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From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
Benue State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, has reiterated his call for local and national politicians to stop politicising the insecurity crisis in the state, calling on them to stay back.
The governor made this call on Friday, when he went for an assessment of the crisis area in Ityulugh district at Gbajir, Ukum Local Government Area, (LGA), where armed herdsmen, assisted by some local bandits, attacked residents of the area.
Governor Alia who condemned the attack, called on the perpetrators to desist as no one would be spared if caught.
“If you are sponsoring any militia gang which some of them are, as the traditional leaders have pointed out, step back. Their communities, the families in their local governments here are larger than them.
“The person that went out there to cry wolf has to come back and answer to his traditional rulers, tender apologies to me as the governor of the state, and then to the entire people of the state,” Alia said.
The governor queried why the senator representing Benue North East Senatorial District, Senator Emmanuel Udende, had not presented all the facts that led to the build up to the crisis in his area, as he is from the area, and knows most of the young men there, and aware of the real reason why the two militia groups were fighting.
He called on the senator to expose whoever was sponsoring the militia groups in his area.
He appreciated the proactive approach of the security agencies in the area, even as he said they were finding it hard to effectively eradicate insecurity in the axis, due to the fact that the criminal elements were being shielded by the locals.
He said the major casualties of the armed herders attack in the area were members of the militia gangs with a few civilian casualties, saying that it called for question why only that particular village was singled out for attack.
The governor assured that his administration would ensure peace returned to Ukum, and called on politicians inciting violence and sponsoring the militia gangs in the axis to hands off and allow the state and local government to take charge of the security in the area.
Speaking further on the Ukum crisis, Governor Alia said a 14-day ultimatum had been given, and the response was very encouraging and the herders were leaving, only for the militia group to attack the herders, kidnap some of them and rustle 61 cattle.
He said ransom was paid, but only two people were released, which led to the reprisal attack by the armed herders
The governor berated the youths for rustling the cattle and kidnapping the herders as they were moving out of the state in a bid to respect the 14-day ultimatum, saying that they should have realised the implication of their actions, and that a lot would have been averted only if the herders had been allowed to retreat peacefully, but their actions had now resulted in putting innocent people in harm’s way.
Governor Alia called on vigilance groups to be on alert and continue to play their roles so that there would be peace in the area and for farmers to return to their farmlands as to secure food stability in the state.
He charged the Ter Ukum to meet his chiefs to find out the best approach to handle the situation, and to also caution those fanning the embers of violence in the area to desist forthwith, or else drastic measures would be taken by his government.
Earlier, the Ter Ukum and Chairman Ukum traditional council, HRH Orkaa Kaave, said the attack took place at the IItyulugh council ward at the residence of the district head, Deuti Adzande on Tuesday morning.
While explaining the buildup to the crisis, the Ter Ukum disclosed that on Saturday/Sunday of last week, he received reports of the herders’ influx into the local government, which he reported to the appropriate authorities.
He explained that as the number of herders grew to an alarming rate, he was later informed that a youth from the area called Chen had offended the herders by rustling 61 of their cows and also kidnapped some of their men, and collected ransom but later refused to release them.
The Divisional Police Officer of Gbeji, led by the herders were able to recover their cattle in the Ityulugh district, but after paying ransom for the release of the four kidnapped herders, only two were released by Chen, which inevitably led to the attack by the armed herders.
The Ter Ukum was of the belief that the house of the district head was attacked because the herders felt he was shielding the culprits, as no other place was attacked in Ukum apart from the district head’s residence, where they recovered their cows.
On his part, the Ukum local government Caretaker Chairman, Hon. Victor Iorzaa, said that he was informed that herders were attacking the village, and he called the DPO and they came and saw the destruction and casualties on ground.
He further explained that the attack was carried out by armed herders in collusion with a local militia group, who attacked their rival gang over the killing of one of the herders.
