A social advocacy group, Benue Journalists’ Forum of Nigeria, BJFN, has raised the alarm over alleged plan by some armed herdsmen to attack Benue State immediately after muslims’ Ramadan fast.
The group, quoting intelligence sources, said the attack was being planned to be very devastating.
The group made this known in a statement by its National President, Comrade Joseph Saater Undu, and made available to The Next Edition.
According to him, it was gathered that the plot which had reached its final stage, would be carried out simultaneously from different fronts across the Benue valley within eight days.
He said major towns and villages were said to be targetted for total destruction with explosives within the time frame.
His words: “The decision to use explosives according to our sources is borne out of their failure to take over Benue State within their initial scheduled time.
“Now that they are in shortage of fighters since most of their agents in the West and East African region have refused to recruit for them, they have become desperate.
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“They have gone as far as the Middle East and North Africa to recruit hardened Jihadists and terrorists to come and help them execute the war of conquest on the Benue valley.”
The leader of the group called on the people of Middle Belt, especially the Tiv nation, Idomas, Igedes, Jukums and the Kuteus, to be very vigilant and defend themselves against the killers.
“We also call on the Commissioner of Police in Benue State, Fatai Owoseni, to intensify stop and search operation on all major highways across the state to intercept these killers and their arms which are being moved in bits to the state.
“We commend Operation Whirl Stroke and encourage them to redouble their efforts in clearing our state of all the killer herdsmen on the prowl.
“We therefore advise the governor of Benue State, Governor Samuel Ortom, and of course all the politicians in Benue State not to play politics with Benue peoples’ lives and not politicise the killings,” he said.
The group alleged that in 2014, armed Fulani herdsmen used chemical weapons on Benue communities of Guma and Agatu where a lot of people died and nothing was done about it by the government.
It said that it had raised an alarm similar to the current one in 2017 but nothing was also done to prevent the plot of the killer herdsmen then.
The group said the alleged plot over which the alarm was raised then led to the January 1, 2018 killings in Benue State.
“Due to laxity and unresponsive posture of security apparatuses in the state at the time, caution was thrown into the wind, paving way for the January 1st genocide that claimed hundreds of innocent defenceless lives,” the group stated.
The leader of the group expressed support for the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law being enforced in the state.
He added that those calling for the abolition of the law should stop wasting their time.
“In conclusion, we want to reiterate our support for Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law which is in place in the state and advise those who are calling for the suspension of the law to stop wasting their time.
“The law is a Benue masses law and not a creation of the Benue elites or the political class. It has come to stay,” he said.
