By Yemi Oyeyemi
A mournful and angry Ebonyi State Governor, Mr. Francis Nwifuru, has expressed disappointment that none of those who slaughtered Ebonyi indigenes in Anambra State.
He spoke as the Department of State Services (DSS) filed terrorism and firearms charges against multiple suspects linked to recent violent attacks in Benue and Plateau States. The attacks left over 40 people dead, many injured, and hundreds displaced.
The DSS on Thursday filed charges at the Federal High Court, Abuja, against nine individuals allegedly connected to the deadly assaults on Yelwata in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State and parts of Plateau. The violence triggered a visit by President Bola Tinubu, who called for peaceful coexistence and urged security agencies to apprehend the perpetrators.
According to the charge sheet marked THC/ABJ/CR/449/2025, the DSS accused Haruna Adamu and Muhammad Abdullahi of Nasarawa State, along with others at large, of carrying out attacks on Abinsi and Yelwata on June 13, 2025. They are charged with conspiring alongside Musa Beniyon, Bako Malowa, Ibrahim Tunga, Asara Ahnadu, Legu Musa, Adamu Yale, Boddi Ayuba, and Pyeure Damina in preparation for committing acts of terrorism — a violation of Sections 12 and 29 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022.
In a separate case (FHC/ABJ/CR/448/2025), Terkende Ashuwa and Amos Alede of Benue State face a three-count charge over alleged reprisal attacks targeting the original suspects. They were accused of attending a meeting that led to terrorist acts, including the destruction of property and the loss of 12 cattle in Ukpam village, Benue State. They allegedly received firearms support, including AK-47s, from one Alhaji Uba, violating Sections 12, 13, and 26 of the Terrorism Act.
Another suspect, Halima Haliru Umar (32), from Katsina State, was charged with transporting 302 rounds of AK-47 ammunition to bandits and concealing information about Alhaji Sani, a suspected arms dealer and kidnapper. Her four-count charge includes breaches of Sections 6 and 13 of the Terrorism Act.
Two elderly men — Nanbol Tali (75) and Timnan Manjo — face four counts for allegedly trafficking in unlicensed firearms. They reportedly bought and sold two locally fabricated AK-47 rifles for ₦3 million and three long-range revolvers for resale to bandits, violating the Firearms Act, 2024, Sections 9 and 27.
Danjuma Antu of Jos North LGA, Plateau State, was charged with five counts related to the unlawful possession of pistols capable of discharging 9mm ammunition, also under the Firearms Act.
Silas Iduh Oloche of Agatu LGA, Benue State, was hit with six counts for illegal possession of 18 firearms (grenades) and 683 live rounds of 7.62mm ammunition. His actions, the DSS said, contravene Sections 3 and 8 of the Firearms Act, punishable under Section 27.
No date has yet been fixed for the trial of the suspects.
Ebonyi State Bids Farewell to Ogboji Massacre Victims
Meanwhile, in a tragic parallel event, Ebonyi State on Thursday held a solemn state burial for eleven of its indigenes brutally murdered in Ogboji, Orumba South LGA of Anambra State on May 30, 2025.
The victims — Ikechukwu Nwafor, Ebenezer Nwigbo, Uche Alegu, Monday Ofoke, Chidera Utobo, Akam Okechukwu, Sunday Offim, Sunday Ugada, Clement Ofoke, Chidera Nwogbala, and Sunday Nweke — hailed from Izzi, Ikwo, and Ezza North LGAs of Ebonyi. They were attending a meeting of Ebonyi indigenes in Ogboji when gunmen attacked, killing eleven and injuring six others.
A state funeral was held at Unity Square, Abakaliki, with emotional scenes as families and officials gathered to mourn. In his sermon, Rev. Fr. Joseph Orji condemned the killings as “barbaric and unprovoked,” stating the tragedy was unprecedented in Ebonyi’s history. He praised Governor Francis Nwifuru for giving the victims a dignified farewell.
Governor Nwifuru, visibly emotional, decried the continued killings of Ebonyi people in Anambra State. He criticized the Orumba South LGA chairman for an “unfounded and provocative” claim that the attack was an internal Ebonyi dispute, insisting preliminary investigations pointed otherwise.
“No one has been arrested to date. It is unacceptable,” the Governor said.
He announced ₦10 million support for the children of one victim whose wife also died post-attack, and ₦5 million each for the families of the remaining ten, totaling ₦60 million. He urged the families to invest the funds wisely and warned against returning to Anambra State for safety reasons.
