President Bola Tinubu is travelling to Benue State today as part of renewed efforts to foster peace and address the persistent conflicts affecting communities in the state, which resulted in the killing of over 200 persons by armed herdsmen last weekend.
This came on a day Benue State governor, Hyacinth Alia, confirmed that armed herders were responsible for the killings, even as the Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar III, and leadership of Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN), sought an end to the killings in the state, saying ‘’enough is enough.’’
Also, Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Senator George Akume, who also condemned the killings, said the killers are motivated by economic interest rather than religion, just as the Chrsitian Association of Nigeria, CAN, urged the Federal Government to prosecute those responsible for the killings, if the constant slaughtering of people in the state is to be halted.
On the visit to Benue tomorrow, the President has already rescheduled his official visit to Kaduna State.
A statement by presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, yesterday, explained that the President’s visit was to assess, first hand, the recurring crises that had claimed numerous lives and caused significant destruction.
The statement read: “During his stay, President Tinubu will meet with all stakeholders, including traditional rulers, political, religious, community leaders, and youth groups—to seek lasting solutions to the hostilities.
“In preparation for the visit, President Tinubu has already dispatched the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the Inspector-General of Police, heads of intelligence agencies, the National Security Adviser, and Chairmen of the Senate and House Defence Committees to Benue State. The President is expected to hold a town hall meeting with all stakeholders during the visit.”
President Tinubu had, hours after the killings, condemned the ongoing violence in Benue State and called on all leaders and residents to embrace peace, love and mutual understanding.
He extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and to all those who have suffered losses as a result of the crisis.
According to his itinerary released over the weekend, President Tinubu was initially scheduled to visit Kaduna State tomorrow to commission various state government projects, but had the trip shifted to Thursday to pave way for the Benue visit.
Recall that there had been repeated calls on the President to always visit scenes of tragedies, in solidarity with victims, with a view to giving them hope.
Armed herders entering Benue without cattle responsible for fresh attacks — Gov Alia
While reacting to the latest at Yelewata yesterday, Governor Hyacinth Alia, said armed herders who entered the state without cattle are responsible for the recent wave of violent attacks in the state
Speaking in an interview on Channels Television, Alia said the herders come into the state with AK-47s and AK-49s, adding that after carrying out murders and destroying communities, new groups of people often move into affected areas to take over the land.
He said the borders posed a challenge to his state, as many of the assailants throng Benue from neighbouring Nasarawa.
Governor Alia, who noted that some of the aggressors arrived through the Cameroonian border, insisted that some of them were not Nigerians.
He said: “Last year, people had gone back home and engaged in farming activities with bountiful produce.
“But this farming season again, we started experiencing the phase of the new attacks. The phase of the new attacks comes this way. Before now, we were talking about the farmers/herders crisis, now it has graduated from there, it has become the question of herders coming in and the armed men were among them.
“We tagged them the armed herdsmen. What we experience, generally, is that the herds are not being brought in but those who are in the frontline fighting out here are only carrying AK-47 and AK-49.
“What are their aims? They don’t even come with cows. They attack, kill, and after one week, a number of people now come back to occupy.
“What we understand on the ground is a simple equation. A thief will not just come to a community unless there is someone within the community who leads the thief to your house or the community.
“What we have now is that, strangely, it is the fact that the herders had a crisis, the armed herders hijacked it and now the bandits, and terrorists have come in completely. That is the situation on the ground.’’
Benue killers motivated by economic interest, not religion — SGF
Similarly, Secretary to the Government of the Federation SGF, Senator George Akume, while condemning the killings yesterday, said the killers were motivated by economic interest rather than religion.
Akume in a statement said the situation was both disheartening and utterly condemnable.
“This latest reprehensible act, one among too many, is not merely a tragedy for Benue; it is a deep wound to the soul of our nation. These dastardly acts are not restricted to Benue State alone. Plateau and Zamfara states also suffer the same fate. These killings are economic, not religious-driven.
“The innocent lives lost, men, women, and children, will not be forgotten. We mourn them not as strangers, but as brothers and sisters, bound together by a shared humanity and a common destiny.
“Beyond mourning, I call on all sons and daughters of Benue, our leaders, traditional institutions, and key stakeholders to come together now, urgently, to forge a path toward lasting peace and security. We must rise above division and act decisively to protect our people and preserve our future,” he said.
Akume expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu, “for his swift directive for a full security operation to rid Benue of these killers and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
He noted that the Federal Government had rendered assistance through the National Emergency Management Agency NEMA, while more troops had been deployed in the state to handle the explosive situation.
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“On my part, as a son of the soil and a key stakeholder, I will not relent in consulting, mobilising, and coordinating all necessary efforts to find and implement a durable solution, as I am doing the same for all the other affected states.
“As believers, Christians, Muslims, traditionalists, we believe in the sanctity of human lives. Any single life lost offends the sensibility of God Almighty. All of us must live as brothers and sisters in peace and harmony.
“I extend our deepest condolences to the grieving families and the resilient people of Benue. In this dark hour, we stand with you. And we will not rest until justice speaks — loudly, clearly, and without delay,” he stated.
Vanguard
