By Nick Ibe

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, MACBAN, Benue State chapter, has distanced its members from the attack and killing of innocent people in Otukpo Nobi, Otukpo Local Government Area of the state.

However, residents of the community allege that armed herders carried out the killings.

The attack, which occurred in the early hours of Sunday, reportedly claimed about 16 lives.

Angered by the incident, youths and women stormed Ochidoma’s palace in protest, carrying the corpses of the victims.

However, in its reaction via a statement issued on Monday by the state secretary of MACBAN, Ibrahim Galma, and made available to journalists in Makurdi, the association condemned the attack and the killings.

It urged the public to avoid hasty conclusions and refrain from linking the incident to Fulani herders without a proper investigation by security agencies.

While stating that no Fulani had been living in Otukpo and its environs since last year, Galma alleged that Otukpo Nobi and other neighbouring communities had existing communal disputes.

The statement said: “It is important for the public to note that all Fulani residents in Otukpo and its environs were forcefully evicted from the area sometime last year.

“This included their community leader in Otukpo, Chairman Yenusa, who left the state immediately after all efforts to restore peace in Otukpo failed following that incident.

“Secondly, it has come to our notice that Otukpo-Nobi and other communities in the same area, such as Okete, Amla-Icho, and Otada, already have pending communal clashes.”

The association also said the public should not construe the incident as a reprisal attack over the killing of its chairman, Ardo Risku, a few days earlier:

“Making such conclusions at this stage will only compromise the ongoing investigation being carried out by the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies,” Galma said.

The MACBAN scribe also urged the authorities to monitor discussions on social media, warning that inflammatory comments could heighten tension and undermine peace efforts.

The association prayed for the repose of the souls of the victims and for the restoration of peace in Otukpo and Benue State.

By Seyi Balogun

Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Nigeria’s First Lady, has called on afrobeats superstars Burna Boy, Davido, Asake and others to come to the aid of poor Nigerians.

Mrs Tinubu maintained that Nigeria is blessed with abundant wealthy people and called on them to offer assistance to those in need saying that government can’t do it alone because the burden on the it is huge. In her own words:

“Nigeria is a great country. We have a lot of wealthy people. But our priorities are different. And I think it’s high time we started helping those who need help in the country.

“I want to appeal to our young ones in the entertainment industry. I’ve mentioned it before, and I will use Akon, a music icon who does a lot of great charity work.”

She said this in Lokoja, Kogi State, on Saturday, where she launched the national community food bank. She specifically called out those to come to help the poor:

“The Burna Boys of this world, Asake, all of them, Davido. We want to see you with one foundation or the other, helping the poor with your money.
“Good cars are good; a Maybach is good. Rolls-Royce is good, but you can still help. The burden on the government is huge.

In a clear message of bringing help and hope to the most downtrodden, who struggle to rkk a living, she pleaded:

“You can still help. There are pepper sellers. There are vegetable sellers. There are okra sellers, melon sellers, akara kulikuli. Ankara is delicious. I can tell you that.” She said while appealing that Nigerians should not look down on legitimate means of eking out a living:

“And there was once I read an article about a young graduate who said he didn’t get a job. And he said he sells Zakara because he couldn’t get a job and he’s in Abuja.

“We approached him, but I didn’t put my name to it. We equipped him more. He now has 12 workers working under him, and he’s doing very, very well. So our people should never despise jobs.”

She also contributed to the empowerment programmes in Kogi, by announcing the donation of ₦100,000 to empower 2,000 petty traders in the state.

She commended the beneficiaries for their efforts adding that, “Today in that same spirit, the Renewed Hope Initiative has donated ₦100 million to the First Lady of Kogi State and RHI coordinator to empower another 2,000 petty traders in Kogi State with the sum of ₦50,000 each to recapitalise their existing businesses.

“And I’m glad that the women who are beneficiaries, they got the idea because I saw them bringing their tray of different food items, very small items, to welcome me today, and I think the message is quite received no matter how people want to turn it around.”

–DG alleges threat to life

By Seyi Balogun

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has started looking into the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) scandal while the Nigeria Police Force, on the other hand, is billed to take the matter to court today over forgery and impersonation.

But the man at the centre of the allegations, Adeniyi Adeyemi, has no confidence in the probe. Instead, he has asked President Bola Tinubu to set up a separate, independent panel to probe the matter.

In an open letter dated July 13, Adeyemi welcomed the directive as a positive move but argued that it fell short of a fair and credible process, since the ICPC answers to the same arm of government implicated in the allegations.

He partly welcomed it saying: “I commend your recent directive tasking the ICPC with investigating the circumstances surrounding the PFIPC scandal and N1.3bn allocation inserted into the 2026 Appropriation Bill.

“This directive is a vital first step, but the structural realities of this investigation compel me to speak out of a profound desire for absolute transparency.”

He claimed that the existing framework would not provide him with a fair hearing.
“Under the current framework, obtaining a truly impartial hearing presents severe structural challenges.

“The public narrative emanating from official channels remains heavily weighted toward my immediate arrest, effectively overshadowing the gravity of the systemic vulnerabilities and high-level involvement I have brought to light.”

He justified his fears with the claim that:

“My concerns are deeply validated by the highly alarming events surrounding Mr Dolapo Babatunde Tanimola, a central intermediary in this matter.

“Official reports claim Tanimola tragically died in a sudden fire incident at Kachi Hotel in Utako, Abuja.

“Yet, there remains a total absence of independent eyewitness or media verification of any such inferno. More disturbingly, under highly unclear circumstances and without the official involvement of any federal capital regulatory agency, the entire Kachi Hotel structure was swiftly invaded by unidentified armed actors and manually demolished down to the rubble days later, effectively erasing a vital physical crime scene and erasing material evidence.”

For transparency, in his view, Adeyemi urged the President to establish an independent panel comprising representatives of civil society organisations, the Nigerian Bar Association, independent media organisations, international financial institutions, diplomatic missions, human rights groups, as well as the ICPC and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as technical partners.

He promised that he present himself once bodies such as Amnesty International, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations, the African Union, ECOWAS, the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom are part of the panel.

Meanwhile, the police are set to arraign Adeyemi today before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025.

On the other hand, ICPC spokesman, John Odey, confirmed on Monday that the commission had taken up the case and was capable of handling it alone or in partnership with other agencies.

“The matter has been given to us. We are working on it. The capacity of the ICPC to work on its own or in collaboration with other agencies has never been in doubt