- This is genocide – LG Chairman
From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
More than 42 persons, including a Mobile Police Officer, have been confirmed dead, with several others badly injured in four communities in Gwer West Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State after an attack by armed herdsmen.
Our Correspondent gathered that the armed herders first attacked Aondona town on Saturday evening at about 5 pm and continued to Ahume community and the Military Base at Tse-Orbiam in the early hours of Sunday.
A resident from the area who identified herself simply as Agatha said, “The herders attacked Ahume and Aondona communities and killed many women and children, some who are just two years old. They killed over 20 people in Aondona, including a mopol.
“People are being killed every day, so villagers have deserted the place and no way to pass through the Naka road,” she said.
Another source from the area, Terser Tyona, told newsmen that there was a killing spree in the area all through the weekend, saying 10 persons were killed in Ahume community, five in Tyolaha and seven others in Tse-Orbiam community.
A Priest, Rev Fr Solomon Atongo, was shot along Naka-Makurdi road on Sunday, while two others were kidnapped near the military base in the area.
The Chairman of Gwer West Local Government Area (LGA), Victor Ormin, confirmed the killings, describing it as a genocide.
Ormin said, “Yes, it happened and is still happening. It’s a pathetic situation. As we speak, we are still recovering corpses, and over 30 dead bodies have been recovered so far between yesterday and today, Sunday and Monday.
“The incident in Aondona happened around 5 pm on Saturday to dawn, and the one in Ahume was around 4 am on Sunday.
“On Saturday also, Tse-Orbiam was attacked. This is just beside the military checkpoint, just about three kilometres to Naka.
“I buried five people yesterday, and five others were taken to the mortuary on Saturday. Now we are talking about 40 or more people killed. This is genocide,” he said.
The chairman noted that he had been told categorically by the military that they don’t have the mandate to act on the situation.
“They said they can only engage these people when they fire at them, and they told me practically that even the governor does not have the power to order them on this. It is only the president of the country, and that is very clear.
“We are not saying that the military is incompetent, the soldiers are waiting for the orders and the mandate to do what they have to do, which have not been given.”
He lamented the death of the Mobile police man who was identified as Magaji, saying, “Magaji was killed yesterday. He had dedicated his whole life to service, he is always at that junction along Naka road, whether he has bullets or not.
“Yesterday, when they came, they said he finished his ammunition and was shouting for people to leave, and Magaji was killed yesterday. This is genocide.”
In a video making the rounds on social media, Ormin, who visited the area, threatened to resign his position as council chairman if he does not get help urgently to secure his people.
He expressed pain that until now, the federal government has not given directives to military personnel to engage the terrorists.
“So my people should be killed, they should die all before the federal government would do something?
“Yesterday I buried a father and two of his children of over 40 to 50 years of age in Tse-Orbiam. If they cannot help me, maybe I will leave this chairman seat and let it continue the way it is.
“I don’t care about being a chairman of a people that are all killed. This is getting too much for me to condone,” he said.
Our correspondent reports that Aondona is the village of the former first lady of the state, Mrs Eunice Ortom and also the village of the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, Bishop Wilfred Angbe.