The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, visited Benue State on Monday following a brutal attack by armed assailants last Friday that left dozens dead and displaced hundreds. Accompanied by senior police officials, the IGP ordered the immediate deployment of additional tactical units to restore security.
During his visit, Egbetokun met with Governor Hyacinth Alia and other key stakeholders before returning to Abuja. Benue State has faced relentless violence, often attributed to clashes between farming communities and nomadic herdsmen over land disputes. Recent weeks, however, have seen an escalation, with over 160 confirmed deaths in a wave of attacks by suspected herdsmen.
Responding to the crisis, President Bola Tinubu on Sunday directed security agencies to enforce his earlier orders for lasting peace in Benue.
“The ongoing bloodshed in Benue is deeply distressing. We cannot allow this violence to continue unchecked. Those responsible must be arrested and prosecuted, regardless of their affiliations,” Tinubu stated.
The government’s intervention comes amid growing calls for decisive action to end the cycle of violence in the region.
Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.
Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.
He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.
Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).
He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.
He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.
Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled: Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.
