The Governor of Benue State, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, has directed security agencies to immediately commence coordinated operations to dislodge armed herder terrorist camps identified in forests around Apa, Otukpo, Gwer-West and other parts of the State.

The Governor was reacting through a statement by his chief press secretary, Tersoo Kulas, to the brutal attacks on Edikwu-Ankpali, Ikobi, and Adija in Apa LGA, as well as Upu village in Otukpo LGA which left many dead.

He said the decisive directive is necessitated by the renewed waves of violent attacks on innocent communities, which he described as unacceptable and increasingly hydra-headed.

He noted that these criminal elements have exploited forested areas as operational bases to launch attacks, and must be flushed out without delay.

Governor Alia reaffirmed that the protection of lives and property remains the foremost responsibility of his administration. He has therefore mandated a sustained, intelligence-driven security crackdown aimed at neutralizing all threats and restoring confidence among citizens, particularly in the affected local government areas.

The Governor also assured residents that the State Government is working in close synergy with federal security agencies and will not relent until lasting peace is achieved.

He urged the people to remain vigilant, cooperate with security operatives, and continue to provide credible information that will aid ongoing operations.

While commiserating with families who have lost loved ones in the recent attacks, Governor Alia reiterated his administration’s resolve to confront criminality head-on and ensure that Benue State is safe for all.

The immediate past first lady in Oyo State, Mrs Florence Ajimobi has denied her involvement in the planned removal of the current governor of the state, Seyi Makinde.

Ajimobi described the allegations as baseless and untrue.

It was gathered that a speculation emerged in the early hours of Tuesday alleging that Florence held a meeting with the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Adebowale Ogundoyin over plans to remove the governor.

But, Ajimobi in a statement issued by her media office, dismissed the rumour.

She described the rumour as an attempt to tarnish her image.

She said the activities of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, does not concern her.

She added that any attempt to link her to the impeachment rumor is a calculated move to malign her reputation.

Ajimobi in the statement on Tuesday said “Activities of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Oyo State are of no concern to me.

“Linking me to such a plot could only be borne out of mischief and deliberate reverse propaganda to malign my reputation”.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio claims that “people are sponsoring” insecurity in Nigeria as the 2027 general elections inch closer.

Akpabio said this at the commissioning of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRC) headquarters in Abuja.

“You are seeing insecurity today; it’s even increasing because the election is coming. As soon as the election is over, watch out for the first two weeks; you won’t hear any bomb blasts because people are sponsoring to distract,” Akpabio said at the event on Tuesday.

The lawmaker praised President Bola Tinubu for his administration’s reforms, saying the Nigerian leader won’t be distracted but will remain focused on governance despite efforts to the contrary.

“They don’t know what else to do; they say this man is too good in many areas; the government is attracted to him because he is taking very good care of the states.

“Initially, it’s less than 18 governors. Today, we have almost 32 governors under his fold out of 36 states,” Senator Akpabio said.

Nigerians will head to the polls in less than one year. The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has 31 governors and enjoys an overwhelming majority in the National Assembly. While the opposition has accused the ruling party of pushing Nigeria towards a one-party state, Akpabio has dismissed their claims.

In his address, Akpabio accused the opposition of failure to put their house in order, faulting the calls for the resignation of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan, over an alleged partisan social media post.

“So where do we belong? How do you win elections when you don’t know how to structure? No political party today is stable in this country.

“Then they change and say, ‘Let us attack the people going to do the election,’ and they bring out a tweet saying the chairman of INEC said, ‘Victory is Sure’. But he didn’t say victory is sure for APC or PDP, and the man said, ‘It’s manipulated.”

“But for me, whether manipulated or not, he said, victory is sure. He was not the chairman of INEC then. Anybody can support whoever he wishes to, but when you are in a seat, you have to think of the entire country and its populace,” he added.