By Hassan Zaggi
Following the killing of over 50 people including women and children in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State in the past few days by alleged armed herdsmen, community leaders in the area have called on President Muhammad Buhari to intervene and save them from total genocide.
This is even as they also appealed to foreign and local Non-Governmental Organizations to come to their aid.
It would be recalled that in the past few days, over 50 indigenes of Benue, in Kwande Local Government were massacred by Armed Herdsmen terrorising the area.
Sources disclosed that the marauding herders with cattle numbering over 300 have taken over the whole of villages including Nyiev-ya (Mbakyor Ward, Turan) in Kwande LGA, Benue state, covering a distance of not less than 100km.
The herders are said to have destroyed villages, markets including Ayuluba in Ityuluv Nyiev-ya, farm produce, houses and many others worth billions of naira.
In an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari titled; “Terror Attacks on Farming Communities, Including Women and Children in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State,” the community leaders appealed to the president to deploy heavy security operatives to man their borders in order to prevent the killers from having access to the communities.
The letter was signed by the trio of Comrade Festus Iorkyaa, President-Turan Development Association (TUDA), Eric Tyohemba Udu and Solomon Terfa Jijah, on behalf of the community leaders. A copy was made available to The AUTHORITY, in Abuja.
Part of the letter reads: “We write to report recent, sustained terror attacks on our communities over the past 10 days which have resulted in the killing of over 50 people, several injured, thousands displaced and loss of property and farmlands.
“These latest spate of attacks started in February in Ityuragh, Mbaikyor ward in Turan Kwande LGA. These attacks have since spread to Abande, Ityon, Kendev-ya, Anwase, Yaaiwa, and other localities an area spanning over 100km2.
“Eyewitnesses report that the attackers came in with cattle, numbering over three hundred (300) and are armed with highly sophisticated weapons, terrorizing the people of the area and killing unarmed civilians, women and children while destroying homes, food stores and farmlands.
“In some cases, they have taken over the lands and settled on them. They come in huge numbers with their cattle, destroying farm produce for their animals to graze, chase away the inhabitants of such areas and pitch their tents there.”
While appealing for urgent intervention of the president in order to save and secure their lives and property, they also called on the President to “assist in giving relief materials to the refuges of the affected crisis.
“Create more IDP camps as hundreds of our people are homeless. This is because we are approaching the raining season, if rain resumes and these people do not have where to stay, the dilemma will be unbearable.
“Send security operatives to man our borders and chase the killers of our people away. Your Excellency, we call on you, in keeping with the primary constitutional duty of the Nigerian government, we appeal that you speedily secure the Kwande people, their farmlands and their properties.
“Arrest and prosecute those funding and planning these attacks. Strengthen security for the affected communities. Provide urgent humanitarian support to displaced persons from affected communities who have now taken refuge in neighbouring communities most notably, in Jato-Aka in Kwande LGA.”
