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Traditional Ruler, Two Others Killed In Bloody Benue Land Dispute
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A protracted land dispute between the people of Okete in Ohimini Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue state and the neighbouring community of Otukpo-Nobi in Otukpo LGA over the ownership of
Amla-Icho community land has claimed the lives of a traditional ruler and two others in the feuding communities.
It was gathered that the age long dispute was triggered last week when the Chairman of Otukpo LGA, Alfred Omakwu allegedly sent a bulldozer to the disputed land to enable him commence work on the creation of a layout in the area.
The presence of the earth moving equipment angered the people of Okete who moved to stop the destruction of the cultivated land.
In his account on the incident, the Chairman of Otukpo LGA said “the problem is that the Okete people lost it. It is a dispute between Amla in Otukpo and Okete in Ohimini LGA and a total of three people lost their lives in the crisis.
“What happened was that they (the Okete people) used to go and farm in Amla land but sometimes last year when we wanted to develop a layout there, the Okete people went to report to the Och’Idoma that their farm produce were there and the Och’Idoma directed that no layout should be done until they harvest their products.
“February this year, they harvested their produce and the Och’Idoma called them and informed them that by March this year, Otukpo would go ahead with their layout and that they should not farm there again.
“But when the bulldozers returned they said they had farmed there already and reported the matter to their Second Class Chief as well as their LGA Chairman who called me and I told them that the Och’Idoma asked them not to farm there again because of the layouts.
“So when the bulldozer went there on Friday, they came with their lawyer who called me and I told him everything and said if they want to go to court, it was their right.
“They demanded that the bulldozer stopped work but their lawyer advised that they should wait for him to get an injunction from the court but they said they could not wait.
“They then went to the First class chief of Otukpo/Ohimini who called Och’Idoma and the Och’Idoma said they should not stop the people doing the layout because he asked them not to farm their again.
“At that point they went there and opened fire on the people; they killed one and shot two people and burnt all their motorbikes about 10 of them.
“Then Otukpo retaliated the next day; they also burnt some houses and killed one person and killed another person in Amla making two.
“But we have maintained calm. The Police Commissioner summoned all of us for a peace meeting so we are restoring peace now among both parties. We have agreed that all the culprits will be arrested and brought to book.”
Countering his Otukpo counterpart, the Ohimini LG Chairman, Samson Okoh who also acknowledged that the dispute was over land said “there is a place called Amla, it’s close to Okete. The Otukpo Chairman took the bulldozers to the place where the Okete people used to farm for years and according to him he wanted to do a layout. So he went and destroyed their farm crops.
“When the Okete people demanded an explanation, the Amla people said the land does not belong to the Okete people but to the Amla people.
“According to what I was told, when the argument ensued somehow one of them from Otukpo pulled the trigger and shot but the bullet mistakenly hit a fellow Otukpo person.
“Then on Saturday night the Amla people went and reinforced and barricaded the Okete people, burnt houses, beat up ans killed one boy. And on Sunday around 10am when I went to take the boy they killed to the mortuary, the Alma people went to the place again and burnt 17 houses, burnt motorcycles, slaughtered a Clan Head Chief Sunday Okpe, and shot five other persons who we took to the Teaching Hospital in Otukpo for treatment.”
The Chairman who informed that the community had been deserted said the parties had been summoned by the Police Commissioner over the matter and that efforts were on to apprehend the masterminds of the crisis.
On whether the Paramount ruler of Idoma land, Och’Idoma Agaba-Idu John Odogbo asked his people not to farm on the said land again, the Chairman said, “I am not aware of that but the Otukpo Chairman claimed so. I was not told by the Och’Idoma to tell the people not to farm there.
“Moreover, the Och’Idoma cannot tell the people to stop farming where they have been farming for several years without compensation or settlement and you just take the bulldozer to destroy their crops on the hectares of land they eke a living from.”
Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent, SP, Catherine Anene who confirmed the development said the command received the report of one death though she was awaiting full details of the incident.
A two-storey building under construction at Sultan Road in Kano collapsed around 9 a.m. on Friday, leaving four people trapped beneath the rubble.
As of the time of filing this report, three victims had been rescued while efforts were ongoing to save the fourth.
Eyewitnesses said construction workers noticed signs of structural failure while working on the top floor and rushed to safety.
However, four people, including a security guard and a tricycle rider, were caught in the collapse.
Confirming the incident to Daily Trust, one of the workers, Shuaibu Yaro, said, “We came to work here and had started taking sand upstairs when the site engineer noticed the signs of collapse. We rushed to safety, but unfortunately three people were in front of the gate and one other person was trapped.
“Three have been rescued, including the security guard and his friend, while one person remains trapped,” Yaro said.
He said those rescued have sustained injuries and were rushed to Sir Muhammadu Sanusi Hospital in Kano for treatment.
As of the time of filing this story, rescue operations are still underway at the site.
The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has rescued four residents abducted during a kidnapping attack in the Yellow House area of Mpape, Abuja, following a gun battle with suspected kidnappers in the Jikoko Hills.
The Command, however, confirmed that one resident was killed during the attack, while another who sustained a gunshot wound is responding to treatment in hospital.
The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday.
According to the statement, the incident occurred at about 10:40 p.m. on Wednesday when the command received a distress call that armed kidnappers had invaded the Yellow House area of Mpape and abducted four residents.
Following the report, the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, Ahmed Sanusi, immediately deployed operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, personnel from the Katampe and Mpape Divisions, as well as officers of the 24 Police Mobile Force Squadron to rescue the victims.
Adeh said preliminary investigations showed that the attackers shot two residents before fleeing with four hostages through the Jikoko Hills towards the Ushafa Forest.
“Upon their arrival, preliminary findings revealed that the assailants had shot two victims before fleeing the scene. It was also discovered that the assailants had taken four other victims hostage from a nearby area whom they forcefully marched through Jikoko Hills towards Ushafa Forest,” she said.
She added that the injured victims were rushed to a hospital, where one of them, identified only as Mr. Babangida, was confirmed dead, while the second victim, who sustained a gunshot wound to the leg, is responding positively to treatment.
The police spokesperson said operatives sustained the pursuit of the kidnappers from the night of the attack until the early hours of Friday when they intercepted the suspects around Jikoko Hills.
She said, “The operatives maintained relentless pursuit of the kidnappers from the night of the incident till Friday, 10th July, 2026, when they located the kidnappers at approximately 12:05 a.m. around Jikoko Hills heading towards Ushafa Forest with the hostages.”
According to her, the kidnappers opened fire on sighting the advancing police team, resulting in a fierce exchange of gunfire.
“Demonstrating superior tactical capability, the operatives overwhelmed the suspects, forcing them to abandon the hostages and flee deeper into the surrounding hills and forest in a desperate attempt to evade arrest,” Adeh stated.
She confirmed that all four abducted victims were rescued unharmed, evacuated from the forest and reunited with their families.
The spokesperson added that security operatives were continuing the manhunt for the fleeing suspects.
The Commissioner of Police assured residents that the command remained committed to apprehending those behind the attack and bringing them to justice.
“He further urges members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious persons or activities to the nearest Police Station or through the FCT Police Command emergency lines,” the statement added.
Ademola Abiodun, popularly known as DJ Chicken, was on Friday arraigned before a Magistrate’s Court in Ogba, Lagos, over allegations of issuing a death threat against Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu.
DJ Chicken was brought before Magistrate M.F. Onamusi on a three-count charge bordering on alleged threat to kill, conduct likely to cause a breach of peace, and offences under the Cybercrime Act.
According to the prosecution, the charges arose from a video posted on the content creator’s social media platforms last week in which he allegedly threatened Seyi Tinubu while commenting on the 2027 presidential election.
The prosecution told the court that the video contained statements interpreted as a threat to kill Seyi Tinubu, contrary to the provisions of the Criminal Law of Lagos State and the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015.
Following public reaction to the video, DJ Chicken posted another video in which he withdrew the remarks, describing them as a joke intended to attract public attention.
He stated that he had no intention of harming Seyi Tinubu and said the comments were part of content creation.
Despite the retraction, the state proceeded with criminal charges against him.
The first count alleges that the defendant posted a video containing a threat to kill Seyi Tinubu through his social media accounts, an offence punishable under Section 232 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The second count accuses him of transmitting a grossly offensive and menacing message through a computer network, contrary to Section 24 of the Cybercrime Act, 2015.
The third count alleges that his conduct was likely to cause a breach of the peace and was intended to intimidate or embarrass Seyi Tinubu, contrary to Section 168(d) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
DJ Chicken pleaded not guilty to all three charges.
Magistrate M.F. Onamusi admitted him to bail in the sum of N1 million with two sureties in like sum.
The court ruled that one of the sureties must be a government employee, while the second must be a recognised community leader with landed property in Lagos State.
Both sureties are also required to provide evidence of three years’ tax clearance, Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) identification, National Identification Number (NIN), and recent utility bills.
In addition, one of the sureties must be a blood relation of the defendant.
Pending the fulfilment of the bail conditions, the magistrate ordered that DJ Chicken be remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
The case was adjourned until August 3, 2026, for further proceedings.
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