The Federal Government of Nigeria Tuesday signed the Concession Agreement for the Grand Katsina-Ala Hydropower Project, formally appointing Maverick Energy Partners as preferred concessionaire for the development, financing, construction and operation of a 460 MW storage hydropower facility on the Katsina-Ala River in Benue State under a 35-year Design,...
Benue
Benue Killings: Court continues trial of ethnic militia arrested by DSS for illegal arms’ possession
Benue Killings: Court continues trial of ethnic militia arrested by DSS for illegal arms’ possession
Weeks after the Federal High Court in Abuja began the trial of suspected members of Fulani and Idoma militias linked to ethic killings in Benue State, the same court on Monday, admitted in evidence a report of the Department of State Services (DSS), on how certain Agatu leaders in...
Nigeria is often portrayed in international headlines as simply “unstable,” a sweeping, unhelpful label that conceals a far more complex and geographically specific crisis. For those seeking to understand the country’s security situation, the details matter enormously. Over the past ten years, I have conducted extensive field research across...
By PROF LEONARD KARSHIMA SHILGBA – Today, I join millions of Benue people and well-wishers across Nigeria and beyond in celebrating the 60th birthday of His Excellency, Hyacinth Alia — priest, leader, reformer, and Governor of Benue State. Life’s journey is often mysterious in its unfolding. For decades, Fr....
A few weeks ago, I analyzed the electoral prospects of some prominent Benue gubernatorial hopefuls—among them Sebastian Hon, Herman Hembe, Terhemba Shija, Mathias Byuan, and Mike Aondoakaa—against the incumbent governor, Hyacinth Alia. With the exception of Hembe, these figures are widely perceived as political associates or loyalists of George...
Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has strongly condemned the reported abduction of Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidates in Benue State, describing the incident as a tragic reflection of leadership failure and worsening insecurity in Nigeria. In a statement, Obi expressed deep concern over the safety of young Nigerians...
Troops of Operation WHIRL STROKE have rescued two kidnapped victims following sustained intelligence driven crackdown on criminal elements operating within Kyado in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State. Acting Media Information Officer, HQ JTF Operation WHIRL STROKE, Lieutenant Ahmad Zubairu, confirmed the rescue operation in a statement issued...
There are moments when a nation is forced to look into the mirror—not the polished mirror of official statements, but the cracked, unforgiving mirror of truth. The death of Brigadier General Musa Uba is one of those moments that reechoed today on ARISE TELEVISION, The Morning Show. And when...
Less than 24 hours after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assured grieving residents in Plateau State that renewed violence would not recur, fresh attacks erupted in parts of the country, raising serious concerns about Nigeria’s worsening security situation. President Tinubu had made the promise on April 2, 2026, at the...
Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party Nigeria, Peter Obi, has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over what he described as a lack of compassion and presence in response to recent killings in Plateau State and earlier violence in Benue State. In a post on his official X account,...
By LEONARD KARSHIMA SHILGBA – Since the return to democratic governance in 1999, and more pointedly from 2003, the politics of second-term governorship in Benue State has followed a troubling and predictable pattern. It is a pattern characterized by orchestrated resistance, elite gang-ups, weaponization of insecurity, and the deliberate...
Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sunday Aneke, has reaffirmed the Nigerian Air Force’s (NAF) unwavering commitment to sustaining intensified air operations against terrorist and criminal elements, even as he honoured troops of Operation WHIRL STROKE during an Eid-el-Fitr luncheon in Makurdi. Represented at the event by...
Barely one week after the governors of Taraba and Benue states held a high-level security meeting in Wukari to address rising insecurity in Southern Taraba, suspected armed herders have reportedly ambushed Tiv farmers in Donga Local Government Area of Taraba State, killing two people and injuring several others. The...
The unfolding contest within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State between the camps of Hyacinth Alia and George Akume is being framed as a dispute over ward, local government, and state party congresses. But that description understates the gravity of what is happening. This is not merely...
In a renewed effort to strengthen internal security and stabilise vulnerable communities, the Nigerian Army has deployed COAS Special Intervention Battalion XV specially trained troops as a force multiplier to the Joint Task Force Operation WHIRL STROKE (OPWS). Acting Media Information Officer, HQ JTF Operation WHIRL STROKE, Lieutenant Ahmad...
Immediate past Governor of Benue State, Chief Samuel Ortom has debunked reports that he has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Ortom dismissed the report as fake and deliberately misleading, saying it was a false, baseless and mischievous fabrication by desperate social media elements sponsored by political opponents...
A philanthropist and political heavy weight, Chief David Sabo Kente, has been conferred with the honorific chieftaincy title of “Zege-Igba-U-Tiv”, (Great kinsman of the Tiv) by the Tiv Area Traditional Council. Chief Sabo Kente was among the Nigerians honoured last Saturday at the JS Tarka Stadium in Gboko Benue...
Global Peace Development (GPD) has launched a major peacebuilding initiative aimed at addressing the decades-long farmers–herders conflict in Benue, Plateau, Kaduna and Katsina States. The project, titled Promoting Agropastoralism Reconciliation and Resilience for Sustainable Livelihood and Peace (PARSULP), is being implemented under the Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria...
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested one Musa Abubakar, suspected to be the major supplier of arms and ammunition to persons and groups terrorizing several Northern states. The arrest came barely three months after the secret police began prosecuting nine persons linked to the recent...
Seven years after the death of 13-year old Ochanya Ogbanje, her family has renewed calls for justice, urging the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to order the arrest of the alleged perpetrator, Victor Ogbuja, who has reportedly been on the run since 2018. In a petition titled “Police Refusal to...