Police operatives in Makurdi, the Benue state capital, have dispersed protesters using tear gas during a demonstration against renewed attacks in the state.
The protest, held at the Wurukum roundabout on Sunday, was
organised in response to the killing of over 100 people in Yelewata and Daudu
communities in Guma LGA on Friday night.
The incident came less than 48 hours after 25 others were
killed in Mtswenem and Akondotyough Bawa, both in Makurdi LGA.
Protesters, dressed in black clothing and carrying fresh leaves, gathered to demand urgent action from authorities to address the recurring violence in the state.
The demonstration, under the hashtag #StopBenueKillings,
attracted a large crowd and drew the attention of security agencies.
Emenari Ifeanyi, the commissioner of police in Benue,
addressed the protesters before the crowd was dispersed.
He appealed for calm and assured the demonstrators that
security agencies were working to apprehend the attackers.
The commissioner also advised against prolonged protests,
stating that it could interfere with security operations.
“I was monitoring and at the checking point for more than
six hours. Tell your people to calm down, we need to support of the youth and
everybody in Benu state,” he said.
“It a phase and we are passing through it already. We have
already cut the head of the snake and we will get the peace that we deserved.
“Instead of being in the bush with other security agencies,
we are here. If you prolonged your actions here, you’re giving opportunity for
the enemies to plan. We have intelligence of their movement and we are blocking
them.”
Shortly after his address, videos of protesters being
teargassed by the police surfaced on social media.
“There are security trucks stationed at the Wurukum
roundabout in Makurdi, where the #StopBenueKillings protesters are gathered,
and a helicopter is hovering over them,” a protester said in one of the videos.
“If this energy were directed toward securing lives in the
state, residents wouldn’t be protesting. Protesters have, as usual, been
tear-gassed and dispersed.”
As canisters hissed through the air, protesters fled in
different directions, coughing and shielding their faces.
A police helicopter hovered overhead with several patrol
vans stationed at strategic locations in the state capital.
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