Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State has said the armed herders who attacked Yelewata in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State came through a river in the area.

Alia disclosed that the armed herders first attacked military and police checkpoints when they invaded the area.

Over 200 people were reportedly killed during an attack in Yelewata area of Benue State, a few days ago.

However, speaking on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Monday evening, Alia said the attack lasted for two hours.

He said: “It lasted for two hours, in Yelewata there is a military and police checkpoint.

“This is how it happened, the river is not too far by this axis, so we understand that they came by the round of the river.

“Now, they were pushed back from Apa and as they were moving towards Nasarawa State, Yelewata shares a border with Nasarawa State – it’s on their way to Nasarawa State that the heinous attack happened.

“When they got to this town, the first thing they did was to attack the military and police who usually man the road around there.

“They were pushed back so they ran back. They came in numbers as usual.”

The Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, Abia State Command has said that it has been playing important roles to ensure that there is peace in Abia State communities, especially in farms.

Abia State Commandant of NSCDC, Commandant Akinsola Aderemi said this at Police Officers Mess, Umuahia, during the 1st Abia NUJ Agric Show 2025, which was organized by the leadership of the NUJ in Abia to tackle hunger in the land.

The NSCDC Commandant said that Agro Rangers Unit of the NSCDC in Abia State, which is tasked with maintaining peace in farms and agricultural environments, has been doing everything to ensure that Abia farmers are safe in their farms.

Represented by the Officer in charge of Agro Rangers Unit,  I. White,  Commandant Aderemi noted that when farms are made safe, food production would increase.

He disclosed that the Agro Rangers Unit of NSCDC in the Abia Command was playing a role in solving a recent misunderstanding between farmers and herdsmen in the Obehie area of the State.

He commended the leadership of the Abia NUJ for the Agric Show concept and for providing the mechanism to sensitise Nigerians on the need to go into agriculture.

In their speeches, the Chairman of Abia State Council of Ndieze, Eze Linus Nto Mbah and the Chairman of the occasion, Dr Boniface Iheanyichukwu Ariekpere urged Abia youths to defeat hunger and unemployment by embracing agric business.

Earlier in his speech, the Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Abia State Council, Chidi Asonye raised the alarm that many Nigerians are groaning in  hunger caused by rising cost of food in the market.

He explained that the 1st Abia NUJ Agric Show was a response to the National emergency of food insecurity.

He called for urgent and coordinated efforts to reverse the ugly trend.

Residents of the Juji community in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State have raised fresh concerns over the abandonment of a bridge project linking the town to Ungwan Gimbiya, warning that the situation has worsened with the onset of the rainy season.

The bridge, which has remained incomplete for several years, is now severely affected by erosion and stagnant floodwaters, leaving it nearly impassable and posing serious risks to residents.

Speaking with reporters, locals described how heavy rainfall often renders the route unusable, disrupting daily life.

“Each time it rains, children can’t get to school, and many parents are unable to leave for work,” a resident said. “We are cut off completely. The waterlogged path is dangerous to cross.”

Community members say the abandoned infrastructure has left them stranded and exposed, especially schoolchildren and traders who rely on the route.

They are calling on the Kaduna State Government and the Kaduna State Roads Agency, KADRA, to urgently resume and complete the project.

“This is no longer a minor complaint, it’s affecting our survival,” one resident added.