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From Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
The Benue State Police Command has said that the crisis around the Rice Mill area of the state capital on Wednesday was purely a criminal act that had nothing to do with ethnicity or tribe.
The state Commissioner of Police, CP Wale Abass gave the clarification in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Catherine Anene on Wednesday evening.
“The attention of the Benue State Police Command has been drawn to the rumour lingering on social media about crisis between Tiv and Jukum communities in Wurukum.
“The fact of the case is that on 16th February, 2022 at about 1500hrs, information was received that some fishermen had gone fishing in a pond behind Rice Mill, Wurukum, Makurdi, without inviting other community members as it had been the practice.
“This action brought disagreement amongst them and hoodlums took advantage of the incident to break into houses and steal from them.”
The CP added that a team of police officers were deployed to the scene immediately and the suspects, on sighting them, took to their heels on sighting the police team.
He however noted that critical stakeholders who confirmed this story cooperated with the police in restoring peace in the area.
“It is imperative to state that this incident has nothing to do with tribe or ethnicity but criminals who intended to create tension and steal from members of the public.
“Normalcy has since been restored in the area with more patrol teams to forestall further breakdown of law and order.
“Members of the public are advised to desist from rumour mongering to avoid unnecessary tension and reactions,” the statement concluded.
