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Lalong Declares Curfew as Herdsmen Kill Two Soldiers, Two Cops

Published

8 years ago

March 15, 2018

Eric

Two soldiers, two mobile policemen and about 23 others were on Wednesday killed by suspected Fulani herdsmen during a fierce battle at Dung Kasa, Rafiki and Dutse Kura communities in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Two civilians were killed with houses razed and cars burnt during an attack

“Again and again the marauding Fulani terrorists still again killed two soldiers, two mobile police officers. The death toll is now two MOPOL, two soldiers and two civilians, making it seven,” an eyewitness stated.

But the Nigerian Army, only confirmed the death of the two soldiers.

According to the Director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Texas Chukwu, in a statement late on Wednesday, seven suspects had been arrested, while a number of weapons were recovered from them.

The army said 23 dead bodies were also discovered in Mararaba Dare area as the herdsmen opened fire on the troops’ convoy and the residents.

Chukwu said, “Troops of 3 Division Garrison, Jos arrested seven suspects and recovered weapons in the clash between Miango community and herdsmen at Rafiki village on Wednesday. The troops responded to distress calls to the clash reported by locals.

“As troops moved in to settle the dispute, the herdsmen opened fire on them. Two soldiers paid the supreme price and seven suspects were arrested in connection with the clashes.

“While conducting search, troops discovered 23 dead bodies at Mararaba Dare shortly before Rafiki village and many civilians were wounded. Two other soldiers wounded are receiving medical attention at 3 Division Military Hospital and Medical Services. They are stable.

“Weapons recovered include one Ak 47 assault rifle with 26 rounds of 7.62mm special and one locally made single barrel loaded with 15 rounds. Troops have intensified patrol within the general area to forestall further break down of law and order.”

The PUNCH learnt that immediately after the killing of the five security operatives and two civilians, Governor Simon Lalong called an emergency security meeting from where a decision was taken to impose dusk to dawn curfew.

The Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Rufus Bature, in a statement after the meeting, said the state had declared curfew in Bassa Local Government Area of the state after consultation with security agencies.

He added that the curfew would be within 6pm and 6am daily.

The SSG called on the affected communities to embrace peace, assuring them that efforts were on to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the problem.

“Consequently, security agencies in area have been mandated to enforce the curfew.

“Law abiding citizens are advised go about their lawful businesses,’’ he said.

The President of the Miango Youths Development Association, Lawrence Zongo, had earlier announced the latest attacks in a WhatsApp message to The PUNCH on Wednesday.

He gave the names of those receiving medical attention at the Enos Hospital as Danladi Rigye (35), Audu Ivy (23), Sunday Friday (17), Weyi Ishaya (25), Bala Musa (26), Yakubu Davo (25) and Jerry John (40).

Others are Timothy John (19), Abbah Audu (19), Sunday John (21), Daniel Audu (24) and Yakubu John (22).

Zongo said, “There was a fresh attack this (Wednesday) around 6.30 am on Dung Kasa, Rafiki and Dutse communities. Two persons have died; more than seven people have been seriously injured by Fulani terrorists.

“One person is missing. Yet, the Nigerian Army failed to arrest the Fulani terrorists but were busy protecting them and asking our vigilantes what they have to offer them.

“This is getting too much as people in Rafiki and Dutse Kura where there is a clash between the local vigilantes and Fulani terrorists to protect the people within the attacked areas. Since the Nigerian Army cannot protect us, we have to protect ourselves.

“We appreciate the efforts of management of Enos Hospital and Bingham University Teaching Hospital in Jos for taking time in treating the injured once.”

Spokesperson for the Plateau State Police Command, Matthias Tyopev, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, confirmed the attack to one of our correspondents, but could not confirm the casualty figure.

He said, “Yes, I got information this (Wednesday) morning that there was an attack in the area. The information is sketchy, but what I can tell you is that we have deployed security personnel there. So, I am expecting feedback from the Divisional Police Officer of Dung Kasa.”

However, the Plateau State Government is considering the imposition of curfew in communities in Bassa and Bokkos Local Government Area where suspected Fulani herdsmen have killed over 30 persons in recent times, The PUNCH learnt on Wednesday night.

But as of the time of this report, the commissioner had yet to “get back” to our correspondent.

The state Commissioner for Information and Communication, Yakubu Dati, who stated this in an interview with one of our correspondents, said the state was considering the idea.

Lalong later condemned the one week violence in Miango District of Bassa and Bokkos Local Government Areas.

While confirming that some arrests had been made, he said the peace and stability in the state was being threatened by evil forces determined to take the citizens back to the gory moments of the past.

Lalong in his Radio and Television broadcast to Plateau citizens on Wednesday night said government would render necessary support for those “who sustained varying degrees of injury” to overcome their losses and hurts.

He said, “My fellow citizens of Plateau State, it is with a heavy heart that I address you at this very critical moment: when the Peace and stability of our state is being threatened by evil forces determined to take us back to the gory moments of the past.

“Many of you must have heard of the recent attacks in Miango District of Bassa and Bokkos Local Government Areas respectively within the past one week. These series of systematic attacks orchestrated by armed men have led to the destruction of innocent lives and properties in these affected communities.

“As a responsible government that shares in the plight of its citizens, we condemn in the strongest possible terms the resurgence of violent attacks in some of our communities in Bokkos and Bassa Local Government Areas.

“Let me on behalf of the good and peace loving people of Plateau State commiserate with the families of those who have lost their dear ones in these series of attacks.

“I pray for the repose of the souls that were lost as a result of this renewed violence and also pray God to assuage the anguish of their bereavement.

“Let me also assure you of the unwavering commitment of our Administration to deliver on the promise of peace and security.

“Although this emerging conflict trend has affected our collective efforts to further consolidate the gains of our post conflict peace-building process, however our commitment to ensure the security of lives and property remains unshakable.

“As part of measures to in the interim arrest the vicious cycle of violent attacks, we are poised to immediately review our State security architecture while working closely with Security Agencies to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators of these heinous crimes.

The Punch

Featured

Strategy and Sovereignty: Inside Adenuga’s Oil Deal of the Decade

Published

5 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Eric

By Michael Abimboye

In global energy circles, the most consequential deals are often not the loudest. They unfold quietly, reshape portfolios, recalibrate value, and only later reveal their full significance.

The recent strategic transaction between Conoil Producing Limited and TotalEnergies belongs firmly in that category. A deal whose implications stretch beyond balance sheets into Nigeria’s long-troubled oil production narrative.

For Mike Adenuga, named The Boss of the Year 2025 by The Boss Newspapers, the agreement is more than a corporate milestone. It is the culmination of a long-term upstream strategy that is now translating into hard value barrels, cash flow, and renewed confidence in indigenous capacity.

At the heart of the transaction is a portfolio rebalancing agreement that sees TotalEnergies deepen its interest in an offshore asset while Conoil consolidates full ownership of a producing block critical to its medium-term growth trajectory. The parties have not publicly disclosed the monetary value, industry analysts place similar offshore and shallow-water asset transfers in the high hundreds of millions of dollars, depending on reserve certification and development timelines. What is indisputable, however, is the deal’s structural clarity: each partner exits with assets aligned to its strategic strengths.

For Conoil, the transaction represents something more profound than asset shuffling. It is the validation of an indigenous oil company’s ability to operate, produce, and partner at scale. That validation was already underway in 2024, when Conoil achieved a landmark breakthrough: the successful production and export of Obodo crude, a new Nigerian crude blend from its onshore acreage.

In a country where new crude streams have become rare, Obodo’s emergence signalled operational maturity. More importantly, it shifted Conoil from being perceived primarily as a downstream and marginal upstream player into a full-spectrum producer with export-grade assets.

The commercial impact was immediate. Obodo crude enhanced Conoil’s revenue profile, strengthened cash flows, and materially improved the company’s asset valuation.

For Mike Adenuga, Obodo represented something else entirely: oil income with scale and durability. Producing crude shifts wealth from theoretical to realised. It is the difference between potential and proof.

That momentum was reinforced by Conoil’s acquisition of a new drilling rig, a move that underscored its intent to control not just resources, but execution. In an industry where rig availability often dictates production timelines, owning modern drilling capacity gives Conoil a strategic advantage lowering costs, reducing dependency, and accelerating development cycles. It also enhances the company’s bargaining power in partnerships such as the one with TotalEnergies.

Taken together, the Obodo crude success, the rig acquisition, and the TotalEnergies transaction, these moves materially expand Conoil’s enterprise value. While private company valuations remain opaque, upstream assets with proven production, infrastructure control, and international partnerships typically command significant multiple expansion. For Adenuga, all of these represents a stabilising and appreciating pillar of wealth.

As The Boss Newspapers honours Mike Adenuga as Boss of the Year 2025, the recognition lands at a moment when his oil ambitions are no longer peripheral to his legacy. They are central. In Obodo crude, in steel rigs, and in carefully negotiated partnerships, Adenuga is shaping a version of Nigerian capitalism that privileges patience, scale, and execution over spectacle.

In the end, the most powerful statement of wealth is not net worth rankings or headlines. It is the ability to convert strategy into assets, assets into production, and production into national relevance. On that score, the Conoil–TotalEnergies deal may well stand as one of the most consequential chapters in Mike Adenuga’s business story and in Nigeria’s evolving oil future.

Featured

Peter Obi, Only Life in ADC, Says Fayose

Published

2 days ago

January 10, 2026

Eric

Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, says the former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, is the only life in the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

Fayose made this statement on Friday while fielding questions in an interview on ‘Politics Today’, a programme on Channels Television.

He also said that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is technically no more, adding that it is dead.

The former governor equally said that Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, should not be dragged into the woes of the PDP.

He said: “Obi is the only life in ADC; all other people in ADC are semi-existent. If Obi had remained in Labour Party or has gone to Accord Party, he is the only life there. All the other people there, they are not existing. They are old-forces.

“Openly, I supported Tinubu in 2023. I didn’t hide it. Till now I’m still there. I don’t jump. I have said it to you I’m not a member of APC and I will never be.”

DailyPost

Featured

More Troubles for Ahmed Farouk: Dangote Drags Ex-NMDPRA Boss to EFCC over Corruption Claims

Published

2 days ago

January 9, 2026

Eric

The Chairman of Dangote Industries, Aliko Dangote, through his legal representative, has filed a formal corruption petition against the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

This was disclosed in a statement made available to our correspondent by the Dangote Group media team on Friday.

Recall that Dangote had earlier petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to investigate Ahmed for allegedly spending $5 million on his children’s secondary education in Switzerland. He withdrew the petition a few days ago, even as the ICPC vowed to continue with its investigation.

The statement on Friday said Dangote’s petition to the EFCC followed “The withdrawal of the same petition from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, a strategic decision aimed at accelerating the prosecution process.”

In the petition, signed by Lead Counsel Dr O.J. Onoja, Dangote urged the EFCC to investigate allegations of abuse of office and corrupt enrichment against Ahmed, and to prosecute him if found culpable.

The petition further stated that Dangote would provide evidence to substantiate claims of financial misconduct and impunity.

“We make bold to state that the commission is strategically positioned, along with sister agencies, to prosecute financial crimes and corruption-related offences, and upon establishing a prima facie case, the courts do not hesitate to punish offenders. See Lawan v. F.R.N (2024) 12 NWLR (Pt. 1953) 501 and Shema v. F.R.N. (2018) 9 NWLR (Pt.1624) 337,” the petition read.

Onoja further urged the commission, under the leadership of Mr Olanipekun Olukoyede, “To investigate the complaint of abuse of office and corruption against Engr. Farouk Ahmed and to accordingly prosecute him if found wanting.”