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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.

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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.

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“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.

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“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.

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“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.

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“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.

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‘I Hit Her With a Pistol, Hacked Her With Machete’ — Suspect Confesses to Killing Girlfriend in Enugu

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A 30-year-old man, Emmanuel Okpara, has allegedly confessed to killing his girlfriend, Chinyere, in Enugu State on September 19, recounting how a heated argument reportedly escalated into a violent confrontation that left her dead.

In a video recording, Okpara narrated how he met the deceased on Facebook in 2023 while he was living in Nekede, Imo State.

He said he later relocated to Enugu State in December 2025, while Chinyere was serving as a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member in Port Harcourt.

According to the suspect, their paths crossed again in March 2026 after Chinyere returned to Enugu following her service year. The two subsequently began a romantic relationship.

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Okpara claimed that Chinyere, who had recently completed her NYSC programme, visited him at his residence, where he allegedly told her he could cure sexually transmitted infections, including hepatitis, HIV and syphilis.

He alleged that the disclosure triggered an angry reaction from Chinyere, who accused him of being responsible for infecting her with HIV.

The disagreement reportedly degenerated into a physical altercation, during which Okpara claimed Chinyere struck him on the head with a pistol.

He said he managed to seize the weapon and repeatedly struck her on the head with it, causing her to collapse.

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The suspect further admitted to allegedly using a machete to inflict severe injuries on her wrist, head and neck.

Okpara also claimed he was under the influence of hard drugs at the time of the incident.

Recounting what happened after the alleged killing, the suspect said he wrapped Chinyere’s body in nylon and remained inside his apartment with the corpse, adding that fear and confusion prevented him from knowing what to do next.

He disclosed that he stayed with the body for three days before neighbours, reportedly alerted by a foul smell coming from the apartment, broke into the residence.

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The neighbours allegedly discovered Okpara inside the apartment with Chinyere’s decomposing body.

The suspect also revealed that he deliberately damaged the deceased’s phone to prevent anyone from reaching her.

The circumstances surrounding the killing, including the suspect’s allegations about the argument and his claimed drug use, remain subject to further investigation.

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Court orders rapist’s name announced on radio

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The Jigawa State High Court No. 11, sitting at Ringim, has sentenced a 50-year-old man to 10 years imprisonment for raping an 11-year-old girl.

The court, presided over by Hon. Justice Muhammad El-Usman, delivered the judgment on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, convicting one Abubakar Biniya of Galadanchi Quarters, Ringim Local Government Area.

The convict committed the offence in January 2024, at Galadanchi quarters, Ringim, where he allegedly had unlawful carnal knowledge of the minor.

In proving its case, the prosecution called six witnesses and tendered five exhibits, including a medical report, before the court.

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The convict, however, testified in his defence and did not call any other witness.

Delivering judgment, Justice El-Usman said, “The prosecution has proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, and the court has found the defendant guilty as charged.”

The judge said, “The court has considered the plea for leniency made by the convict and the fact that he is a first offender.”

He, therefore, sentenced him to 10 years custodial sentence for the offence of rape.

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Justice El-Usman also ordered that, “The convict is to pay a compensation of N5000 to the victim.”

The court further ordered that the name of the convict be entered into the Jigawa State Sexual Offenders Register maintained at the Ministry of Justice.

It also ordered public shaming of the convict through radio announcement, relying on Section 3 (2), (4) and (5) of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law, No. 02, 2021.

The parties were given three months within which to appeal the judgment.

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Shedding more light on the judgment, the Director, Information and Protocol, High Court of Justice, Jigawa State Judiciary, Abbas Wangara, confirmed the development.

Wangara said, “The High Court No. 11 sitting at Ringim has sentenced Abubakar Biniya to 10 years imprisonment for raping an 11-year-old girl.”

He said, “The court also ordered compensation and publication of his name in the sexual offenders register.”

He added that, “The judgment is in line with the VAPP Law 2021 as part of measures to deter sexual offenders in the state.”

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Meanwhile, on the same date, the court discharged three other persons standing trial for different offences.

Wangara disclosed that, “The court discharged one Sale Kurma, 55, of Tsinaho Village, Taura LGA, who was charged with rape.”

He also said, “The court discharged Mansur Ahmed, 22, of Tsira Village, Ringim LGA, for rape, and Haruna Ahmadu of Marawa Village, Ringim LGA, charged with criminal conspiracy and robbery.”

According to him, “They were discharged for failure of the prosecution to establish the charges against them.”

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The prosecution was led by Aisha Umar Zandam (Mrs), DDPP, and Binta Yusuf Abubakar (Mrs), ADPP, Ministry of Justice, Dutse, while the defence counsel was A.H. Hassan, Esq., of Nexus Legal Hubs, Kano.

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Gunmen Abduct 20 Corps Members In Imo

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Gunmen have abducted 20 corps members serving under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) along the Owerri–Onitsha Road by Umunoha community in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of the state.

Confirming the unfortunate incident, in a telephone conversation with Channels Television, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Imo State Police Command, Henry Okoye, said the corps members were reportedly travelling in a commercial bus from Ibadan, Oyo State, to different orientation camps in the South-East and South-South states when they were intercepted by the gunmen.

He said the Commissioner of Police, Audu Bosso, visited the scene for an on-the-spot assessment, while the police and other security agencies have intensified efforts to rescue the victims unhurt and unconditionally.

Okoye added that security operatives were currently combing surrounding bushes, while a Rapid Response Team (RRT) had also been deployed to track down the kidnappers and secure the safe release of the corps members.
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The incident came weeks after the police said that 11 people, including an unidentified number of corps members serving under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), were rescued after gunmen attacked vehicles along the Aloma–Egane Expressway.

The abduction reportedly occurred at about 4:40 p.m. on Wednesday, August 26, around Ogene Zaria, near the Ogene Zaria–Onicha-Igo Junction.

The armed men reportedly emerged from the bush and blocked two buses travelling in opposite directions, before abducting some of the passengers while others escaped into the bush.

The victims were, however, rescued by Joint security forces comprising the police, military, Department of State Services (DSS), and other auxiliary forces on August 31.

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The Director, Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, told journalists that the corps members were rescued from Egume Forest in Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State, after a coordinated security operation.

President Bola Tinubu has hailed the rescue, saying the well-coordinated Search and Rescue (SAR) operation carried out by a combined team of personnel from the military, the Nigerian Police Force, the Department of State Services, and local vigilantes safely rescued all the abductees, comprising eight males and 13 females, from the den of kidnappers in the forests of Ofu on Monday afternoon.

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