On Saturday, Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to take action by deploying more troops, following the recent killing of 134 people in Otukpo, Apa, and Guma local government areas (LGAs) in the past five days.
Ortom made the appeal during a visit to Mgbam community in Nyiev council ward of Guma LGA, where 36 people, including internally displaced persons (IDPs), were killed by suspected herdsmen on Friday night, and 40 people were injured.
Another 47 people were killed in Ikobi community of Apa LGA on Monday, followed by the killing of another 51 people in Umogidi community of Otukpo LGA on Wednesday.
Ortom expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that IDPs and farming communities in the state had become easy targets for suspected herdsmen. He lamented the continuous killings, appealing for help from the President. Survivors are currently receiving treatment at the state university teaching hospital in Makurdi.
In response, Buhari, through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Saturday, condemned the “extreme violence” and killings of scores of people in Benue State within one week. He spoke out against the “use of terrorism as a tool in inter-communal conflicts,” directing that the attackers “be found and dealt with” swiftly under the law.
He also directed the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force, and military commanders to enhance surveillance on every front and immediately review the security management in the affected areas.
