Yelewata Massacre: How Benue bleeds after COAS visit
By George Kajo
For residents of Yelewata community, a settlement in Guma local Government area of Benue state, life is no longer at ease. No day passes without any form of attack on them. Predominately of Tiv extraction, they have been forging on with the challenges of daily life expedition.
On that fateful Saturday at about 2:00 am, hired killer mercenaries arrived and positioned themselves in three zones of the community. Unsuspecting residents were in deep sleep. The bandits opened fire at houses after spraying fuel on the doors. Anyone attempting to escape was shot at. Hundreds were killed, shops and food stuff were razed to ashes.
In some cases, a family of five were reportedly massacred in the course of the attack. Some lucky ones who escaped by the whiskers are nursing wounds of various degrees. They fled to various directions. Tempers are still high.
Chairman of Guma local government council, Maureen Orwough had visited the scene of the incident and and commiserated with families of those that lost their loved ones. Benue Links Transport buses were sent to evacuate survivors willing to leave.
Irate youths from the area have staged a protest to drive home government attention over the massacre. Makurdi – Lafia – Abuja high- ways were blocked, leaving travelers stranded for hours. The protest have gotten to Makurdi town.
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At the Wurukum round about, various security forces have deployed their vehicles and personnel for any eventuality. However, protesters have defied the presence of security forces and are duly carrying out processions and chanting songs like “we want no more killings in Benue”.
Clad in black attire to depict a solemn mood, they bear placards some of which reads, “Cry for help, stop Benue killings”, an air force helicopter is flying over Wurukum round about in the wake of the protest.
Governor Hyacinth Iormem Alia has condemned in strong terms the attacks and massacre of innocent citizens at Yelewata by suspected criminal herders, saying nothing should warrant taking of life.
Deputy Governor of the state, Barr. Sam Ode who visited the scene of the heinous act earlier in the day on the directives of the Governor delivered the message, saying, the Governor is not resting on his oars to ensure the state experiences peace.
“Governor Hyacinth Alia acknowledges and shares in your pains and grief caused by this attacks on your community by criminal elements suspected to be armed herdsmen. The State Government is consistently engaging with federal security agencies, traditional rulers, community leaders, and relevant stakeholders to strengthen security interventions and provide lasting solutions to these persistent attacks”, Ode stated.
He assured that more tactical teams have started arriving to Benue from the federal government and additional security deployments are being arranged for vulnerable areas, adding that response squad Teams are also deployed and will be in Benue from Sunday, strategic community dialogues are ongoing to enhance active intelligence sharing.
According to him, the state’s joint operations units are also being strengthened, and government will not relent in its utmost commitment to defending the lives and properties of all residents.
“In the spirit of peace and unity, we call on religious, traditional, and political leaders across the state to sensitize and guide the youths under their influence against unlawful gatherings or confrontations that may spiral out of control, and appealed to the public to make use of official communication channels to report any suspicious activities and to stay informed through credible sources”, he added.
In a statement, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Sir Tersoo Kula, quotes Dr Ode as saying, Benue State remains committed to justice, peace, and security for all.
Confirming the attack, the Police Public Relations Officer for Benue State command, DSP, Udeme Edet, stated the actual casualty figures are still been collated, while investigation is ongoing to unravel those behind the attack.
