THE BENUE KILLINGS

Just a second day into the year 2018, the Benue State Government has been presented with a horrendous new year package, on the wake of the New year’s day, massive attacks which reverberated through hundreds of deaths and wanton killings of human persons were carried out in the State Governors Council Ward which left a shocking number of casualties and death toll. On the 2nd of January 2018, the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH), Makurdi was agog with cacophonous despair over the massive display maimed corpses resulting from the sudden invasion of unknown perpetrators purported to be Fulani Herdsmen. This therefore, reconnect with the initial threat issued by the said herdsmen earlier in October 2017 that they were going to invade Benue state at the wake of November of 2017 with the present attack however, it leaves one without doubt that the present attack has been an actualization of the precedented threat as said above. Given this massive New Year shocker, the event leaves several lines of botheration thus: Why has the Federal Government led by Mohammadu Buhari remained silent over the killings in Benue by the purported Fulani Herdsmen since its inceptions? How possible has the Fulanis successfully effect such a regimented attack in the deep inter-lands of state without prior cause of alarm? Given the November 2017 threat, how prepared has the Benue State government been ready in terms of security preparations? Could this attack have been jointly mobilized by the Federal Government and the said Fulani herdsmen? In tackling these botheration, so much points towards either conspiracy or negligence. This is because, president Buhari took over the reins of government at a time when the killings of the Tiv people by the Fulanis were aggravated and ongoing, but since then until now, no-one has heard an instituted concern from the presidency in regards to this phenomenon. This leaves one in no doubt that the presidency may be in support of these killings; because as Martin Luther King (Jnr) puts it, “in the end, it is not the voices of our enemies that we hear but the silence of our perceived friends”. The presidency’s silence however, has already spoken volumes in this case. Come to think of it upon this backdrop, why do the presidencies of ex-military generals often target the Tiv nation in sponsored killings (as was the case during the Obasanjo’s administration)? If the Fulanis could organize such a regimented attack and pass un-noticed until its execution, then one should be aware that there is a problem. On the other hand, having passed the anti-open grazing bill, what security measures were taken by the state government to counter any surprised attack especially given the threat issued earlier in November? Having been familiar with the Fulanis unforgiving nature, the state government would have known that the Fulani would not leave Benue obediently, never to return. A strike-force anti-assault team should have been instituted and trained in guerrilla warfare to prepare for any surprise attack as an aftermath projection of this anti-open grazing bill. But today, this negligence on the side of the government has caused the Tiv people this New Year despair. And of course, we should expect more. On this note, I call on the public to resort to self-help where necessary, only to protect the lives and integrity and pride of the Tiv nation, until proper government machineries are put in place to arrest the situation if at all this will ever happen. Talk2apeyuan@gmail.com Apeyuan Terese Emmanuel.