The recent gruesome attack by killer herdsmen in Yelwata, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, led to the killing of over 200 persons. The victims included men, women and children. Several houses were also set ablaze by the marauding herdsmen. Chairman of Guma Local Government Area, Maurice Orwough, said the assailants struck around 11:30 p.m. and overpowered some security agents in the area.
This is the second gruesome massacre in the state in recent times. Some weeks ago, communities in Logo and Ukum LGAs of the state lost over 55 of their kinsmen to the invaders. We condemn the massacre and urge the government to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators of the heinous criminality.
Prominent individuals and groups, including the Catholic Pontiff, Pope Leo XIV, President Bola Tinubu and the United Nations (UN) have decried the gruesome massacre. The Pope expressed deep concern over the violence in the country and the suffering of affected communities, and prayed for security, justice, and peace to prevail. President Tinubu directed the service chiefs to end the bloodbath in the state.
Also, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, called for the arrest of those behind the barbaric killings. The call by the UN came on the heels of allegations by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, that insider collaboration with the attackers was responsible for the rising trend in killings in Benue State.
The Benue attacks have become recurrent and should not be allowed to continue. The mayhem has become one too many and a serious indictment on the government and relevant security agencies. What is happening in Benue and neighbouring states underscores the parlous security situation in the country. The relative ease of success by the attackers shows that the government is not doing enough to rein in the attackers.
The Yelewata incident and similar attacks in Logo and Ukum councils of the state indicate serious security lapses. Government should give the people hope. The people of Benue State deserve to be protected. Security of life and property is the primary function of government. Only the government should have monopoly of instruments of violence, especially in maintaining peace and order. On no account must this responsibility be abdicated to any other group or persons.
The increasing violence in Benue, Plateau, Niger, Nasarawa and Enugu states calls for reassessment and reorganization of response strategies by security agencies. Let the security agencies recalibrate their intelligence gathering and sharing networks. Government should be intentional in addressing the security challenges in Benue and other parts of the country. Nigerians are not interested in different permutations by government officials on the motive for the attacks. What they are concerned with is the speedy resolution of the crisis and an atmosphere of peace for them to go about their businesses.
We demand an end to the ugly incident in Benue State. There is need for the government to recruit more military personnel and rejig its strategies in battling insecurity in the land. The time has come for the government to review its counter terrorism template across the country. Drones and other high-technology equipment should be deployed in the exercise.
The directive by President Tinubu on the security chiefs to go after the perpetrators of the Benue massacre is in order. Let the military chiefs deal ruthlessly with those behind the attacks. They should be apprehended and duly prosecuted. This is the time to walk the talk. The government should rise to the occasion. Insecurity in Benue and indeed any part of the country is a threat to national security.
Benue State does not deserve what it is passing through. The state is the food basket of the nation. With immense endowment on agricultural resources, Benue State contributes so much to the nation’s food security. The state is undoubtedly playing significant role in the economic diversification programme of the federal government. With the present uncertainty in the state, farmers cannot access their farms. The disruption constitutes serious obstacles to the country’s food supply chains.
The governor of the state, Hyacinth Alia, should rise up to the challenge and give the citizens hope. He should take the lead in battling insecurity in the state. Other leaders in the state should equally support him to fashion out ways to protect the people. The cycle of violence in Benue State must be brought to an end.