organised by the North East Development Commission (NEDC) in Maiduguri, on Monday.

There have been concerns raised over the availability of land for grazing across the country, as part of efforts to address the clashes between farmers and herders.

The Nigeria Governors Forum had recently agreed to adopt the National Livestock Plan, which makes provisions for modernised ranching systems.

According to NAN, Zulum, who is the chairman of North-east Governors Forum, urged the NEDC to give priority to critical areas in the region, including agriculture.

He gave the example of the establishment of livestock centres in all states of the region, adding that such an initiative would go a long way in addressing farmers/herders conflicts.

“Borno alone has a land mass of 76,000 square kilometres. Together with other states of north-east, this region will provide vast arable land for livestock farmers in Nigeria,” Zulum said.

“I am also advocating the establishment of pasture production centres. This is very important and we can do it. Each state can provide 5,000 hectares for the centres, which can provide grazing venues for no fewer than two to three million livestock.”

He also commended the latest directive by the Nigerian army to recapture Marte from insurgents.

“I wish to assure our people that the armed forces of Nigeria are up to this fresh challenge, and I am pretty sure that Marte shall be retaken again and all the miscreants routed out,” he added.

- THECABLE

Fulani herdsmen crisis: Bauchi Gov part of conspiracy to wipe some people away from Nigeria – Ortom

 

Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has accused his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed, of joining force with killer herdsmen to eliminate people living in some part of the country, including his state.

The governor made the accusation on Monday in Makurdi, the state capital while addressing newsmen on the state of insecurity in the state.

Governor Ortom, who said he was not ready to join issues with the Bauchi Governor over his comment on Fulani recently, stated that he had been compelled to break his silence.

He advised his counterpart to revisit his oath of office, adding that the governor had failed in keeping his oath of protecting lives and properties of his electorate.

“I’m beginning to think that my counterpart in Bauchi is part of the terrorist Fulani Organisation terrorising the country.

“The governor should go back and reread his oath of office whether allowing foreign Fulani Herdsmen to come into Nigeria is part of the oath.

“I think he is part of the conspiracy to wipe away some people including Benue State”, Ortom Stated.

Earlier, Ortom said the people of the state were not against any tribe residing in the state but that they were rather against terrorists, killer herdsmen, and bandits.

“Every tribe has the right to reside in Benue State, so long they respect the rule of law, but as long as they refuse to abide by the law, we will make sure that the law catches up with you.

“We will make sure the security agency arrest and prosecute you and if you are found guilty, you will be jailed.

“We are against bandits and terrorists, you can see how we disarmed them here in Benue, when Gana was disturbing the peace of the state, we placed N50 million for anyone with useful information about his activities.

“No kidnapper in Benue will be spared. Whoever you are, we will go after you and make sure you are apprehended.

“The issue of Fulani terrorists, we will not permit them and there is no room for them here in Benue State.

“If you want to do cattle business, whether Fulani or anybody, you must embrace ranching. As long as this government is concerned, no room for open grazing,” Governor Ortom added.

- DAILY POST

CHIEF TERRORIST !!! Fulani herdsmen were pushed into criminality – Sheikh Gumi

 Islamic Cleric, Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has maintained his position that some Fulani herdsmen were forced into criminality because they were victims of cattle rustling.

Sheikh Gumi restated his position during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.

Sheikh Gumi said: “When I listened to them, I found out that it is a simple case of criminality which turned into banditry, which turned into ethnic war, and some genocide too behind the scene; people don’t know.”

The cleric said that while “there is no excuse for any crime; nothing can justify crime, and they are committing crime,” the bandits were forced into criminality.

“I think it is a population that is pushed by circumstances into criminality,” he said. “And this is what we should look, let’s remove the pressure, let’s remove the things that made them into criminals because we have lived thousands of years without any problems with the nomadic herdsmen. They are peaceful people. But something happened that led them to this.”

According to Gumi, the herdsmen-bandits are engaged in an ethnic war against other peoples, including sedentary Fulanis.

The solution, he added, was dialogue.

“It is a complex issue that Nigerians need to understand,” Sheikh Gumi said.

“The solution is very simple, but it’s not military hardware. The solution is dialogue and teaching.

“These people are acting with natural instincts, not special knowledge. And they don’t have any ambition or anything. They don’t have a vision of the future. They are talking about existence; their livelihood is destroyed; because the cattle rustling that was going on for a long time, they are the first victims of it.

“So we need to investigate how cattle rustling became a big business in Nigeria and how it affected the socio-cultural behaviour of the nomadic Fulani. They were pushed into criminality.”

- PM NEWS

Tollgates to return as FG grants individuals licence to build, maintain highways

 

The federal government says it will grant licence for individuals to build, operate and maintain highways.

The arrangement is under the new highway development and management initiative (HDMI).

This development is coming after the federal ministry of works and housing received the Outline Business Case Certificate of Compliance to commence procurement process for the concession of 12 federal highways under the HDMI.

The certificate was issued by the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).

In a document released by the ministry and signed by Boade Akinola, its director of press and publicity, the FMWH said the concession process will be classified into two categories — value-added concession and unbundled assets approvals.

For the value-added concession, the road pavement and entire right-of-way will be on concession for development and management by the concessionaire.

While for the unbundled assets approvals initiative, “approvals/permits are issued for individual assets on the right-of-way on a build, operate and or maintain basis”.

This will lead to the use of tollgates for concessionaires to recoup investments.

The ministry said the consessionaire agreement will provide adequate highway services through the development of revenue-generating assets along the highways. It added that over 200,000 jobs will also be created by the initiative.

‌”Both approaches aim to provide adequate highway services through the development of revenue-generating assets along the Highway. This is key to maintaining the functionality of the highway as well as engaging and generating wealth for indigenous small and medium enterprises,” it said.

“The main objective of the initiative is to attract expertise and sustainable investment/funding in the development of road infrastructure and to maximise the use of assets along the Right of Way and develop other highway infrastructure.

“It’s not really about revenue, it’s about the expected injection into the economy. The estimated private sector investment required for the development and maintenance of the 12 routes is N1.34 trillion and the impact such investment will have on the economy cannot be overstated.

“A minimum 50,000 direct jobs and over 200,000 indirect jobs are envisaged to be created spanning construction works, installations, steel fabrication, security, hospitality, vehicle repairs, waste management and administrative work as the value chain along the highway economy is activated.”

- THECABLE

Kidnappers storm Ibadan community, abduct farmer’s son

 Some gunmen suspected to be kidnappers Monday, invaded Oke Odan community in Apete area of Ibadan and kidnapped the son of a poultry farmer.

DAILY POST gathered that the poultry farm situated at Oke Odan community, in Apete, a suburb of Ibadan, is owned by a man identified as Mr. Odetunde.

It was gathered that the kidnappers who abducted the son of the farm owner invaded the area Monday evening.

Our correspondent learnt that the kidnappers after shooting sporadically in the community to scare residents, stormed the poultry farm and whisked the son of the owner of the farm away.

Though, some sources claimed that some of the workers who were kidnapped alongside the son of the farm owner were later released, a family source close to Odetunde, however, confirmed that only the son was kidnapped.

Our correspondent gathered that the whereabouts of the kidnapped victim is still unknown as at the time of filing this report.

The victim, according to the family source is an undergraduate of the University of Ibadan.

The family source who spoke with DAILY POST in confidence on Monday evening, added that the kidnapping of the son of the poultry owner has thrown Apete into confusion.

“Yes. It has been confirmed that one of the sons has been kidnapped. I learnt that he was kidnapped in the farm today.

“They said that when they came, they shot into the air and kidnapped him.

“Some people are not moving out of the area now. It is not a fight as some people had insinuated, it was a case of kidnapping.”

Some of the residents of Apete and other communities in Ido Local Government Area said that they are currently keeping vigil to prevent future attacks.

A resident told DAILY POST that, “We cannot sleep now. We have to keep vigil. As I was coming home, they blocked the road. People are now checking cars and motorcyclists coming and going out of Apete.”

But all efforts made by DAILY POST to get the reaction of the spokesman of the State Police command, Mr. Olugbenga Fadeyi proved abortive.

Calls put through to Fadeyi’s phone were not successful while an SMS sent to him to confirm the abduction has not been replied as at the time of filing this report on Monday.

- DAILY POST

Trump has been committing tax fraud for decades: Mary Trump

 

Donald Trump’s niece, Mary Trump has said an investigation into the former president’s taxes will reveal that he has been committing tax records for decades.

It will also reveal that the so-called billionaire has never ‘never made any money’.

Mary Trump told CNN’s Chris Cuomo on Monday night the returns will make several revelations.

She was reacting to US Supreme Court ruling that paves the way for New York City prosecutors to obtain Trump’s tax returns and other financial records as part of a criminal investigation.

She said the ruling was a ‘long time coming’.

‘Firstly, he has never made any money, and every penny Donald has was really my grandfather’s initially.

“Secondly, he’s going to be shown to have been somebody who gave zero to charitable causes… and the most important one is that he has most likely has been committing tax fraud for decades.

‘It’s a huge victory for the supreme court to have cleared the way for New York state to get access to Donald’s tax returns because it’s a long-time coming. He should have faced accountability a long time ago,’ Mary Trump said.

‘The Republican party is going to do absolutely nothing to contain Donald, and they’re just going to allow him to continue to be the head of their increasingly anti-democratic party that’s perfectly comfortable engaging in tactics to stay in power illegitimately.’

The decision by the court to make the returns available to the investigation is a blow to Trump’s quest to conceal the details of his finances. Over the years he has kept his financial records hidden.

Trump would often claim to be ‘under audit’ to avoid having to publish his tax returns.

But a grand jury investigation will soon have access to a whole host of documents spanning from January, 2011 to August, 2019, including tax returns that come from his accounting firm.

Mary Trump believes her uncle Donald was simply claiming he was ‘under audit’ line as an easy excuse so he would not have to divulge his financial details.

‘There is no reason to believe that he actually has been under audit for decades. But that aside, it doesn’t matter what he says. Because the IRS knows the truth, and pretty soon the New York County District Attorney Cyrus Vance and the Attorney General of New York Letitia James will have access to those documents.

‘Donald has been playing fast and loose with his taxes for decades, and it’s about time the American people have access to exactly what has been going on, and most likely has continued going on. Because let’s face it, this is a very longstanding pattern,’ Mary Trump added.

- PM NEWS