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Herdsmen, Bandits Kill 70 …23 In Zamfara, 18 In Plateau, 17 In Benue, 12 In Adamawa
Barely one week after the killing of 26 persons in a community in Zamfara State, cattle thieves have killed another 23 people in the state which has been battling cattle rustling and kidnapping in recent months, a local government official said late Saturday.
The Chairman of Anka Local Government Area, Mustapha Muhammad, said armed bandits on motorcycles invaded Zakuna village in the state, last Friday, opening fire on residents and burning homes.
“We buried 23 people killed in the attack, including vigilantes who tried to fight off the bandits”, he said.
“They torched homes and burnt some of their victims alive before fleeing into the bush”.
Muhammad said the gunmen had earlier last Friday invaded the remote village, carting away some cattle but were forced to flee by local vigilantes who fought them off and reclaimed the stolen herd.
Hours later, the thieves mobilised more men and returned to the village, 160 kilometres from the state capital, Gusau, where they opened fire and burnt homes.
The Public Relations Officer of the Zamfara State Police Command, Mr. Muhammad Shehu, confirmed that the police had recovered 15 bodies from the village following the attack.
“Most of the victims were vigilantes who put up a fight against the bandits,” he said.
Cattle rustlers have for several years been terrorising herding and farming villages in the state, stealing herds and killing residents who resist them.
The attacks prompted villagers to form vigilante groups to fight off the bandits.
The vigilantes have also been accused of abuses and killings of suspected thieves, prompting reprisals.
In recent years, the gangs have turned to kidnapping for ransom, prompting government to deploy troops to the affected communities, but the criminals attacks persist.
The state has witnessed repeated attacks in recent times that have left scores dead.
Shehu said the attackers invaded Zakuna in the early hours of June 1, and stole cows belonging to the villagers.
According to him, a vigilance group known as Yansakai, challenged the rustlers, forcing them to flee only for the bandits to reinforce and attack the village, killing 15 people.
He said: “On receiving the reports of the attack, the police mobilised officers to the village and discovered 15 bodies, majority of whom were members of the Yansakai group.
“The police have, however, increased security in the area to restore peace and stability.
“Bush combing and rigorous patrol is being carried out throughout the area by the police to avoid further loss of lives.”
Shehu said the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kenneth Ebrimson, had ordered investigations into the latest incident to apprehend the perpetrators.
However, three persons have been killed in the attacks carried out on a community identified as Kura Falls, Gashish District in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Casualties were said to have been recorded during two separate attacks between Friday night and Saturday morning.
The spokesperson for the Plateau State Police Command, Matthias Tyopev, confirmed the attacks on Saturday in an interview with newsmen.
He said: “We received information this morning (Saturday) at about 7am that residents were attacked in Kura Falls yesterday (Friday) at about 9.30pm and early this morning by unknown gunmen, which resulted in the death of three persons.
“They are Dawala Bullet (30), Fidelis Richard (31) and Iliya Doro (60), all male of the same address. We have mobilised police officers to the district (Gashish). An investigation is underway to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.”
Similarly, no fewer than 10 persons have been killed and several persons injured in a war that erupted between cult groups in Otukpo, Benue State.
It was gathered that some of the victims were killed at a popular drug joint known as Banana Island.
Also, the Chairman, Kwande Local Government Council of Benue, Mr Terdoo Kenti, has confirmed the killing of seven persons and injury of six others by suspected herdsmen.
Kenti said on telephone, yesterday, in Makurdi that the attackers also abducted a woman during the incident, last Saturday night at Tseadough village.
Tseadough is a village in Mbachom, Yaav Council Ward near Jato Aka, the ancestral home of Tiv people in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue.
He added that the attackers also burnt down several houses in the community.
Kenti said that the yet to be identified gunmen came unnoticed on the fateful night.
Meanwhile, 12 persons have been reported killed in an ambush by suspected herdsmen on Kangling village in Adamawa State.
The Acting Chairman of Girei Local Government Area, Mr Vincent Pasari, confirmed the attack in an interview with newsmen, last Saturday.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.