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Tag: Benue

  • Troops arrest 9 members of militia group in Benue

    Troops arrest 9 members of militia group in Benue

    Troops of 93 Battalion of the Nigerian Army stationed in Takum, Taraba, have arrested nine members of alleged  sponsored armed militia known as Civilian JTF at Arufu, a boundary town between Taraba and Benue.

    A top military source in Abuja,who confirmed the story to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that at the time of arrest, five of them were armed with AK-45 rifles fully loaded.

    The source said that shortly after their apprehension, a reinforcement of CJTF came to prevent troops from transporting the suspects to the Battalion Headquarters.

    “However, when the soldiers stood their ground the armed militia’s reinforcement withdrew.

    “During the preliminary investigation the arrested  CJTF claimed that the weapons were issued to them by Benue State government through one Alhaji Aliyu Tashaku.

    “The suspects also confirmed that they were 60 in number in their own camp located at Gbeyi, Benue State.

    “However, further investigation revealed that they were more than 1,000 at the camp, while over 700 of them bear arms,” the source said.

    He said that the suspects claimed they were being paid a monthly stipend of N15,000 by the state government.

    According to him,  they also alleged the state is owing them close to five months salary.

    “They further revealed that they were trained by selected  ex-service men assembled from all over  Benue State,” the source added.

    However, in its reaction the state government denied the claim

    “We wish to state categorically that the Benue State Government under Governor Samuel Ortom has not recruited any militia group and armed them since the Governor assumed office,’’ Mr Terver Akase the Chief Press Secretary to Gov Samuel Ortom said on Tuesday in Makurdi.

    .Akase said in a statement that the governor was  widely recognized for his disarmament policy which brought the amnesty programme leading to the recovery of about 700 arms and ammunition with over 800 youths laying down their weapons to embrace the programme across the State.

    “It is also on record that the present administration inherited the State Civilian Joint Task Force from the previous government but later proscribed it. ‘’

    He said following the enactment of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law in the state last year, the government set up Livestock Guards to help in implementation of the law.

    “The Livestock Guards are not armed personnel. Their job is to ensure compliance with the regulation of ranches establishment and prohibition of open grazing of animals in the State.

    “The Benue State Government believes in the use of conventional security agencies to protect the people. Even in the face of renewed killing of innocent people by herdsmen in Logo and Guma Local Government Areas, Governor Ortom did not let the people resort to self help. The Governor acted swiftly to get the approval of President Muhammadu Buhari for the deployment of more troops to troubled parts of the State,’’ Akase said. (NAN)

  • Tor Tiv: President should visit Benue

    Tor Tiv: President should visit Benue

    Paramount ruler of Tiv nation, His Royal Majesty Tor Tiv V  Prof James Ayatse, said yesterday that only the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Benue State can placate the people who are grieving over the death of 71 persons by suspected Fulani herdsmen.

    Speaking to reporters at his temporary palace in Gboko, the headquarters of the Tiv nation, Prof. Ayatse said Benue people voted massively for the president in 2015 and as such,  it was necessary for  him to identify with them at a time like this.

    He described the attacks on his people as barbaric, unsolicited, unjustifiable, planned and coordinated by herdsmen to eliminate the people from their land.

    ”I am expecting that the President will come but if he does not, then that means he is not treating us as friends.

    ‘’Even if he comes and waves at the people and say I feel your pain and sorrow, it will do a lot of good. When he comes himself, his whole being will be here and the impact on the people will be greater than sending representatives,” he said.

    Decked in a mourning regalia, the chairman, he said:  ’’The President is showing  negligence by being too slow in responding to the warnings given by Governor Samuel Ortom of impending attacks by the herdsmen.  I am  not satisfied with the efforts made so far by the Federal Government in deploying troops to stop the attacks as well as the comments made by the Inspector General of Police who described the killings as communal clash’’, Prof. Ayatse added’.

    According to him, there is yet to be a clear understanding of the reason for the killings.

    “We feel very unhappy that it is happening to us as citizens of Nigeria. We sacrificed for the unity of this country.  There is no household that you go to in Tiv land that you will not find a soldier who fought for this country.  The killings have continued even as I talk with you.

    ”The Federal government has made some efforts but I am not satisfied with the efforts. For the IGP to describe it as communal clash is not fair. We do not share border with Fulani so why would anyone say that it is a communal clash.

    “Anarchy and impunity have taken over our country.  I hope with the coming of the Inspector General of Police, we will see more seriousness. We will see their action and the kind of mandate they have. If they(hersdsmen) stop killing my people,  then I will know the Federal Government is serious”, Prof. Ayatse lamented.

    Commenting on the proposed establishment of cattle colonies by the Federal Government, he said the practice is alien especially to an area where the people are not cattle rearers.

    ”I do not know if it is a Federal Government law which should be domesticated in the states.  I do not know the import of the pronouncement. I have not been briefed adequately on it”.

    The paramount ruler explained that the Council of Northern Traditional Rulers had set up a committee on the crisis.

  • Special Forces on standby for Benue, says Buratai

    Special Forces on standby for Benue, says Buratai

    Special Forces are ready for deployment in Benue and other flash points across the country, Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai stated this yesterday.

    He spoke during the distribution of farm implements by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Chief Audu Ogbeh, at the military ranch in Giri, Abuja.

    Gen. Buratai said: “We are asking our Special Forces Brigade to ensure that they are deployed across the county at short notice to ensure they stem the menace between herdsmen and farmers.

    “We are ready to deployed properly across Benue, Taraba, Nasarawa States within that axis where we have such conflicts .”

    He said the Giri military ranch which currently has over 1, 000 cattle is one of many sites across army formations in the country.

    Gen. Buratai said the army had secured about 436 hectares of land in Nasarawa state for agricultural purpose adding that once the nation is able to achieve food security, other forms of criminal activities including insurgency would be drastically reduced.

    The COAS, who said the idea to start ranches in the military developed when he went on a study course in Bangladesh noted that soldiers across the nation’s barracks, now engage in various forms of agricultural activities including poultry and horticulture.

    He said agriculture would increase welfare of the military; provide job opportunities for the troops and youth in barracks.

    “The Barrack Investment Initiative Programme is my brainchild. It was introduced to cultivate the culture of investment in the agricultural value chain by officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army and their families. The programme has produced positive results among the barracks.

    “Every barrack in Nigeria specializes in one or more types of livestock breeding and farming. Areas such as ranching, fisheries, poultry production for eggs and meat, green houses as well as plantations are being successfully practiced in most barracks in the Nigerian army.

    “The NA ranch, now called NA Farms will harness all the potentials of the Nigerian army’s drive towards a successful agricultural venturing including its value-chain. The NA recently acquired a 436 hectares of land in Nasarawa state to serve as its pilot project,” Buratai added.

    Ogbeh assured the Army of his support adding that the ministry would drill through a rig, 400 metres down to provide good water for the ranch and plant economic trees.

    The minister said:  “One of the reasons that we have some of the lowest production of milk in the world is that our cows simply don’t drink enough water. I was on a farm in Holland early last year and the rancher told me that his bulls drink close to 100liters of water daily in the summer.”

    “Isn’t it surprising that it is the Nigerian army that is showing us this? How many people out there will believe that yesterday i said this is the way forward? and here we are hearing that apart from this place the army has another one thousand cattle here and there.

    “General I am proud of you and the Nigerian soldiers, because the revolution is going on and it is in the sector of agriculture. For nearly 40 years we forgot the farms.”

  • It’s unfair to say Buhari condoning killer herdsmen – Presidency

    It’s unfair to say Buhari condoning killer herdsmen – Presidency

    The Presidency says it is unfair for anyone to say President Mohammodu Buhari is condoning the killings by Fulani Herdsmen in Benue and other neighboring States.

    President Buhari has been accused of keeping silent and not intervening in killings allegedly carried out by fulani herdsmen in some states across the country.

    The President on Tuesday in a statement by Garba Sheu, his senior special assistant to the president on media said he is conscious of his duty to Nigerians, not least because he is held accountable for everything that goes wrong.

    He said Buhari deeply sympathizes with all victims of the violence and is determined to bring it to a permanent end.

     

    “President Muhammadu Buhari has been concerned about these conflicts each time he received those very gruesome pictures of mayhem from several parts of the country, especially as it affected Benue and neighbouring states. He is equally worried about some public pronouncements and finger-pointing that are, in most cases very unhelpful to peaceful coexistence of our diverse peoples”.

    “The President is conscious of his duty to Nigerians, not least because he is held accountable for everything that goes wrong. He deeply sympathizes with the families and all the other direct and indirect victims of this violence. He is determined to bring it to a permanent end”.

    “While there are many Nigerians who see the conflict between the nomadic herdsmen and peasant farmers as an ethnic problem, others point to religious differences and agenda. The President does not subscribe to such simplistic reductionism”.

    “President Buhari holds the view, as do many experts, that these conflicts are more often than not, as a result of major demographic changes in Nigeria. When Nigeria attained independence, the population of the country was estimated at about 63,000,000. Today the population is estimated at close to 200,000,000; while the land size has not changed and will not change. Urban sprawl and development have simply reduced land area both for peasant farming and cattle grazing”.

    “It is therefore both unfair and unkind, for anyone to keep insinuating that the President is condoning the spate of killings in Benue and other neighboring States”.

    “President Buhari has publicly condemned the violence at every turn. He is prepared to permit every possible step that can lead to the stoppage of the killings. It is on account of this he brushed aside an opinion that the federal government should challenge the constitutionality of the anti-open grazing bill. He wanted to give a chance to the State government to succeed in stopping the senseless killings”.

    “The killings must stop and the security agencies have the President’s support to do this as quickly as possible”.

    “Whipping up hate may captivate the public and score political points on social media, but it will not bring an end to the crisis. Let every stakeholder instead sit down with the government and security forces and carry everyone along in finding an all-embracing solution”.

    “As a father, a military General and a statesman, President Buhari has maintained lasting relationships with Nigerians, Muslims and Christians among every ethnic group. It is also a known fact that the young people who trek the whole distance of thousands of kilometers tending the cattle do not own the cattle. In fact many of the cattle are not owned by Fulanis or Muslims. The point is that it is too simplistic to see the conflict as ethnic or religious”.

  • Humanitarian crisis as 40,000 are displaced in Benue after attacks

    Humanitarian crisis as 40,000 are displaced in Benue after attacks

    A major humanitarian crisis has hit the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps created to accommodate Benue indigenes fleeing the herdsmen attacks which about 71 persons have died.

    No fewer than 40,000 people are in overcrowded camps which lack the basic things.

    The state has declared  three-day mourning for the victims during which flags will fly at half mast. Thursday will be work-free. Offices will close at 1pm today and tomorrow.

    The period will be rounded off with the mass burial of 71 bodies on Thursday.

    Governor Samuel Ortom, who declared the mourning period because of the killings in Logo and Guma Local Government Areas, said the mourning period will be from today till Thursday.

    A church service for the victims at the IBB Square in Makurdi will precede the mass burial.

    Guma Local Government Chairman Mr Anthony Shawon recalled that the herders invaded Saav, Mbadyen and Uvir villages on Jan.1 and retreated to the forest of Dogon Yashi, stretching from Guma to Logo on the banks of River Benue, covering over 57 kilometres..

    Shawon, who lamented the destruction of crops, farms and homes by the invaders, said survivors had left their ancestral homes and were looking for shelter in nearby towns.

    He said the state government had approved the setting up of camps for the displaced persons but regretted that the few already established were overcrowded by the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    “The camps at Guma and Gbajimba are overcrowded, but the Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) is already handling the situation because, as a local government, the scale is beyond us.”

    He regretted that the invaders, who were hiding in the Dogon Yashi forest, were still attacking villages, burning down houses and destroying crops.

    Shawon said the attackers were still destroying crops kept in farms such as soya beans, yams, guinea corn and rice.

    “They are openly grazing on farms after which they set them on fire,” he alleged.

    The chairman praised soldiers for their quick intervention in the crisis.

    He appealed to the army to enter into the forest and dislodge the herders there.

    He accused the Kabawa community in Guma of ferrying food to herdsmen in the forest in exchange for cattle.

    Shawon, however, disclosed that the Kabawa people who carried food to the herders had been arrested by the police in Abinsi.

    He regretted that the herdsmen were still grazing in defiance of the anti-open grazing law, on an open stretch of land from Mbagwen to Lokobi in the local government area.

    Executive Secretary of State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) Mr. Emmanuel Shior said over 40,000 displaced persons were in various camps.

    Victims in Mbadyem and Uvir, Guma Local Government area are camped in Daudu town with over 900 displaced persons.

    Another camp is located in Ayilamo for those affected in Mbaya, Mbaiwen and Mbazaar communities in Logo local Government Area .

    The third camp is in Gbajima, headquarters of Guma Local Government Area.

    He said SEMA is overwhelmed with the number displaced persons and appealed for donation of relief materials.

    At the LGEA Primary School camp, most of the displaced persons, among them women and children, are sleeping on bare classroom floor in harmattan.The children look weak and hungry probably due of lack of proper feeding

    Women launched a protest in Makurdi against the killings.

    Dr. Eunice Ortom, the governor’s wife, who described the killings as “unjustifiable”, wept.

    The governor himself wept at the Benue State University morgue when he saw the bodies.

    “It is unfortunate. The enemy has seen us a people to waste,” Mrs Ortom said.

    Mrs. Ortom who told the women that the governor would not betray their trust and support, assured them that the administration would spare no effort to end the killings.

    She also cautioned the people against playing politics with the issue. They should be vigilant and focused, Mrs Ortom said.

    To Mrs. Elizabeth Shuluwa, who led the protesters, the killings are genocidal. She urged President Muhammadu Buhari to act fast.

    Benue Women Convener Mrs. Rebecca Apedzan expressed disappointment at Minster of Interior Abdulrahman Dambazzau’s description of the killers as “criminals” instead of “Fulani herdsmen”.

    She also bemoaned the comment by the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, that the situation in Benue State is a communal crisis. She said the Fulani herdsmen are terrorists and the Federal Government should declare them as such.

    The women who carried placards with various inscriptions, such as “President, speak to them in Fulani”, “On ranching, Benue stands”, “Nigerians say no to the proposed Grazing Reserve Bill, marched on the Government house where the governor’s wife addressed them.

  • Benue Attack: Humanitarian crises overwhelm Guma LGA

    Benue Attack: Humanitarian crises overwhelm Guma LGA

    The Chairman, Guma Local Government Area, Mr Anthony Shawon, said the invasion of some villages in the council area has left a huge humanitarian and environmental crises that needed urgent intervention.

    Shawon said on Monday in Makurdi that the herders, who invaded Saav, Mbadyen and Uvir villages on January 1, had retreated to the forest of Dogon Yashi, stretching from Guma to Logo on the banks of river Benue, covering over 57km long.

    Shawon, who lamented the destruction of crops, farms and houses by the invaders, said survivors of the invasion had left their ancestral homes and were looking for shelter in nearby towns.

    He said the state government had approved the setting up of camps for the displaced persons but regretted that the few already established were overcrowded by the Internally Displaced Persons ( IDPs ).

    Read also: Support Open Grazing Prohibition law, Benue Reps beg Buhari

    “The camps at Guma and Gbajimba are overcrowded, but the Benue State Emergency Management Agency ( SEMA ) is already handling the situation because as a local government, the scale is beyond us.”

    He regretted that the invaders, who were hiding in the Dogon Yashi forest, were still attacking villages, burning down houses and destroying crops.

    Shawon said the attackers were still destroying crops kept in farms such as soya beans, yams, guinea corn and rice.

    “They are openly grazing on farms after which they set them on fire,” he alleged.

    The chairman, however, commended the men of the Nigerian Army for their quick intervention in quelling the crisis.

    He appealed to the army to enter into the forest and dislodge the herders there.

    He accused the Kabawa community in Guma of ferrying food to herdsmen in the forest in exchange for cattle.

    Shawon, however, disclosed that the Kabawa people who carried food to the herders had been arrested by the police in Abinsi.

    He, however, regretted that the herdsmen were still carrying out open grazing in spite of the anti open grazing law on an open stretch of land from Mbagwen to Lokobi in the Local Government Area.

    According to him, that place is still open for invasion as the herdsmen are still doing open grazing there.

    Meanwhile, Gov. Samuel Ortom has set aside Thursday, January 11 for the mass burial of the 71 victims of the invasion while Tuesday and Wednesday had been declared days of mourning.

    The flag will fly at half mast while government offices will close at 1 p.m.

    NAN

  • Benue lawmaker to FG: treat violent herdsmen as terrorists

    Benue lawmaker to FG: treat violent herdsmen as terrorists

    A member representing Logo State Constituency in Benue House of Assembly, Hon. Terna-Kester Kyenge, on Saturday urged the Federal Government to declare violent Fulani herdsmen as terrorists and also treat them as such.

    His appeal was contained in a statement that he issued to The Nation in Abuja, demanding the State and Federal Government to declare a two-day of national mourning of the victims that the Fulani herdsmen allegedly massacred in the state.

    He asked the President Muhammadu Buhari to deploy sufficient security personnel in the effected areas to forestall any re-occurrence of the onslaught and make the perpetrators to face the law. 

    His words: “We are in deed in a State of Emergency and I demand that the Benue State and Federal governments declare 2 days of national mourning and move decisively and with utmost dispatch as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari to deploy sufficient security personnel in the effected areas to forestall any repeat of these attacks and for once arrest and bring perpetrators to justice.

    “We also demand that the Federal Government declare Fulani herdsmen perpetrating violence against farmers across the country as terrorists and treat them as such.”

    Kyenge titled his dirge and tears invoking statement : “May the blood and tears of victims of suspected herdsmen attack in Benue not flow in vain.”

    According to him, like the killers, his massacred people and all humans have the right to live. 

    Calling on the global community to help guarantee the lives of his people, the lawmaker pointed out that their right to live is guaranteed under the Nigerian law and universal charter of human rights.

    He insisted that “We will from this day not hold our peace and die in silence any longer, but will tell to the whole world our agony and the terror visited on us by a force propelled solely towards our destruction.

    “Reason and justice may not appeal to the herdsmen hacking our people to death with such wanton abandon, but we will cry out to the world and show our wounds for all to see. Then, perhaps, then will the blood of our fallen loved ones and our tears not flow in vain.”

    He said that as a representative of his people he appreciates that every single death diminishes them collectively.

    He added that “I am impoverished and have never felt this damned and unsettled as continuously hapless constituents are hounded, villages razed and ancestral farm lands sacked while government gropes endlessly for solutions.”

    The statement reads in part: “From Tse Akenawe, to Tse Verinumbe, to Tse Orveren, to Jootar, to Tyogbenda Anyiin communities in Gambe-Tiev, Logo to Tomatar near Tse Abi, Nongov in Guma Local Government Areas, it has been sustained attacks and killings as the statistics swell with daily harvest of tons of corpses from surrounding environs. 

    “These settlements have been reduced to ghost habitations with huge numbers of displaced old, women and children trekking aimlessly with neither food, water nor shelter. 

    “This is in deed one invasion too many, and the deafening silence hovering over it from the top must be broken now and for good.

    “Once again, as I commiserate with HE Samuel Ortom and the government and peace loving people of Benue State and particularly helpless Logo State Constituents in our season of collective grief and great loss, I pledge on my oath that I will not relent in my resolve to fight to get justice for my constituents. I will continue to collaborate with agencies and actors of government to bring lasting peace and succor to my people.”

  • Outrage spreads over Benue, Rivers, Kaduna killings

    Outrage spreads over Benue, Rivers, Kaduna killings

    Individuals and groups yesterday condemned the mindless killings that have taken place around the country since the eve of the New Year.

    No fewer than 17 people were killed in Omoku and three other communities in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area Rivers State in the wee hours of January 1 as gunmen opened fire on innocent people in the communities.

    The Rivers incident occurred almost simultaneously as an attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen on residents of Guma and Logo local government areas of Benue State in which about 20 people were shot dead.

    The traditional ruler of Numana chiefdom in Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State and his wife were similarly shot dead by suspected herdsmen on New Year’s day.

    In separate reactions to the incidents yesterday, a former Minister of Science and Technology and pioneer Commandant of the Nigerian Army War College, Gen. Sam Momah; retired Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav and a retired army officer, Ayuba Mallo all condemned the killings.

    So also did the Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie; the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Northern youths, Middle Belt youths and a Niger Delta leader, among others.

    In his reaction yesterday, Gen. Momah called on the federal government to carry out an immediate action that will convince the citizenry of their security.

    The government, he said, has to ensure that the culprits are apprehended and brought to justice to act as a deterrent to others.

    He also called on the federal government to put its weight behind the anti-open grazing bill that would ensure that herdsmen are restricted to ranches as against the current situation in which they roam around the country, causing avoidable tension.

    On his part, Retired Army Officer Ayuba Mallo, said it is unfair for herdsmen who are strangers in a particular area where they are grazing their herds to engage their hosts in hostilities. He called for the building of healthier relationship among everyone in the land.

    Tsav believes that the country is a serious situation where killings are carried out on children and pregnant women.

    “It is an appalling development,” he said. “And if we say that we should arm our people for retaliation, it will get out of hand and perhaps snowball into a full blown war.

    “So I suggest that the government sets up a commission of enquiry to unravel why the herdsmen that are killing people all over the place and thereafter ensure that the findings are implemented and the culprits are brought to justice to make way for a deterrent.”

    ACF Chair, Coomassie, Northern youths condemn Benue, Kaduna killings

    It’s unfortunate bloodletting—Coomassie

    Coomassie, the mouth piece of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents yesterday, described the bloodletting that is going on in different parts of the as “unfortunate”.

    He however asked the parties involved in the crises to sheath their swords and bring forward their grievances in the interest of peace and development of the states and the region.

    According to Coomassie, “the situation is extremely unfortunate and something must be done to address it. We in the ACF are particularly worried about the killings in Benue, which has persisted.

    “I have spoken to a very important member of the ACF, Senator (Joseph) Waku, who is there, to study the situation and come back to brief us, so that we see how we can come in.

    “Tribal clashes are not good for us in the north. We need peace and unity, which will propel our development. If we don’t have peace, we cannot be united, and if there is no unity, our governors cannot provide the desired development in their various states.

    “I urge the warring parties to in the interest of peace, unity, development and sacredness of every life, sheath their swords and present their grievances before the authorities.”

    The umbrella organisation of all youths in the north, the Arewa Youth Forum (AYF), expressed worries about the Kaduna and Benue killings, saying that they were mindless.

    National President of the forum, Gambo Gujungu, said: “AYF is worried about the mindless killings all over the country, especially those in Benue, Kaduna, Kwara and Rivers. Also that this carnage is taking place in the New Year. Our thoughts are with those affected.

    “We are even more amazed this is coming shortly after the extension of the tenure of the service chiefs. As such, it calls for serious concern.

    “Is this the good work that the President extended their tenure for?”

    Gujungu said it was time for the service chiefs to justify their continuous stay in office or give way to those that can bring out a security architecture that can protect Nigerians.

    “We expect the President to visit some of the states. And when he came to Kaduna, he should have commiserated with the people or even visit the area,” he said.

     

    Act now, CAN tells FG

    The Federal Government came under fire from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday over the series of attacks by Fulani herdsman on farmers around the country.

    CAN President, Rev. Samson Ayokunle, said the government was not serious about putting an end to the crisis.

    Ayokunle who reacted to the killings by the Fulani herdsman through a statement he issued in Abuja, said government should act decisively before it becomes a national war.

    He said the Buhari government had failed to uphold the constitution which it swore to uphold “because they have failed in protecting Nigerians from the attacks of Fulani Herdsmen in the affected areas.

    “If they continue to allow Fulani herdsmen to be having a field day in killing people like this, is it not the Fulani alone that would remain that they would be governing? God forbid.”

    The statement reads in part: “There is the need for the government to act decisively on the rampaging Fulani herdsmen before it becomes a national war.

    “We in the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) are forced to make this press release on the continuous inhuman and wicked activities of Fulani herdsmen all over the federation who are going from community to community killing innocent farmers with impunity.

    “They have killed more people than the Boko Haram sect and almost displaced more people than them. We are now reaching a breaking point in our patience and toleration of this wicked impunity before degenerating to a civil war.

    “While the government has taken the battle to Boko Haram terrorists, the Indigenous People of Biafra, the Badoo boys, the Niger Delta Avengers and other groups, the government has not shown any serious willingness to checkmate the murderous Fulani Herdsmen. This to us is a betrayal of the confidence reposed in this government by Nigerians when they voted them into power.

    “We need to know why the intelligence units of all security apparatus we have in this country has not been able to discover the sources of supply of ammunition to Fulani herdsmen living virtually in the bush.

    “The Customs and the Immigration services together with the Police have case to answer. Who are the suppliers of these weapons?

    “If the murderous herdsmen are foreigners, as it is being claimed in some quarters, why did we allow dangerous foreigners into our country to come and kill us? Our government has a case to answer too.

    “We are therefore tasking the government of the day; the Executive, the Senate, the House of Representatives and all security agencies to rise up to their responsibilities, and  we equally call on all stake holders in this nation together for a solemn assembly that would address all these things and come out with lasting solution to these senseless attacks.

    “The international community cannot afford to be watching us without lending a voice to our cries to our government to checkmate the murderous Fulani herdsmen who appear not to care about the future of this nation.

    The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) is further appealing to the international community to come to our aid by providing relief for many in the hospitals and those that are displaced as a result of these attacks.

    “We urge all churches to set aside time this coming Sunday, January 7, to pray for Nigeria and for victory over the wicked killings of Fulani Herdsmen.

    Our nation can never be great in a state of insecurity and war as we are presently experiencing it. This government owes the entire Nigerians the responsibility of competent action, not just action by words of mouth.”

    Also, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern States and Abuja condemned the attacks as did Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State who vowed that no amount of intimidation from any quarters would stop the implementation of the law prohibiting open grazing in the state.

    Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State blamed international oil companies for encouraging the culture of violence in the state by giving lucrative contracts to youths who in turn spend the money on the procurement of weapons of terror.

     

    Buhari summons IGP over killings, gives marching order

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday met with the Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris behind closed doors over the nation’s security situation.

    As he did, the police arraigned six suspects at a Chief Magistrate Court 1, Makurdi,for their alleged involvement in the murder of  farmers at Akor village in Guma Local Government area of Benue State.

    IGP Idris, who spoke with State House correspondents after meeting with the President, said: “You know that any time we meet Mr. President, the area of discussion is how to have effective security in the nation.

    On Benue killings, he said: “You know I deployed my DIG there yesterday, and you know we have different stages of police. You have the AIG in Benue, the Commissioner of Police in Benue and all of them are putting their heads together to see how we address this issue of community problems in Benue.”

    Asked why herdsmen killings is escalating in parts of the country, Idris said: “Like I said, you know we have different levels of Police in this country. We have the Commissioner of Police in Benue, the AIG of Police in Benue, and yesterday I deployed my DIG operations there, and definitely we are doing all we can to see that we maintain law and order in all parts of the country.”

    On the belief that Police is being reactionary rather than proactive in respect of the killings, the IG, using Benue as example, said “you know most of these states where you have several languages, you know is an issue of communal misunderstanding.

    “I think what we should be praying for is for Nigerians to learn to live in peace with one another. I think is very important.”

    On the reaction of the President to his briefing and the new measures, he said: “Of course, every time we meet with the President, he gives a charge. He said that we should go and take care and ensure that we tighten our security.

    “There are so many measures. For instance, in Benue, we are going to deploy more units to support the efforts the Police is making in the state to ensure we have adequate protection to the men and communities and members.

    He also assured that the killings won’t repeat itself.

    Asked if the country is under-policed, he said: “I cannot say Nigeria is under-policed. We cannot be overwhelmed.”

  • Benue Killings: Buhari summons I-G, charges him to tighten security

    Benue Killings: Buhari summons I-G, charges him to tighten security

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday summoned the Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris over reported killings in Benue and other communal conflicts in the country and enjoined him to tighten security across the nation.

    Speaking to State House correspondents after the closed door meeting with the President, Idris said he updated the president on the efforts of the police towards ensuring law and order in various communities in the country.

    According to him, it is duty bound on him to regularly brief the president on security developments in the country, saying “currently Nigeria is well secured.’’

    On the recent killings in Benue, the IGP revealed that the police would make additional deployments to the troubled areas to forestall further attacks and restore confidence of the people.

    “You know I deployed my (Deputy Inspector-General) DIG there yesterday and you know we have different stages of police, you have the AIG in Benue, Commissioner of Police in Benue and all of them are putting their heads together to see how we can address this issue of communal problems in Benue,’’ he said.

    He dismissed the assertion that the Nigeria Police was overwhelmed by the current security challenges in the country.

    The police chief said that new measures had been put in place to safeguard lives and property of law abiding citizens.

    Read Also: Three persons killed in attack on Benue village

    Idris, however, stated that Nigerians must learn how to co-habit peacefully to make the work of the police much easier.

    Armed gunmen had on Jan. 2, unleashed violence and mayhem on some rural communities in Benue where about 20 persons were killed.

    President Buhari had on Wednesday condemned the killings, and wanton destruction of property in the affected communities in Guma and Logo Local Government Areas of the state.

    He commiserated with the government and people of Benue over the reported killings.

    The president had also expressed outrage at reports of killings of innocent persons in Omoku, Rivers, and the traditional ruler of Numana, Kaduna State, the Etum Numana, Dr Gambo Makama, and his wife.

    The traditional ruler and his wife were killed in Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State in the New Year.

    NAN

  • Over 40,000 persons displaced in Benue gunmen attack – SEMA

    Over 40,000 persons displaced in Benue gunmen attack – SEMA

    Benue State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) said over 40,000 persons had been displaced following the recent gunmen attack in Guma and Logo Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

    The Executive Secretary of SEMA, Mr Emmanuel Shior told news men in Makurdi on Friday that the agency had opened four camps for the displaced persons in the affected areas.

    Shior disclosed that Gov. Samuel Ortom had been extremely worried over the plight of the people.

    “As we speak over 40,000 persons have so far been displaced as a result of the attacks on our people in Guma and Logo LGAs.

    “Government has decided to open four camps, three in Guma LGA and one in Logo LGA, the camps in Guma LGA are in Daudu, Gbajimba and Agasha, while the camp in Logo LGA is in Ugba,” he said.

    Read Also: 20 killed, 30 injured in Benue by herdsmen 

    Shior said that the state government decided to locate the camps in areas considered safest in the LGAs for security reasons.

    “The camps are in areas that are safe and enough security has being provided for the safety of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    “What we are doing at the moment is to open temporary camps except the one in Daudu that already has existing camp facilities, the others camps are situated in primary schools located in the areas.

    “We do not hope to keep them in the camps for a long time, remember this is January and most of the affected persons are farmers who are still harvesting their crops,” he said.

    Shior said that government was concerned about the security of the people and their communities to enable them to return  back to their homes instead of staying in the camps.

    He assured the IDPs that though they were displaced they were not misplaced as government and his agency would do everything possible to give them minimum comfort.