Members of House of Representatives, Benue caucus on Thursday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to “immediately declare these deadly herdsmen as terrorists in view of their inhuman, volatile and destructive activities” against defenseless Nigerians.
The aggrieved lawmakers who converged at a press briefing held at the National Assembly complex, Abuja, also tasked President Buhari to activate his constitutional powers by deploying full military force to the state in the bid to avoid anarchy following the indiscriminate killings of women, children and youths across the state.
While expressing displeasure over the inordinate attitude of the security agencies to the plight of Benue people, who have lost hundreds of their family members and relatives during the incidences, called for extension of military operations called ‘Cat Race’ in the state.
“We, the Benue caucus of the House of Representatives in the National Assembly with a deep sense of loss and grief have cause once again to raise an alarm to the entire nation and the international community about the state of perpetual mourning that has been fostered upon the hapless citizens of our state by the endless and unhindered killing of our innocent and defenseless people by armed herdsmen.
“As it was with the New Year attacks, the herdsmen have been on rampage in several communities in Guns, Gwar-West and Logo LGAs since the day after Easter killing and maiming women and children and destroying homes and farmland without any intervention by security operatives even though the Federal Government’s exercise Cat Race or ‘Ayem A Kpatema’ is supposed to be in place.
“We are very seriously concerned and alarmed at the withdrawal of personnel of exercise Cat Race from Benue when the herdsmen menace has not been curbed and the reasons for their continued deployment to other states in the region which has left Benue even more vulnerable and has paved the way for the recent despicable and premeditated attacks by the herdsmen in our communities.
“We view this decision as very suspicious, condemnable and ill-advised and leaves one to wonder about the military’s strategy or lack of it in the fight against the killer herdsmen. We are worried that ethers is still no evidence of the disarming of these killer herdsmen by the military, police or any other security agency and the constitutionality enacted by the Benue State House of Assembly which has emboldened the flagrant disregard of the law by the herdsmen who continue to openly graze cattle in several communities of the state with impunity,” Dickson Tarkighir, spokesmen of the caucus said.
While querying the rationale for the termination of the military operation in the State, the lawmakers called on federal government to “immediately explain to Benue indigenes and the Nigerian people why the Cat Race exercise has already been terminated in Benue without a resolution of the issue and want to demand that the Federal Government deploy a proper military operation to Benue state and station military units in restive communities in Benue until the herdsmen menace has been dealt with.
“We urge the Federal Government to immediately declare these deadly herdsmen as terrorists in view of their inhuman, volatile and destructive activities and the international community to pay more attention to this ongoing pogrom of Benue people and appeal for their intervention in the provision of aid to the over 190,000 IDPs at different camps in Benue state. We believe it is only when these criminal and vicious elements are properly designated and treated ad terrorists that the spate of killings would be out to rest,” Tarkighir said.
While responding to question on the position of Gen. Theophilus Danjuma, former Minister of Defence, Mark Gbillah, Deputy chairman, House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) observed that every Nigerian has the right to defend him/herself as encapsulated in the Criminal Code.
Gbillah who lamened that the lives of every Benue indigene is under threat of the killer herdsmen, argued that any action taken by Benue people are “covered by the law.”
On his part, John Dyegh, who condemned Federal Government’s decision to withdraw the Cat Race team from Benue state while it extended similar operation in Taraba state for two months, maintained that Benue state is being neglected by the present administration despite the provisions of the Constitution which saddled Federal Government the powers to project every citizen.
Also speaking, Emmanuel Udede, noted that Benue people are being pushed to take laws into their hands by the inordinate attitude of Federal Government and the security agencies to the plight of the defenseless citizens.
He however noted that “we are being pushed to the wall, where we have to fight back, but when we fight, it will turn to anarchy, that’s why we are calling on Mr. President, he’s the Commander in Chief of Armed Forces.”
KEHINDE AKINTOLA, Abuja
