The governor also said the curfew could be extended to other local government areas of the state, identifying motorcyles, otherwise known as Okada, and tricycles (Keke NAPEP) as two major vehicles used by criminals to perpetrate their nefarious activities.

The curfew came on a day 11 persons were killed by herdsmen in fresh attacks in Benue State.

The Niger governor declared the curfew as the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, in Plateau State yesterday asked the Federal Government to allow states establish their police forces to curb the increasing wave of killings and attacks across the country.

This is even as the presidential candidate of Social Democratic Party, SDP, in 2023 elections, Prince Adewole Adebayo, yesterday took a swipe at President Bola Tinubu on the worsening security situation in the country, describing him as one who had failed to take governance very seriously.

On the curfew in Minna, Governor Bago made the declaration at a critical stakeholders’ security meeting with traditional title holders in Minna emirate and heads of security agencies at Government House, Minna.

He vowed to lead the operation to all nooks and crannies of Minna to flush out criminals who had in recent times, embarked on a stabbing-spree in the city and other parts of the state.

He, however, exempted medical emergency operators from the ban, adding that the step was taken to address growing security challenges in the state capital.
Governor Bago also warned district, village and ward heads to always ensure proper documentation of people they harbour in their domains.

“Any house found to be harbouring criminals will be demolished, while buildings where hard drugs are sold will as well be destroyed.

“The responsibility of any government is to secure the lives and properties of its citizens and I will not stay back and watch criminals continue to perpetrate evil in the state.

“However, fighting insecurity should be everybody’s business and that is why we should all join hands to identify the hideouts of these criminals and flush them out because they live within us. I am ready to lead the operation to their hideouts and bring them to book,” the governor vowed.

He called on the security apparatus of the state to ensure a clampdown on the criminals, their hideouts and their cartels.

Bago equally cautioned parents to warn their children, as anyone caught in any violence-related activity would be arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.

The governor added that the state government will continue to have zero tolerance for thuggery and rascality.

11 killed in fresh herders’ attack in Benue
Meanwhile, no fewer than 11 persons were yesterday killed in renewed attacks on Afia community in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.

Consquently, the National Security Adviser, NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, lamented that President Tinubu met a bad security situation and is working hard to fix the problem.

Speaking at a meeting with the visiting NSA and selected stakeholders at Benue Government House, Makurdi, the Ter Ukum, HRH Iyorkaa Kaave, disclosed that the marauders attacked Afia in the early hours of yesterday.

He said: “The armed herdsmen attacked Afia in the early hours of today (yesterday) and 11 bodies have been recovered from that community so far and we are still searching.

“Please tell President Tinubu that we will not live with murderers as herdsmen. These are not the herdsmen we used to know that lived peacefully with us in the past.”
Addressing the gathering Mallam Ribadu, who commiserated with the people over the killings, assured that the evil would be defeated.

He said: “We will defeat it. The country is with you. I commiserate with Benue people and assure you this is a trying period for all of us, we are 100 per cent with you.

“We will confront it. Benue is an extremely important state to Nigeria. We must fight and maintain Benue as a peaceful state. The governor is doing well and we will support him. It is unfortunate but it happens sometimes.

“Our armed forces are doing well. It is impossible to post soldiers or police to every hamlet. Give us the chance and stop politicising the killings. This will help us to restore peace. Issue of security is relative.

“We inherited an extremely bad government and things have improved and we will address all these issues cropping up. It is a matter of time, to do the harm is easy but to solve it is difficult. We have reduced considerably the number of violence we met. This one too, we will confront it.”

Governor Hyacinth Alia, who decried the activities of the marauders in the state since 2011, said the state was under siege.

He said: “These people do not have any reason to live with normal people. We are faced with series of loss of lives, farmlands and property. We have 17 IDPs camps in the state. It becomes difficult to get our IDPs back to their ancestral homes.

“Sankera is our headquarter of food. The attacks have been persistent and continuous. Instead of a good Friday, we had a black Friday with venomous attacks on Katsina-Ala, Ukum and Logo LGAs

“It is quite devastating. It is telling on us. 72 lives lost. It is a terrible moment for us. I have always established contact with the NSA. Our security agencies have worked assiduously to curtail the attacks. We need help like yesterday. The President has been very supportive and we hope that support will come.

“We have bought 100 hilux vehicles to support conventional security agencies, bought 600 motorcycles. This is carnage. Attack is more of onion layer, it is vicious. We ask that support be upped. ‘’We will collaborate with the federal government to stop the killings. It is evident that what we are experiencing is a bare faced attack as the attackers speak Fulani and Hausa.

‘’It is a troubling trend. It is deliberate attempt, they disbalance the people, kill a good number of them and occupy.

“The attacks are under-reported. We are helpless. We do not have AK-47 rifles, we are defenseless. We tell the people to be law abiding and the attackers take advantage of this. We are not in a banana Republic.”

The two paramount rulers of the state, the Tor Tiv VI, His Royal Majesty, James Ayatse and the Och’Idoma, His Royal Majesty, Dr. John Odogbo, had Monday summoned a meeting of stakeholders of the two major tribes in the state to discuss the security challenges confronting the people.

The meeting, summoned by the Tor Tiv, which was held in his palace in Gboko, had in attendance prominent individuals of Tiv extraction, including Governor Alia, former governors Samuel Ortom, Gabriel Suswam, serving federal and state assembly members, political appointees, leaders and stakeholders from the 14 Tiv speaking LGAs of the state.

Though details of the meeting were not made public, the Tor Tiv expressed optimism that attendance and commitment shown to the cause of the Tiv people by the leaders was encouraging.

Also, the meeting summoned by the Och’Idoma, which held in Otukpo, had in attendance prominent sons of the nine Idoma and Igede speaking people of the state.

It was reliably gathered that the meeting also discussed the recent armed herdsmen incursions in Idoma land and sundry issues.
Allow state police, NBA tells FG
Reacting to the spate of killings in Plateau State, the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, yesterday called on the Federal Government to allow states establish their police to curb the increasing wave of killings and attacks across the country.

Chairman of the NBA, Jos Branch, Leah Hassan, made the call at a briefing attended by chairmen of the three other NBA branches in Plateau State in Jos.

Hassan condemned the recent violent attacks in Bokkos and Bassa Local Government Areas, which resulted in the deaths and displacement of many residents.

“We cannot continue to be silent in the face of these barbaric and evil acts of killing innocent citizens and taking over their ancestral lands, making them strangers in their own homes. ‘’States should be allowed to establish state police who will be armed with weapons to defend our communities,’’ he stated.

The NBA urged the Federal Government to take concrete action, including deployment of adequate security personnel to vulnerable communities and empowerment of those communities with means of self-defence.

It also demanded immediate identification, arrest, and prosecution of those responsible for the attacks, along with provision of relief and rehabilitation for victims, especially women and children.

“The Nigerian Bar Association branches on the Plateau are deeply saddened and pained by the recent spate of violent attacks in Bokkos and Bassa LGAs of Plateau State, which have claimed numerous innocent lives and left many others injured, displaced, traumatised, and grieving.

“It is utterly heart-wrenching that while Plateau State is yet to recover from the horror and pain of previous attacks, our peace is once again shattered by another wave of senseless and barbaric killings. ‘’These acts of violence are a direct assault on our shared humanity, the rule of law, and the fundamental right to life as enshrined in our Constitution,” Hassan added.


https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/04/worsening-insecurity-niger-govt-imposes-curfew-11-killed-afresh-in-benue/