THE Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and leaders across social and traditional lines in Benue State have accused President Muhammadu Buhari of insensitivity to the continuous killings by herdsmen in the state.
They condemned a statement by the president’s spokesperson, Garba Shehu, where he expressed Buhari’s sadness over Tuesday’s attack on a church in which two Catholic priests and 17 parishioners were killed as well as what he called “revenge attacks” in which 11 members of the Hausa communities were killed.
The Benue leaders all declared that there were no attacks on any Hausa community, mosque or persons in the state and no Hausa man was killed.
Reports of the killings engendered rumours of impending reprisal attacks in the state capital, Makurdi, which led to panic and tension on Friday.
CAN expressed worry over what it called Buhari’s inability to issue a presidential order to security chiefs to halt the killings across the country.
At a press conference, on Friday, at its secretariat in Abuja, the CAN General Secretary, Reverend Musa Asake, said in the past few days, armed men had killed over 300 people in Benue State alone.
“Over the last few days, Fulani herdsmen, bandits, gunmen and others had mowed down more than 300 people in cold blood only in Benue State. On 24/04/2018, 19 people, including two Catholic priests, were brutally killed in Gwer Local Government Area. On 25/04/2018, 23, people were killed in Guma Local Government Area, while the figures continue to rise by the day.
“War seems to be looming in Nigeria while the aggressors are no other than misguided individuals who had been armed to provoke different communities into needless battle.
“Yet, President Buhari, who was popularly elected in 2015, has not seen the need and urgency to issue a presidential order on need to halt the killings and with stern instructions to security operatives to bring perpetrators to book.
“In very strong terms, CAN condemns the inability of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to curb and stop the murderous activities of Islamic insurgents in the country. Christian Association of Nigeria calls on the President of Nigeria to immediately take steps to permanently dismantle both Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen,” Reverend Asake said.
Also, the Tor Sankera, Chief Abu Shuluwa, a first class traditional ruler in Benue State, described the presidency’s statement as an attempt to divert attention from the killing of Benue people.
The monarch said it was unfortunate that the Federal Government could be “dishing out tissues of lies” instead of attending to real issues on the ground.
“Who were the Hausa/Fulani killed in Benue? They should come out. This is a diversionary move by the president but I expect the presidency to come out and show the public those mosques they claimed were burnt in the state.
“All the mosques in Gboko, Makurdi, Katsina Alla, Otukpo and other places are there standing, so it is a dangerous dimension for government to indulge in this type of move instead of focusing on how to end the killings in the state.”
Also, the President-General of Mdzough U Tiv (MUT), Chief Edward Ujege, described the statement as a “laughable” report from “a frustrated government,” saying President Buhari should look for other ways to exhibit his “ethnic cleansing agenda.”
Ujege said, “Let him know that the Tiv nation will not be completely destroyed. If it remains one person, then history will say that there was a government that wanted to extinguish Tiv nation, but here I am.”
Claiming that the ongoing killings were coordinated, the traditional ruler alleged that most of the soldiers in the state no more wore their name tags and most of the attacks were carried out by men in army uniform.
He challenged the president to explain to the general public, his “agenda against Tiv nation” and debunked the report of killing of Hausa/Fulani as well as destruction of mosques in the state.
“You are in the state, where are the mosques that were destroyed or burnt down? And let them identify those killed. Buhari is only trying to find a reason for his inability to curb the killings in the state,” he added.
The state chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Bishop Mike Angor, said, “We are not aware of any killing of Hausa/Fulani in the state. The only thing we have done was educate our youths to be more vigilant and intensify prayer and report any strange movement to the security agents in the state and we have given them numbers of security operatives in the state.”
However, Special Assistant to the state governor, Samuel Ortom, on Fulani matters, Malam Sheu Tambaya, a Muslim and Hausa man, said he was aware that a small mosque at the Modern Market area was burnt by irate youths who were protesting the killing of the Catholic priests and 17 parishioners.
“No mosque was burnt here but during the tension that trailed the killing of the priests, some youths went and destroyed a small mosque around Modern Market,” he said.
Meanwhile, spokesman of the Middle Belt Forum, Dr Isuwa Dogo, has called on the presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, to make a public apology to people of Benue State over his statement that 11 Hausawere killed in the state.
Dogo, who spoke to Saturday Tribune on telephone on Friday, said it was unfortunate that the presidency could not believe a police report which had debunked the report of attacks on Hausa/Fulani by Benue youths.
He described the ongoing killings in the state and the North-Central as “ethnic cleansing,” and called on the presidency to show evidence of burnt mosques and corpses of Hausa people killed.
Tension in Makurdi
There was tension in Makurdi, the state capital, on Friday, over a rumour that herdsmen planned to attack the city after the Juma’at prayer.
Many schools were shut, while those which had initially opened soon asked parents to come and take their children home.
Offices and commercial banks that opened for business were on alert with some carrying out partial services.
A customer at one of the banks visited who identified himself simply as Daudu said the rumour about the impending attack started on Thursday night and that he had only come to withdraw some money to stock his house with foodstuffs.
Many of the markets in the city were hardly fully open as traders stood in groups discussing the alleged planned attack. The Modern Market was shut.
A statement by Forum of Mdzough U Tiv (MUT), Idoma National Forum and Omi Ny’Igede had said their attention had been drawn to alleged plans by Fulani militia to invade and attack Makurdi, the state capital.
“It has been alleged that heavily armed Fulani herdsmen militia are being mobilised for the execution of this diabolic attack on the seat of government of Benue State.
“Though we have not been able to verify this allegation, we are constrained to state that there is some element of truth in this, given that in time past, such similar allegations have been dismissed to the detriment of our villagers,” the statement said.
The leader of Mdzough U Tiv, Chief Ujege, recalled that after Governor Ortom assented to the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law 2017, the leadership of Miyetti Allah KautalHore vowed to resist the law and urged its members in Nigeria and abroad to converge on Benue State in defiance to the law.
“These threats were repeatedly reported both the print and electronic media as well as online platforms. We also wrote an open letter to the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, security chiefs, the Sultan of Sokoto and other Emirs and even sought audience with the President to intimate him of the threats but to no avail.
“The result of the inaction on the side of the Federal Government was that on 1st January, 2018, armed Fulani militia launched a deadly attack on communities in Guma and Logo local government areas of Benue State, leaving no fewer than 73 persons dead, including members of the Livestock Guards of Benue State.
“Similar threats have been issued on Tiv communities in Nasarawa State with the herdsmen eventually executing the threats, leaving behind sorrow, anguish, condemnation and lamentations.
“To this date, mass killings by herdsmen have continued in the state with thousands of people taking refuge in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps across the state while others are putting up with their relatives.
“There are strong indications that these herdsmen militia have taken over villages around Makurdi metropolis, including the village after NASME Barracks, behind Makurdi Modern Market, University of Agriculture Makurdi axis and Mbalom, where two priests and 18 others were killed recently.
“Over 360 military assault rifles are said to have been acquired by Miyetti Allah KautalHore and distributed to their collaborators in the state preparatory for the execution of the planned attack.
“From the foregoing, we cannot, at this point, wave aside any bit of information regarding threats by herdsmen to continue with their jihadist activities in the Benue valley. It is on account of this that we call on security agencies to step up surveillance with a view to forestalling attack on Makurdi metropolis. We also urge the security operatives to swing into action and carry out a thorough investigation around Wadata, North Bank areas of Makurdi as well as Hausa quarters in Gboko.
“We also call on Nigerians who are resident in Makurdi to be on the lookout and assist the security agencies by reporting suspicious movement within their vicinities to relevant authorities for necessary action. Residents must, however, avoid giving false information that would cause anxiety and may lead to unnecessary breakdown of law and order,” Ujege said.
As tension mounted on Friday, the police left nothing to chance by deploying their men in strategic areas and mounting air surveillance on the city between 2.00 p.m. and 3.00 p.m.
Spokesman of the state police command, ASP Moses Yamu, said in spite of the rumour of the planned attack on Makurdi, the patrols and presence of policemen in different locations were routines.
Yamu, however, appealed to members of the public to remain calm, saying, “It is a mere rumour and we assure the public of adequate protection of life and property.”
Acting gov warns alarmists
The state acting governor, Mr Benson Abounu, on Friday, warned those creating panic with alarms of attacks on innocent people in Makurdi and other towns of the state to desist from the act and instead help security agencies to guarantee peace.
The acting governor in a statement told those taking advantage of the security situation in the state that violence would not benefit anyone and stressed that the job of protecting lives and property was a task for every citizen.
Abounu described as inflammatory and unhelpful, a newspaper report about the purported killing of some members of the Hausa community in Makurdi and burning of mosques.
He said the state police command, chairman of Makurdi Local Government Area and other relevant authorities had investigated the allegation and found it to be false.
He charged security agencies to carry out thorough investigation and arrest for prosecution, those behind the recent attacks on innocent people in Gwer East and West, Guma, Okpokwu, Logo and other local government areas.
He called on the people to support security personnel with timely and useful information to enable them prevent further attacks on the state.
The acting governor, again, sympathised with families of victims of the attacks, pledging that the present administration would not relent in ensuring that Benue people get the protection they deserve.
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