From Abraham Uwuasom, Makurdi
Senator David Mark representing Benue South senatorial District (zone C) recently visited the ravaged areas in Agatu Local Government Area to assess the level of damage caused in the wake of attacks on nine villages where scores of lives were wasted and property valued at millions of Naira destroyed.
This was one in the series of assessment tours to the troubled zone, the first being that by a presidential committee which was headed by the director general of the Victims Support Fund who pledged to quickly intervene with a view to ensuring succour to the over 5,000 IDPs scattered in neighbouring settlements.
On his way to the troubled areas, the former Senate President’s convoy was attacked by the herdsmen who ambushed and shot sporadically as the convoy approached Akwu community, one of the worst hit in this act of cruelty by the marauders.
Although no casualty was recorded in the cause of the attack, the incident clearly brought out the sophisticated nature of the crisis. If a former president’s convoy could come under attack by the herdsmen then, it brings to mind the plight of the Agatu inhabitants who Time Nigeria gathered have been left to their fate by concerned authorities.
” If the government at the state and federal levels fail to protect us then, we may implore the only available option of resorting to self defence.
“Since this crisis started, no official of the state government has come here to identify with us, I am aware that the deputy governor came but, I am also aware he only visited the IDPs who are taking refuge in far away Ugbokpo, in Apa local government area, ” a youth leader who would not want his name in print told Time Nigeria.
Time Nigeria investigations also showed that sophistication of the weaponry, the devastating nature of the attacks and the approach of the security men as well as political precision has left the people guessing if indeed this invaders are the conventional Fulanis who use to milk their cows on their soil spanning over decades.
This view was shared by the paramount ruler of the Agatu people and the Ochi Agatu when he spoke with Time Nigeria.
He said: ” This people are not Fulanis, the other day I was speaking to the Fulani Ardo here and he told me that those people who came to attack us are not Fulanis.
“He said THE people that attacked us probably may have come from Chad, Somalia and Senegal.’’
This is the most worrisome dimension to the problem as the identity of the attackers has continued to remain a mystery. But what are the security agencies and government doing in unraveling these killers who have now invaded a vast portion of Benue state?
The views are differed. Speaking to this medium, a cross section of the Agatu indigenes believe security agencies have not done enough in protecting the lives of their people. They held that for a crisis which has taken that kind of dimension, it ought to have attracted a more sophisticated approach than what was currently seen on ground in the area.
They querried why high ranking security chiefs in the country are yet to deem it necessary to visit the area to assess the level of damage and also advance measures that would put paid to such heinous acts against the unsuspecting Agatu inhabitants.
Findings by Time Nigeria indicated that apart from few military personnel that were noticed in some of the affected areas, no other security formation was on ground to ensure the cessation mayhem against the Agatu Inhabitants.
These findings were in sharp contrast to an earlier pledge by the Inspector General of police who visited Makurdi last week that 90 police men were going to be deployed to the troubled zone. Another later statement credited to the IGP that the Agatu situation was being exaggerated has also continued to create concern amongst the people.
“How can the IGP visit and instead of going to the troubled areas will remain in the state capital and later say the situation was being overblown. The most annoying thing is a statement credited to him that he did not see corpses in Makurdi, could the corpses have been taken from Agatu to Makurdi? And if so, whose duty was it to evacuate the dead bodies? Is it not the police which we have not seen their presence in Agatu since the crisis erupted?” a visibly angry inhabitant told Time Nigeria in one of the ravaged community.
The Agatu people are not the only ones affected by these acts of cruelty by the herdsmen. Shortly after the attack on Mark’s convoy in Agatu, the invaders visited mayhem on inhabitants of Tse Damkor in Tarkaa Local Government Area where six persons were slaughtered according to police sources.
The council chairman Mrs. Phoebe Dajoh, was also reported to have narrowly escaped being killed as her car was attacked by the herdsmen who numbered up to 50, according to media reports. A police officer was also reported to have lost his life in the process.
This was coming few days after another attack in Buruku Local Government as
well as Anyiin in Logo Local Government Area where scores were reportedly killed with property valued at millions also destroyed.
The attacks in Tarkaa and Buruku were also coming few weeks after an attack on Isherev community in Guma Local Government where the entire community was wiped out by the marauders.
Governor Samuel Ortom who visited the troubled zone in Guma was said to have expressed shock at the level of destruction caused by the Fulani herdsmen.
As the rampaging marauders have continued to intensify attacks on Benue communities, capturing more territories by the day while the local farmers have continued to scamper for their dear lives, there seems to be a hand of a second Jihad in the whole imbroglio.
Investigations by Time Nigeria gathered that the header’ s new approach of chasing original inhabitants out of their settlements and occupying same was a pointer to the fact that an agenda with a definite aim or purpose was being advanced.
Chief Cletus Orkuma, a historian and commentator on public issues shares this line of thought. He told Time Nigeria in an interview that the nature of the attack was a pointer to the fact that the invaders were coming with a Jihadist agenda.
” This is a second Jihad and government must look deep with a view to addressing the same.
“ These are not the Fulanis we use to live with, play around with as brothers so i want to strongly advise that the Benue state government takes up this issue with the Federal government, it is purely a Jihadist agenda with the sole aim of overrunning Benue with the desire of occupying its land, ” Orkuma posited.
Findings also indicated that the posture of the Federal Government towards the crises. This, they held, lied in government’s inability to deploy adequate security men to the troubled areas as well as ensure the provision of succour to the over 5,000 persons displaced as a result of the attacks.
Though the presidential committee set up by the Federal Government visited some of the troubled areas to assess the extent of damage with a promise to swinging into action, nothing has been seen in that regard as the IDPs have continued to wander about in search of shelter.
This has also angered most of the affected persons, with some openly accusing the Federal Government of insensitivity to their plight.
” Are the people of Benue state second class citizens in Nigeria? why can’t the Federal Government act on this issue the way it acted on the insurgency ravaging the North Eastern part of the country where it swiftly mobilized troops to curb the situation? ” a source who sought anonymity asked rhetorically in a chat with this medium.
As the killing spree and maiming fiesta continues unabated with more communities being invaded and captured by the herdsmen, the common refrain is that the Federal Government should show more commitment, a commitment that would remove the toga of suspicion and a feeling of neglect by a people who also contributed in the formation of the present leadership at the federal level.
