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Worried by the continued invasion of their communities by suspected Fulani Herdsmen, elders from Benue State have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to declare the herdsmen invasion of the state and gruesome massacre of its people as act of insurgency.
The elders also asked that the perpetrators be labelled as terrorists to be routed out by the military.
The elders stated this in a communiqué issued at the end of a unity meeting held in Markurdi, the Benue State capital. The meeting was attended by leaders of Tiv, Idoma and Igede.
“We observed that these invading Fulani herdsmen have been allowed to bear sophisticated assault weapons unchallenged which is against all our extant laws. The perpetrators and sponsors of such heinous crimes against humanity must be brought to justice”, the elders said.
According to the elders, the meeting was called following “the armed invasion and occupation of their land by Fulani herdsmen and the wanton killing of their people, destruction of homes and farmlands, raping of their wives and daughters in 15 local government areas of the state”.
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Continuing, the elders also rejected the Federal Government’s proposed town hall meetings and opting for an inclusive Judicial Commission of Enquiry, which they said is the only way to unravel the root cause(s) of the invasion of Benue by Fulani herdsmen and the gruesome massacre of the people by the armed herders.
“The delay in setting up the Presidential Investigation Panel promised by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is becoming worrisome.
“The proposed Town Hall Meeting by the Federal Government is not only diversionary, but a deliberate ploy to downplay the degree of attention and seriousness that should be accorded the invasion of our land. We wonder why the same government that promised to set up an investigation committee is now resorting to a mere ruse called ‘Town Hall Meeting’.
“We observed that the Town Hall meeting held on the 24th day of March, 2016 in Abuja by one Idoma Initiative with the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) during which some major decisions were taken as detailed in a communiqué did not have the mandate of the major stakeholders in the crisis”.
The meeting also condemned the inactivity of both the federal and state governments in the face of the menace Fulani herdsmen have become, noting that it had escalated from mere conflict to an invasion and occupation agenda amounting to terrorism.
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