500,000 persons still displaced in Benue due to Fulani herdsmen attack ―Group

No fewer than half a million persons from Benue state are still displaced due to Fulani herdsmen attack on the state in the past three years.

Disclosing this at a press conference in Makurdi on Friday, the spokesman of the pan socio-cultural group in Benue state (comprises of Mdzough U Tiv, Idoma National Forum and Omi Ny’Igede) stated that people of the state were still in search of 500 persons missing as a result of Fulani herdsmen attack.

Ujege who was reacting to the earlier press conference by Miyeitti Allah Kautal Hore briefing held in Abuja earlier in the week noted that the anti-open grazing law was the outcome of the yearnings of the people of the state who desired lasting solution to stop the yearly carnage by the herdsmen.

Ujege who attacked Miyeiti Allah for threatening to attack Benue state over the anti-open grazing law, however, called on federal government to arrest and prosecute the leadership of the splinter group.

“Between 2013 and 2016, the Miyeitti Allah Kautal Hore sponsored herdsmen have carried about 40 major and deadly attacks in 14 of 23 local government areas of Benue state.’

“We paid dearly for the atrocities of the herdsmen with over 2,000 lives of our men, women and children. Till date, over five hundred persons are missing while over half a million youths people were displaced and the future of almost a million youths are truncated”.

“Over 9,000 households were affected by various attacks carried out by the herdsmen while properties worth N95 billion were destroyed in 2014 alone”.

The group dismissed the claim by Kautal Hore that the species of cows in the country were not good for ranching, saying that their claims could not be ‘scientifically or empirical proofs to show why and how their cows cannot be ranched.’

Ujege added that people of the state were prepared and determined to ensure the success of the law, saying that the anti-open grazing law does not restrict the movement of pastoralists.

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