From Jude Dangwam, Jos

Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has visited Bin Mper Community in Kombun District of Mangu Local Government Area following the deadly attack on the community which claimed several lives and left others injured.

Mutfwang expressed deep sympathy with the affected families and described the attack as not only on the communities but a direct affront on him.

Addressing members of the community during the visit, particularly women, the governor said the killing of innocent residents was unacceptable and reassured his administration’s resolve to protect lives and property across the state while urging security agencies to do more.

“This is not an attack on the community alone; it is an attack on me. I pray that God will grant you peace and comfort. The police have said that some persons have been arrested, and we will follow the matter to its logical conclusion.

“We will do everything within our powers to ensure that you remain on your land. Nobody will take over your land,” he said.

Mutfwang assured the community that his administration would strengthen existing security measures and adopt additional strategies to prevent further attacks on vulnerable communities,” he stated

Mutfwang said the incident occurred at a time when the state government had reviewed its security architecture in collaboration with security agencies, including the new General Officer Commanding (GOC), 3 Division, Nigerian Army, and other relevant authorities.

Mutfwang stressed the need for proactive, intelligence-driven and coordinated security operations to prevent attacks before they occur, rather than relying solely on responses after incidents.

He condoled with the families of those killed and prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured, assuring the community that the government would continue to stand with them during their period of grief.

Mutfwang also commended Plateau youths for their courage, resilience and continued support for efforts to protect their communities, urging them to remain peaceful, vigilant and law-abiding. He emphasised that tackling insecurity requires sustained collaboration among communities, traditional institutions, government and security agencies.

The governor expressed confidence that through collective resolve and sustained security operations, the state would overcome banditry, terrorism and other criminal activities threatening its peace.

Mutfwang received a security briefing from the GOC, 3 Division, Nigerian Army, during which he called for enhanced intelligence gathering and coordinated operations to protect vulnerable communities.

The governor subsequently paid a sympathy visit to the Mishkagham Mwaghavul, His Royal Highness Da. John Putmang Hirse, where he condoled with the bereaved families and the entire Mwaghavul Nation over the attack.

He assured the traditional ruler that his administration remained committed to defeating banditry and other forms of criminality in the state.

The Royal Father, Da. Putmang Hirse expressed gratitude to the governor for identifying with the people at a difficult moment and described the attack as deliberate and provocative.

“This is something we least expected, people were asleep when they were massacred. Mangu is one of the most peaceful Local Government Areas. We live peacefully with our neighbours and accommodate visitors, yet we were attacked,” he angrily said.

The traditional ruler assured that the Mwaghavul people would remain resilient and law-abiding, stressing that the attack would not force them to abandon their ancestral lands or undermine their commitment to peaceful coexistence.

The President of the Mwaghavul Development Association (MDA) Women’s Wing, Grace Joseph Gora, expressed sympathy with the bereaved families and appealed to women in the community to remain calm and support government and security agencies in efforts to restore peace.

From Attah Ede, Makurdi

Medical lecturers at the College of Health Sciences, Moses Orshio Adasu University, Makurdi (MOAUM), and Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) Makurdi, have embarked upon indefinite and comprehensive strike over unpaid salary and promotion arrears.

The lecturers, under the Nigerian Association of Medical and Dental Academics (NAMDA), had earlier engaged in the comprehensive strike on August 10, 2026, after the expiration of ultimatums issued to the university and relevant authorities.

The association in a statement by its chairman, Dr.

Dr. Beega noted that the strike would affect teaching, assessments and examinations for medical and allied health students, as well as the supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate students.

According to him, the association would also refrain from attending official and statutory meetings and participating in other academic activities connected with medical training until their grievances are addressed.

Others are payment of 25 months’ accrued CONMESS arrears, outstanding promotion arrears, remittance of pension deductions to the appropriate Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs), and stoppage of CONMESS-specific allowances being paid to non-medically qualified lecturers on the Consolidated University Academic Salary Structure (CONUASS).

The lecturers urged the management of the College of Health Sciences, the university and the Benue State Government to urgently intervene and resolve the issues, warning that failure to do so could prolong the disruption of medical training and services at the teaching hospital.

By Raphael Atuu, Abuja

The Federal Ministry of Livestock Development has commenced engagement with the British Standards Institution (BSI) on the implementation of a new United Kingdom-funded Grow Job and Trade Standards Programme, aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s quality and standards systems and expanding market access for livestock and livestock products.

The engagement, held in Abuja, marks the commencement of the new programme following the successful completion of a three-year Standards Partnership Programme, also funded by the United Kingdom.

Discussions focused on how the new programme could support the implementation of Nigeria’s National Quality Policy through stronger collaboration with the National Quality Council and other institutions responsible for quality assurance, standards, certification and trade.

Speaking during the engagement, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Livestock Development, Dr. Chinyere Ijeoma Akujobi, emphasised the need for the programme to address critical issues affecting the livestock sector, particularly sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements, export certification, disease control, residue monitoring, laboratory testing and access to international markets.

Dr. Akujobi noted that, for Nigerian livestock and livestock products to compete effectively in the global market, the country must be able to demonstrate that its products consistently meet internationally recognised safety, quality and animal health standards.

She specifically highlighted the need to establish and implement effective residue monitoring plans for livestock products, including honey, eggs, fish and meat. According to her, strengthening domestic testing capacity is essential to provide assurance that Nigerian products are free from harmful substances such as pesticide residues and heavy metals.

The Permanent Secretary also underscored the importance of establishing disease-free zones and compartments to facilitate the export of livestock and animal products, noting that international trading partners require credible evidence that animals and their products satisfy prescribed animal health requirements before granting market access.

Dr. Akujobi further called for stronger coordination among government institutions involved in quality control, certification, inspection and trade.

She stressed the need to improve interoperability among relevant agencies operating at ports, particularly in the verification of certificates, to strengthen border controls and curb rejection of exported products resulting from poor documentation.

She assured the BSI team of the Ministry’s readiness to work closely with the institution to identify priority areas within the livestock sector and ensure that interventions under the new programme are aligned with Nigeria’s current needs and development priorities.

Dr. Akujobi added that efforts to promote livestock exports must take a comprehensive value-chain approach, covering production, processing, storage, transportation, quality assurance, certification and access to domestic and international markets.

The Director, Quality Assurance, Dr. Nurullah, stressed the importance of strengthening quality control and certification systems for livestock and livestock products, particularly those destined for export markets.

He noted that effective collaboration among the Ministry’s technical departments and relevant government agencies would be critical to ensuring that Nigerian livestock products meet applicable national and international standards and gain wider acceptance in global markets.

In his remarks, the Project Manager and Team Lead of the British Standards Institution (BSI), Riccardo Benvenuti, said the BSI team was in Nigeria to formally commence the new UK-funded Grow Job and Trade Standards Programme, building on the achievements of the previous three-year Standards Partnership Programme.

Benvenuti explained that the programme was designed as a collaborative initiative and was not intended to impose predetermined solutions on the Ministry.

He said the BSI approach was to work closely with the Ministry to understand its priorities, identify key challenges and determine areas where the programme could provide practical and sustainable support.

According to him, the objective is to understand what the Ministry seeks to achieve and jointly identify areas in which BSI expertise and technical support can contribute to achieving those goals.

The engagement reaffirmed the commitment of the Federal Ministry of Livestock Development and its development partners to strengthening Nigeria’s livestock standards, improving product quality and safety, and positioning the sector to take greater advantage of national, regional and international trade opportunities.