Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Mr. David Iorhemba, has
urged the Federal Government to set up a panel of inquiry into the
lingering Tiv farmers and Fulani herdsmen crisis that had in recent time
claimed over 300 lives with over 15 communities sacked.
He also pleaded with the government to take decisive steps to disarm
mercenaries whom he claimed had been deployed by the herdsmen along the
Benue-Nasarawa borders.
The Speaker who addressed newsmen, yesterday, in Makurdi on the
recent conflict in his constituency between Tiv farmers and herdsmen at
Yogbo in Guma Local Government Area that claimed over 30 lives stated
that the conflicts had taken a dangerous dimension resulting in
persistent killings.
Iorhemba stressed that the persistent conflict had in the last one
year subjected his constituents to untold hardship without any source of
livelihood with most of their farmlands destroyed by the invaders.
He said: “We are disappointed that the Nasarawa state government has
also repeatedly failed to check the influx of mercenaries who camp in
their communities to unleash havoc on my people, despite several moves
by the Benue State government to arrest the trend.
“The unfortunate development has necessitated the need for the
Federal Government to set up a panel of inquiry into the persistent
bloodbath that has left most of the Tiv communities ravaged and
desolated.”
The Speaker also urged the federal government to tag those behind the
killings as terrorist advising that traditional rulers allegedly
fueling the crisis should also be cautioned in order to avert further
bloodbath in the affected communities
Iorhemba warned that if necessary steps were not taken to stem the
killings, the Tiv nation would be forced to take its case to the United
Nations.
No comments:
Post a Comment