Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, Saturday laid wreath on the graves of the 73 Benue farmers killed by armed Fulani militia two days to visit of President Buhari to the State.
Obasanjo laid the wreath at the Cemetery where the 73 victims of Fulani attacks were given mass burial in Makurdi during a condolence visit on Governor Samuel Ortom.
The former President expressed shock that after the burial of 73, over 80 people had been murdered in cold blood in various parts of the state.
“I feel sad beyond description that is why I took it upon myself haven been to Maiduguri where we held the meeting of the zero hunger forum, where if circumstances have been normal the governor of Benue state would have been with us. The first meeting of the forum was held in Benue state.
“So I felt coming from Maiduguri I should stop here to pay a condolence visit to the people and government of Benue to share in their pain and sadness and I feel coming to this grave yard and laying a wreath will expressed sufficiently my sorrow and my sympathy and empathy to the governor and all the people of the state and indeed all the people of Nigeria without exception because a lost of one Nigeria is a lost to all of us.
“And the situation you have describe that after the burial of the 73 that are buried here more than 80 others killed in different part of Benue is more shocking to me to hear and I believe it will be more shocking to many Nigerians who will be hearing as you put it across”, Obasanjo stated.
He said Nigeria had not gotten it right and urged leaders at various levels to come together and get to the root of the killings with a view to finding a lasting solution to the menace.
The Former President said until the real matter was investigated and permanent solution found, innocent Nigerians would continue to be buried in their numbers.
“There is no doubt that we have not got it right we haven’t got it right because whatever is behind this, normally in any civilised society we must get to the root of this and until we get to the root of this we will be burying victims, we will be assuming what is not assumable, because we must know why is this happening and we must put an end to it, somebody must accept responsibility to put an end to this or if it has to be collective responsibility, then so be it but there must be an end to this.
” We can not talk of a free country, a secure country, a country where we will want development to take place where we would want to invite investors from outside and we are suffering this type of senseless killings, we can not accept this”, he maintained.
Obasanjo who expressed worry that the senseless killings were being carried out without commensurate actions , observed that, the trend was capable of discouraging foreign investments into the country.
“For me this killings is beyond what we are seen on the surface and we need to find out what is in the bottom of it and that is the responsibility of leader. They must leave no stone unturned to get to the root cause of this problem
” Nothing can be worst than what I saw here 73 graves site of innocent people, the people that are buried here are gone forever. What can we tell those who they left behind. Coming to pay condolence is one thing and finding permanent solution is another thing”, The Former Nigerian Leader stressed.
JAMES KWEN, MAKURDI
