…Calls for calm
Following last Tuesday’s attack on Otobi community of Otobi/Akpa District in Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, the Benue State Government has deployed security agents to restore peace even as the people have been urged to remain calm.
The Executive Governor of Benue State, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia disclosed this last Wednesday while briefing newsmen in Government House, Makurdi.
Speaking on the incident, Governor Alia explained that, “On the same page with what is going on in the state, yesterday evening, there was an attack again in Otukpo Local Government Area precisely by the axis of Otobi
.”Note that Otobi by all fashioning is metropolitan. We have a complete mix including schools and people of different ethnicities
.”It is reported by the victims that it is the armed herders who came to attack them. What I know from the records is, we are now realizing that there was some bit of a threat that came out
.”Someone sent a message. One of the herders who had lived among the people for a very long time, for some reasons, sent out some messages to one of his friends who is an indigene that they were going to attack and yesterday it happened
.”As I speak, we lost eleven people, while some villagers are still missing. We are hoping that they would be found.
“Since last night we deployed security personnel who have been on ground to calm the situation down. Early this morning before 05:00 am, the Deputy Governor, Barr Sam Ode, was directed to move in and then later part of the morning, the Homeland Security together with the State Commissioner of Police joined in order to facilitate every assessment, not just to build hope again but for the entire space to be secured.
“We have been having challenges with this axis. If you hear of any kidnapping within Otukpo Local Government, it is this axis.
Speaking further, the Governor disclosed that the state is experiencing a new phase of herders attacks.
According to him, there are certain people who were even born on the Benue land who are of the herders ethnicity and before now were harmless but are now aiding the invaders to orchestrate their attacks. “They come in and are hidden in one angle and then when they want to strike, they are brought to the fore, they attack and then they disappear, they just vanish”, he stated.
“The current situation in Benue can be correlated to that of Plateau State where these invaders come in, kill indigenes, retreat and then return for full occupation. This is what we never hoped for so I am appealing to each one of us to be on alert.
On the efforts made so far by the security agents, Governor Alia said, “A few arrests were made some time last week. I can’t be too open on this because already, the security personnel are handling that so until we know the mission of those people who were caught, five of them came, three were caught, two escaped and the follow up of that is the attack that we are seeing here.
“We are hoping that Otukpo Local Government Area, particularly Otobi community experiences some peace again.
“So again, I send my sympathies to those families who are directly affected and also assure them of government’s support.”
Governor Alia disclosed that he is holding talks with the National Security Adviser (NSA) on ways through which the Federal Government can assist the state on the issue of insecurity and expressed hope that there will be positive response.
He described security as everybody’s business and further called on members of the public to always be on alert and share information with the authorities for timely and necessary action.
