News
Agatu council chairman revokes grazing pact, orders armed herders out of Benue community
The Chairman of Agatu Local Government Council, Hon Melvin James Ejeh, has revoked the 2017 grazing agreement that granted herders access to Adapati Island and ordered all armed herders to vacate Agatu communities with immediate effect.
This follows recent renewed violent attacks in the area.
In a press statement issued on Thursday, Ejeh said Agatu Local Government Area has witnessed a fresh wave of attacks allegedly carried out by armed herders who he said infiltrated the area after recent military airstrikes in parts of Sokoto State.
According to the council chairman, the attacks have led to the killing of women and children, injuries, reported cases of rape, destruction of homes and farmlands, and the displacement of hundreds of residents.
Describing the situation as a grave humanitarian and security crisis, Ejeh condemned the attacks and said the continued bloodshed in Agatu was unacceptable.
“In view of the persistent violations and escalating violence, I hereby announce the immediate revocation of the 2017 agreement that granted herdsmen access to Adapati Island for grazing,” he said.
He described the agreement, entered into by a former sole administrator, as one that was not executed in good faith and had negative consequences for the people of Agatu.
The chairman declared the agreement “null and void” and ordered all armed herders to leave Agatu land, insisting that no part of the local government area belongs to herders.
“Agatu is an agrarian community, and our farmlands must be protected to guarantee food security and the livelihoods of our people,” he stated.
Ejeh called on the Federal Government and security agencies to urgently deploy additional military and police personnel to Agatu, saying the current security arrangement was inadequate.
He commended Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Iormem Alia, for efforts to restore peace across the state and also praised security agencies, including Operation Whirl Stroke, Operation Anyam Nyor, the Nigeria Police, DSS and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, for their operations in the area.
However, he said the recent influx of armed herders required increased troop deployment to flush out criminal elements from Agatu communities.
The council chairman disclosed that some suspects had been arrested in connection with the attacks and warned that anyone aiding or abetting insecurity in the area would be prosecuted.
He urged residents to remain calm, vigilant and law-abiding, assuring them that government and security agencies were working to restore peace.
“The position of the Agatu people is clear: at this time, no herder is welcome on Agatu land,” Ejeh said.
News
I would rather die, than betray my predecessor – Gov Buni declares
Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, has made a powerful declaration, saying he would rather die than to betray his political godfather and current Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam.
Buni made the declaration on Tuesday while addressing delegates shortly after the conclusion of All Progressives Congress, (APC), congress held in Damaturu, the Yobe State capital.
“I would rather die than betray our mentor, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam. I remain deeply grateful to him for the role he played in my political journey.
“I will never forget where I am coming from, and I will never turn my back on the man who trusted and supported me,” he said.
He told the gathering that noted political career are built on trust, noting that he is a product of trust.
“I always want to be remembered as someone who never betrays anybody,” he declared.
The governor charged the newly elected party officials in the state to remain steadfast, urging them to uphold trust and integrity in the discharge of their responsibilities.
News
Iran: ‘Nigeria in trouble too’ – Hakeem Baba-Ahmed
Amid the ongoing tension in Iran, former Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Political Matters, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has said that Nigeria too is in trouble.
Baba-Ahmed stated this on Tuesday during an interview on Trust TV monitored by Ekwutosblog.
He was speaking about the attack on Iran by the United States and its ally, Israel.
Ekwutosblog had reported that the US and Israeli launched air strikes on Iran on Saturday resulting in the death of its Supreme Leader and other top political office holders.
Airing his own opinion, Baba-Ahmed said, “Nigeria too is in trouble. We are not safe with what is going on in Iran.
“The world is by now aware of the fact that two days ago, the United States of America and Israel attacked the State of Iran, killed its leader and a number of very senior political and military officers, as well as a number of other citizens.
“Clearly, the United States had decided to affect regime change, meaning removal of the entire leadership of Iran and maybe installing a different one, or giving a chance to the citizens of Iran to choose who will next govern them.
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t work as neatly as leaders like President Donald Trump think. What we are likely to have is what we are beginning to see now, a lot of chaos, prolonged crisis, both within Iran and around it, and a lot of uproar around the world.”
News
Rivers LG chairman under scrutiny over alleged physical assault on female aide
The Chairman of Ahoada West Local Government Area, Hon. Eugene Ekpelle, is facing allegations of assault made by his former media aide, Minnie Ogadinma.
Ogadinma alleged that the council chairman ordered his brother, Monday Cheta, to attack her for allegedly attempting to tarnish his image.
Ekwutosblog reports that trouble started after Ogadinma made a social media post-highlighting the deteriorating condition of Community Secondary School, Odioku.
She alleged that the chairman visited her residence on Sunday evening after her video.
According to her, the chairman accused her of trying to damage his reputation and subsequently directed his brother, Monday Cheta to “teach her a lesson.”
She further alleged that Cheta assaulted her and attempted to use a shovel during the altercation, claiming the situation was only brought under control by neighbours who intervened.
Ogadinma said both she and her mother sustained injuries during the incident and disclosed that she was relieved of her duties as a media aide the same Sunday.
Detailing her account, she stated, “On Thursday, I visited my community secondary school in Odioku.
“When I got there, I saw how bad the school was. They don’t have chairs, no roof over their head. So I made a video calling for help.
“I tagged VeryDarkMan in my post, asking him to come renovate the school for us.
“Yesterday, I was in my house with my mother. Then the chairman came, himself, his younger brother, Monday Cheta, and the security man with the driver.
“They came down from the vehicle. And then when my mummy tried to greet the chairman, the next thing he said was that your daughter wants to damage his image online.
“Then he asked his junior brother, Monday Cheta, that he should teach me a lesson. That was his word. Go and teach this small girl a lesson.
“I was inside my compound. Monday pushed down my gate, pushed my mother. My mummy even had injury on her lips because she had an accident before now that they stitched.
“So, when he pushed my mummy, my mummy started bleeding from her mouth.
“So I ran into my compound. Then Monday entered my compound, started beating me. And then the chairman told him that he should kill me.
“My mom raised an alarm, and my neighbors came around. They had to come and rush him. He used a shovel that he wanted to hit me with.
“Then they rushed him, and they had to separate him from where I was.
“The next thing I heard from the chairman was that even if I should die, that nothing would happen to him, that nobody would do anything to him.”
However, the chairman denied the allegations.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Dennis Ezeuwa Lot, the council described the claim as “false, malicious, and deliberately distorted,” insisting that the Chairman neither assaulted nor directed anyone to assault Ogadinma.
The statement maintained that the Chairman had visited the residence for a peaceful engagement and alleged that Ogadinma confronted him with insults.
It added that she later fell and sustained minor injuries while being restrained by a passerby during a heated exchange.
“At no point did the Chairman engage in any physical confrontation,” the statement said, challenging those promoting the allegation to provide verifiable evidence.
The council further clarified that issues relating to Community Secondary School, Odiokwu fall under the jurisdiction of the Rivers State Government, not the local government, and urged the public to disregard what it termed attempts to create political tension.
Reacting to the development, a Port Harcourt-based human rights lawyer, Chetam Nwala condemned the alleged actions, describing it as “a serious disappointment from a public leader,” and called on security agencies to ensure justice is served.
Also speaking at a media briefing in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, the Director of Pilex Centre for Civic Education, Courage Nsirimovu, said Ogadinma “acted within her constitutional rights as a Nigerian citizen to monitor public projects in her community.”
Similarly, the Director of Relief International Africa, Green Isaac called for the “immediate arrest and prosecution of the council chairman, a public apology and compensation for medical expenses and displacement.”
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