From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi
The Middle Belt Journalists Forum (MBJF) has expressed shocked at the renewed violence in Benue State, with a call on security agencies to arrest and prosecute perpetrators.
The forum made the call in a statement signed by the National President, Mark Mayah, National Secretary, Ladi Emmanuel and made available to newsmen in Makurdi by the National Publicity Secretary, Shimataver Aondoakaa, on Thursday.
Recall that on Tuesday night, June 2, 2024, bandits attacked and killed several people in Borikyo community, in Ukum Local Government Area, (LGA) of the state.
The forum is calling on the Military Authorities and particularly the Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Christopher Musa, the Service Chiefs, and the top echelon of security and defence formations in the country to save the Middle Belt region from the continuous deadly attacks allegedly by armed marauding herdsmen/unknown gunmen who have laid siege on several communities in the region as exemplified by the killings in Plateau, Benue and Kogi States in recent time.
The forum while describing the recurring incidents in the region, as most unfortunate, barbaric and tragic said those responsible for the attacks and killings must be tracked down and held accountable as the killings in the region have assumed a monumental proportion.
MBJF lamented that the region which seems to be the sole target for these genocidal attacks has remained under the stranglehold of the killers for over two decades.
“We are very sad at the development and we are calling on the Federal Government to step up effort to end this act of continuous blood bathe in the Middle Belt geopolitical zone of the country.
‘The region has made enough sacrifices to keep this country together and it’s efforts must be appreciated.
“It is wrong for anyone to label what is happening in the region as farmers/herdsmen conflict while in actual sense, it is ethnic cleansing with the aim of possessing the ancestral land.
“The Federal government is charged to muster the political will that is required to save the region from the systematic genocide.
“The life of every Nigerian is sacred and important and it is the responsibility of the federal government to protect the masses against internal and external aggression. It is high time the Authorities sit-up to its primary responsibility of securing the country.”
The forum also appealed to the Inspector General of Police, all the Service Chiefs and the National Security Adviser to swiftly intervene and thoroughly investigate the cause of the persistent killings.
They also sought for humanitarian assistance for those displaced by the conflict.
While sympathizing with the families of those that lost their loved ones and property in the unfortunate incidents the forum called on the people to be steadfast and co-operate with the security forces for the restoration of lasting peace in the area.