Again, three killed in Benue communal clash
By Peter Duru – Makurdi
Three persons were feared dead in a bloody communal clash that broke out between neighbouring Odejo and Ikobi communities in Agatu and Apa Local Government Areas, LGAs respectively, of Benue State.
According to different accounts from the area, some militias from Odejo community on Sunday launched an attack on Ikobi community after it was rumored that an Odejo man whose mother hails from Ikobi was allegedly caught and killed after he purportedly led some armed herdsmen to invade Ikobi community.
Another account has it that killings in the two communities were sparked off by a rival cult war in the two LGAs.
Though a lady and an indigene of Ikobi who spoke on condition of anonymity told Vanguard that some suspected armed militias from Odejo community Sunday morning invaded Ikobi community, for unknown reasons, shooting sporadically and killed three persons.
According to her “It was late last Saturday night that people started rumouring that Odejo people were coming to attack Ikobi Community.
“The story was that one of their persons got missing in Ikobi and they were coming for reprisal if the person was not produced.
“Then, just this morning being Sunday they came in search of the person shooting sporadically, destroying property and in the process killed three persons.
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“As I speak to you, no one can actually tell if there was justification for this barbaric attack because we did not have any previous problem with them and unfortunately the three persons killed were my cousins from same family,” she added.
Also speaking on the attack, the President General Odejo Community Development Association, Mr. Damian Onehi, said there was no existing conflict between the two communities, saying both villages had been relating well with each other as good neighbours.
“This fight broke out as a result of rumour from both sides but I tell you that we have been good neighbours since time immemorial.
“We have never had cause to quarrel over lands as neighbours or over woman. In fact we inter-marry.
“The Ikobi Community were alleging that our people led armed fulani herdsmen to attack them which is not true. Again, they said that a cult group came to kill someone meanwhile the person that was killed in Ikobi is from Odejo but came to take his mother who happened to be an indigene of Ikobi.
“I want to urge security agencies to investigate the cause of this fight between the two communities. This has never happened before”, Onehi said.
When contacted the Benue state Command Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent, DSP, Catherine Anene confirmed the clash saying the command recorded two deaths in the crisis.
“It was a clash between the two communities of Odejo and Ikobi in Agatu and Apa local government areas of the state over land. We have deployed our men to the area. However, two persons lost their lives,” Anene said.
Also, the Force Commander Operation Whirl Stroke, OPWS, Major General Adeyemi Yekini who confirmed the clash said “we have stationed our troops there and everywhere is now calm,” he said.
JAMB makes interim remittance of N7bn for 2020, promises additional
By Joseph Erunke – Abuja
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, said it has made an interim remittance of N3.5 billion to the federal government consolidated account for the 2020 expected remittance.
The development, according to the board, in a statement Sunday evening through its Head of Media, Dr Fabian Benjamin, was “in line with Prof. Is-haq Oloyede’s avowed commitment to remit wholly, excess funds generated from its operations to the federal government.”
It promised that it would remit more as soon as its “operations are concluded and proper audit of its books done.”
JAMB, in the statement, said it “had earlier made the payment of over N3.5 billion to candidates by way of reduction of N1,500 from the cost of each ePIN sold to each candidate as graciously directed by” President Muhammad Buhari.
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The money, it said was “over N3.5 billion bringing the total remittances this year to over N7 billion.”
“From the outset, it had been the intention of the present leadership of the Board to return to federal coffers, whatever is left unutilised from its operational imperatives.
“The immediate benefit of the move manifested in the reduction by President Muhammadu Buhari of the UTME Registration fee payable by candidates from N5000 to N3500 which entails the transfer of over N3b to candidates and guardians annually via the reduction in the cost of application documents.
“Before the reduction in the cost of application EPINs, the Board had remitted over N7b in 2017 and replicated the same in subsequent years until the gracious action by the Buhari administration’s unprecedented decision to give back to candidates a percentage of the cost of registration.
“To sustain the gesture, the Board will continue to come up with innovations on ways to ensure that candidates are provided with world-class services at modest cost as obtained anywhere in the world,” the statement read.
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