Metro

CHAIN VS FULL FIRE: Tension As Gang War Rages In Benue, Dozens Killed

Published

2 years ago

November 12, 2023

Benue State has been in the news for the wrong reasons for more than one week after armed gangs took arms against each other in a fight for supremacy in Ukum Local Government Area of the state.

Reports say the fight which started penultimate Thursday and Friday between the ‘Chain’ and ‘Full Fire’ gangs festered all through last weekend, lingering into the week and leaving over 40 persons dead and several others sustaining serious injuries.

The first day of the bloody encounter, it was learnt, recorded at least 22 deaths in Chito and Tyo Akosu communities.

A local source said, “It all started Friday afternoon and it was a fight for supremacy between kingpins of crime in Ukum LGA who are known as Chain and Full Fire gangs with their operational base located in the Council area.

“Both of them are looking for each other’s neck. Full Fire employed the services of a banditry group to help kill the Chain gang who got wind of the plan and laid ambush for them.

“They opened fire and killed all of them. Some persons claimed that 10 persons were killed in the bloody fight while others said they counted 15 bodies.

“But it was a fight for supremacy among gangs and not a communal crisis. In fact, locals ran away because they feared for their lives. They feared that they might be caught in the cross-fire and reprisal despite being innocent.”

It was gathered that after the Chito exchange penultimate Friday evening, a gang of armed penultimate Saturday evening stormed a drinking spot at Tor Akosu village and opened fire on customers at the bar killing seven persons and injuring several others, some of whom later gave up the ghost before receiving medical attention.

The Sunday Vanguard source said, “Though we cannot say for sure that it was an extension of the supremacy fight, we cannot rule it out because that is what it looked like, and we cannot tell who belongs to whatever groups anymore.

“Ukum has become something else, we are all living in fear as we speak because we cannot tell who is who among our local boys.”

And just when the people were yet to come to terms with the outbreak of the bloody fight, three more persons were last Sunday reportedly killed at a gathering as armed men took the fight to Ayati community in the same Council area.

It was gathered that the spillover to Ayati was not envisaged by the people.

“Nobody expected it but information making the round was that the attack was an extension of the fight that started at the weekend in Chito and Tyo Akosu”, a local said.

“The fact is that we cannot tell who is sympathetic to any group and who is not.

“That is why the fight is getting messier and they are killing human beings as if they are animals.”

And while tension continued to mount in Chito, Tyo Akosu and Ayati communities, the bloody exchange last Monday shifted to Ukoosaa-Atam village in Sai, a community about one kilometer from Ayati.

A source in the area who disclosed that the armed men who belonged to one of the rival gangs sneaked into the community, stormed the village and opened fire on passengers on motorbikes and occupants of tricycles killing 10 of them and injuring others.

The source narrated, “The spot where the attack and killings happened on Monday evening was Ukoosaa-Atam which is just about one kilometer from Ayati town headquarters of Borikyo Council Ward of Ukum LGA.

“The armed men, who everyone suspected are part of the ongoing gang fight in Ukum, came on a Bajaj motorcycle to the village and opened fire on passengers of Keke NAPEP and commercial motorcycles, killing 10 persons while others sustained injuries.

“This is one among the several attacks that have been going on in Ukum communities recently and people are now forced to flee their homes for fear of being killed.

“But we must thank God that He has made them to turn their weapons against each other because in doing so we have some respite.

“We pray they continue to kill each other and maybe at the end of the day help us eliminate themselves for peace to reign in our communities. This could be a way of God fighting for us in Sankera comprising Ukum, Logo and Katsina-Ala LGAs where armed men have in the last 10 years reigned with impunity, killing at will and sacking communities for no justifiable reasons.”

Speaking on the security situation in the LGA, the lawmaker representing Ukum State Constituency in State House of Assembly, Mr. Ezra Nyiyongo, who lamented the worsening insecurity in his constituency, said it was time for the state government to step up its strategy to address the situation.

The lawmaker said, “The situation is not too far from what has been happening. We have had that problem well before now. It is just that it has taken different turns and twists but generally we have security challenges.

“You are aware when the serving Commissioner for Information Matthew Aboh was picked. One of our elder statesmen was slso picked and he later died in their hands. So, we have been having these re-occurences. You will hear that today 24 people were killed, other times 11 and it keeps on happening every other day.

“You will sympathize with my people in Ukum and by extension Benue State. We as a government need to step up our strategy. I am particularly pained so much and I believe the government is looking at it critically. At my end, the options I have are limited for now but I think I will meet up with the Executive.

“As a legislator I have reported to my Speaker and we will take it up with the Governor and I believe we will have headway sooner or later.

“I recall that the Governor during our electioneering campaigns promised to do everything to bring peace even if it means bringing the carrot approach to the so-called boys in the bush.

“And I believe that takes time because you have to start planning on where do you take them to and if the Federal Government accepts to forgive them, all is a process which I believe is ongoing. In the interim, I feel pained and sometimes I am ashamed because if it were external aggressors that are attacking us, then you can say there is breakdown of law and order but here we have a situation where same brothers from the same mother and father are pointing guns at each other.

“Who is going to report who? This is the situation I am facing. It is devastating; it is really terrible.”

On his part, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security and Internal Affairs, Joseph Har, who confirmed that the crisis was between rival armed gangs, assured that the state government was taking steps to put an end to it.

He said, “It is gang fight and not a communal crisis, but I can assure you that government is adopting measures include using the carrot and stick approach to ensure that the boys are persuaded to come out of their hiding and embrace peace.”

VANGUARD

Metro

Edo Assembly Declares Okpebholo’s Projects Unprecedented

Published

3 days ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

The Edo State House of Assembly has described projects embarked upon by Governor Monday Okpebholo as unprecedented in the history of Edo State.

Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Atu Osamwonyi, made the assertion when he led members of the legislature on a comprehensive oversight inspection of several ongoing infrastructural projects.

Other lawmakers on the oversight team included Hon. Addeh Isibor, Hon. Yekini Idaiye, and Hon. Ugabi Kingsley.

Hon. Osamwonyi, who spoke during an assessment tour of the Sapele Road Flyover, said the lawmakers were in the field to verify the progress of work and ensure that funds appropriated by the Assembly were being judiciously utilised.

According to him, the flyover represents a milestone for Benin City and reflects the governor’s commitment to infrastructural renewal.

He emphasised that unlike past administrations where funds were approved with no tangible results, the Okpebholo-led government had demonstrated transparency and visible delivery.

“In my entire life in Edo State, this flyover project is the first of its kind. We are here physically, and work is ongoing,” he said.

The Deputy Speaker added that the Assembly had earlier inspected the Ramat Park Flyover on Monday, noting similar levels of progress.

“This is the fifth site we have visited since yesterday. We are impressed with what we have seen so far, and as a House, we will stand by the governor to ensure he finishes strong,” he said.

At Ogheghe, Old Sapele Road and Ekae Road—where a 14-kilometre road and concrete drainage network is underway—Hon. Osamwonyi described the construction efforts as unprecedented, expressing astonishment at the level of work done within a short period.

He insisted that the legislature does not play politics with accountability and would speak the truth at all times.

“If Governor Okpebholo was not doing well, we would say it. But I stand here today to affirm that the funds appropriated are being used judiciously for the benefit of the people.l”, he noted.

He further remarked that despite limited financial resources, the governor had delivered projects many believed were impossible.

The Deputy Speaker recalled that several communities, particularly in Ogheghe, previously suffered from severe road degradation that made access impossible, even for motorcycles.

“But today we are standing here with joy. The governor has brought democracy to Edo in a way the people can feel,” he said.

According to him, contractors handling the projects confirmed that although the initial timeline was two years, work would likely be completed within one year and six months due to the speed of implementation.

“That tells you that Governor Okpebholo is not eating Edo people’s money,” he added.

Hon. Osamwonyi stressed that the Assembly would resist any attempt to derail the governor’s momentum.

“This is the continuity we want in Edo State. Anybody who wants to thwart the governor’s efforts, we will not agree,” he said.

The oversight team also visited the 5.86-kilometre road project linking Amagba and Obagie-N’Ebvuosa, where the engineer handling the project reported that 4.3 kilometres of drainage had already been completed.

Metro

Edo Final-year Student Dies In Sign-out Motorcade Crash

Published

3 days ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

A yet-to-be-identified final-year student of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, has lost his life in a road crash after he and some other students embarked on a motorcade parade to celebrate the completion of their final examinations.

It was learnt on Tuesday from a Facebook user, Inside Edo, that the accident occurred on Monday shortly after the students finished their final examination.

Inside Edo disclosed that the vehicle had attempted to overtake another before losing control and ramming into a truck.

The post read, “A tragic accident has occurred at Ujoelen, close to the primary school, resulting in the death of a newly graduated student of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.

“According to eyewitnesses, the crash happened during an attempted overtaking by one of the vehicles involved.

“The risky manoeuvre reportedly led to a loss of control, causing the fatal incident. Residents who were nearby rushed to the scene, but the victim could not be saved.”

Similarly, the News Agency of Nigeria reported that the students were said to have been driving recklessly before crashing into a stationary truck.

The deceased was said to be part of a convoy made up of fresh graduates of the university.

NAN reported, “He was reportedly part of a convoy of fresh graduates who took to the highway on Monday shortly after their signing-out activities.

“Witnesses said the group drove recklessly and failed to observe basic safety rules during the celebrations.

“The tragedy occurred when the deceased attempted to overtake a moving truck but collided with a stationary vehicle parked along the road.”

Efforts to get the reaction of the Edo State Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Cyril Mathew, proved abortive, as the official number available on the FRSC directory was not reachable at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, NAN reported that Mathew later confirmed the incident, adding that one person died while five others were injured in the crash.

“The students, after writing their last paper, took to the road in a convoy.

“In the process, one of them overtook another vehicle and rammed into a stationary truck,” NAN quoted Mathew as saying.

Metro

One Dies In Oyo Fire, Two Rescued

Published

3 days ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

One person lost her life in a fire incident at Agbaakin Street, behind Testing Ground, Iwo Road, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Monday.

This was contained in a statement by the Chairman of the State Fire Service, Maroof Akinwande, in Ibadan, on Tuesday.

He said the fire resulted from a lighted charcoal cooking pot left unattended, which ignited nearby combustible materials.

Akinwande added that the firefighting operation was successfully carried out with the support of officers of the Federal Fire Service.

“The fire emergency was received at exactly 20:18 hours on Monday, December 8, 2025.

“On getting there, it was two rooms on the upper floor of a private residential building of 12 rooms engulfed by fire.

“One person (female) was recovered, while two persons (males) were rescued alive. The fire also affected only two rooms, and the whole building and other properties worth millions of naira were saved by the officers of the agency.

“The fire incident was a result of a lighted charcoal cooking pot left unattended, which ignited nearby combustible materials. The operation was jointly carried out with the Federal Fire Service, Ibadan Command,” he explained.

In a related development, a fire incident on Tuesday engulfed the Agric Business Development Agency at Total Garden in Ibadan.

A statement by the State Fire Service Chairman, Akinwande, said the agency received a telephone call through Mr Akinyinka reporting that fire had ravaged the place.

“The incident was reported at exactly 09:20hrs on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, through a telephone call by Mr Akinyinka (the General Manager, Oyo State Fire Services Agency) to the office, reporting a fire at the above-stated address.

“The officers, led by ACFS Oyeniyi Taofeek, swiftly mobilised and deployed to the scene. Upon arrival, it was discovered that electrical sparks from a solar inverter control board on the upper floor of the building resulted in the fire.

“The swift response and professional intervention of our officers prevented the situation from escalating into a fire disaster. The use of portable fire extinguishers was employed during the firefighting operation.

“No casualty was recorded, and properties worth millions of naira were saved by the fire service. The fire incident was a result of electrical sparks from the inverter system,” the statement read.

The chairman, therefore, advised the public to always use correct cables and other electrical materials for their installations.