The police have arrested eight killer herdsmen in connection with New Year Day’s attacks on Guma and Logo Local Governments of Benue State in which 17 people died.
The Benue State Police Command’s spokesman, Mr. Moses Yamu, made this known on Wednesday in Makurdi.
His words: “Eight herdsmen – six in Guma and two in Logo – have been arrested in connection with the attacks.
“Proper additional deployments are made to the troubled area and its environs for monitoring, in order to forestall further occurrence and to restore confidence in the minds of the people.”
The command noted that investigation was on-going and the situation was under control.
Yamu stated that seven members of the Benue State Livestock Guards were killed in the attack.
“They attacked Tomater Village in Sengev Council ward; Akor Village in Nzorov council ward and Bakin Kwata Village in Umanger council ward of Guma local government.
“They also attack Again, Agba-Uko near Azege Village and Tse-Aga Village of Logo Local government.’’
According to the PPRO, the command acted promptly by deploying five combined teams of mobile and conventional policemen to the scene in Guma.
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The team, he explained, was led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Mr. Emmanuel Adesina, and engaged the armed herdsmen in a gun duel, forcing them to retreat.
The Benue government on May 21 signed into law Anti-Open grazing law which took effect on November 1, 2017.
It would also be recalled that Governor Samuel Ortom on Tuesday reported the killings in the state.
Suspecting that the attack was as a result of opposition to anti-grazing law in the state, he said the law was not targeted at any ethnic group and wondered why the herdsmen had taken it so personal to the point of unleashing terror on the people.
The governor also lamented the unwarranted wanton destruction of lives and property by the killer herdsmen.
He said that no matter the intimidation and killings by the herdsmen, the law would not be reversed or repealed.
He assured that the law must be implemented to the letter and anybody or group of persons that flouted it would be made to face the full wrath of the law.
Ortom called on the Federal Government to wade into the matter so as to avert further destruction of lives and property.
