Benue elders have reportedly made known their demands as President Muhammadu Buhari visits the state today to condole with families of those who lost their lives in violent attacks involving Fulani herdsmen as well as reveal his efforts toward addressing the menace of the rampaging herders.
President General of Mdzough U Tiv and Chairman of the ethnic leaders of the state, Chief Edward Ujege, while speaking with Vanguard, said that the people of the state expect a decisive statement and action from the President to end the killings.
“What we expect is for him to accept the anti open grazing law of Benue State and also direct the Inspector General of Police, IGP, to implement it so that we have peace in Benue State.
“We also want them to stop the unnecessary attacks on Governor Ortom, especially the IGP and the government apparatus because it is not a good sign at all. And he (the President) should stop the killings in Benue because as President of the country, it is within his powers to do so.”
Also, the Team Leader of the Global Amnesty Watch Foundation, Terrence Kuanum was quoted as saying;
“We expect him to listen to the voice of reason and act as a leader, taking decisive actions to arrest the leadership of Miyetti Allah kautal Hore, who were allegedly fingered in the killings in Benue having threatened to resist the Open Grazing Prohibition Law of the state which came into effect on November 1.
He should without delay, declare that group a terrorist organisation; it is only that declaration that can bring the killings to an end. So long as the leaders of the Miyetti Allah group are free, these killings will continue because they are the sponsors of the mercenaries and if the security personnel keep arresting mercenaries and leaving the sponsors, more mercenaries will be hired to kill innocent people. So, the President needs to offer leadership and be decisive so that these killings will end just like what he did with Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB.”
