Buratai
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Burutai, has assured that more troops will be deployed in Benue State to complement the ones already on ground, so as to ensure peace in Agatu and other communities being ravaged by attacks by herdsmen.
Buratai, who was in the state yesterday as part of his efforts to end the crisis between herdsmen and farmers in the state, stated the army and other security agents have also been instructed to increase their operations in the waterways within and around the state.
The state governor, Samuel Ortom, expressed confidence in the current security measures taken by the Federal Government to prevent further clashes between herdsmen and farmers in Agatu and other parts of the state, noting that with the intensified surveillance by the military and mobile policemen in the areas affected by the crisis peace would soon be restored in the communities.
Ortom commended President Muhammadu Buhari, for the prompt intervention to bring an end to the killings, even as he described the invasion of the state by herdsmen as unwarranted.
“Mr. President has proven that he is father to all with his quick approval for the deployment of more troops to Agatu and other areas affected by the crisis. The killing of our people by herders is unjustifiable and I expect every Nigerian to rise in condemnation of this act,” he stated.
He stated farming remains the main occupation of the people of the state, which has earned it the status of ‘Food Basket of the Nation’, stressing that anything capable of depriving the people of their farm lands must be condemned by all Nigerians.
He, however, advised the people of not to take the law into their hands but to remain peaceful and report trespassers on their land to security agencies.
Meanwhile, the Benue State government has, through the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), sent additional relief materials and medical assistance to the camps occupied by persons displaced by the crisis.
Guardian