Benue State has been plagued by recurring violent attacks, kidnappings, and killings, often attributed to armed herdsmen, leaving residents in a state of fear and insecurity.
Benue State House of Assembly has urged the federal government to take urgent action to prevent a looming genocide in the state.
Lawmaker Peter Uche likened the situation to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide, citing the government’s failure to protect lives and properties as mandated by Section 14(b) of the 1999 Constitution.
Uche expressed deep pain over the recent attack on Yelwata community, which claimed over 200 lives, mostly women and children.
“I am deeply pained that women and children will be murdered in their sleep for no fault of theirs.
“Their only crime being their identity as crop farmers from Benue,” he said, describing the brutality and sophistication of the attacks.
The lawmakers noted that despite drawing attention to the attacks through various media, the violence had continued unabated.
They criticized the security agencies for not doing enough to protect the people.
Alfred Berger, who seconded the motion, called on both state and federal governments to rise to their duties.
Speaker Aondona Dajoh appealed to President Bola Tinubu to deploy military and police to enforce the Open Grazing Prohibition Law, commending youths who protested the killings as “heroes of democracy in Benue.”
The assembly urged unity among Benue people to tackle the insecurity
