Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Benue State Governor, Terver Akase has debunked claims by Miyetti Allah that the state government was sponsoring militia, insisting that the Fulani are the aggressors who threatened violence and make good on their threats.
“The entire world knows who is the aggressor and who is the victim in the crisis perpetrated by herdsmen in Benue State over the years. Fulani herdsmen are the aggressors and Benue people the victims.
“The herdsmen made no pretence when they threatened and they followed their threats with violence killing hundreds of people and destroying property worth billions of naira,” Akase said.
He recalled that last week Benue buried 73 of its indigenes who were gruesomely murdered in their homes by invading herdsmen in attacks on communities in Guma and Logo local government areas of the state.
“Did the people kill themselves? No, Fulani herdsmen killed them. I expect the killers of those innocent Benue children, women and youths to allow the dead rest in peace instead of spitting on their graves as they are doing at the moment”
Also speaking, Special Adviser to the Governor on (Media and ICT), Tahav Agerzua, dispelled rumors that the state government was arming militia against the Fulani herdsmen, stressing that Miyetti Allah was looking for a justification for their recent invasion of the state.
“The Ortom administration does not sponsor and arm any militia against anyone. Rather, it did an amnesty program and disarmed many with illegal weapons. Miyetti Allah is looking for justification of the invasion of the state which they threatened at a press conference in Abuja on May 30 last year,” he said.
He called for the arrest of the leaders of the group for sponsoring the mass murder of Benue people in their ancestral land.
“Their leaders must be arrested for sponsorship of mass murder in Benue and several other states.”