A group operating under the aegis of the Forum of Concerned Benue Elders (FCBE) has expressed disgust over what it described as a hasty conclusion by the deposed Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido and others that Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State and the State Livestock Guards are involved in the incident at Akwanajo that left many dead in Nasarawa State.
Speaking at a briefing held in Makurdi, capital of Benue State on Friday, the leader of the Group, Dr Laha Dzever, alleged that, as at August 2021, Nigeria had recorded 8,343 casualties from herders’ attacks on farmers, with Benue accounting for 2,539 deaths, representing 33 per cent of an estimated 303 attacks carried out by suspected Fulani herdsmen nationwide.
“Available statistics indicate that the number of casualties in Benue alone has exceeded 6,000 deaths and as we speak, 18 local government areas in the state have been partly or completely invaded and occupied by the herdsmen.
“It should be clearly understood that neither the Benue State Government nor her agents have a hand in the Akwanaja bombing in the Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. Therefore, any attempt to rope in the governor and the people of Benue State, as portrayed by Lamido Sanusi’s letter, is hereby totally condemned “.
Dzever said the group would not celebrate or be indifferent to the killing of people of any ethnic group or religion anywhere in the country. He condemned the unfounded allegations made by some northern elders against the Benue State Livestock Guards and affirmed that the legally established body would continue to enforce the Anti-Open Grazing and Ranches Establishment Law of the state in order to protect livestock and crop farmers in the state.
He said, “Benue State houses more than 2,700,000 Internally Displaced Persons whose conditions are continually worsening. We condemn and protest the persistent and deliberate campaign of calumny against the person of Governor Samuel Ortom by Fulani ethnic groups, such as Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and Fulani Nationality Movement. They ought to take responsibility for the violent killings in Nigeria, including the over seven assassination attempts on Ortom”.
The Benue Elders Forum claimed it was aware of plans by Fulani herdsmen to attack parts of Gwer West Local Government Area of the state. It called on security agents to act swiftly to forestall the impending attacks and rejected the formation of a judicial panel of enquiry to look into the incident at Akwanaja, opting for dialogue and restoration of communal peace.
About the Author
