#BenueUnderAttack: Outrage as bandits slaughter 36 persons including students in Benue community

Gunmen suspected to Fulani herdsmen attacked Shikaan Mbagena Kpav community in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State, killing at least 36 residents. 

It was gathered that the assailants stormed the community in the early hours of Thursday, May 27 and slaughtered the victims including some students of the College of Education, Katsina Ala.

 

The gruesome massacre has sparked outrage among Nigerians on social media who condemned what they termed ongoing silent "genocide" in Benue State.

 

The hashtag, #BenueUnderAttack is currently trending with many calling on the federal government and security agencies to put an end to killings by marauding herdsmen.

 

Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw said gory photos emerging from the community has dampened her spirit. 

 

"Much as I am trying to focus on other things.. The images of bodies lain on the floor in huge numbers has dampened my spirit somewhat.. Why does life mean nothing in Nigeria? To our rulers?? Too much blood shed....too much, God #BenueUnderAttack" she wrote. 

 

"About 36 persons were killed just yesterday in Benue state, There’s serious genocide going on in Benue state. How long will the people suffer this? Insecurity in the state is at it apex. RETWEET AND PASS IT ON, LET THE WORLD KNOW."  a Twitter user wrote.

 

Another said: "So after eliminating the TIV Tribe, so who's next? Who is next? Because no one would tell me there is no agenda for coordinated & continuous ethnic cleansing in this country. It's not just #BenueUnderAttack but #ChristiansUnderAttack I can't be mincing words with y'all."

 

"There is ethnic cleansing going on in Benue State, but we are deafeningly silent. Hundreds are being killed, and thousands are compelled to flee their homes! Benue is under attack!! "

 

Jamal said: "The pictures are so gory. It is sad that these vulnerable were killed in their homeland by invaders. But to see how they were butchered like cattle evokes a deeper emotion. No one should die like this. #BenueUnderAttack"

 

"As the killings keep rising and nothing substantial is being done, we all in Benue State and the entire Middle Belt may end up losing our lives, our identity and our land if we fail to rise up now! This is a genocide and must be referred to as such!! #BenueUnderAttack"

 

Benue First: "It is not a crime to Live! It is not a crime to come from Benue! Stop the Genocide in Benue! Nigerians, stand up for Benue! Don’t let our basket get empty! Retweet & pass the message please!#BenueUnderAttack"

 

"Fulani Herdsmen Attack on the good people have brazen and unprovoked with villages and communities attacked and razed at night leading which can be described as a genocide and you can Agree with me we're Certainly Targetted"

 

"Has the government given immunity to Fulani herdsmen in this country ? They are killing the indigenous occupants of Benue state and nothing is still being done. This is pure Genocide #BenueUnderAttack"

 

"Nigeria is burning more and more everyday and our government is just gonna keep acting without urgency like all is well. How many more people do these herdsmen need to kill before action is taken ? Hundreds of people 1 night ?? I’m sick #BenueUnderAttack"

 

 

See Photos from the funeral of comedienne, AdaJesus

 

The remains of comedienne, Mmesoma Mercy Nnadi aka Ada Jesu, have been laid to rest at her husband's village in  Umuakum Ejemewuru, Oguta L.G.A. Imo State today May 28.

Ada Jesus who had been battling with a protracted Kidney ailment, suffered a cardiac arrest on Tuesday April 20, and died on Wednesday, April 21.

She left behind a daughter she had with her husband, Kingsley Nnadi

May her soul rest in peace, Amen.

 

See more photos below:

West African leaders to discuss Mali crisis on Sunday

West African leaders will meet on Sunday to frame a response to the crisis in Mali, where the military have reasserted control just nine months after a coup, diplomats told AFP Friday.

The extraordinary summit in Ghana will gather heads of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has led efforts to defuse the crisis, they said.

The bloc has warned of reimposing sanctions against fellow member Mali after the military earlier this week detained the leaders of an interim government tasked with steering the return to civilian rule following a coup last August.

The transitional president, Bah Ndaw, and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane stepped down after they were held and have since been released.

Military strongman Assimi Goita, who had been named vice president, told mediators who flew to Bamako this week that he intends to head the transitional government himself and name a prime minister, diplomats say.

The 15-nation ECOWAS has been assertive in several of the recent crises in West Africa.

It imposed sanctions against Mali after young officers forced out the country’s elected president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, following mass protests against him.

The bloc suspended Mali from its decision-making bodies, closed its borders and stopped financial and trade exchanges except for essential products such as fuel and electricity.

The measures were lifted after the interim government was formed with a civilian president and prime minister, and the military promised to restore full civilian rule within 18 months.

One of the poorest countries in the world, Mali is battling a jihadist insurgency that began in the north 2012, later spread to the volatile centre and then into neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso.

Thousands of people have died, and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.

Gridlock as tanker catches fire at Otedola Bridge

A fuel-laden tanker caught fire on Friday at the Otedola Bridge around the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

It was gathered that first responders have arrived at the scene and have curtailed the fire.

No casualty was recorded as of the time of filing this report.

Road users are advised to avoid the corridor as the incident has caused gridlock with motorists stranded around the axis.

Friday’s incident occurred days after the Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State Command, Olusegun Ogungbemide, said that there are no demon, witch or wizard at the Otedola Bridge but reckless drivers and expired trucks were responsible for the incessant crashes around the bridge.

The Otedola Bridge is notorious for road crashes mostly involving fuel-laden tankers and trucks that often explode, resulting in inferno, burnt vehicles, loss of lives and properties.

Why Women Stay With Men Who Cheat: Relationship Expert

Stand by your cheating man or kick him to the curb? It's not a decision any woman wants to make, but many have after their philandering mates were caught. Sure, Elin Nordegren left Tiger Woods. And Sandra Bullock left Jesse James. But not every woman chooses to move on. This Lifescript exclusive digs deep to discover why so many women choose to stick it out. Plus, will your guy cheat? Rate the risk...

They all do it: celebrities, politicians, even the hubby next door.Sure, the names of the cheaters change: Think Tiger Woods, Jesse James, John Edwards, Kobe Bryant, Mark Sanford.But the story’s the same: Husband cheats, gets caught. Wife grimaces, then bears it.In fact, up to 75% of couples rocked by an affair stay together, according to research by Peggy Vaughan.

That so many wronged spouses managed to turn the other cheek is admirable to some. But you can’t help wondering: Why didn’t they push their wandering mates out the door?

Lifescript talked to women and experts to find out why beleaguered wives choose to stand by their men. Here’s what they told us:1. She doesn’t want to be alone.
When your husband takes up with a prettier, shapelier – perhaps even younger – woman, it doesn’t inspire confidence that you still got it goin’ on.Insecurity can be enough of a glue to stick with a marriage.“Fear of being alone keeps people in all kinds of horrible situations and relationships,” says life coach Lauren Mackler, author of Solemate: Master the Art of Aloneness and Transform Your Life (Hay House) and host of “Lauren’s Life Keys” on Hay House Radio.

Women are more afraid of going solo than men are, she says.“That comes from believing that they need a man to take care of them. Even though we’ve come a long way, many messages still tell us that.”2. Her finances take a hit.

“Women’s greatest fear is they’ll become bag ladies,” says Gilda Carle, Ph.D., creator of DrGilda.com and author of He’s Not All That (Collins).

“In their minds, they’d be leaving him for a life of poverty just because he’s been cavorting elsewhere.”It’s not a completely unfounded fear: A woman is likely to draw the short financial straw in a divorce.An ex-wife’s standard of living drops more than 25%, studies show.They’re also more likely to lose other essentials, such as health insurance and their homes.

3. He’s not perfect.

An affair “may not be a deal breaker,” explains Michele Sugg, a certified sex therapist in Branford, Conn.“We tend to think that once a slippery bit has slid into someone else’s slippery bit, it’s the end of a relationship.”True, that’s how newlyweds think, says Brown University psychiatrist Scott Haltzman, M.D., author of The Secrets of Happily Married Womenand The Secrets of Happy Families (both Wiley).But, “as people live, age and grow together, they recognize that they have to give up the dreams of the perfect spouse,” he says.They know their mate eventually will disappoint them.4. Her professional status is tied to his.

Many educated women still put their careers second, behind their husband's.If you’ve been known as Mr. Big Shot’s Wife, leaving that relationship may close doors professionally.

“A wife can lose her status because of divorce,” Haltzman says.“If you’re married to a governor, you’re a governor’s wife.”Otherwise, you’re just his ex-wife.5. She’ll lose friends.
Adding insult to injury, a divorcing wife risks breaking up her social circle as well, especially if it was exclusively other married couples.Sad but true: A solo woman is considered a threat to the stability of other relationships and married friends often pull away.“If you live in a community where marriage is touted and single women are shunned, do you want to become an outcast because your husband did this?” asks Susan Shapiro Barash, author of Little White Lies, Deep Dark Secrets: The Truth About Why Women Lie (St. Martin’s Press).

6. Her family is against divorce.Natalie (her name is changed to protect her privacy) was recently wed and newly pregnant when she discovered her husband had three other women on the side.For 13 years, the manager of a California nonprofit toughed out countless infidelities before she finally filed for divorce.Even then, her decision didn’t sit well with her traditional Catholic family. They believed, as do many cultures, that it’s up to the woman to keep a marriage together — whatever the cost.Her family and in-laws cursed her.“My mother disowned me,” Natalie says.For five years, her family pressured her to go back to her husband. Her ex lobbied hard, too, getting down on his knees and swearing he’d never stray again.“I said, ‘Yes,’ because I could see my three kids were hoping I’d give their daddy a chance.”But even all the family pressure couldn’t keep her marriage together in the end.“One day he left his pager at home and there was a strange number on it,” Natalie says. “I thought, Not again.”

The incident reaffirmed her first decision and this time she left for good.“I was angry and resentful because I allowed myself to get hurt again. And my children were devastated.”7. She’s emotionally invested in her man.For many women, their husbands are an essential part of the family tapestry and disentangling it would be devastating.“Over their lifetimes, these women can see their men for the contributions they’ve made, for the role they play in their lives, in their families,” Haltzman explains.So they think hard before throwing it away.“Women struggle to see the whole picture,” he says, and try to figure out if their husband’s stupid mistake will dissolve the family or help it endure and grow.Of course, a woman is more likely to take this view if it’s a one-time tryst rather than an extracurricular relationship or pattern of infidelity that’s gone on for years.That was the case with Deb (identified by her first name only for privacy). She learned that her husband had slept with one of her girlfriends shortly after she gave birth to their second child.

The Arkansas radio host thought about leaving him but decided to stay.Now, 17 years later, they’re about to celebrate their 21st wedding anniversary.“I thought, I invested my time with this man and we have two kids. I worked through the denial, the anger, the hatred and I just tried to put it behind me.”But she hasn’t forgotten it — or let him.“Is there a smidgen of me that wouldn’t like to choke his neck? Yes. And I’ll carry that around for the rest of my life.”8. She has a hidden agenda.Consider Hillary Clinton, who stiff-upper-lipped it through Gennifer Flowers, Paula Jones, and Monica Lewinsky because she had her own political aspirations:“She must have thought, It’s better to stay married because if I divorce, I’ll still have this albatross around my neck and I might not get what I want at the end,” says sex and relationship therapist Stephanie Buehler, Psy.D., director of the Buehler Institute in Irvine, Calif.This devil’s bargain can pay off, if you make it with eyes open and a clear head.It doesn’t work “when we stay out of fear or low self-esteem because that causes suffering,” Mackler says.When does it work? If there are benefits to staying and you feel good about them, she says. “Then who cares?”

9. Infidelity could make the marriage stronger.
An ordeal like this could improve your relationship. If you’re both willing, therapists say, an affair can get you talking about those long-avoided issues – sex, money, careers, housework, emotional distance.“If there’s a foundation of friendship and love, you can use this crisis as an opportunity to understand what’s not working in the relationship and take some action to fix it,” Mackler says.That will take work and perhaps couples therapy, but in the end, you both may grow closer and your relationship stronger.And who wouldn’t stick around for that? 

Kebbi Boat Mishap: 76 Corpses Recovered So

The Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) says 76 corpses have so far been recovered from the boat mishap that occurred in Tshohuwar Labata village...

The Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) says 76 corpses have so far been recovered from the boat mishap that occurred in Tshohuwar Labata village in Ngaski Local Government Area of Kebbi State.

The Area Manager of NIWA in the state, Birma Yusuf, disclosed this to Daily Trust Friday, saying the search operation was still ongoing as more corpses were expected to be recovered.

The corpses recovered had floated to the shore of River Niger near where the ghastly accident occurred.

Yusuf lamented over the authority’s poor equipment for rescue mission.

He said that the authority had the expertise for rescue operation and appealed to the Kebbi State Government to assist the authority with water boats in order to improve on their operation capacity.

“So far 76 corpses have been recovered. We always blame the boat operators for overloading and using of old boats.”

JUST IN: Delta police foil attack on station, lose two officers

Gunmen in the early hours Friday attacked Umutu Police Station, Ukwuani LGA, Delta State killing two policemen, The Nation has learnt.

It was learnt that policemen on guard duty repelled the attack, killing two bandits.

An Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) died in hospital following complications from high blood pressure, it was learnt.

The Nation gathered the armed men attacked around 1.30 am, shooting sporadically at the station but met stiff resistance as the men on guard duty put up a tough fight.

It was learnt the gunmen retreated after two of the gunmen were shot dead while others suffering injuries.

It was learnt the bandits took away the corpses of their members in a car.

Delta Police image maker, DSP Bright Edafe who confirmed the incident, said the bandit’s intention was to burn the station and steal arms and ammunition.

He said the attack failed because of the proactive measures put in place by Delta Police Commissioner.

Part of the statement reads: ” In the early hours of today, armed men in their numbers stormed Unity Police Station, they shot sporadically at the station, due to proactive measures already put in place by the Delta State Police Commissioner, they were faced with stiff resistance by men on duty gave a them a tough fight.

“The armed men had to retreat when they saw….that two of the bandits were gunned down while others were injured. They quickly carried their dead and ran away.

“The command lost two while an ASP died out of high blood pressure in the hospital.”

Young Man dies after he was bitten by a snake allegedly 'sent' by unknown person

A Nigerian man identified as Anthony Oregon has died after he was bitten by a poisonous snake friends claimed was sent by someone. 

 

According to Shadrack Okpomhe, someone called the deceased to inform him that pigs were feeding on his crops. 

 

However, on getting to his farm, he saw a snake instead. He immediately tried to go back but the snake flew at him and bit him on the leg. Although Tony managed to kill the snake, he didn't survive the poisonous bite. 

 

 

The deceased was laid to rest on May 26, after a funeral mass at Saint Philomena Catholic Church in Edo State. 

 

"Someone called him to inform him about his crops been eaten by pigs, and getting to the farm that evening just a stone throw from the house , he saw the giant snake and immediately went back, according to him, the snake flew towards him and he got bitten, he was brave enough to kill the same snake but could not survive it," Shadrack narrated. 

 

"Tony this wasn't our discussion few days ago, we weere to see this morning and I never knew something had prevented you from us seeing.

 

"If I was told on time or u called me, Tony e no get how e wan be wey e no go be, local medicine for quench this mess bro, Tony my uncle for do something to this snake back to its sender. I seriously still don't want to believe this evening when I had to accompany your corpse to the morgue this evening

 

"Tony why? Tony what happens to mama whose far away in Abuja who knew quite alright u at home looking after things? Tony why? Tony u be don dey plan settle down why" 

 

 

Schools declare emergency holiday, others shut, residents panic over IPOB sit-at-home

Private and missionary schools have shut down in Imo State as a result of the sit-at-home ordered by the Indigenous People of Biafra on Monday, May 31, 2021, throughout the South-East region.

Residents of Owerri also resorted to panic buying on Thursday in order to prepare for the possible fallout of the order.

While some schools were shut down till Tuesday next week, others gave their pupils one week rest at home.

The schools asked the students to stay at home for the period to avoid any casualty.

For instance, a message from schools run by the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri asked parents to keep their children at home from Thursday, May 27, to Tuesday, June 1, 2021.

The message from the Directorate of Education, Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri, read, “Leveraging on the already scheduled public holiday for tomorrow, we have considered it expedient to allow the students/pupils enjoy a longer weekend to resume on Tuesday, June 1, 2021.

“Boarding students should not be forced to go home. Those who wish to stay back in school should be taken care of.”

Residents storm various markets to buy foodstuffs in readiness for the sit-at-home.

At Eke Onunwa and the Relief Market, there was an unusual rush by buyers at various foodstuffs stands.

The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, asked the people to ignore the separatist group’s sit-at-home order.

He said that the state government had the capacity to enforce law and order during and after the period.

IPOB had said human and vehicular movement would be restricted across the South-East on Monday to mark the anniversary of the Biafra 54 years ago.

As a result, it said all markets, parks, schools, airports and others would be shut down.

Vigilante member allegedly kill US based businessman

 

The Rivers State Police Command has paraded a member of Abia State vigilante group, Okorie Chukwuma, for allegedly killing his boss, Mr Eyinaya Ogbonna.

The Guardian gathered that the deceased, a businessman based in the United States of America, had returned home to invest in Nigeria and was building a gas station.

He was said to have employed the suspect through the Abia State Vigilante Service to work for him and possibly safeguard the facility.

As the work progressed, the suspect who was unwilling to adhere to his boss’s instructions and directives, developed animosity against him.

He allegedly conspired with his colleague, another member of the vigilante and shot him dead with a pump-action gun during his boss’s visit to the facility.

After killing Ogbonna, Chukwuma then stole his Toyota Venza car. He was arrested when he went to Port Harcourt to sell the car.

The suspect confessed to the crime during an interview with journalists in Rivers State.

“I am here because I killed my boss,” Chukwuma said. I came to PortHarcourt to sell his car but unfortunately, the police caught me.”

“My boss told me not to bring friends to the gas facility. So on Sunday, he came and saw my friend and started making trouble. Later, he said, since I don’t want to listen, he will terminate my work and that even if his money will go, no problem.”

“So when he left, My friend and I planned against him. When he came back later in the afternoon, I shot him with my pump action gun from the back. He didn’t know that I will kill him. I was arrested when I came to PortHarcourt to sell the car.”