Benue bloodbath: Reps summon Security Chiefs over incessant Fulani Herdsmen’s attacks

By Yemi Itodo

The House of Representatives, on Tuesday, vowed to summon the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Chief of Army Staff and other heads of security, over the continous attacks on Benue people and others, by the Fulani Herdsmen.

To achieve this aim, the House unanimously resolved to set up an Adhoc Committee, to undertake the investigation and report back to the chamber within 2 weeks.
This was sequel to a motion jointly moved by the House Committee Chairman on Rules and Business, Hon. Orker Jev and 10 other members of the House of Representatives from Benue State.

Hon. Orker, who is representing the people of Buruku federal constituency, drew the attention of the House to attacks on some villages in Buruku LGA at the weekend, where over 20 persons were killed and properties worth millions of naira were destroyed by Fulani herdsmen.

“These violent attacks continued unabated without any intervention from any security agency throughout that Saturday and 20 people were reportedly killed by these armed herdsmen, out of which 10 bodies have so far been recovered and deposited at the local government mortuary”, Orker said.

The Lawmaker revealed that, the marauders “arrived the communities on Friday night on motorcycles and unleashed the mayhem the following day”.

On his part, member representing Makurdi/Guma, Hon. Dickson Tarkighir, bemoaned the non proactive posture of the federal government to the plight of Benue people.

“For the past 2 years, we always stand here to observe a minute silence in honour of people who die, not because they were sick, but they die simply because they have a fertile land. We just observe the minute silence and it stops there. The President doesn’t do anything about it”, he added.

While lending his voice to the debate, Member representing Apa/Agatu, Hon. Adamu Entonu, reminded the lawmakers that he had moved a motion last month, intimating the chamber that Agatu and Benue in general was sitting on a keg of gun powder, when part of Agatu land was ceded to the herdsmen.

Entonu therefore, called on the federal government to disarm the herdsmen, saying the Benue State Government had disarmed the youths, thereby making the land porous and exposed to dangers.

He also urged the government to declare the marauding Fulani herdsmen as ‘terrorist group’, so as to enable decisive action on them.

In his own contribution, member representing Otukpo/Ohimini, Hon. Ezekiel Adaji, said the presence of the military and other security operatives in Benue do not help matters, adding that he led a delegation to Agatu last year, where over 20 settlements were destroyed under the watch of the Nigerian security.

Hon. John Dyeh (Gboko/Tarka), on his part, alleged that the Nigerian Police provided helicopter to go after cattle rustlers but they could not provide security for the lives of local farmers.

Other lawmakers who spoke condemned the attacks on Benue and other affected areas and called on President Muhammadu Buhari “to urgently institute a Presidential Task Force, to disarm all herdsmen” within the country.

The House also urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), to send food and other relief materials to the affected communities.
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