IN BENUE: IGP vows to apprehend killer herdsmen, deploys 663 policemen

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, Mr Ibrahim Idris, has reiterated the commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to apprehend and prosecute perpetrators of new year killings in Benue.

He arrived Makurdi on Wednesday and held meetings with stakeholders at the new banquet hall, government house, Makurdi.

In attendance were traditional rulers, religious and community leaders, politicians and other group leaders.

Various leaders who spoke at the event lampooned the police boss for his sweeping statement that the crisis in Benue was ‘communal clash’.

The IGP, however, tendered an unreserved apology to the people of the and stated that it was ‘a misconception statement.”

He said that what he meant by that statement was that the killings in Benue State were as a result of a communal clash between farmers and herdsmen.

IG stated that  President Buhari had already ordered him to relocate to the state to ensure the safety of lives and properties of  Benue people and instill confidence again in them.

“I am apologizing for the statement I made during the media briefing in Abuja which was misinterpreted. I didn’t mean to hurt Benue People.  What I meant by my statement was that there is the need for all Nigerians to be united and live together as one family,  but since it is being misinterpreted, I am apologizing on behalf of the force ” the IG stated.

IGP Idris, however, disclosed that 10 mobile police units comprising 663 mobile policemen have been deployed to the state to curtail the ongoing killings in the state.

He promised to do everything humanly possible to ensure that perpetrators of such heinous act are arrested and prosecuted according to the law after a diligent investigation I carried out.

”I have deployed  10 Mobile police operational units comprises of a crack of investigators, cater terrorism unit and my special squad which shall be coordinated by DIG operations, Force Headquarters”, Idris stressed.

While calling on the communities to avail the security operatives with every necessary and relevant intelligence information to help them work better, the Police boss maintained that anything that affects the state negatively as a food basket of the nation will have an adverse effect on the country in terms of food security.

He denied having knowledge of any letter from the speaker of Benue state house of assembly concerning the threats by the factional cattle breeders association, Kauta Houre after the anti-open grazing bill was passed into law.

In a response, Governor Samuel Ortom who disclosed that already 73 corpses were lying in the mortuary ready for mass burial, urged the IGP to adopt new strategies to surmount the killings.

The governor further reaffirmed his earlier call on the Inspector General of Police, other security agencies as well as the Federal government to as a matter of urgency effect the arrest of the leadership of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore for persistently threatened the state and had successfully carried out their earlier plan without any arrest.

Governor Ortom further said that contrary to earlier notice that the victims of the herdsmen attacks would be taken to their respective localities for burial, the victims would now be given mass burial along Mobile barrack in Makurdi after the memorial service.

Some of the stakeholders who spoke during the meeting, charged the IGP to show more commitment to addressing the matter.