The impunity with which helpless and unarmed farming communities are attacked by armed herdsmen is an insult on the sovereignty of the nation Nigeria. How can the President remain this offensively silent?
1.0 Guma, Logo and Agatu communities in Benue state have continued to witness killings best likened to massacres over the past three years.
2.0 The Agatu massacre even had the secretary of MACBAN justify the attacks in a town hall meeting convened by the police commissioner as a reprisal attack. No arrests were made.
3.0 Several other attacks followed in Ayilamo and Buruku communities, all of which the Governor reached out to the presidency and reported same.
4.0 It is as regrettable as it remains shocking that Benue people from Guma LGA once again came under unprovoked attacks from armed herdsmen as they went about celebrating the 2018 new year day.
4.1 Given the zilch response from any security agency of the federal government, the armed herdsmen returned to attack the helpless people of Uikpam in Guma LGA on the 2nd of January 2018, this time, over 20 human lives were massacred.
5.0 The executive Governor of Benue state personally was at the Benue State University Teaching hospital to see for himself the casualties. DailyTrust newspaper also widely reported news of the attacks on Guma communities by herdsmen.
6.0 It is therefore heart wrenching that no official statement or reaction has been received from the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria over the unprovoked killing of her citizens.
6.1 Such insensitivity compels us at LEADBenue to wonder if Benue state is no longer part of the nation Nigeria upon which the President governs.
7.0 We are therefore demanding for an immediate statement from the office of the President, condemning the attacks in totality.
7.1 We demand that armed herdsmen be declared as a terrorist organization that they are without further delay.
7.2 We demand that the security agencies be directed to without delay move to secure the attack prone localities such as Guma, Logo, Buruku, Agatu and the several others that have suffered similar attacks before.
7.3 This time, we will not let go until perpetrators are arrested, paraded, charged and tried for acts of terrorism.
8.0 We call on ALL well meaning Nigerians to be their brothers keepers and stand in total condemnation of herdsmen attacks anywhere in Nigeria, in this instance Guma LGA of Benue state.
9.0 In the interim, we call on the Governor of Benue state to liaise with all traditional rulers in the state to mobilize their subjects to remain vigilante and defend selves against such attacks, self defense is lawful.
Signed
Laz Apir, Coordinator LEADBenue.