Police break up Nigeria protest as anger mounts over killings in southern state
JOS, Nigeria: Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters in the central city of Makurdi on Sunday, as anger mounted over the killing of dozens of people by gunmen in a nearby town.
Gunmen attacked the village of Yelewata on Friday night in a region that has seen a surge in violence amid clashes between Muslim Fulani herders and mostly Christian farmers competing for land and resources.
Police fired tear gas to break up a protest by thousands of people, witnesses said, as demonstrators called on the state's governor to act swiftly to halt the cycle of violence.
'The protesters were given specific time by the security to make their peaceful protest and disperse,' Tersoo Kula, spokesperson for Benue state's governor, told AFP.
John Shiaondo, a local journalist, said he was covering the 'peaceful protest' when the police moved in and started firing tear gas.
'Many people ran away for fear of injuries, and I also left the scene for my safety,' he told AFP.
Joseph Hir, who took part in the protest, said people were protesting the killings in Benue when the police intervened.
'We are not abusing anyone, we are also not tampering with anybody's property, we are discharging our rights to peacefully protest the unabated killings of our people, and now the police are shooting tear gas at us,' he told AFP.
Benue state governor Hyacinth Alia told a news conference late Sunday that the death toll had reached 59 in Yelewata, though residents said the toll could exceed 100.
'We will move very quickly to set up a five-man panel... to enable us find out who the culprits are, to know who the sponsors are and to identify the victims and to see how justice will be applied,' Alia said.
Amnesty International put the death toll at more than 100.
The rights group called the attack 'horrifying,' saying it 'shows the security measures (the) government claims to be implementing in the state are not working.'
Pope Leo XIV also condemned the killings, in comments during his Sunday prayer in Rome, calling it a 'terrible massacre' in which mostly displaced civilians were murdered with 'extreme cruelty.'
He said 'rural Christian communities' in Benue were victims of incessant violence.
Authorities typically blame such attacks on Fulani herders but the latter say they are targets of violence and land seizures too.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said in a statement Sunday night he had 'directed the security agencies to act decisively and arrest perpetrators of these evil acts on all sides of the conflict and prosecute them.
'Political and community leaders in Benue State must act responsibly and avoid inflammatory utterances that could further increase tensions and killings,' he said.
Governor Alia said earlier that 'tactical teams had begun arriving from the federal government and security reinforcements are being deployed in vulnerable areas.'
'The state's joint operational units are also being reinforced, and the government will not let up its efforts to defend the lives and property of all residents,' he said.
Attacks in the region, part of what is known as the central belt of Nigeria, are often motivated by religious or ethnic differences.
Two weeks ago, gunmen killed 25 people in two attacks in Benue state.
More than 150 people were killed in massacres across Plateau and Benue states in April.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
6 hours ago
- Arab News
Violence against children hit ‘unprecedented levels in 2024'
NEW YORK: Violence against children caught in multiple and escalating conflicts reached 'unprecedented levels' last year, with the highest number of violations in Gaza and the West Bank, Congo, Somalia, Nigeria and Haiti, according to a UN report. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' annual report on Children in Armed Conflict detailed 'a staggering 25 percent surge in grave violations' against children under the age of 18 from 2023, when the number of such violations rose by 21 percent. In 2024, the UN chief said children 'bore the brunt of relentless hostilities and indiscriminate attacks, and were affected by the disregard for ceasefires and peace agreements and by deepening humanitarian crises.' UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he is 'appalled by the intensity of grave violations against children in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel,' and 'deeply alarmed'by the increase in violations, especially the high number of children killed by Israeli forces. He cited warfare strategies that included attacks on children, the deployment of increasingly destructive and explosive weapons in populated areas, and 'the systematic exploitation of children for combat.' Guterres said the UN verified 41,370 grave violations against children — 36,221 committed in 2024 and 5,149 committed earlier but verified last year. The violations include killing, maiming, recruiting and abducting children, sexual violence against them, attacking schools and hospitals, and denying youngsters access to humanitarian aid. The UN kept Israeli forces on its blacklist of countries that violate children's rights for a second year, citing 7,188 verified grave violations by its military, including the killing of 1,259 Palestinian children and injury to 941 others in Gaza. The Gaza Health Ministry has reported much higher figures, but the UN has strict criteria and said its process of verification is ongoing. Guterres said he is 'appalled by the intensity of grave violations against children in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel,' and 'deeply alarmed' by the increase in violations, especially the high number of children killed by Israeli forces. He reiterated his calls on Israel to abide by international law requiring special protections for children, protection for schools and hospitals, and compliance with the requirement that attacks distinguish between combatants and civilians and avoid excessive harm to civilians. The UN also kept Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad on the blacklist. Israel's UN Mission did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In Congo, the UN reported 4,043 verified grave violations against 3,418 children last year. In Somalia, it reported 2,568 violations against 1,992 children. In Nigeria, 2,436 grave violations were reported against 1,037 children. And in Haiti, the UN reported 2,269 verified grave violations against 1,373 children. In the ongoing war following Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the UN kept the Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups on its blacklist for a third year. The secretary-general expressed deep concern at 'the sharp increase in grave violations against children in Ukraine' — 1,914 against 673 children. He expressed alarm at the violations by Russian forces and their affiliates, singling out their verified killing of 94 Ukrainian children, injury to 577 others, and 559 attacks on schools and 303 on hospitals. In Haiti, the UN put a gang, the Viv Ansanm coalition, on the blacklist for the first time. Gangs have grown in power since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021. They are estimated to control 85 percent of the capital and have moved into surrounding areas. In May, the US designated the powerful coalition representing more than a dozen gangs, whose name means 'Living Together,' as a foreign terrorist organization. Secretary-General Guterres expressed deep 'alarm' at the surge in violations, especially incidents of gang recruitment and use, sexual violence, abduction, and denial of humanitarian aid. The report said sexual violence jumped by 35 percent in 2024, including a dramatic increase in the number of gang rapes, but stressed that the numbers are vastly underreported. 'Girls were abducted for the purpose of recruitment and use, and for sexual slavery,' the UN chief said. In Haiti, the UN reported sexual violence against 566 children, 523 of them girls, and attributed 411 to the Viv Ansanm gang. In Congo, the UN reported 358 acts of sexual violence against girls — 311 by armed groups and 47 by Congo's armed forces. And in Somalia, 267 children were victims of sexual violence, 120 of them carried out by Al-Shabab extremists. According to the report, violations affected 22,495 children in 2024, with armed groups responsible for almost 50 percent and government forces the main perpetrator of the killing and maiming of children, school attacks, and denial of humanitarian access. The report noted a sharp rise in the number of children subjected to multiple violations — from 2,684 in 2023 to 3,137 in 2024. 'The cries of 22,495 innocent children who should be learning to read or play ball — but instead have been forced to learn how to survive gunfire and bombings — should keep all of us awake at night,' said Virginia Gamba, the UN special representative for children and armed conflict. 'We are at the point of no return,' she said, calling on the international community to protect children and the parties in conflict 'to immediately end the war on children.'
Al Arabiya
13 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
UK police arrest six on suspicion of assault near Iran's London embassy
British police arrested six men on suspicion of grievous bodily harm on Friday following reports of an altercation at a location close to the Iranian embassy in London. 'Six men have been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm – they remain in police custody,' police said in a statement. Local media reported the arrests took place at a protest against the Iranian leadership. Police did not link the arrests to the Iranian embassy, but said they took place on Prince's Gate in London, which is where the embassy is located. 'Two men were treated for injuries at the scene and have been taken to hospital for further treatment by the London Ambulance Service. 'Police have cordoned off the area while initial investigations take place.'
Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
ICE agents asked to leave Dodger Stadium parking lot, team says
LOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles Dodgers organization said Thursday that it asked US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to leave the Dodger Stadium grounds after they arrived at a parking lot near one of the gates. Dozens of federal agents with their faces covered arrived in SUVs and cargo vans to a lot near the stadium's Gate E entrance. A group of protesters carrying signs against ICE started amassing shortly after, local media reported. 'This morning, ICE agents came to Dodger Stadium and requested permission to access the parking lots. They were denied entry to the grounds by the organization,' the team said in a statement posted on X. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the agents were not trying to enter the stadium. 'This had nothing to do with the Dodgers. vehicles were in the stadium parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement,' she said in an email. The team said the game against the San Diego Padres later Thursday will be played as planned. Television cameras showed about four agents remained at the lot Thursday afternoon while officers with the Los Angeles Police Department stood between them and dozens of protesters, some carrying signs that read 'I Like My Ice Crushed' and chanting 'ICE out of LA!' Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez arrived at the stadium and said she had been in communication with Dodger officials and the mayor's office. 'We've been in communication with the mayor's office, with the Dodgers, with Dodgers security, about seeing if they can get them moved off their private property,' she told KABC-TV. 'Public property is different. Private property — businesses and corporations have the power to say, 'Not on my property,' And so we're waiting to see that movement happen here.' Protests began June 6 after federal immigration raids arrested dozens of workers in Los Angeles. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire the following days, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades. The team has yet to make a statement regarding the arrests and raids. The Dodgers' heavily Latino fan base have been pushing for the team to make a public statement and ignited a debate online about its stance on the immigration crackdown happening in Los Angeles. The Trump administration has activated more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines over the objections of city and state leaders. Dozens of troops now guard federal buildings and protect federal agents making arrests. The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown in the city of around 4 million people. Thousands of people have peacefully rallied outside City Hall and hundreds more protested outside a federal complex that includes a detention center where some immigrants are being held following workplace raids. Despite the protests, immigration enforcement activity has continued throughout the county, with city leaders and community groups reporting ICE present at libraries, car washes and Home Depots. School graduations in Los Angeles have increased security over fears of ICE action and some have offered parents the option to watch on Zoom.
