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Again, Herdsmen Kill Nine In Plateau …Ondo Evacuates Students From UNIJOS …As Femi-Kayode Condemns Attacks

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Suspected herdsmen have killed 19 persons and injured four others during an attack on Ariri community in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Among the victims of the attack which took place at 11:30pm, Wednesday, were women and children.
The latest attack came amidst condemnation of the alleged militarisation and menace of fake soldiers in Jos metropolis.
On Tuesday night, 13 persons were feared killed by suspected herdsmen during a midnight attack on Riyom LGA.
An eyewitness from Ariri village, Miango District, Yohana Yakubu, in an interview with newsmen, yesterday in Jos, said the assailants displaced many families, after shooting indiscriminately.
He said, “In all, 18 people were killed; the killers wore black clothes, they were shouting Allah Akbar. They were speaking Hausa and Fulani languages and after the attack, they fled. People were massacred and we are now helpless.”
The spokesperson for Miango Youths Development Association, Lawrence Zongo, also shed light on the attacks in a message to newsmen in Jos.
He said, “Again, Fulani gunmen have killed 19 people in Ariri village of Miango District in Bassa LGA of Plateau State. Four persons sustained serious injuries including the youth leader of Ariri who is now receiving treatment in Enos Hospital, Miango.
“The Fulani people have declared war on the Plateau. They are achieving their plans through genocide attacks and killing of citizens. We are always in security meetings which have not achieved results. No investigation to arrest the criminals. Now, Ariri village has been displaced. This is too bad; this is an evil genocide going on in a democratic dispensation.
“We are pleading, calling on Amnesty International, the global community and Red Cross to please come to our aid. We need your help and assistance.”
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Plateau State Police Command, DSP Matthias Tyopev, said he would get the details, speak with the commissioner of police, “and get back.”
But as of the time of this report, he had yet to get back to our correspondent.
Reacting, former minister of aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, condemned the fresh attack on the Plateau that has resulted in the killing of about 19 persons.
Fani Kayode, in a post, called out President Muhammadu Buhari over the incessant killings during his administration.
According to him, Buhari’s administration has been filled with sad incidences such as mass murder and slaughter of Nigerians.
He wrote: “Fulani herdsmen butchered another 19 innocent and defenceless people in a village in Plateau state last night.
“Under Buhari all we have seen is tragedy after tragedy, calamity after calamity, mass murder after mass murder and slaughter after slaughter. In Jesus Name flush him out!”
Meanwhile, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Tukur Buratai has revealed those sponsoring armed ethnic militia groups in Jos, the capital of Plateau State.
Buratai said the armed ethnic militia groups in Plateau State were supported and sponsored by the elite or elders of the state.
Buratai disclosed this during the burial of three soldiers who were killed during the violence that rocked the state’s troubled Barkin Ladi Local Government Area at the Maxwell Khobe Military Cemetery at 3 Division Headquarters, Rukuba, Jos.
Buratai, who was represented by the Operation Safe Haven Commander, Maj-Gen Augustine Agundu, said, “It is evident that there exist armed ethnic militia groups sponsored or supported by some elites and elders who deploy the misguided youths into committing the worst heinous crimes.
“There is certainly no constitutional provision that allows civilians to bear firearms but their possession has become a well sort-out vocation here on the Plateau.”
Expressing regrets over the death of CPL Effiong Mbuotidem, he said: “Human dignity has lost its value on the Plateau.
“The troops of OPSH like all service personnel are officially detailed to Plateau State to perform the duties upon which they swore an oath to serve the nation.”
Similarly, the Nigerian Army has pledged to guarantee the safety of farmers in Borno State, to enhance the production of paddy rice and other food crops.
The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig-Gen Texas Chukwu, in a statement issued, yesterday, in Maiduguri, quoted the Acting General Commanding Officer (GOC), 7 Division, Maiduguri, Brig-Gen Bulama Biu, as making the pledge when members of the Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria (RIFAN) paid him a courtesy visit in Maiduguri.
The statement quoted Biu as saying that the army would provide security to farmers to enable them cultivate their farmlands and ensure their safety to encourage agricultural activities.
Biu noted that rice farmers were critical partners in ensuring food security for sustainable social and economic development in the country.
He tasked farmers to be law-abiding and ensure that they followed due-process in the discharge of their business.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the association, Alhaji Bulama Mohammad, lauded the military over the successes recorded in the counter-insurgency campaign in the northeast.
Mohammad sought the support of the military to ease movement of the produce to the market.
Meanwhile, no fewer than 100 indigenes of Ondo State studying at the University of Jos in Plateau State including two visually impaired have been evacuated from their troubled tertiary institution by the state government.
UNIJOS main gate Students of the institution who are indigenes had sent a distress call to the state governor Rotimi Akeredolu following the unrest in Jos metropolis.
The called followed the killing of some students in the institution hostel. Deputy governor of the state Agboola Ajayi while receiving the students expressed appreciation to God for sparing their lives, thereby averting what could have been a major calamity for the state.
Ajayi, who described the Akeredolu-led government as a responsive one, thanked the students’ leader for alerting the government on the development early enough which led to the timely rescue mission.
He assured them that the government would continue to prioritize the safety of the citizens, irrespective of their religious and political creeds.
President of the National Association of Ondo State (NAOSS), UNIJOS Chapter, Comrade Olakunle Ojumu, said the students would ever remain grateful to the state government for evacuating them from the troulbed environment.
Olakunle said “I made a distress call to the state government following the sudden outbreak of the ongoing killing in Jos and the government acted promptly by sending five buses, which contained 16 students each and other logistics to rescue the trapped students.”

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Rivers DPOs Receive Awards For Outstanding Performance In Crime Prevention …As Students, Media Group Honour CSP Worgu, CSP Yusuf

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Two Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) in Rivers State have been honoured by separate groups for their contributions to security, crime prevention and improved community-police relations in their respective areas of responsibility.

The beneficiaries are the DPO of Afam Police Division, CSP  Endurance Worgu and his counterpart at Oyigbo Police Division, CSP Bello Yusuf.

CSP Worgu was honoured by a group of students under the aegis of Rivers State Graduate Students Associations for what they described as his commitment and outstanding performance in the discharge of his duties.

The students, led by  Chidi John Enyie, Esq. said CSP Worgu was selected based on his track record and status as one of the longest-serving young DPOs of Rivers State origin.

According to the group, CSP Worgu has made significant contributions to the protection of lives and property in the area since assuming office following the #EndSARS period.

The students said they were particularly impressed by the improvement in community-police relations under his leadership, noting that professionalism had remained a key feature of his service.

Enyie represented by Comrade Briggs Soku, said the students community was pleased to identify with a Rivers indigene who had distinguished himself in the police force.

He said the students considered it necessary to encourage and celebrate CSP Worgu because of his achievements as a young Rivers man excelling in a profession that many people from the state were often reluctant to join.

Receiving the award at his office in Afam, CSP Worgu expressed gratitude to God and the students for finding him worthy of the honour.

The DPO said the recognition had boosted his morale and encouraged him to sustain his efforts towards maintaining peace and security in the area.

He said he least expected the honour, particularly because it came from the students, adding that the recognition would further motivate him to serve the people better.

CSP Worgu assured residents of Afam that the police would sustain the existing peace in the area.

He appealed to members of the public to support the police by providing credible and timely information, stressing that useful information from residents would make the job of security personnel easier.

Meanwhile, the Ikwerre/Etche Media Association has also honoured the DPO of Oyigbo Police Division, CSP Bello Yusuf, for his efforts in tackling criminal activities in the area.

The media group presented the award following the swift tracking and arrest of five suspected kidnappers who had allegedly terrorised residents of the Kom-Kom axis and other parts of Oyigbo.

The group commended CSP Bello for what it described as his determined efforts to restore confidence and security in the affected communities, particularly Kom-Kom and Obeama.

According to the group, the arrest of the suspects demonstrated the DPO’s commitment to tackling criminality and safeguarding residents.

The media association said residents had received the development with relief, noting that the police action had sent a strong message to criminal elements operating in the area.

Responding, CSP Yusuf appreciated the group for the recognition and reaffirmed that there would be no room for criminality in Oyigbo.

He also commended the media for its role in disseminating credible information to the public, saying the media had remained supportive of the police in the fight against crime.

CSP Yusuf warned criminal elements operating in Oyigbo to leave the area or be prepared to face the full weight of the law.

He assured residents that the police would continue to pursue criminals and work to dismantle their hideouts, regardless of where they might be operating.

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College Of Bishops Endorses Tinubu, APC Candidates  For 2027 Polls

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The 5000 Achievers Christian Forum and Colleges of Bishops, Archbishops and Apostles, a Christian interdenominational organisation, has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State for the 2027 general elections.

International President of the forum, Archbishop Lucky Aroh, disclosed this during the ordination and consecration of three new Bishops, as well as an award ceremony held in Port Harcourt.

Aroh said the performance of the APC-led Federal Government had endeared the party to the organisation, prompting the forum to declare its support for President Tinubu and other APC candidates in Rivers State.

He said the forum would support all APC candidates in the state during the 2027 elections and urged Nigerians to vote for the party.

Aroh, who is also the General Overseer of Caring Peoples Church, Port Harcourt, charged the newly consecrated Bishops to see their new positions as a great responsibility and dedicate themselves to the advancement of the kingdom of God.

He cautioned them against conduct capable of bringing their offices into disrepute, stressing that their activities would be closely watched by members of the public.

“As Bishops, the eyes of the public are on your activities. You must therefore conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of your calling,” he said.

Also speaking, the International Coordinator of the forum, Bishop Saint Robinson, urged the newly consecrated Bishops to work diligently towards winning souls for the kingdom of God.

Robinson, who was the guest speaker at the event, stressed that the activities of Bishops must at all times be guided by godly principles.

He also called on members of the church to support and cooperate with the newly consecrated Bishops in the discharge of their responsibilities.

The Secretary of the College, Apostle Elizabeth Ayadi Abaye, said the organisation was established to advance the kingdom of God and promote spiritual development.

According to her, the forum has organised several crusades, conferences, prayer meetings, ordinations, consecrations, enthronements, empowerment programmes and other spiritual development activities across the country as part of efforts to win souls for Christ.

Abaye said the organisation has members across the world and disclosed that more programmes had been scheduled to promote the spiritual development and wellbeing of humanity.

The three Bishops consecrated at the ceremony were Prince Alban Chike, Testimony Omenihu Shedrach and Prince Ifemena.

Among those honoured at the event were the Chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC), Abali Community, Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Manuchimso Prince Lemmy Wopara, and Clifford Oko Jaja, Coordinator of the 5,000 House-to-House for President Tinubu.

By: John Bibor

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Police Arrest Fake Soldier, Others For Armed Robbery, Kidnapping

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The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a 49-year-old suspected fake soldier, Andrew Atausi, and several other suspects in connection with various criminal activities, including kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, one-chance robbery and the alleged murder of police officers.

The State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, disclosed this in Port Harcourt, recently during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters, where he said the arrests formed part of the operational achievements recorded by the Command between June and August 2026.

Adepoju said Atausi was arrested on August 10 by police operatives along Ada George, Port Harcourt, while dressed in military uniform and driving a Toyota Hilux painted in Army colours.

The Commissioner said investigation revealed that Atausi was not a member of the Armed Forces, adding that he was suspected to be a serial car snatcher, with three suspected stolen vehicles recovered from him.

He said the recovered vehicles included three Toyota Hilux vehicles without registration numbers and a Toyota Corona Premio with registration number BNY 380 ES, noting that the chassis and engine numbers of the vehicles had allegedly been tampered with.

Adepoju added that an axe and military accoutrements were also recovered from Atausi, as investigation continued into the circumstances surrounding the vehicles and other items recovered from him.

On the June 29 attack on police officers at Aluu Division, the Commissioner said three members of the gang allegedly responsible for the incident had been arrested by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit, VCRU-AKU.

The suspects, identified as Maduabuchi Emeka, 34, alleged gang leader; Doctor Chinedu Owhor, 42, and Kamachi Joe, 28, alleged armourer, reportedly led operatives to their hideout at Omagwa where two AK-47 rifles stolen during the attack were recovered.

Adepoju recalled that two police officers were killed during the Aluu attack, while others were wounded and one officer had his leg amputated, stressing that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the fourth suspect.

On kidnapping, the Commissioner said five members of a suspected kidnapping syndicate were arrested in Oyigbo Local Government Area, adding that they allegedly confessed to operations in Kom-Kom, Railway, Obeama and Afam communities.

He said two other suspects from the same network, Anele Ogbogu, 35, alleged to be the gang’s armourer, and Kenneth Eke, 38, were arrested on July 27, with one AK-47 rifle and one SMG rifle recovered.

The Commissioner further disclosed the arrest of suspects in connection with alleged firearm offences, armed robbery, cultism and one-chance robbery, with firearms, ammunition and other exhibits recovered during the operations.

Adepoju assured residents that the Command would sustain intelligence-led, proactive and community-oriented policing in collaboration with other security agencies, while urging members of the public to continue providing credible information that would assist the police in combating crime across Rivers State.

By; King Onunwor

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