Benue killings: Will IGP find Benue attackers?

Wednesday’s town hall meeting between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and stakeholders in Benue State over recent attacks in the state has brought back memories of the encounter between former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida and then Inspector General of Police, Etim Inyang.

Babangida had in October 1986, after presiding over a meeting of the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC) in which the IGP was present, turned to Inyang and asked, ‘My friend, where is Anini?’. 

The question, according to those at the meeting embarrassed the then IGP as he was taken unawares and could not respond while his colleague members of the AFRC had a good laugh at his expense.

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Lawrence Anini was then a notorious armed robber terrorising the people of former Bendel State, which comprises today’s Edo and Delta states with his gang and had defied the security agencies and eluded arrest for many months after his story as a criminal kingpin who was fond of sharing his loot with people on the streets went viral.

The situation like what is happening in some states in Nigeria today embarrassed the security agencies as it made the criminals look more sophisticated than the law enforcement agencies.

Three months after the military president embarrassed the IGP with the question, the answer was provided under a new IGP Muhammad Gambo Jimeta, when a team of policemen in a covert operation, stormed the hideout of Anini in Benin and apprehended him cooling off with friends.

As President Tinubu posed a similar question to the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, and the Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, Wednesday, people expect that something tangible by way of apprehending the attackers would be done soon.

“How come no one has been arrested for committing this heinous crime in Yelwata. Inspector General of Police, where are the arrests? The criminals must be arrested immediately,” President Tinubu said.

There has been an upsurge in killings in Benue State in recent times and like the president observed, most times people are left to wait while no arrest are made.

This has been attributed to the fact that the attackers usually come in the dead of the night and immediately vanish after the attacks.

What happened in Yelwata community of Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, represents one of the most heinous of such bloodletting as more than a hundred people including women and children were killed while many were further displaced.

Given the similar embarrassment President Tinubu exposed both the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun and the Chief of Defence Staff at the Benue meeting to, people expect that the security agencies would in a similar manner, swing into action and arrest those behind the attacks for prosecution.

Troops receive more land assets to combat insecurity

Barely two days after President Tinubu’s visit, the headquarters of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) in Makurdi, confirmed it has received deployment of more land assets to combat worrying trend of insecurity in the north central states.

Force Commander of JTF OPWS, Major General Moses Gara, who received the consignment in Makurdi, stated on Friday that the delivery reflects the Defence headquarters’ commitment to fostering synergy across military and security agencies. 

In a statement by the OPWS acting Media Information Officer, Lieutenant Ahmad Zubair, the newly received assets would immediately be deployed to troubled areas in states of the north central zone of the country.

The statement reads, “In a renewed effort to enhance troops mobility and operational effectiveness in the North Central region, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, and the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede, have delivered a substantial consignment of mobility and combat equipment to the Headquarters Joint Task Force (JTF) Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) in Makurdi, Benue State.

“The newly deployed assets -comprising Troops-Carrying Vehicles (TCVs), Gun Trucks, Personal Protective Equipment and over 100 motorcycles are aimed at boosting tactical agility, force protection, and the overall combat readiness of troops operating in the region against persistent asymmetric threats.”

Residents speak on president’s visit

Some residents have, however, picked holes with the manner the president gave the order to the security chiefs, saying it sounded too casual.

A commentator who prefers not to be named said because of the way the president sounded, the security may take the order casually.

“This is something that requires all the seriousness because it is a matter of life and death so the president should have been more forceful in giving the orders,” he stated.

There are aspects also that some said appeared more like repetition of last efforts that did not yield fruits.

Like when the president advised Governor Hyacinth Alia to set up a peace committee in the state that will include former governors of Benue, elders, traditional rulers, federal government officials, and non-indigenes living in the state.

There are aspects that are not immediate and will take time to implement like allocating land for ranching and directing the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security to follow up.

Tinubu, according to analysts, also applied political wisdom in his speech as he enjoined the Governor of Benue to relate with the Governor of Nasarawa to ensure there’s peace in the state this is even as more welcomed the president’s resolve to invest heavily in bringing lasting peace to the state when he said, “We are interested in building homes and families and not losing them…We must turn this tragedy to prosperity.”

Human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, however said it would have been better if the president had not gone to Benue at all.

He said, rather than appear “unfeeling” toward the suffering of the people while  speaking as a guest on a television programme that the only meaningful part of Tinubu’s visit to Makurdi was the speech delivered by the Tor Tiv V, His Royal Majesty, James Ayatse.

Some also faulted the president’s suggestion for the formation of a committee to brainstorm and come up with a solution that would end the attacks, especially in the areas that the state’s former governors and the two highest traditional rulers in the state, the Tor Tiv and the Och’Idoma, be involved.

This is because the three former governors of the state could not resolve the issue during their tenures.

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, also criticised President Bola Tinubu for failing to visit Yelwata, the affected community.

In a statement posted on X on Friday, Obi said leadership requires sacrifice and presence, especially in times of tragedy.

“One of the consistent principles of leadership is the willingness to make ultimate sacrifices and take risks,” he said.

Many have, however, commended the Tor Tiv V, HRH James Ayatse, for saying the issue in Benue is not communal clashes or reprisal attacks or skirmishes. 

The visit, despite its shortcomings like the inability of the president to visit the affected areas, accorded him the opportunity to visit some of the wounded victims being treated at the Moses Adasu University Teaching Hospital and to make some policy pronouncements.

‘We’re being cheated’ Fulani youth cries out, demands justice

A Fulani youth, Yusuf Adamu, recently made a passionate appeal to the Nigerian government and religious leaders to intervene in the crisis in Benue State, alleging targeted attacks and systematic injustice against Fulani communities.

In an emotional video message circulating on social media, Adamu said he was compelled to speak out due to what he described as “worsening oppression” of Fulani pastoralists in parts of Benue.

“I want this message to go far and reach the right people. We know where the crisis in Benue is coming from, and it cannot be resolved unless we go to the root,” he said.

Adamu accused some Idoma communities of routinely attacking Fulani herders, destroying their cattle, and displacing families who have lived peacefully in parts of the state for over 30 years. According to him, herders’ cattle are often killed without compensation, and their children are assaulted in the bush, while no punitive action is taken”.

He called on the federal government to ensure justice and fairness for all Nigerians, regardless of ethnicity or occupation.  

In its response, the Benue State government challenged Yusuf Adamu, to prove his claims.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Security and Internal Affairs, Chief Joseph Har, reacting to the allegations raised by Adamu, said it was needless to respond to accusations that did not explain how he (the Fulani) had been cheated by the Benue people.

“Ask him when and how he has been cheated,” Har said.

From Salim Umar Ibrahim, Kano  & Hope Abah, Makurdi