Crime

5 People beheaded as hostilities resume between Tivs, Cross River community

Published

2 years ago

October 11, 2023

Five persons have reportedly been beheaded as reprisal killings resumed yesterday between the Tiv people of Benue State and the Ijiegu-Yache of the Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State.

Chief Jacob Uswa, Tiv leader in the community, confirmed this on Wednesday, adding that many others have been maimed.

According to him, the Yache boys beheaded theirs when they went to their farms to harvest cassava.

“On Sunday 8th October 2023, they attacked and beheaded three of our boys in their farms where they had gone to harvest cassava for fufu.

“Two others were also killed in another farm. They displayed the heads before their Yache people. The Yache boys are all over the bushes to attack us,” he said.

Augustine Adula, a youth leader in Ijiegu-Yache community, said they had to defend themselves when the Tiv militia unleashed attacks against them on their farms.

He alleged that the Tiv boys go to their farms to harvest their farm yields and attack their women and farmers.

“We have suffered incessant attacks from those Tiv settlers. They invade our community wearing military camouflages and some times they would take us by surprise through the bushes to attack us.

“As a result, our boys have stopped their businesses and schools and have taken positions in the bushes to defend our land and people, so that they can block the Tivs when they come surreptitiously,” Adula said.

According to Adula, the situation has made life very difficult for them, adding that markets and schools have not opened due to deep seated fears for their lives.

The cause of the hostilities is said to be refusal by the Tivs to continue to pay royalties on the land they settled in. This led to killings and destruction of houses on both sides last month.

But the Tivs have claimed that having settled in the community for over 100 years, they are more of Cross River than Benue State indigenes.

Both community leaders have expressed unhappiness that the numbers of security men, including soldiers sent to keep the peace between them are very few and are mostly in the town, leaving the hinterlands very porous for the killings to persist.

Earlier, the two deputy governors of both states, Peter Odey and Sam Ode of Cross River and Benue States, respectively, visited the community and appealed for cessation of hostilities while they worked towards peace.

Police PRO, Irene Ugbo said they had not received a formal report about the latest killings.

Related Topics:Hostilities in Cross River Community

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Crime

JUST IN: IDF eliminates terrorist behind January West Bank shooting

Published

3 days ago

April 16, 2025

Charles Flames

Israeli security forces on Wednesday morning killed Muhammad Zakarna, a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, during a counterterrorism operation near Jenin.

Zakarna was identified as one of the terrorists involved in the deadly shooting attack in the West Bank village of al-Funduq in January.

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Zakarna, a resident of Qabatiya, was among three gunmen who opened fire on civilians in al-Funduq on January 6, killing Master Sgt. Elad Yaakov Winkelstein, an off-duty Israeli police officer, and civilians Rachel Cohen and Aliza Raiz.

The IDF said Zakarna was located in a cave near the village of Misilyah following intelligence provided by the Shin Bet security agency.

During the attempted arrest by Yamam, the Israel Police’s elite counterterrorism unit, and IDF troops, a gun battle broke out between the forces and the suspects.

The military said the forces used shoulder-launched missiles during the exchange.

Zakarna and another Islamic Jihad member, Marooh Hazima, also from Qabatiya, were killed.

Hazima had previously been released from Israeli prison in the November 2023 ceasefire-hostage deal with Hamas and had since resumed terrorist activity, the IDF said.

A number of weapons and military gear were recovered from the scene. Several accomplices were also detained and found to be in possession of handguns.

The IDF confirmed that the other two terrorists behind the al-Funduq attack, Qutaiba al-Shalabi and Mohammed Nazal, both affiliated with Hamas — were previously killed in an Israeli operation in Qabatiya on January 23.

Crime

BREAKING: Many feared dead as suspected herdsmen attack Benue community

Published

3 days ago

April 15, 2025

Charles Flames

Panic has gripped the Otobi-Akpa community in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State following a fresh attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen on Tuesday evening.

It was gathered that several residents are feared dead, while numerous houses were set ablaze during the violent attack.

A local resident revealed that the attackers stormed the village around 6 pm and began shooting indiscriminately at anyone in sight.

“They have been shooting and killing people since 6 pm. As we speak, our house and several others have been burnt down.

We are helpless,” a distraught villager said.

At the time of this report, the exact number of casualties remains unclear as residents continue to flee for safety.

Details later……