FOR some years now Benue State has become the theatre of war declared by herdsmen on the farming population in the state. Attacks by herdsmen were initially sporadic but have assumed frightening dimensions since 2012.
In the last four years, year about 2000 deaths had been recorded. At a time more than 14 local governments out of 23 were invaded and occupied by the herdsmen.
Last Thursday, the state witnessed yet another unpleasant event. It was the memorial service for 73 victims of the latest attacks, which was held at IBB Square, Makurdi. The funeral rite was witnessed by thousands of people, including relatives of the victims.
The latest round of deadly attacks began on New Year eve. Scores helpless persons, including children, were caught down by the infamous herdsmen with scores of other victims still receiving treatment at various hospitals across the state.
Sunday Tribune gathered from reliable sources that while the latest victims were being buried, killings were still going on in both Guma and Logo local government areas of the state where the last attacks took place.
Incidentally, the incumbent governor, Samuel Ortom, hails from Guma while his predecessor, Gabriel Suswam is from Logo Local Government Area. The two council areas, including Agatu, Gwer West, Kwande, Buruku, Apa and Makurdi, have over the years tasted the insensate broth of the rampaging herdsmen.
Since the skirmishes started, there had been accusations from both ends including accusations of cow rustling, straying of cattle into farmlands and destruction of crops by the animals. Many residents of the state, however, have ascribed the latest attacks to the promulgation of the anti-open grazing law which Ortom administration introduced and envisaged would bring an end to the orgies of death and constant clashes between the herdsmen and farmers in the state.
Before and immediately after the law took effect, a splinter group of Miyeitti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Kautal Hore, had threatened mayhem in the state. This has caused both the state government and the umbrella socio- cultural group consisting Muzough U Tiv, Idoma National Forum and On’yi Igede to persistently raise the alarm and alerted the public and Federal Government to the plan by herdsmen to attack the state.
Perhaps, had the appropriate authorities taken proactive measures, the mass slaughter of people by the herdsmen in the two local governments of Logo and Guma could have been avoided.
Thus, for thousands of people who thronged the venue of the Thursday memorial service in honour of the dead, it was a day of wailing and gnashing of teeth. Women wept uncontrollably while men wore long faces. None had a shoulder to cry on as the trucks that conveyed the remains of the victims drove into the venue.
Some family members who came to pay the last respect to their relations spoke with Sunday Tribune. According to one of the bereaved, who is the father of a young man who just concluded his National Youth Service Corps scheme, the late Teryila Attah, in December but fell to the herdsmen attack, the weight of his loss is unbearable.
Mr Augustine Attah, father of Teryila, hails from Amuwon Dugor village in Guma council area. He said he had not been able to get over his loss.
“My son Teryila Attah came back from his NYSC on December 22nd, 2017 but was killed on New Year day,” he lamented.
He stated further that his son went back to the village to evacuate his teaching materials after escaping an attack in the village on 29 December. Unfortunately he was not lucky on this second trip as he was mauled down by the herdsmen.
“It was when he was coming back to Makurdi that the Fulani waylaid them in their vehicle and killed everyone, including my son. They were four in numbers and they all died.
“This is not the first time of falling victim of herdsmen attack. In 2014, my house was burnt down by herdsmen and now my son was killed. This is a terrible experience which l prayed nobody should have,” he mourned.
Also among the dead was one Mrs Azinga whose husband, Akaatenger, intermittently wiped tears away from his eyes as he spoke to Sunday Tribune.
Akaatenger told Sunday Tribune that he was asleep in his house with his wife in the wee hours of the New Year. He had a chat with his wife after the crossover night service expressing his desire to eat pounded yam before proceeding to the church in the morning.
Unfortunately that wish was herded away when the attackers came under the cover of darkness and knocked on his door. Oblivious of whom the visitors were, his wife innocently went to the door only for her to be captured and slaughtered by herdsmen.
“I heard my wife scream because they came in the dead of the night and when l went to rescue her, I discovered that they had slaughtered her and the next thing I discovered was that they started chasing me but I narrowly escaped to a nearby bush,” he said.
Efforts to speak with widows of the late Ugande Tsambe were not successful, but one of his in-laws, one Sylvester Tarkigeger was able to volunteer information about him.
According to Tarkigeger who hails from Guma Local Government Area of the state, his brother-in-law Ugande Tsambe left two wives and many children.
“Fulani herdsmen have turned my sister to a widow. The family was living peacefully in their village until herdsmen invaded the community and threw the family into sorrow when they killed their breadwinner.
“You can see the situation here now. None of them would be able to talk to you because they are still in shock. The younger wife is my sister and she has four children.
“The problem is that after this ceremony, the reality will now dawn on us on how she would cater for the children and herself. The question of who will take care of these people now is my problem. I have never experienced this kind of thing before. The killers must not go unpunished,” he lamented.
On her part, Mrs Amber Mnguna from Uzer village of Logo local council said that one of the victims was her brother who was a member of the Benue State Livestock Guards.
“I was not in the village with them but I was told that he went for peacekeeping. The government appointed some of them as livestock guards.
“So when they heard that the Fulanis were attacking the people, they went there to make peace not knowing that the herdsmen were already armed and so the attackers killed all of them.
“The herdsmen must leave Benue State because we can’t live with them any longer,” she fumed.
Also speaking, the chairman of Logo Local Government, Mr. Richard Nyajor, disclosed that so many residents of the local government had lost their lives including his own relatives. According to him, over 42 people had died between January 1 and last Thursday.
“These people were shot and they ran into the bush with their injuries and died unnoticed. It is now that government is on top of the situation that people are now moving round for us to discover those who are still missing.
“In Logo Local Government where I preside, every village is a refugee camp. Villages that were not attacked have been turned into refugee camps for those displaced from the hinterland.
The council chairman said further that the displaced persons are many, stating that more than 3,000 of them are currently in camps in his council area.
“We have begun to move them to concentrated camps. The Fulanis would come to our locality, graze on our farm land, destroy our properties, houses and harvested our crops to feed their cows.
“Some of the herdsmen were seen roasting yams and groundnuts which they took from our people. We have been killed in the past but this time round what happened was a predetermined kind of attacks. We are still in shock.
“No matter the amount of security put in place, we are still panicking because what came on us was unbearable and unimaginable and unbearable,” Nyajor stated.
He called on National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the United Nations and other donor agencies to come to the aid of the people, adding that some of the agencies had visited the camps with a promise to assist.
As the victims lie in their graves and with the persistent call on the federal government to put an end to the incessant attacks by herdsmen and clashes between them and farmers all over the country, it is being expected that the Federal Government would live up to his pledge this time and bring the criminals to book as well as proffer permanent solution to the herdsmen’s acts of terror. Until then, the ghosts of the victims, as their families cried out on Thursday, would continue to haunt the nation.
and then