Benue’s farming communities have endured heinous killings by suspected herdsmen and bandits in the last two months, writes George Okoh
The rising death tolls from unprovoked attacks have become a thing of worry in Benue State if not checked. Over a million people in several rural areas have been displaced while farming activities have come to a halt. Children no longer go to school while parent are feeling the pain of losing their loved ones.
The spate of killings, which has increased lately started in early 2021, when the Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom escaped death by the whisker after suspected herdsman attacked him in his farm. The governor had alleged that the decision to assassinate him was taken at a meeting of herders in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.
He also alleged that there were plans by herders to attack residents of the state over the establishment of the anti open grazing law of the state government,which seeks to encourage herders to embrace modern method of ranching of their cattles instead of the open grazing method.
“My lawyer is going to make a petition against the leadership of MACBAN, because they came out to target me and behind the scene, they are planning to eliminate me in my own land.
“If I can’t go to the farm as governor with entire security around me, then, who else can go to the farm? You can imagine the pains that we have here in Benue State,” Ortom stated
Since the attack on the governor, Benue has become a killing field with daily tolls of casualties by bandits, militias or herdsmen
In February bandits killed 5 people and injure d 9 at Abaji Market in Benue. In April, suspected bandits killed at least six people during an attack in Goh community in Gwer West Local Government Area. A number of people were also reportedly abducted during the attack.
In the same April, one army officer and 10 soldiers were killed in Bonta Konshisha LGA of Benue State. Again, on April 17, people were killed by suspected herdsmen in separate attacks across three communities of Guma Local Government Area of Benue State. The affected communities are Ajimaka, Ayeri and Tse-Gboigyo communities – all in Mbaye/Yandev council ward of Guma LGA.
According to a former speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Dave Iorhemba, in the last couple of weeks, there have been series of attacks in some particular areas like Tse – Ukor, where scores were killed and at Tse – Gborigyo where seven people were killed and several others injured and taken to the hospital for treatment.
“What is most disturbing was the recent attack that happened at Tse – Uhembe in which a Fulani herdsman butchered a farmer in several places and the farmer also countered by cutting him and both of them were brought to a military check point.
“Just on Wednesday, I was at Tyoha village to see those killed and injured and one of the victims was a teacher at the NKST Primary School Isherev, Mr. Hycinth Ajun, who had his throat and back of his neck slit. I wonder what that kind of heinous crime meant,” he queried.
Asked to give an idea on the number of casualties recorded within a few days, the former speaker said,“The number of persons we have counted between yesterday and today are up to 17 and some are badly injured and are receiving treatment in the hospital.”
He, however, commended a joint military operation code-named Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) for their efforts at taming the attacks, but added that a lot more needed to be done.
“They (troops) should be moved, because when they continue to stay in one place, they become conversant and used to the people and they certainly cannot act in the way and manner they should. So, I would suggest that the Federal Government should redeploy them; take them to other points.”
As the killings continue unabated, a humanitarian crisis is mounting in the state. The Benue government has, therefore, called on the international community to help end incessant killing of Benue residents by criminal herdsmen and bandits.
While calling for relief support to the people affected. Head of humanitarian agency and Exexutive Secretary of the state Emergency Management Agency(SEMA), Dr. Emmanuel Shior, said the appeal became inevitable because of the huge task resting on the soulders of the state government on how to manage the crisis.
He also called for policemen to be deployed to some of the camps and appealed to the Inspector General of Police to assist secure the people living in the eight designated IDP camps.
“I want to use this opportunity to appeal to the Inspector General of Police to further appeal to President Mohammadu Buhari to provide more policemen to the state to help secure the IDP camps.
“I also want to call on the international community to come to the aid of the IDPs. In Benue here, in the area of humanitarian crisis, we work with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), we work with International Committee for the Red Cross, we work with Doctors without boarders and other humanitarian partners to help the state in stemming the growing insecurity situation bedevilling the state”.
Shior, however, expressed fears of possible attack on other IDP camps by the assailants, and appealed to people of the state to join hands with Governor Ortom to amerliorate the plight of the displaced persons.
Lamenting, the President General of the Tiv Socio-cultural Organization known as Mzough-U-Tiv (MUT), CP Iorbee Ihagh (rtd) called on President Buhari to stop the killings in the state or the people would resort to self-help.
“The message I am sending to the President is that enough is enough. The killings in Benue is enough. Let him do something about it. If not, we are going to react. Even though we don’t have AK47, we will do what we did in 1804 during the Jihad war,” he said.
The MUT President-General, who noted that the country was on a life support at the moment, urged the president to act fast to redeem the image of the country, which has already been battered by the increasing spate of insecurity.
“Nigeria is on a life support now and if nothing is done, anything can happen. If President Muhammadu Buhari doesn’t take action on what is happening now, then he doesn’t want Nigeria to be one because everybody is fed up.
“When Ortom started this they thought it was only Benue, but now it’s everywhere. The Igbo, the Yoruba, and even the Hausa are all fed up. Even the President’s home state is also affected. The other time he went home and 250 students were kidnapped in his state. So, he is not in control.”
Ortom, who described the attack on the IDP camp as inhuman, barbaric and unacceptable, has called for urgent action against the activities of militia herdsmen across the country, saying if the federal government had taken the issue of militia herders seriously, it wouldn’t have escalated to this level.
He further lamented that in the last two weeks, over 70 persons had been killed in Makurdi Local Government alone while various communities across Benue still suffer from same militia herdsmen.
