Plateau indigenes vow to defend selves against suspected killer herdsmen

Conference of Autochthonous Ethnic Nationalities Community Development Association has vowed to defend its peoples against marauding killer herdsmen.

The group stated, yesterday, that since government’s security operatives were not doing their job of protecting lives and property, the people would start to defend themselves.

It stated: “As from today, we are going to protect ourselves and our property. We will fence our lands. Whoever trespasses will be prosecuted. We will not allow intruders to come in again. In fact, we don’t want to disclose how we will do that. We are going to plant protective plants. If cows eat them, they will die and the owners will know that their cows had trespassed.

“We know that the terrorists are armed to the teeth, but we will do everything possible to defend ourselves. Some people, unfortunately, have been marked for elimination from the land.”

Addressing journalists yesterday, spokesman for the group, Suleiman Surukam, said about 1.5 million people from Tiv land of Benue State were still languishing at the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps without care by government. He added that over 400 people were attacked in Irigwe.

He expressed dissatisfaction over the way government had been handling the security crisis in the country, especially in Miango–Irigwe community of Plateau State.

According to Surukam, Irigwe’s case is more pathetic because of their closeness to the 3rd Armoured Division, adding that 13 villages were ransacked by the invaders.

The group said that government did not live up to its responsibility of protecting citizens, hence it was calling on the international community to come to their aid.