October 27, (THEWILL) – A group, Benue Republicans, has lashed out at Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, over their statements on the recent killings in Gbeji Community by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
Gunmen, suspected to be Fulani herdsmen, on Wednesday, attacked Gbeji community in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State, leaving at least 36 people, including two policemen dead and many others hospitalised.
The President’s Media aide, while reacting to the attack, stated among other things, that “it is unacceptable for lives to be taken by herdsmen and farmers alike. No one should attack anyone because of their way of life. Neither should anyone take revenge on others for injustice done to them. Both should be held accountable for their actions, and justice delivered.”
But in his reaction, Convener of the Benue Republican, Chief Peter Shande, described Shehu’s statement as “a mockery, insensitive and irresponsible”, stating that “the innocent people of Gbeji and indeed other parts of the state do not have any recorded instance of political disagreement with President Buhari, as he claimed he has with the Governor, Samuel Ortom.”
Shande asked the presidential aide to stop defending Buhari’s inability or deliberate refusal to protect the lives of Nigerians.
Also, faulting Atiku on his comment, the Benue Republican Convener described Atiku’s response as “insane, ethnocentric and inciting.”
Atiku had in a sympathy message to the people of Gbeji Community said, “I’m saddened by the sustained clashes between farmers and herders that led to the loss of lives, including those of police officers in Gbeji community, Ukum LGA of Benue State.
“When our people are well integrated into communities where they live, work, pay taxes and raise their children, they’d be obligated to reciprocate the love and acceptance. My deepest condolences to the families that may have lost a loved one and to the people and government of Benue State.”
But Shande described Atiku’s statement as not only insane, ethnocentric, but insults on the sensibilities of the Nigerians.
“Atiku’s statement on the senseless killing of innocent people in Gbeji is not only insane, ethnocentric, but insults on the sensibilities of the Nigerians.
“It is disappointing that Atiku, a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, has refused to detach himself from ethnic sentiments even in the wake of killing of the defenceless citizens, but chose tribal loyalty and political correctness to mock the victims.
“It is rather expected that, when people are being slaughtered and displaced in times such as this, people are expected to restrain from further comments that are so sensitive that would aggravate the pains of the victims.
“It is, however, sad that despite the sustained onslaught of the marauding Fulani herdsmen on the people of the people of Benue with tacit support from the Buhari-led federal government, the response from Atiku Abubakar, who bears the revered title of Zege Mule u Tiv, to dish out such inane, ethnocentric and venomous mockery statement”, he stated.
Shande, who further condemned Shehu’s remarks on the incident, said his assertion that President Buhari and Governor Ortom have often disagreed on political issues is elusive, meaningless and had no relationship with the unprovoked killing of the people of Gbeji in Benue State by Fulani herdsmen.
According to him, “There is no recorded report that the people of Gbeji have ever disagreed on political issues with President Buhari that his Federal Government should not protect them from the rampaging killer Fulani herdsmen.
“Does Shehu want Nigerians to believe that the killing of innocent Nigerians all over the country by the Fulani killers is as a result of Buhari’s political disagreement with the various state governors?
“Is Shehu also confirming to Nigerians that killing and destruction are the ways of life of his brothers, Fulani herdsmen, since he warned that they should not be attacked because of their way of life?
“This further confirms Shehu’s usual attempts to cover up the President’s failure or deliberate refusal to protect the lives of Nigerian citizens.”
Meanwhile, the people of Gbeji community have rejected the sympathy message sent to them by Atiku over the killings, describing it as a mockery.
Rejecting the sympathy message, the eldest child of Gbeji and Market Overseer, Elder Jonathan Gbeji, in a statement he signed on behalf of the community, rejected the condolence message which he said was meant to ridicule the people.
The rejection message read before leaders of Gbeji community at RCM Primary School, Ankyagher, stated that “we members of the Gbeji community are disappointed with the statement by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar that there was farmers and herders’ clash in Gbeji, which claimed lives including those of policemen.
“What happened in Gbeji last Wednesday, 19th October, 2022, was an unprovoked attack by armed Fulani militia, on the people around 6am.
“For Alhaji Atiku to talk about integration does not arise in Gbeji as the attackers do not live among us. After the unprovoked attack many people visited us including Senator Gabriel Suswam and other members of the National and State Assemblies, who also visited the mortuary and saw some of the bodies of those killed.
“That Alhaji Atiku, who is supposed to be the big shelter of the Tiv people, the Zege Mule u Tiv, does not believe people have been killed in spite of media reports and eyewitness accounts is the height of insensitivity.
“Alhaji Atiku should have taken time to visit us, or send assistance to alleviate our humanitarian problems, is the least that we expected at this time. As at today the death toll has risen to 39 with many still missing, while others are in various hospitals.
“If anyone cannot help us in our time of distress he should not mock us. We, therefore, reject Alhaji Atiku’s statement which we regard as mockery.”
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