Insecurity: How Benue, Plateau, Nasarawa remain killing fields

• Stakeholders seek regional security outfit in Benue, MiddleBelt States
• Resurgence of Fulani militia attack in Nasarawa communities worrisome, says security expert
• Nasarawa killings linked to land ownership struggles, lack of justice system, state failure. 

With few days to the end of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, its inability to contain insecurity has remained a sore point. And one aspect of the pervasive insecurity is the resurgence of mindless killings in the states of Benue, Plateau and Nasarawa.

In Benue, it has been a sorry tale of blood and despair, trauma and betrayed hopes, as the perennial farmers/herders clash has taken a new dimension in recent times, leading to unprovoked killings.

While it is illegal for unauthorised citizens to carry firearms, it has become easier for pastoralists who roam the forests to move about with arms unchallenged.

Specifically, the last few weeks have been hellish for the Benue people. Since the last general elections, it has been one attack after the other on a daily basis. Within one month, about 200 people across the state have been reportedly slaughtered by marauding herdsmen.

In Ngban, Guma local council, for instance, while the small village along the Makurdi Lafia road has been a target for the killers, the latest attack on April 2 claimed 32 peasants.

Barely one week later, eight more persons were killed in another attack at Uikpiam, another village a few kilometres from Ngban while another eight were killed at Iordye, also in the same Guma local council.

Guma, one of the worst-hit local councils is the ancestral home of Governor Samuel Ortom. Out of the 10 wards in the local council, only three – Mbawa, Nzorov and Kaambe – are still inhabited. The natives have fled in the others and have taken refuge in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.

In Oturkpo local council, five persons and an additional 46 including the biological son and nephew of the serving chairman of the council, Mr Bako Ejeh were killed in the April 4 and 5 attacks.

A few days later, in simultaneous attack on Edikwu, Odugbo and Opaha villages in Apa local council, 27 people including the Commander of the military Joint Task Force in the area Code-named Operation Whirl Stroke, were brutally cut down. Opaha is the village of the Benue State Commissioner for Finance, Mr David Olofu and Mr Abu Umoru, member of the Benue State House of Assembly representing Apa constituency. The rampaging marauders raped women, maimed and killed innocent and defenseless citizens.

At Jato Aka in Kwande local council,12 people were killed on April 21, seven in Agatu on May 5, another 15 in Logo local council, hometown of Senator Gabriel Suswam on May 12 and nine persons on May 13 in Gwer West local council.

In a chat with The Guardian, Abu Umaru who represents Apa in the state House of Assembly pleaded with the Federal government to establish police and military barracks at the crossing points between Nasarawa and Benue states.

He said that the barracks should be established at the border between Nasarawa and Agatu and Gwer West local councils, adding that it is where the Fulani people cross into Benue, perpetrate the killings and go back into Nasarawa State.

A former Deputy Chairman of Logo local councils Kundushima Akaa told The Guardian that Benue and the other Middle Belt states should have emulated the South West.

According to him, “Amotekun is a regional security outfit for the entire southwest. It would be more effective in fighting insecurity than isolated efforts of individual states like the Benue Volunteer Guards.”

When The Guardian sought to know the efforts of the Benue State government in curtailing the wanton killing of her citizens, the Security Adviser to the Governor, Col Paul Hemba (rtd) lamented the near helplessness of the situation.

In an exclusive interview with The Guardian, he expressed frustration that the state government is not in control of the security apparatuses.

According to Col Hemba, the state government cannot do more than lend its support to the security personnel posted to the state with motivation and provision of logistics to aid them in their duty.

“Unfortunately, they cannot be everywhere at the same time. What the killers do is to avoid where there are security personnel and attack vulnerable places,” he added.

When contacted on the efforts of the police in arresting the situation and maintaining law and order in the state, the police public relations officer, Benue State command, SP Catherine Anene said that the command has been able to deploy personnel to flash points but lamented that the officers could not be everywhere every time.

She said that aside from independent efforts by the command, the police are also part of the Joint Task Force or Operation Whirl Stroke in the state with other military personnel mandated to maintain peace in the state.
In Nasarawa, the most recent conflict led to the murder of over 50 farmers including women and children in Kokona and Karu local councils of the state.

Nasarawa state, like other states in the north-central zone, has lost huge farming population to the unabating farmer/herder crisis.

Since 2019 when the current governor Abdullahi Sule was declared winner, he had embarked on several peace initiatives between communities and warring parties.

The state, however, enjoyed relative peace not until some months before the general elections when pockets of crisis stemmed up again in some Tiv communities in the southern senatorial zone.

Though farmer-herder clashes have continued to rare it ugly heads silently in some communities in Doma and Obi local governments.

The mode of attack and target of the attackers make it easy to draw a conclusion on motives and objectives of the attackers.

Shortly after the general elections and the mixed feeling following the win and loss in the elections, Tattara Mada, Angwan Barau, Migini villages in Kokona local council was invaded by some suspected Fulani militia leaving 12 people dead in a serial attack about a month ago.

The Guardian gathered that the crisis started when a Fulani boy who was grazing allegedly led his herds and destroyed a sugarcane plantation belonging to a Mada farmer.

Angered by the destruction of his farm, the owner of the farm went after the boy and beat him up, leading to further complications on the boy.

Subsequently, another sugar cane farm owner went to check his plantation on hearing his neighbours was grazed down and he met some herdsmen allegedly destroying his farm, he challenged them and quarrel ensued, they overpowered the farmer and macheted him to death.

When the family of the victim could not see him, they traced him to the farm and discovered that he was killed, so they brought the corpse home, the news spread around adjoining villages.

About three weeks after the Kokona attack that left 12 people dead and many wounded, another Mada settlement in Takalafiya village, Gitata District of Panda Development Area of Karu local council was attacked by suspected Fulani militia.

The suspected Fulani attackers invaded the village, shooting sporadically, burning houses using dynamite and killing any available persons.

The Guardian gathered that apart from the 38 victims who were given a mass burial at Takalafiya last Saturday, many other dead bodies are yet to be recovered from the bushes.

The communities have been deserted for fear of reprisal attack despite few presence of few security operatives stationed in some spots.

The Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe, who led government delegation to the mass burial, condemned in strong terms, the wanton killings and destruction of properties worth millions of naira.

Dr. Akabe, who expressed shock over the killings, said government would investigate the causes of the attacks, and bring the perpetrators to book for punishment.

He assured that the state government would provide relief materials to the displaced victims as he encouraged the communities to give credible information to the relevant authorities.

The Member representing Karu/Keffi Keffi Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Gbefwi Jonathan Gaza, who visited the affected communities condemned in strong terms the attack, which displaced many and left dozens dead.

Gaza said the killings are unnecessary, as he appealed to Mada and Fulani herdsmen to sheath their swords and allow peace to reign in the area and the state at large.

A security expert, who spoke with our reporter in Lafia, said that as far as the government has refused to show commitment towards resolving the farmer-herder crisis, it would continue to reoccur.

Dr. Nawani Aboki, an expert in security studies, said that the north central because of its green grasses have become a fighting ring between the local farmers and the intruding herders.

“The cause of the killings in Nasarawa and other states in the middle belt is the presence of the green grasses. The local farmers believe they are the rightful owner of the grasses while the Fulani herders believe that the green grasses should not only belong to the farmers.

“The struggle is created due to the adverse climate in most parts of Northern Nigeria that is forcing herders to migrate to the north central where the green grasses abound.

“Sadly the government, who initiated the National Livestock Program, RUGA are not showing commitment to full implementation of the programme. Worse still, our security operatives lack the proactive measures to quell such conflicts because intelligence is not properly used to stop the activities of criminals,” Nawani said.

The situation is no better in Plateau State as the resurgence of killings has also reached alarming proportions.

Lives have been lost and property worth millions of Naira destroyed as suspected Fulani militia have been having field days always, killing innocent people while asleep.

In April 2023, no fewer than 30 persons lost their lives to gunmen’s attacks in villages of Mangu local council. The villages affected include Murich, Mai and Tumbi where both the natives and the Fulani live together.

Also on April 25, 2023, six people were reportedly killed by yet-to-be-identified gunmen at Farin Lamba community of Jos South government area at night. Two young persons were also killed on May 2, 2023, by what people refer to as unknown gunmen but was later alleged to be Fulani herdsmen at Hoss community of Riyom local council.

The development ignited a massive protest by women in the council who came out in their numbers to block the highway to and from Abuja.

It was due to all the unsavoury situations that prompted the Plateau Youth to hold a discussion meeting and raised the alarm that Fulani militias have resumed their usual killing business and planning coordinated attacks on some local councils and communities in the state.
According to them, the attacks are largely orchestrated to disrupt farming activities, economic livelihoods, decimate population and grab lands in the communities. The affected local councils include Mangu, Bokkos, Barkin Ladi, Riyom, Jos South and Bassa.

Addressing a press conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Jos, the Leadership of the Plateau State Youth Council, Coalition of Plateau State Indigenous Youths and the Youth Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria (YOWICAN), alleged that as from April 15, 2023 to date, the renewed attacks started manifesting.

Chairman, Plateau State Youth Council, Lot Sunday Adas who read the text on behalf of other groups, said that the listed councils have come under attack as people were killed, property worth millions of naira were destroyed while others have been displaced from their ancestral homes.

Within the mentioned period, no fewer than 30 people were ruthlessly killed in the various attacks.