The Christian Association of
Nigerian, CAN, has called on the Federal Government to compensate the victims
of the New Year day killings in Benue State, where over 73 lives were lost.
Speaking Monday at the
stakeholders’ meeting organized for members of the National Economic Council
Committee on the herdsmen/ Farmers crisis in Makurdi, the Benue State chairmen
of CAN, Rev. Akpen Leva lamented that the people had been abandoned by the
Federal government despite the huge losses they suffered directly and
indirectly.
Rev. Leva said, “considering the
losses suffered by the people of Benue state, the federal government has not
found it expedient to avail the victims any form of compensation, it is indeed
saddening.
“What we demand for is adequate
compensation for those killed, we need compensation for those in the Internally
Displaced Persons, IDPs, camp where over 100,000 persons are currently taking
refuge.
“We also demand the arrest and
prosecution of the leadership of Maiyetti Allah kautal Hore because they had
issued threats before the killings, that is the more reason why they should be
made to answer to the law because nobody should be seen to be above the law.
“Our fear is that the incursion
in our communities is another grand plan to Islamize the country because the
sequence of the attacks clearly shows that they are carried out in Christian
communities.”
On his part, former military
Governor of Benue state, General Atom Kpera (Retired) cautioned that the
herdsmen menace if not checked could lead to anarchy in the country.
“We are gradually walking into
anarchy in this country. People may be forced to take up arms to defend
themselves if something urgent is not done to stop the killings.
“The federal government must know
that we all belong to this country and we must all be protected from the menace
of herdsmen and those perpetrating the killings arrested and made to face the
law,” he said.
On his part, the Tor Tiv, Prof.
James Ayatse faulted the timing of the deployment of military personnel in the
state.
How about the killings in Rivers and Taraba? Hypocrites infested CAN.
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