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Benue rival militia groups clash, 40 feared dead.

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The Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, was thrown into mourning on Tuesday and no fewer than 40 people were feared dead during a clash between rival militia groups.

Although most of the casualties were said to be members of the militia groups, a family of seven and some farmers were feared killed during the crossfire..

 

 

One of the terrorist gang leaders was said to have hired the service of external bandits, invaded Gbagir community in Ukum LG and engaged in a fight to oust another militia gang leader in the area.

 

 

It was gathered that most of the dead were members of the rival militia gangs while about 12 farmers were caught in the crossfire which also left over 30 persons injured and many others declared missing.

 

A traditional ruler in the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of becoming a target, said the bloody fight started on Tuesday morning after a militia leader in Ukum LGA kidnapped another militia leader from neighbouring Chinkai community in Wukari LGA of Taraba State.

 

 

He said, “After kidnapping them, he asked for N100 million ransom but he was given N5 million. After collecting the money, he killed the hostages.

“The murder of the hostages sparked outrage among his gang members in Taraba State. This happened over the weekend.

“What followed was that another militia gang leader in Ukum now went and joined forces with the Fulani militia gang in Taraba to help them eliminate the rival gang in Ukum that killed their leader.

 

 

“The essence was to enable him to be the head of the militia in Ukum. The combined forces of Fulani and Tiv militia gangs started moving into the bushes of Gbagir in their hundreds on Sunday to sack the gang that killed the leader and on Tuesday morning, the bloody fight ensued.

 

 

“From what we gathered, over 40 persons who were mainly bandits have been killed, though we have a record of about 12 farmers who were caught in the crossfire. Over 30 others were injured while some are also missing.

 

 

“Sadly, caught in the crossfire was a family of seven in Tse Adzandeh Mbasaa, Mbajiga, Ityuluv, Torov. They were all members of the Adzandeh family.”

The lawmaker representing Ukum State Constituency in the House of Assembly, Nyiyongo Ezra, who could not give details of the crisis said about 20 people were killed.

 

 

He said, “For now, I cannot tell you the cause of the attack but the information I heard was that about 20 people were killed.”

 

 

Efforts to get the Force Commander of Operation Whirl Stroke, Major General Sunday Igbinomwanhia, were not successful but a military source told journalists in Makurdi on Wednesday that some of the attacks in that part of the state were the handwork of local militiamen.

 

He said, “These are militia men killing themselves. Yes, we acknowledge that probably one or two people may have been caught in the crossfire, but the majority of the people that were killed are members of the militia gangs in the area.”

 

 

The military source who declined to comment on the number of casualties said, “Currently, we are in Kwande and are trying to contain the situation in the area and as you can see, calm has been restored to the area. We have been able to flush the herdsmen out of the area and I can assure you that normalcy will be restored.

 

 

“But be that as it may, our troops are in Ukum to ensure that the attack does not affect innocent people.”

 

 

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Adesina, who also declined to give details of the crisis, said more officers have been deployed to the area.

 

 

“So far, we have recovered five corpses but the search for people is ongoing,” he said.

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Transfer: Real Madrid , Cucurella Reach Verbal Agreement 

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Chelsea reliable defender, Marc Cucurella may join Spanish giant, Real Madrid before the end of the current transfer window.if information from transfer journalist, Fabrizio Romano are anything to go by.

 

Romano In a latest transfer update, said Real Madrid has reached verbal agreement to sign Marc Cucurella from Chelsea.

“Verbal agreement in place between all parties, player too — he’s the left back wanted by Mourinho” the update read.

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Hakimi, Vinicius Barred From Speaking Spanish At World Cup

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FIFA has come under scrutiny after several high-profile players, including Achraf Hakimi and Vinicius Junior, were discouraged from speaking Spanish during media engagements at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States.

 

The issue first surfaced ahead of Morocco’s Group C clash with Brazil when a Spanish-speaking journalist attempted to question Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi in Spanish.

Despite Hakimi, who grew up in Madrid and speaks the language fluently, indicating he was comfortable answering in Spanish, event officials reportedly insisted that questions be asked in English.

Hakimi attempted to reassure organizers that language would not be a barrier, but officials maintained that no Spanish translator was available for the session. A compromise was eventually reached, with the reporter asking the question in Spanish while Hakimi responded in English.

The controversy intensified during Brazil’s media session when Vinicius Junior was also interrupted while responding to a question in Spanish.

The Real Madrid forward, who is more comfortable speaking Portuguese or Spanish than English, was reportedly asked by organizers to switch languages.

Rather than continue in Spanish, Vinicius opted to answer in Portuguese before turning his attention back to Brazil’s World Cup preparations.

The incidents sparked widespread debate among journalists and fans, many of whom questioned why Spanish—a language spoken by millions across North America—was effectively restricted at a tournament being hosted largely in the United States.

According to Spanish media outlet El País, FIFA only provides Spanish-language translation services at World Cup press conferences involving Spanish-speaking nations such as Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, and Paraguay.

For all other teams, questions and answers are expected to be conducted either in English or the official language of the participating country.

The policy has generated criticism online, with many supporters arguing that multilingual communication should be encouraged at a global event like the World Cup.

The backlash was particularly strong in Vinicius’ case, as the Brazilian forward appeared visibly uncomfortable being asked to communicate in English.

The controversy overshadowed what was otherwise a highly anticipated encounter between Brazil and Morocco, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

With the issue now drawing international attention, FIFA may face increasing calls to review its media language guidelines as the tournament progresses.

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It’s Illegal’…Falana’s Bombshell Indicts Govs, FG.

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Human rights advocate, Femi Falana, has warned federal and state governments against negotiating with and rewarding terrorists.

 

According to Falana, the practice is illegal.

He stated this while delivering the keynote address at the Amnesty International Second Annual General Meeting in Abuja on June 13, 2026.

Falana claimed it is public knowledge officials of the Federal Government and some State Governments have been holding meetings and negotiating with terrorists and bandits, which has led to thousands of ‘repentant’ criminals being forgiven and given cash gifts of undisclosed sums of money.

Asserting that the “satanic Boko Haram sect and similar bodies have been proscribed” under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, Falana insisted that “their members and allies shall be prosecuted and not pampered and forgiven by the Nigerian State.”

Highlighting the legal consequences, he quoted Section 22 of the Act, stating: “A person who knowingly—(a) arranges, manages, assists in arranging or managing, participates in a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, (b) collects, or provides logistics, equipment, information, articles or facilities for a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, or (c) attends a meeting, which in his knowledge is to support a proscribed entity or to further the objectives of a proscribed entity, commits an offence, and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of at least 20 years.”

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