The Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Burutai, has directed troops deployed for exercise Cat Race in Benue state, to stop the menace of armed herdsmen terrorising local communities in the state or face a military court-martial.
He gave the directive on Tuesday shortly after flagging off the exercise code-named, ‘Ayem Akpatuma’ in Guma local government, following allegations that the military was folding its hands while the armed herdsmen maraud the locals.
Burutai later met with the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at the Gmajimba camp, where he assured them of a timely return to their ancestral homes with the official Flag-off of the exercise which cut across Benue, Taraba, Narasawa, Kogi and Adamawa states.
There, the community leaders while receiving the General Burutai, pleaded for an unbiased exercise from the military to curb the violence and help restore peace to their troubled villages.