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BARC Farm: Stop Hiding Greed Behind Politics, PVD Tells Kefas Ropshik
The Plateau Vanguard for Democracy, PVD, has taken Chief Kefas Ropshik, popularly known as Kefiano, to task over the controversy surrounding land allocation at the Agricultural Services and Training Centre, ASTC, BARC Farm, accusing him of attempting to politicise what it described as a clear case of violation of government policy and due process.
In a strongly worded reaction, the group, through its national coordinator, Chris Ishaku, said the clarification issued by the management of ASTC had exposed the attempt by Ropshik to present himself as a victim when, in reality, the issue bordered on compliance, fairness and the equitable distribution of public agricultural resources.
According to PVD, it was disturbing that a man who claims to be a champion of the people would seek to hold on to land already earmarked for youth groups and other beneficiaries under Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s agricultural empowerment programme.
The group said the controversy should not be reduced to politics, stressing that the BARC Farm remains a public asset designed to create opportunities for thousands of Plateau citizens, not a private estate to be cornered by politically exposed individuals.
“The facts are now clear. Chief Kefas Ropshik was allocated 100 hectares of land for the 2025 farming season under conditions that applied to every other participant.
Government cleared the land for him at no cost, gave him access to equipment and supported cultivation activities.
But instead of respecting the limits of his allocation, he allegedly extended his operations into another 100 hectares without authorisation,” Ishaku said.
PVD noted that the state government, through ASTC, had shown good faith by not disrupting Ropshik’s activities during the 2025 farming season, even after he moved beyond his approved allocation. The group said that gesture should have been appreciated, not abused.
It added that the additional 100 hectares had already been earmarked for other beneficiaries under the 2026 farming framework, especially youth groups expected to benefit from the government’s renewed drive to expand agricultural opportunities.
PVD said it was within this vision that the government mapped out 1,000 hectares for the 2026 farming season and divided them into 200 units of five hectares each for allocation to 200 youth groups, with each group made up of five members. It also noted that about 200 hand tillers had been procured to support the beneficiaries.
The group said any attempt by one individual to frustrate such a programme in the name of personal ambition or political grievance should be resisted by well-meaning Plateau citizens.
“What Chief Ropshik is doing is not activism. It is not people-oriented politics. It is not defence of the common man. If land that should go to 200 youth groups is being encroached upon by one man, then Plateau people must ask: who is really standing with the people?” PVD asked.
The group also faulted what it described as Ropshik’s attempt to drag Governor Mutfwang into an administrative matter, insisting that the governor’s only interest is to ensure that BARC Farm is used productively for the benefit of the people.
PVD said the claim of political persecution was weak and unconvincing, especially as ASTC made it clear that Ropshik was neither denied access to the 100 hectares legitimately allocated to him nor barred from applying for additional land through proper channels.
“At no point was Chief Ropshik stopped from farming on the land properly allocated to him. At no point was he denied access to agricultural opportunity. At no point was any action taken against him because of politics.
The issue is that he allegedly moved beyond the land given to him and entered an area already reserved for other citizens. He should answer that instead of playing politics,” Ishaku said.
PVD said Ropshik’s attempt to portray the matter as a political attack was not fitting for someone who presents himself as a defender of the people, adding that true leadership begins with discipline, restraint and respect for public institutions.
“It is even more disappointing that a man who does not have a solid political platform is trying to build relevance by attacking a government policy designed to empower the people. You cannot claim to speak for Plateau youths while standing in the way of land allocated to Plateau youths. That contradiction is too obvious to be ignored,” the group said.
PVD urged Ropshik to respect the 100 hectares allocated to him and apply formally if he genuinely requires additional land. It also commended ASTC management for clarifying the matter and insisting on transparency in the administration of the farm.
The group called on Plateau citizens to support the agricultural transformation policy of the Mutfwang administration, saying the revival of BARC Farm could become one of the strongest vehicles for job creation, food production and rural economic development in the state.
“For us, this is not about Kefiano. It is about whether public resources will be shared fairly or captured by a few.
The Mutfwang administration is trying to open the door for young people, host communities and ordinary farmers to benefit from BARC Farm. Any attempt to block that door must be rejected,” PVD said.
Japa on reverse lane as the United States Department of Homeland Security, DHS, has updated its list of Nigerians facing removal from the country, reducing the number to 112 and publishing their names and photographs online.
The latest list features Nigerians from different parts of the country and was published through the DHS official website.
Among those listed are Cletus Onyali, Olaolu Alabi, Marcus Unigwe, Mkpouto Etukudoh, Blessing Uchanma, Olaniyi Ojikutu, Richard Ugbah, Oluwamuyiwa Olawoye, Anthony Asanya and Ebele Agbasiele
Others identified on the list include Izuchukwu Okoye, Olufemi Olufisayo Olutiola, Abiemwense Obanor, Chibuzo Nwaonu, Oluchi Jennifer Chimdimma Chime, Ifeanyi Okoro, Oluwaseun Kassim, Quazeem Adeyinka and Talatu Dada.
The complete list contains 112 names, with the photographs and details of the other individuals available through the DHS online portal.
The publication comes amid stepped-up immigration enforcement by the US government, particularly involving undocumented immigrants and individuals with outstanding removal orders.
It also comes against the backdrop of efforts by US authorities to obtain increased cooperation from foreign governments in receiving their nationals who have been ordered to leave the United States.
Nigeria has previously faced pressure from the US over the repatriation of its nationals subject to deportation.
The updated publication provides public access to the identities and photographs of the Nigerians currently identified by DHS for removal from the United States.
The Department of State Services, DSS, on Thursday re-arraigned five men accused of complicity in the May 15 kidnap of pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State and the subsequent killing of two of the victims.
They were arraigned on a seven-count amended charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/438/2026, filed by the DSS on behalf of the Federal Government.
The defendants, accused of being members of the Jama’atu Ansarul Muslimina fi-Biladis Sudan (ANSARU) terrorist group, are Mahmud Muhammad (aka Abu Bara’a, Abbas Mukhtar); Abubakar Abbas (aka Isah Adam, Mallam Mahmuda Al-Nigeri); Abdulrazak Umar (aka Abu Khalifa/Abu Khalid); Yunusa Musa (aka Abu Yunusa Bin Musa); and Shamsu Adamu Sani (aka Abu Itisar).
All five defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to them by the Registrar of the court.
The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation (DPPF), Mr Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, who led the DSS legal team, applied for the immediate trial of the defendants in line with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.
He also applied for the names of witnesses lined up to testify in the trial to be shielded and for them to be permitted to wear masks to ensure their protection.
Following no objection from counsel to the defendants, Bala Dakum, Justice Salim Ibrahim granted the request of the DSS counsel.
At the time of filing this report, arrangements for the full-scale trial were being put in place.
LAGOS — A post-mortem examination conducted by the Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) has confirmed that 20-year-old journalist Pelumi Onifade died from a penetrating firearm injury to the abdomen.
The finding is contained in a six-page autopsy report dated July 30, 2026, and submitted to the Lagos State Coroner’s Court investigating the circumstances surrounding the young journalist’s death during the October 2020 #EndSARS protests.
According to the report, Onifade died from massive haemoperitoneum, a severe accumulation of blood in the abdominal cavity, caused by a high-velocity projectile that penetrated his abdomen.
The forensic finding provides medical evidence establishing a gunshot injury as the cause of death, while the circumstances surrounding who fired the shot and the events that followed remain matters before the coroner’s proceedings.
How Onifade Died
Onifade was a 200-level History student of Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) and worked as an intern reporter with Gboah TV, a Lagos-based online news platform.
On October 24, 2020, during the nationwide #EndSARS protests against police brutality, he was assigned to cover an attempted looting at a government palliative storage facility in the Abattoir area of Oko-Oba, Agege, Lagos.
According to accounts presented by his family and colleagues, Onifade was wearing a press jacket and carrying reporting equipment when officers attached to the Lagos State Task Force opened fire while attempting to disperse the crowd.
He was reportedly struck by a bullet and subsequently taken away in a police van, commonly referred to as a Black Maria.
A colleague who was with him at the scene reportedly attempted to identify him as a journalist and explain that he was carrying camera equipment, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
Onifade was not seen alive again after that incident.
Family Searched Police Stations, Hospitals
Following his disappearance, his family and colleagues searched police stations, detention facilities and hospitals across Lagos in an attempt to establish his whereabouts.
According to the family, police authorities denied having him in custody.
Six days later, on October 30, 2020, the family located his body at the mortuary of Ikorodu General Hospital, where it had been registered as a “brought-in-dead” case under body number 1385.
The discovery triggered years of demands for an independent investigation into how the young journalist died and how his remains ended up in the mortuary.
DNA Test Identified the Body
The identity of the body was subsequently confirmed through forensic DNA testing.
Results from the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre established a match between the unidentified body bearing tag number 1385 and reference samples obtained from Onifade’s parents.
The DNA confirmation provided a crucial breakthrough after years of uncertainty surrounding the whereabouts and identity of the missing journalist.
Court Ordered Coroner’s Inquest
The search for accountability later moved into the courts.
In July 2024, Justice Ayokunle Olayinka Faji of the Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the Lagos State Government and the police to conduct a coroner’s inquest into Onifade’s death.
The objective of the inquest is to establish the circumstances surrounding his death and determine the facts surrounding the actions of the security personnel involved.
The ongoing proceedings before the Lagos State Coroner’s Court are being presided over by Magistrate Temitope Oladele.
Following the submission of the post-mortem report, the court has directed key witnesses, including police personnel who were on duty in the Oko-Oba area on October 24, 2020, to appear and testify.
Rights Groups Demand Accountability
Media Rights Agenda (MRA), which has supported the Onifade family in its legal efforts, has described the post-mortem findings as significant evidence in the case.
Rights activists, journalist unions, and the deceased’s family continue to demand the public prosecution of the police officers who fired the shot and those who supervised the deployment during the Lagos #EndSARS demonstrations.
Japa on reverse lane as US releases names, photos of 112 Nigerians on deportation list
Oyo kidnap: Five defendants plead not guilty to seven count charges
Autopsy Confirms #EndSARS Journalist Pelumi Onifade Died From Gunshot Wound
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