The gunmen that attacked Hurti community in Plateau State killed over 40 people and destroyed 383 houses, the village head of the community, Maren Aradong, has said.
Apart from attacking Hurti, the gunmen, suspected to be armed herders, also attacked other communities like Josho and Daffo in the Manguna District of Bokkos Local Government Area (LGA) of Plateau.

On Sunday, Mr Aradong told a visiting delegation of Plateau government officials that the 2 April attack also led to the displacement of about 1,000 people.

The Plateau attack has been condemned by many Nigerians including President Bola Tinubu and Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau.

Mr Mutfwang described the attack as a coordinated crime sponsored by conflict merchants, and not farmer-herder clashes.

In his speech, Mr Aradong said that the gunmen also looted foodstuffs and other items.

“Last Wednesday, at about 3:00 p.m., gunmen invaded our communities in their numbers; they came on motorcycles and attacked us.

“In Hurti alone, these gunmen killed more than 40 people and displaced about 1,000 persons.

“They also burnt 383 houses, destroyed foodstuffs, and looted other items,” he said.

Mr Aradong, who commended the state government and the security personnel for their intervention, called for the deployment of more security personnel to the affected communities.

Also commenting on the attack, Gagji Shipi, the coordinator of Operation Rainbow, a state-owned security outfit, described the incident as a major setback on the peace efforts in the state.

He said that measures were already being taken to forestall future occurrences.

Government Delegation Reacts

Speaking during the visit, the head of the government delegation, Secretary to the State Government Samuel Jatau, commiserated with the families who lost their loved ones during the attack.

Mr Jatau called on the federal government to also provide support for the displaced persons.

He explained that the government delegation was in the community to commiserate with the people and encourage them to be steadfast.

“We are here to see things for ourselves and ascertain the level of damage done by the attackers.

“It is unfortunate that in this era, people could attack, kill innocent citizens, and destroy their properties without thinking twice.

“We have seen things for ourselves, and we will report back to the governor; we want to assure the people that they are not alone.

“We are here with some relief materials to cushion the immediate hardship that the people are currently passing through, pending a more lasting solution,” he said.

Some of the items donated to the displaced persons were mattresses, sleeping mats, buckets, bags of rice, beans, and maize.

Other items donated included blankets, cartons of washing and bathing soaps, noodles, and pasta, among others.

Plateau’s History of Attacks

Plateau, in north-central Nigeria, has witnessed many such attacks. Some of the reasons for the violent conflicts include the struggle for land between rural farmers and migrant herders and communal violence over land rights.

Many communities have also accused migrant herders, often Fulani, of hiring their kinsmen from other countries to attack communities the herders have grievances with.

Apart from Plateau, other states that witnessed such attacks include Kaduna and Benue.

“My brother, you do not look cheerful at all.”

“I am just overwhelmed by everything”

“Any personal issues?  I hope there is no trouble in paradise and that Madam is still tolerating you.”  

“Does she have an option? After many years together, where would she go? It is not even that. I am just wondering how we ended up where we are in this country. Who did we offend as a people? We never seem to get anything right.”

“Professor Chinua Achebe said it long ago, in 1984, I think if my memory serves me right, that leadership is the problem with Nigeria.” 

“I have been hearing that for decades, I beg. And nobody can find any solution to this same problem. I think the people are a bigger part of the problem.” 

“Bad leaders set bad example, the followers will soon start behaving like their leaders and then you have bad followers and all things equal, you get a bad society. What we need is a complete moral re-armament, an ethical revolution from bottom up, a rediscovery of the values of old, and a proper definition of what it means to be a Nigerian”.

“Right now, I don’t even know what it means to be a Nigerian”

“You have a national anthem that talks about who we are.”

“That Nigeria We Hail Thee actually says precisely what Nigeria is not. A banner without stain. Go and say that to all the families who have lost their loved ones just because they happen to be Nigerians. In brotherhood we stand. Which brotherhood. You and who?  A nation where no man is oppressed. For where? Go and say that to the people of Rivers State, Southern Kaduna, Benue, or Plateau state, and watch the kind of side eye people will give you.”

“The story from Plateau is particularly sad, unfortunate and regrettable”

“That is the standard line from the Nigerian government. Sad. Unfortunate. Regrettable. But there is no guarantee that more people will not be killed again or that the state will be able to apprehend the criminals. Or that we will not wake up and not hear about another tragedy in any part of Nigeria. Was it not the other day, 16 persons were killed in Uromi, Edo State? Now the killing machine has moved to the Plateau. The Nigerian state is in retreat. It is not serving its purpose. Terrorists and kidnappers do as they wish. People cannot sleep with their two eyes closed.”

“Certainly not in Plateau state. Just imagine what happened. The terrorists attacked villages in Bokko Local Government Area on March 28, set homes ablaze and disrupted communal life. They were so bold they returned on April 2 to wreak more havoc. Between March 28 and the second attack, the state could not anticipate that the terrorists would return. The state did not provide the affected communities with security. The people were left on their own, at the mercy of the terrorists. Now the people are wailing and counting their losses in Ruwi, Hurti, Tadai, Gwande, Manguna and Dafo” 

“Are those people even terrorists? I read that they made away with bags of potatoes from the houses that they attacked, and fled on the back of motorcycles. Terrorists who steal bags of potatoes!”

“There is hunger in the land. There are Nigerians who will kill because of a pot of soup. In some local communities, you have to padlock your pot of soup, otherwise it could be stolen overnight! Serious hunger crisis. That is how bad Nigeria has become.” 

“And look at how the state has responded. The President has condemned the killings. He has directed the National Security Adviser to visit Plateau. He, the NSA says the perpetrators will be severely punished. The state government has expressed its condolences. Relief materials have been promptly provided for the affected communities. Press statements. Photo op. television cameras. In one week, everyone will move on, until the terrorists strike in another community and state officials make the same statements and we move on. Nigerians are used to tragic melodramas.” 

“If I may play the devil’s advocate though, I think it was good optics that the NSA and the Governor empathized with the people”

‘Will that bring back the dead? Will that stop terrorism, banditry and kidnapping? The people of the Plateau have not known peace for more than two decades. What difference will the routine visit of state officials make? In fact, very soon, these government officials would become so overwhelmed, they would not even visit any place where there is an attack, be it in Rivers, Southern Kaduna, Ondo or the Niger Delta.” 

“To buttress your point, look at what nearly happened to the Secretary to the Plateau State Government, Samuel Jatau over the weekend, on Sunday. He was on a visit to Bokko, when the same terrorists laid ambush for him around Hurti community and opened fire on his convoy. He had gone to the community on Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s instruction to deliver relief materials.”

“Mark my words, when next Jatau is sent on that kind of assignment, he will find a diplomatic way of advising his boss, the Governor, to send another state official, because he has been having a cocktail of chest pain, food poisoning and diarrhea and his doctor has advised him to go on bed rest! These terrorists and bandits in Nigeria have no respect for anybody.”

“You know they even go to people’s homes and abduct them. Brigadier-General Maharazu Tsiga (rtd) was in his house in his home town in Katsina when kidnappers visited him on February 5, and took him away.  He and 18 other victims spent 56 days in the kidnappers’ den. They saw hell and hyena!”

“I have read General Tsiga’s story - an interview that he granted. This is the point. Not even a soldier is considered a man of war by training who could return fire for fire. If kidnappers could pick up a soldier who had served his county just like that, tell me who that ordinary Nigerian is, that criminals can’t pick up.” 

‘I have also read that the General and other captives were rescued by Nigerian soldiers of Operation Safe Haven and were handed over to their families personally by NSA Ribadu. But I don’t believe that our soldiers rescued them. The kidnappers for example, placed a ransom of N400 million on General Tsiga’s head. His friends, family, former colleagues, serving and retired Generals had to contribute the N400 million. They even created a WhatsApp group named TSIGA. When he regained his freedom, nobody talked about ransom being paid.” 

“The Nigerian Government can never admit publicly that it was involved at any time in the payment of ransom to non-state actors, who have chosen to act as criminals. We have a law: the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act of 2011, for example. Mallam Ribadu says over 2, 000 persons have been prosecuted under that law. I think the state is making an effort. You will recall that when he was in the kidnappers’ den, General Tsiga observed that his abductors did not fear God, but they became apprehensive whenever a military aircraft hovered overhead and they used them as human shield. That should say something about the efforts of the Nigerian security system.”  

“That security system must be overhauled. There must be a re-thinking of the country’s security architecture.”

“Should there be the declaration of a state of emergency in Plateau state, then, after all the people of Rivers State are saying that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. They argue that Rivers is far more peaceful than Plateau, and Benue where criminals, enemies of the people of Agatu, have just rustled over 200 cows.  In fact, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has called for a state of emergency in Plateau, Benue and other terror-prone states.”

“No. No. No. What is going on in Rivers state is problematic enough, let us not mouth ideas that could further complicate the situation. Many Nigerians do not even know what a state of emergency means.” 

“But do you agree that nobody needs to quote any law in this matter? In simple straightforward language, it is obvious that the challenges of insecurity, hunger and poverty deserve to be treated as national emergencies. Government must invest in social infrastructure, secure lives and property, rebuild public confidence and trust, and restore hope, not by distributing palliatives, but by giving the average Nigerian an opportunity to have every reason to be proud.”

“One thing you can say in favour of the Tinubu administration though is that they have never toyed with that nonsense idea of buying Aso Ebi for terrorists, and giving them pepper soup, jollof rice and ice cream in the name of rehabilitation.”

“The kind of things we have seen in this country. You know that there was a time some state Governors were before our very eyes exchanging diplomatic niceties with terrorists and bandits. No. This President Tinubu will never do that. I may be speculating but I am convinced he is a much more capable and attentive President than his predecessor.” 

“Except that he is also going up and down, and he spends too much time in France. Does he have French citizenship? Does he speak French? What Dubai is to some people, France is to Tinubu” 

“I don’t know what languages he speaks, but it is just that he comes across as an improvement on the man from Katsina, whatever the skeptics may say.”

“Let him respect our rights as citizens.”

“How?”

“Our right to speak. Our right to assemble and protest, on any subject of our choice.”

“I don’t think that has been a big issue”

“It is for me. Where are you? Yesterday, the police tear-gassed protesters in Rivers and in Abuja. The youths of Rivers State raised their voice against the declaration of a state of emergency, with a retired soldier, acting as sole administrator now controlling the resources of the people. This is supposed to be a temporary appointment. But you and I know this country. When people get a temporary appointment, they will start praying that it shall become permanent!  You should know the song: It shall be permanent…it shall be permanent…what the Lord has done… The only thing that can be permanent is the rule of law and democracy, not dictatorship. In Abuja, angry, Take-It-Back youths trooped out too. They were tear-gassed! The police are too fond of telling people not to protest. What is that? Their job is to provide protection for whoever wants to protest, not to stop them. That is a settled matter of law. ANPP v. IGP. ”

“Bros., take it easy. Rule of law. Democracy. This is Nigeria oh. This is not America. You do anyhow, you collect wotowoto.”   

“Oh, that reminds me. I am sure you saw the protests in the United States across the country against President Trump and Elon Musk. Millions of pro-democracy protesters trooped out to complain about the Trump administration’s hostile takeover of American democracy, and attack on American rights and freedoms. They want an end to the billionaire take-over of the US. Democracy not oligarchy. Hands off, they told President Trump. There were protests also in London and Paris. Trump has launched an assault against every fundamental thing that America is known for. Freedom. Rights. Free trade.”

“Just be careful. Let the Americans who voted for him be the ones to condemn him. In case you do not know, the Trump administration has been cancelling people’s visas to the US. You talk carelessly, you can even be banned from entering the United States.” .   

“America was known as the land of freedom, until Trump’s second coming.” 

 “Just watch your mouth. Oscar Arias, Nobel Laureate and former President of Costa Rica, has had his visa revoked for daring to call President Trump a Roman Emperor. South African Ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool criticized Trump’s crackdown on diversity and equity programmes. He was declared a persona non grata and advised to leave the United States.  All US visas for the South Sudanese have also been revoked because South Sudan tried to reject its nationals who were expelled from the US. You are just an ordinary Nigerian, you talk anyhow, your entire generation may be banned from ever going near the US.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. President Trump has upended the global trade order. Trump tantrums, and his disruptions go beyond the United States. Across the world, investors are selling off stocks to avoid risks. Global markets are roiling. Wall Street is in bear territory. Trade wars have started. Inside America, there is the threat of recession and rise in consumer prices. The tariffs that Trump has imposed, both baseline and reciprocal tariffs will spread the cancer of recession throughout the world. Even Nigeria got 14%, and with oil prices down by more than 3%, we are in trouble with our 2025 budget benchmark, SMEs will suffer, AGOA has been thrown under the table. And you say we should not talk?”

“I am just looking out for you. Let the Nigerian government handle the matter. The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment has already issued a position paper to say that Nigeria is talking to our valued trade partner, the United States and the WTO to identify what is pragmatic and mutually beneficial. Besides, Trump himself has said this is a necessary medicine that he has applied to global trade.”

“Meaning what? Medicine that is already making the patient worse off. And which counterparts is Nigeria talking about? Is the US ready to negotiate as equals with anybody?”

“I try to look at the positive side of things. One of my financial advisers has told me that this is the best time to buy stocks and crypto. While you are concentrating on crisis and tantrums, I am looking at what can be gained.” 

“Nobody has ever won tariff wars. Tariff shock has already wiped out US$5.3 trillion of the S&P 500 Index in just 2 days. Nasdaq Composite is down 5.8%, Dow Jones Industrial Average – 5.5%”

“Stop worrying yourself. Let the Americans speak with their votes during the mid-term elections.”

“That is still far away. November 2026.” 

“Their problem, not ours. For all I care, they deserve their Trump, and his Elon Musk. The beauty of democracy is that voters are also free to make mistakes, and either live with their mistakes or correct them.” 

Former governors of Abia and Enugu states, Okezie Ikpeazu and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Senator Shehu Sani and ex-aide of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, are among those nominated for ambassadorial appointment by the federal government.

Vanguard gathered that they were among those being screened by security agents, pending the release of the list.
Recall that the country’s ambassadors were recalled from their postings almost a year ago without replacement, fuelling concerns over what that would have on Nigeria’s diplomacy.

It was learned yesterday that the resume of those nominated had already been sent to relevant security agencies for background checks.

Although one of the appointees confirmed his appointment on grounds of anonymity, efforts to get others to do same proved abortive.

On why the names of the appointees had not been released, a Presidency official had said anonymously: ‘’They (those appointed) are already doing security checks with the Department of State Service, DSS,.

‘’When they have cleared security checks, we will release the list. Only those who have been cleared are announced. The process is ongoing. I know we should have a list before the end of this month.’’

Nigerian actress, content creator, and media personality, Kiekie, recently opened up about societal expectations and gender roles in marriage during her appearance on the “I Said What I Said” podcast. In a frank conversation, she shared some of the unsolicited remarks she received after getting married, particularly regarding her fashion choices.

“One of the funniest things that happened to me when I got married was that I started getting comments like, ‘You don’t dress like a married woman.’ So, I Googled, ‘What is the dress code of a married woman?’ and I didn’t see any guidelines on how married women should dress,” she said, highlighting how societal norms often dictate women’s appearances and behaviors.

Kiekie, known for her outspoken nature and comedic takes on social issues, also emphasized the importance of self-determination and fighting for one’s dreams. “I am the one who should fight for my dreams and set out to achieve what I want to achieve. Not that I’ll be using someone as a backup plan,” she asserted.

Speaking further on gender expectations, Kiekie addressed the need for a shift in mindset among women. “We have a long way to go because the main thing is that women themselves need to be reoriented and get it straight. Because what you don’t have, you can’t give. You can’t expect things to come from men. It is from us, the women, that the change will come,” she added.

President of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, said the country is undergoing a “popular, progressive revolution” and not operating under a democratic system.

He added that it is difficult to pinpoint a country that has developed practising democratic rule.

Traore made the disclosure during a flag-raising ceremony at the Koulouba Palace last week.

He said, “If we have to say it loud and clear here, we are not in a democracy, we are in a popular, progressive revolution.

“We must necessarily go through a revolution, and we are indeed in a revolution. So this question of democracy or libertinism of action or expression has no place. As much as you think you are free to speak and act, the other is also free to speak and act, and there we end up with a society of disorder.”

He criticised the notion that democracy is a prerequisite for development, saying it is “false” to believe any country has developed under a democratic system.

“It is impossible to name a country that has developed in democracy. Democracy is only the result,” Burkina24 quoted him.

He maintained that his government would continue to communicate, explain, and make people understand what revolution is.

Traore has been notable for his decisions after his emergence as the President of the West African country.

The 37-year-old President who assumed office in September 2022 through a coup de’tat that ousted interim President Paul-Henri Damiba recently rejected Saudi Arabia’s offer to build 200 mosques in his country.

He urged the Islamic country to rather invest in essential infrastructure projects that would directly benefit his people.

British legendary professional boxer, Anthony Joshua has taken to social media to react after he recently jogged and greet some fans on the streets of Lagos, without any security.

According to the video shared on Instagram, the British Professional boxer, Anthony Joshua was spotted jogging and greeting some of his fans without any security in Lagos State, allowing some of his fans who saw him throw some friendly punches at him, welcoming him.

Reacting after he jogged and greeted some of his fans, recently on the streets of Lagos State, the professional British boxer, Anthony Joshua has described the feeling as that of a bird.

Reacting after he jogged and greeted some of his fans on the street of Lagos, Anthony Joshua posted on Instagram:

"I love the game. I love the hustle. I feel like one of them ball player you know? Like Bird, Magic, James, Jordan, Kobe or something. You know I got dough, I could leave the league... But if I leave ... Are the fans still gonna love me, man? I get love out here in streets man."

The Nigeria Police Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, has faulted the intention of organizers of the April 7 protest.

Adejobi said Take It Back Movement, organizing the protest, may have a different intention from what it told Nigerians.

Speaking with Channels TV on Sunday, the Police spokesman stated that the protest was unwarranted.

He argued that the federal government had set out the day to honour men of the Nigeria Police.

He also faulted the protest organizer’s choice of venue, noting that the venue was a place police would be using for their activities on April 1.

His words: “We are trying to caution them not to come out and protest. What is the rationale behind that kind of a protest that is not warranted? We have made an announcement, the federal government has announced that every 7th of April is National Police Day. Suddenly, people, a group, I think it’s Take It Back Movement, said they want to have a protest, mass protest across the country.

“On the same day, the Nigerian government wants to celebrate its own police. Celebrating police institutions across the world is a global thing. Every nation has marked a particular day to celebrate its own police. And the Nigerian government has been kind enough to appreciate the resilience, commitment, and dedication of officers and men of the Nigerian police force. And I marked a date, April 7th, to celebrate the police.

“And suddenly, a group is saying, that is the same place, that is the same day we want to have a protest in Nigeria. The same arena, because we are having our own Eagle Square. And you can see that we are, the Fontaine, Unity, Park, also National Assembly, is all the same around the Three Arm Zone of the Federal Capital Territory. I want to perceive that whoever is organizing this has just done it deliberately to undermine the status.

“While we are not stopping anybody to enjoy or exercise his right. But we just need to be objective and reasonable about it, that if we actually have a good motive of having a protest, we think such a movement should be able to even incorporate policing or security into their protest.”

The new Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Olatunji Owoade, has said his ascension to the throne is purely a realization of God’s plan and not due to any human manipulation.

The Alaafin categorically stated that he neither knew nor met Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, or former Senator Monsurat Sunmonu before his selection as the 46th Alaafin.

Naija News reports Alaafin Owoade made the declaration at a thanksgiving service on Sunday at the Anglican Cathedral Church, Esiele, Oyo town, according to a statement on Monday by his Director of Media and Publicity, Bode Durojaiye.

He added that he didn’t know he was going to become the next Alaafin, and neither did he employ any negative tactics to influence his emergence.

“I never knew nor met both the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde and Senator Monsurat Sunmonu, before and during the process to the throne.

“I never knew I would be the next Alaafin of Oyo, as I was neither desperate nor cutting corners in order to become the Alaafin at all costs. It was the will of God,” he stated.

The monarch called for unity in building Oyo and the country as a whole.

“Let us remember that united we stand and divided we fall. In unity lies the strength and togetherness, devoid of bickering and acrimony, we will successfully accomplish the arduous task ahead,” the traditional ruler added.

It would be recalled that the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Saturday, officially presented the 46th Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Owoade, to the people of Oyo town and the entire world.

Owoade’s coronation was held at the Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo.

The Member representing Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency and Chairman, House Committee on National Inland Waterways, Ojotu Ojema, has condemned the alleged killing of a youth, Ernest Owoicho, by personnel of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) deployed to Apa Local Government Area of Benue State.

DAILY POST gathered that Owoicho was reportedly arrested by the military on Saturday, April 5, 2025, and died in custody in the early hours of Sunday, April 6.

Signs of torture were allegedly visible on his body, raising suspicions of abuse while in detention.

Ojema, who cut short his trip to Abuja upon hearing the news, visited the OPWS base in Ugbokpo, the LGA headquarters, to confirm the incident.

Speaking at the base, he described the death as “gruesome” and called for a thorough investigation to identify and prosecute the culprits.

Ojema urged security agencies to uphold the law and human rights while assuring the deceased’s family of his support.

He also instructed that welfare checks be conducted on the two children left behind by the late Owoicho to determine how assistance can be extended to them.

While urging Apa residents, especially the youth, to remain calm and allow the law to take its course, he reiterated his commitment to seeking justice for his constituents.

“I have the mandate to stand, speak and defend the people of Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency at the National Assembly.

“There are several civil ways of investigating a case other than torture, more so that we are in the Democratic era. The gruesome murder of this young man is highly condemnable and culprits won’t go unpunished. In as much as I stand against any form of criminality, I can not accept the intimidation and unjustifiable killing of my people” Ojema was quoted as saying by his media aide, Olikita Ekani.

In tears, a relative of the deceased, Peter Ibrama, lamented the loss, describing Owoicho as a gentle and jovial young man. He said the family was shocked to receive only his corpse after his arrest.

Responding, the OPWS commander who declined to be named expressed regret over the death, stating that the unfortunate outcome of the investigation process was not intentional. He assured the federal lawmaker that an internal inquiry would be launched immediately and anyone found culpable would be held accountable.

Owoicho Ernest, an orphan, is survived by two young sons.