The Independent Human Rights and
Crime Monitoring Group, IHRCMG, has accused the military of encouraging the
influx of cattle into Benue State.
The group said the military was
aiding the herders to take over Benue communities by violating the Open Grazing
Prohibition Law of the state.
Reeling out preliminary report on
execution of Exercise Ayem A’ Kpatuma to end herdsmen incursions in Benue
State, yesterday, in Makurdi, team leader of IHRCMG, Mr Solomon Adodo,
regretted that the state had witnessed more killings, destruction of farmlands
and houses despite the coming of the military.
According to the group, “Exercise
Ayem A’ Kpatum is causing more harm than good to Benue communities. Rather than
bringing peace and move people back to their ancestral homes, the military has
been encouraging more herdsmen to move into Benue communities.
“The military encouraged herdsmen
with a handblil, which they used at the launch of the exercise. They circulated
the handbill misinforming the general public and giving a perspective that was
not true.
“And Federal Government appears
to be complicit in the Benue killings in all ramifications, the actions taken
so far by the government does not show any political will to end the killings.
“We, therefore, recommend that the
military should reassess its operations and sincerely help Benue to enforce the
Open Grazing Prohibition Law of 2017.”
Don't mind them, they are just there to support their Fulanis brothers.
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