Television Nigerian

Dele Farotimi, a human rights activist and lawyer, attacked President Bola Tinubu’s red carpet reception and speech during his visit to Benue State.
According to reports, Benue, a food-producing state in Nigeria’s North-Central zone, has been under heavy attack by suspected herdsmen for some time.
However, the killings have continued unabated in recent weeks, with no fewer than 160 citizens proven dead in a series of attacks by suspected herdsmen who wreaked havoc in various villages across the state over the course of two months.

During a midnight attack by suspected herders last Friday, hundreds of inhabitants in the state’s Yelewata district were slain, and over 3000 people were displaced. Though the government reported 59 deaths, human rights groups estimated that about 200 people were killed.
Following a barrage of condemnation from opposition arrowheads, President Bola Tinubu paid a visit to Benue on Wednesday and urged service leaders to put an end to the state’s bloodshed and arrest those responsible.

In an interview with Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Thursday, Farotimi remarked that it would have been preferable if President Tinubu had not visited Benue State than to visit the state and stay unconcerned about the fate of its people.

According to him, Tinubu’s speech was without remorse, as if he were preparing for a campaign rally.

Farotimi said the Tor Tiv V, James Ayatse, was the only person who said anything noteworthy during Tinubu’s visit to Makurdi, the capital of Benue State, on Wednesday. Ayatse described the attacks as a calculated, well-planned, full-scale genocidal invasion and land-grabbing campaign by herder terrorists and bandits.

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He stated, “I must say very immediately that it would have been better if the president had not gone.

“The only thing worth anyone’s time was the Tor Tiv’s remarks, which spoke exhaustively about the truth of the situation in the Benue basin and eloquently about the victims’ plight.

“Apart from that, all the president had to offer were glimpses into his preoccupations and the true worries of his advisors and assistants. In Benue, they recognized exactly what was important to the president, so they built the necessary theatre for 2027.

“The deaths of almost 200 people were barely covered; you could have assumed it was a political event.

“The primary reason the state exists is to safeguard the lives and property of its inhabitants. We have almost lost our ability to feel astonished. 200 people were slaughtered, and the President traveled to Benue, speaking as if he were ready for a campaign rally.

H.E. REV FR HYACINTH IORNEM ALIA, THE GOVERNOR OF BENUE STATE, HIS OPEN LETTER
The Governor of Makurdi, Benue State, His Excellency Hyacinth Alia, Government House.
Respected Governor Alia,
Not vex, Respected Leader, As blood splatters throughout our rural villages and urban streets, it appears that things are not going well for our beloved Benue State, therefore I won’t spend too much time on politeness. I do, however, hope you are well and reading my message.
I am writing as a concerned Benue State resident to share my opinions on four urgent issues that I feel obligated to voice.
1. Regarding our people’s death at the hands of herdsmen:
As Chief Security Officer of the state, with all taxpayer funding under your command and control, you have failed miserably to provide security and compassion for your people. The billions of Naira that Benue State receives each month, together with the substantial security votes, are obviously not being used effectively.
You should address security risks in your state appropriately as a governor rather than playing games of blame. You initially accused foreign mercenaries of being responsible for the frequent attacks, then you claimed that Abuja politicians were responsible, then you claimed that some religious patrons were responsible, and finally, only last week, you claimed that the villages were helping the attackers carry out the horrible attacks. You look completely unfit to run the state because of these stupid blame games. And you can be sure that no one who is directly impacted would want to hear this speech.
Especially in light of the recent Yelwata massacre, which occurred only 40 kilometers from your office, it is astounding that you hardly ever go to the locations of such incidents to get the essential assistance, sympathy, and attention. Relying on resentful Benue youths to protest and draw the federal government’s attention to these outrageous events is not a good way to handle this job. You called for arrest and had to fire several of your aides who took part in the demonstration, so even at that point, it seems you didn’t want it at all.

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As for the attacks that have killed over 600 locals since you assumed office, it is evident that the anti-Open Grazing Prohibition Law, which you overturned through a state altercation, and your incapacity to remain firm in the face of this catastrophe are to blame.
What I would advise:
Oga, get up! Forget about the funfair that accompanied these recent high-profile visits to the state. Arming already-existing vigilante groups like the Livestock Guards or the Benue Volunteer Guards, or creating new community volunteer guards, training them in the use of licensed firearms like Remington pump action guns, and equipping and requiring them to protect their communities.
We know you’re devout since you’re from a religious family, but becoming a state governor involves more than just praying. Telling us to fast, pray, and forgive our adversaries is not the role of government. So that they might work out their forgiveness with God, send them there.
2. Infrastructure: Since yesterday, videos have been making the rounds in the media showing mowers mowing the lawns along Makurdi city highways in anticipation of Mr. President’s arrival. My brother, that is the most incompetent display. Until Mr. President indicated his urgent visit, you and the chairman of the local government left the city in ruins. Okay!
Unfortunately, you also neglected to provide the state with infrastructure. Ignore Makurdi Township’s one underpass under construction and the occasional roundabout renovation or reorganization. Failure is evident when you have been in power for two years and not a single piece of historic infrastructure has been put into service on your second anniversary. Mr. President will not commission any completed projects under your administration while he is here, with the possible exception of a renovated project. It is regrettable.
3. Governance:
You did not lead the state effectively, Your Excellency. It is regrettable that, rather than working with the same organization that brought you to power, your first task a few days after taking office is to destroy it. You seldom ever call meetings for parties or general stakeholders. You can’t do it alone, though. Refrain from purchasing the phony that your chief of staff is trying to sell you in order to undermine Senator George Akume and others. Because of your “I-can-do-it-alone” mentality, the state continues to be besieged by herdsmen who should normally avoid the Benue valley.
4. Pensions and Salaries: You are not performing any better than any other State Governor when it comes to the timely payment of salaries, as allocation to states has increased by nearly 300% since President Bola Ahmed Tinubu took office, while overhead in the majority of states, including Benue State, has remained constant.
Therefore, disregard those who sing praises with gomna, gomna, gomna up and down and concentrate on what you can do to protect the lives and property of Benue inhabitants.
I choose to deliver my point in plain English.
Your Excellency, no vex, before we start demanding for your resignation, I hope to see concrete steps done to solve these urgent concerns.
I appreciate all of your time, patience, and thought.
With all due respect,
Apeh Peterhot, Comrade King, Ofiri-ejorgwu Shrine, Ugbugbu, Owukpa, Benue State.

Joseph Daudu (SAN), a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, has requested that the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja deny the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Justice Minister Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) his request to end a high-profile oil theft trial involving the multinational oil trading giant Trafigura Beheer BV and Trafigura PTE Limited.
The complaint was filed under the Lagos State Criminal Code Law (Cap. C17, 2003), not the federal penal system, according to Daudu, who is representing the nominal complainant, Nadabo Energy Limited, in an appearance before Justice Mojisola Dada on Thursday.
Section 211(1) of the 1999 Constitution was broken, according to Daudu, who also stated that the notice of discontinuance sent by the AGF’s office was unlawful.

Since the prosecution started in Lagos State, he said, it is only the Attorney General of Lagos State’s jurisdiction and not the Federal Government’s.

Following a plea by Trafigura’s attorney requesting that the Federal Government take up the case, it was reported that the AGF, working through the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), had filed a notice of discontinuance.

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Daudu, however, argued that the behavior was “ultra vires, null, void, and constitutionally defective.”

He argued, “This notice should be set aside because it is fundamentally flawed and cloaked in incompetence.”

The case, ID/7980c/2018, focuses on claims made by the Special Fraud Unit (SFU) that Trafigura and five other individuals misappropriated from Nadabo Energy about $8,442,806.09 worth of Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).

Osahon Asemota, Rembrandt Ltd., Jil Engineering and Oil Services Ltd., Yusuf Kwande, and Mettle Energy and Gas are among the other defendants.

Earlier, the defendants had entered not guilty pleas.

The trial had progressed considerably, and 17 witnesses had been called by the prosecution. Justice Dada dismissed the defense’s no-case statement and directed the defendants to present their case.

Trafigura’s legal team decided to request that the AGF end the case rather than continue with their defense, which led to the contentious notice of discontinuance.

The prosecution moved the notice, and the judge later released the accused.

The defendants had already been charged with similar crimes in a previous case before Justice Sedotan Ogunsanya, according to Bode Olanipekun (SAN), Trafigura’s lead attorney. He requested that the new case be dismissed on behalf of double jeopardy.
Judge Dada, however, rejected the application as without merit, ruling that there was no relationship between the two cases.

Daudu vehemently objected to Trafigura’s lawyer starting defense proceedings and calling three witnesses after multiple court rulings ordering the trial to begin. Trafigura’s lawyer then asked the AGF to take over the case.