A group known as Idoma Security Professionals has called on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on insecurity in Benue state....CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE➤
The group made the call during a press briefing in Abuja drawing the attention of the government on the incessant killings in the state and how it is making life unbearable for the people of the state.
President of the group Jonathan Onoja Isaac, gave a blow by blow account of killings in the state which has made Benue a den of internally Displaced Persons Camp.
Onoja said herders and farmers clashes alone has sent thousands of people to early grave, forcing many homeless people to IDP camps.
“In 2016, Rev. Fr. John Adeyi, the then Vicar-General of Catholic Diocese of Otukpo and Parish Priest of Catholic Church, Okpoga, was kidnapped and killed by gunmen on his way back after a Mass in otukpa.”
“In April, 2021, Another prominent son of Otukpa, Mr Godwin Musa was kidnapped by gunmen in Otukpa.”
“Recall, the Otukpo Bank Robbery on the 20th October 2023 where many lost their lives, including police officers and even the late Otukpo divisional police officer (DPO) CSP John Adikwu who was also killed in that attack.”
On what the state government is doing to curb the menace, the group blamed the government for its perceived quietness on the killings, alleging that most of the conflicts in the state were sponsored by people in the government who armed the Youths with weapons during the election
To tackle the challenges, the group is calling for a security summit with all relevant stakeholders in the state including traditional rulers to deliberate on the way forward as Insecurity is Local.
“We are also appealing to the President And Commander In Chief of the Armed Forces, His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare emergency on benue State security and ensure that insecurity is brought to the barest minimum so that life will be more abundant and the enabling environment will be more lucrative for both local and foreign investors, to compete favourably with other advanced economies of the world.”
“We make bold to say that the governor has not done enough as the Chief Security Officer of the state to solve the security challenges in the state, and he must rise above mere politics to deploy resources to the security of the state as prayers alone cannot solve the problem. We stand by our statement and further urge the Federal government to heed our legitimate advice by deploying the best of hands to the state, starting from the Commissioner of police and special intelligence /monitoring units to the zone where these criminals operates.” the statement read.
On the interim, they want the state government to set up local vigilantes that will be mobilized to deal decisively with those fanning the ambers of conflict in the various communities.
“We urge the governor, His Excellency Gov. Hyacinth Iormen Alia to ensured that the benue state anti-open grazing law is fully enforced, and ensured that the Peace and Reconciliatory committee in the state is revived to broker peace between the headers and some of the affected communities in the state.”
They also advised the state governor Hyacinth Alia to see the enforcement of the state anti-open grazing law which will help the brokering of peace between farmers and herders in the state. ...CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE➤
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