Latest news with #Benue
BBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Focus on Africa Nigeria: What's behind Benue state attacks?
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu has ordered security agencies to bring an end to the wave of killings in Benue state. It's believed that more than 200 people were killed in attacks across various communities. What's behind the increase in violence? Also, a young man from the DRC is on the path to sainthood in the Catholic Church. Who was he and what did he do to achieve this? And we discuss the state of the book industry on the continent, following the first ever UNESCO report on the issue, with one of the authors of the report, Elitha van der Sandt and the internationally acclaimed Nigerian author, Lola Shoneyin. Presenter: Audrey Brown Producers: Tom Kavanagh, Sunita Nahar and Wedaeli Chibelushi Technical Producer: Chris Ablakwa Senior Journalist: Karnie Sharp Editors: Andre Lombard and Alice Muthengi
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Nigeria Orders Crackdown After Dozens Killed in Key Farm Region
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu ordered security agencies to hunt down the perpetrators of a massacre in a key food-producing region that's highlighted growing insecurity in the West African nation. Unidentified assailants killed more than 100 people in an attack in the southeastern state of Benue that began on the night of June 13 and lasted several hours, with homes set on fire and people shot, according to the police. Thousands of people have died in a yearslong conflict over access to land and water in Benue between nomadic herders and mostly sedentary farmers.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Nigerian president orders crackdown on gangs after 150 killed in conflict-hit north
ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday directed security agencies to hunt down the perpetrators of a weekend attack that killed at least 150 people in the country's northcentral, as he faces growing pressure over a worsening security crisis. Tinubu visited Benue state, the site of the recent deadly attacks, seeking to calm tensions and promise justice for the victims. 'We will restore peace, rebuild, and bring the perpetrators to justice. You are not alone.' the Nigerian leader said on X.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Wetin to expect from President Tinubu visit to Benue state
Nigeria President Bola Tinubu dey expected to arrive Benue state, north-central Nigeria on Wednesday to condole wit pipo of di state afta one deadly attack wey lead to di death ova 100 pipo for Yelewata community for Guma Local Government Area of di state. Di visit dey come for di middle of growing concerns as Nigerians dey worry say security for di region dey worsen. Di presidency for one statement on Monday, 16 June confam say di president Tinubu go "clear im schedule and visit Benue state as part of renewed efforts to foster peace and address di persistent conflict affecting communities for di state." Benue state goment for statement say dem ready gidigba to receive di president as di "visit no only represent a moment of national empathy, but na rare opportunity to directly follow di Presidency tok on urgent security interventions dem need to end di persistent killings and displacement of our pipo". Wetin Tinubu go do for Benue state during im visit Na for di midnight and early morning of Saturday, 14 June, suspected criminal herdsmen according to di state govnor Hyacinth Alia bin attack di community wey lead to di death of more dan 100 pipo die. Di National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) tok say dia early investigation show say more dan 100 pipo kpai for di attack including two sojas and one officer of di Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). Di number of pipo wey die fit still go up as di agency say di current figures still dey inconsistent sake of di volatile security situation and limited access to di affected areas. However, e dey expected say di President during im visit go assess first-hand di recurring crisis wey don claim many lives and cause significant destruction. During im stay, President Tinubu go meet wit all stakeholders—including traditional rulers, political, religious, community leaders, and youth groups—to find lasting solutions to di hostilities. E go also hold town hall meeting wit all stakeholders during di visit. In preparation for di visit, President Tinubu don already dispatch di Secretary to di Government of di Federation, di Inspector General of Police, heads of intelligence agencies, di National Security Adviser, plus di Chairmen of di Senate and House Defence Committees go Benue State. SGF, Security Chiefs dey Benue to end killings Ahead of di president visit, di Secretary to di Government of di Federation George Akume wey come from Benue land di state on Tuesday, 17 June. E say im visit di sites of di attacks, meet wit survivors who express dia pains." Di pain dey raw, di sorrow dey deep," Di SGF tok. "For di Market IDP camp, I meet families wey still dey suffer from di loss — displaced, grieving, and living in difficult conditions. Dia resilience moveme deeply. Dis crisis done go on for too long. No one deserve to live in fear or uncertainty for dia own homeland. Dis really hurt". Oga Akume add. Di SGF assure say im no go abandon im own. "I go stand wit you- and we no go rest till our communities dey secure & peace return to our lands," e add. Also, di Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun and di Chief of Defence Staff Christopher Musa bin rush go Yelewata community on Monday to see tins for diasef. Di IGP describe di attack as "senseless and an act of terrorism", and e promise say di Nigeria Police Force do dia best to bring di attackers to justice. Also, di CDS assure di pipo say dis go be di last attack wey go happen for dia community. "We want make dis one be di last one wey go happen. We go go all out to ensure say we address am. We don put measures for oda places and e bin work, so here no go dey different," e tok. "I wan assure Nigerians say no be only Benue State, all ova di kontri, we dey determined, based on di mandate of Mr President, to make sure say we restore peace and tranquillity inside our country, but we need Nigerians to support us."
BBC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Benue killings: Timeline of attacks wey don lead to mass deaths for central Nigeria in di last 60 days
Tori of di latest attack for Benue state Nigeria wey lead to di deaths of over 100 pipo for Yelwata community for north central Nigeria dey trend for social media. Dis recent attacks, according to di National Emergency Management Agency, Nema, bin happun on Saturday, 14 June, 2025. Nema say dia early investigation show say more dan 100 pipo kpai for di attack including two sojas and one officer of di Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). "Dozens of pipo sustain injuries, and 46 individuals bin dey rushed to hospitals. Sadly, 20 of dem later die for hospital sake of di injuries wey dem sustain," di Nema statement read. But dis Yelwata killings no be di first in recent times, na di latest of di horrible attacks on communities for central Nigeria wey don claim di lives of hundreds of pipo in di last two months. Wen pipo relax wit hope say evritin don calm down, di jaguda pipo go waka go anoda community wey di villagers no expect. Men, children and women too don share di horrible experiences of rape from di herders hand be victims. Nigeria president Bola Tinubu don finally make promise say im go clear im schedule to visit Benue state on Wednesday 17 June 2025. Currently, Security oga dem move to end Benue killings as Tinubu prepare to enta Yelwata Earlier, Police tok-tok pesin for Plateau State, Fred Alabo for one interview wit BBC Pidgin tok say dem go do evritin legally possible to make dis jaguda pipo face di law. Dis na a timeline of di attacks fpr both Benue and Plateau State in recent weeks wey don kill hundreds and how e happun. Timeline of attacks and killings for central Nigeria March 2025 - For ending of March, about 52 pipo bin kpai for inside one attack for Bokkos local goment area of Plateau State. Di development bin make di National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu to visit di area and tok say enough don dey enough for di killers, and e go make sure say di killings stop. Wit all di ginger wey dat tori bin make di killings still dey go on. April 2025 - Anoda attack bin happun for Bassa local goment area of Plateau State, north-central Nigeria, according to wetin residents bin tell BBC Pidgin. Di attack bin happun for di early hours of Monday, 14 April between 1:00am and 2:00am. Yakubu Ventim wey be tori pesin for di state bin tok say di chairman of Bassa local goment area, Joshua Sunday Riti, bin carry some TV tori pipo wit plenty security to di community wia di attack bin happun. "Na about 38 to 50 pipo dem bin massacre for di village dis morning. "Dem ambush di community and kill mostly women and children," oga Ventim tok. May 2025 - At least 10 pipo die sake of kasala between herders and farmers for Riyom Local Goment Area of Plateau State. Tori pipo Channels Television bin report say from wetin start from farm destruction, cattle rustling, and attacks on livestock, pipo from both Fulani and Berom communities clash. Dem add say statement from Operation Safe Haven, confam say di insecurity for di council area bin start on Monday, May 12, 2025, wen suspected youths bin slaughter and rustle cattle wey bin enta dia farms for Dayan village, Riyom Local Goment Area. To take revenge, di herders attack Danchindo village on di evening of May 13, dem kill four people befor dem run as dem hear say police dey come. On May 14, di villagers bin kill 26 cows as dem dey para say dem kill dia pipo. Di herders later comeback again dat day, dem attack one settlement near Wereng Kam community, wia dem kill six locals. June 2025 - E be like say di month of June record di highest killings in recent times for Benue state. Di number of pipo wey die from di attacks on Gwer West and Apa local government areas of Benue State pass 50. Eyewitnesses bin also tok say some pipo still dey miss sake of say out of fear and to run for dia lives some pipo jump inside well. Suspected herdsmen bin attack residents of Tse-Antswam for Naka town, wey be headquarters of Gwer West LGA and Edikwu Ankpali for Apa local goment area of Benue state. According to Nema first report on Monday 16 June, 2025 na 100 pipo die, and 6,500 displaced for Benue attack. But locals and oda tori pipo tok say di number dey around 200. Ova di years, kasala between herders and farmers na regular tin for many parts of northern Nigeria including Plateau and Benue states. In reality, na di whole kontri dey feel di heat as e dey disturb farming and cause insecurity wey dey affect local food production and farm produce. Residents for northern Nigeria dey also face issues of banditry and oda criminalities. Who dey carry out dis attacks? Recently, di Govnor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, tok say dis regular attacks wey dey happun for di state don pass herdsmen and farmers fight and add say wetin dey happun now na terrorist attacks and "genocide". Mutfwang tok dis one for interview wit BBC as e lament say di killings don too much despite all di efforts wey di state goment dey do to make sure say peace dey. "I dey tell you for all honesty say I no fit find any explanation wey pass say dis na genocide wey terrorists dey sponsor. Di question na who be di pipo wey dey behind di organisers of dis terrorism? Dis na wetin di security agencies need to help us to reveal," di govnor tok "As I dey tok to you, e no dey less dan 64 communities wey don dey taken ova by bandits for Plateau between Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, and Riyom local goments. Dem don take di communities ova, rename dem, and pipo dey live dia comfortably on top lands wey dem pursue pipo comot and occupy." Also Benue State Govnor Hyacinth Alia tell tori pipo Arise TV for live interview on Tuesday 17 June say di recent attacks for Benue na acts of terrorism, as e don go beyond farmer-herder clashes "Of late, wetin we experience and wetin we see dey see dey appalling. E strong well-well, way beyond farmer-herder crisis. Di attacks na by bandits and terrorists." im tok. Youths of Benue State do we no go gree waka on Sunday for di state sake of di killings wey dey too much. ''We don taya, we dey helpless, we don become weak, we dey broken, we dey powerless becos goment no dey help us''. Di protest come less dan 24 hours afta suspected herders enta Yelwata community in di early hours of Saturday. Dem begin kill pipo and burn houses. Di number of pipo wey don die from di attacks wey just hapun for Yelwata community for Benue state fit still go up as Nema say di current figures still dey inconsistent sake of di volatile security situation and limited access to di affected areas. As e be now, more dan 6,527 pipo don run comot for dia house for Yelwata and dem dey take shelter for Internally Displaced People Camps. Dis include "1,768 females; 759 males; 657 children under 18 years; 1,870 adults above 18; 252 breast feeding mothers; 82 pregnant women; and 91 elderly persons". According to Nema, hospitals for Makurdi dey call for urgent blood donations for di pipo wey injure for di attack, and also for humanitarian support for di pipo wey dey IDP camps.
