MEMBERS of Opiatoha K’ Idoma, a socio-cultural organisation in ldomaland, on Sunday, called on people of the state, particularly, Agatu and Apa to be on the watch out and report any strange faces within their locality to security agents.
The group stated that the warning was necessary due to the fact that the two council areas were prone to herdsmen attacks.
In a statement signed by the association secretary, Adoka Adaji while condemning the recent attacks on the state by herdsmen warned against the use of federal government might to suppress the investigation on the mindless killings and attacks on Benue communities by Fulani herdsmen.
The association decried the unconcern attitude of the president who it said was yet to make any strong statement on Benue attacks. The group scribe called for vigilance and intense security patrol especially at the border Local Government Areas to forestall further attacks.
”We want to use this medium to call on the state government to show more commitment to the implementation of the Law against open grazing in the state,” he stated.
The socio-cultural group equally lambasted the conclusion of the IGP, Ibrahim Idris, for saying that the brutal attacks on the people of Benue by suspected Fulani herdsmen are communal clashes, saying that such hasty conclusion may jeopardise investigation into the attack.
In the same vein, the National President, National Union of Benue State Students (NUBESS), Comrade Vera Ladi Akasi lamented that the Benue killings have continued unabatedly while President Muhammad Buhari remains adamant.
She stated that it is sad that students and youths of Benue state have not heard anything from PMB who is their president since the killing started.
Comrade Akasi who spoke to our correspondent in Makurdi at the weekend disclosed that the reason why Benue state students came out en masse to protest the other day, was because Buhari refused to address the ongoing killings in the state.
According to her, ”herdsmen have been killing our mothers, fathers, uncles, brothers and sisters in our own land and nothing is being done. Buhari refused to write to us or give a message to console us. We are angry and decided to come out and occupied the street because we have been displaced from our schools, homes and even prevented from going to markets. Fulani herdsmen have been killings us, destroying our crops, farmlands, foodstuff and our properties in our own land.”
”Benue being the food basket of the nation, will soon become an empty basket of the nation because all these gruesome killings is affecting our productivity and very soon, it will add famine to our state. Buhari is the commander-in-chief of all the security agents of the federal republic of Nigeria and he is expected to deploy all the armed security men to all the affected areas in the state to rescue the situation.”
”They said he (Buhari) wrote a memo to our state governor, we are not interested in his memo because it is all about taking drastic action to curb the situation, not about a memo. Our people are dying on a daily basis. Our governor has enacted a law and the law is not respected. We are not saying that Fulani herdsmen should go, but if they want to stay, they should keep their cow in one place and ranch them. You will see farmers harvest their crops, heaped them in our place, the Fulani herdsmen would go there and use it to feed their cows. This is unfair and unacceptable.”
The students’ leader stated that the students have protested, demonstrated their anger and cried to Mr President to come to their aid, saying should he refused to come, their cry would not stop.
She stressed that so many students have been killed which she can’t give exact figures now since the crisis started.
”Many schools Logo and Guma LGAs have been shut down and we have stopped going to school because if we go, and we are the class, we don’t know what would happen next, they might attack us. I am calling on PMB to act fast and save us from the hands Fulani herders.”
On his part, the National Coordinator of Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative, Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi, said Fulani herdsmen have bitten more than they can chew.
”What happened in Benue is quite alarming, barbaric, heinous and unimaginable,” he stated.
Comrade Ogenyi who sympathized with the government and people of the state appealed to the people remain calm and law-abiding saying, very soon all the international civil society organizations would come to their aid to join hands with them to fight the course.
Furthermore, the leadership of the Committee of Benue Citizens in Nigeria (CBCN), has called for the sacking of Inspector General of Police for demonstrating uncommon hatred on a particular set of people.
The Organisation in a statement signed by its national chairman, Comrade Ajah Paul and made available to our correspondent in Makurdi, said IGP Ibrahim Idris is unfit to be in that position.
Paul, however, frowned at the declaration made by IGP Idris christening the Benue killings as part of a communal.
”This is a mere hatred for Benue people. How can police of that calibre make such unguarded statement? No wonder he has refused to arrest those herdsmen killing our people. We want to state categorically that the IGP should be relieved of his duty and be investigated over the killings in Benue.”
”Fulani herdsmen are there killing people and you said they are part of the communities. How many of the communities members killed themselves before Fulani came to attack them?” he fumed.
and then