Some
members of the Benue parliamentary caucus in
the House of Representatives have raised alarm over bloody attacks of Fulani
herdsmen and strongly criticized President Muhammadu Buhari for downplaying the
“genocide” happening to the Agatu people in the state. Vanguard reports that 11
lawmakers condemned Buhari and Abdulrahman Danbazzau, the minister of interior,
while briefing journalists on Thursday, March 17.
“We decry
the lukewarm attitude of the federal government towards this ‘jihad’ being
waged against our people by the herdsmen. We condemn the belated reaction of
President Muhammadu Buhari and his minister of interior, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman
Danbazzau (rtd) who broke their unholy silence a week after over 500 people
were killed and 10 villages razed in Agatu area of the state,” they said.
The lawmakers
wondered why the federal government has not made public the report of the
investigative panel and has not inaugurated it in the first instance. They
lamented that every planting season is heralded by serial attacks by Fulani
herdsmen who also return during the harvesting season.
Earlier
this week, Dambazau promised to deal decisively with the perpetrators of
the killings in Agatu community. He also ordered the inspector general of
police, Solomon Arase, to carry out an on-the-spot assessment of the situation
in the communities.
Meanwhile, Senator
David Mark visited some parts of Benue
state in the aftermath of the Agatu killings. He called on local people to
refrain from any form of reprisal attack on herdsmen in any part of Benue south district to prevent an escalation of the
crisis between Fulani herdsmen and Agatu farmers. He also urged the state
and federal governments to intervene by rebuilding the war ravaged communities
as well as rehabilitating the survivors to resume their routine farming business.
Source: Naija.com
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