[UPDATED] Benue killings: Tinubu assures of lasting peace

By TYAV SAM TYAV, Makurdi –

President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assured that he would work with other stakeholders to bring lasting peace in Benue State and Nigeria at large.

Speaking in Makurdi during a town hall meeting with stakeholders in the state, President Tinubu who commiserated with the government and people of the state, noted that his administration was interested in unity and peace of the people insisting that they were interested in restoring permanent peace in the land.

President Tinubu who expressed sadness over the killings in Yelwata town and other places told the people that he was interested in commissioning of projects, adding that they were not voted into power to bury the people but to provide services, assuring that peace would return to the state.

According to the President, a committee would be put in place for the purpose of finding a lasting peace , insisting that the Tor Tiv and Och’ Idoma should be part of the peace committee that would meet in Abuja.

While saying that he did not want the repeat of such killings, the President informed that as “Nigerians we are members of the same family but we are only living in different rooms’, adding that there was no reason to fight but instead a synergy be created for the progress of the nation.

President Tinubu, who charged the Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia to work towards changing the situation into economic prosperity also appealed to the state government to provide land for the federal government to provide ranch for better animals husbandry.

In his remarks, Governor Alia commended the President Tinubu for his visit to the state following the recent attack on Yelwata Community in Guma Local Government Area.

The governor expressed hope that the president would proffer solutions to the wanton killings in the state and appreciated the eefforts of security agencies in Benue State for their efforts to bring peace through out the crisis and solicited for improved security measures to confront the challenges better.

According to the governor, the attacks on the peace-loving people of Benue State have spanned over a decade and expressed hope that the President’s visit would bring an end to the security challenges.

He appealed to the Federal Government to establish a special intervention fund for communities affected by the attacks in Benue State and stressed that such funds would support the rehabilitation of displaced persons, rebuilding of destroyed infrastructure, and restore the livelihoods of the victims.

The Tor Tiv HRM Orchivirigh Professor James Ayatse, told the President that Benue was facing a full war situation, saying those encouraging his subjects to coexist with herders were saying they should leave with warriors.

President Tinubu, Tor Tiv expressed the belief, has the capacity to handle even more complex challenges and appealed that the President should ensure an end to the genocide for his people to go back to their farms to feed the country.

The Tor Tiv, who informed that he is the Paramount ruler of the Tiv Worldwide lamented that the Tiv in Nasarawa state have being their since 19th century, but were being dispossessed of their land and other valuable property and appealed to the President to protect the indigenous Tiv people in Nasarawa state.

The Begha U Tiv recalled that it was in the habit of Benue people to vote on the basis of capacity and performance that the people of the state voted for him, assuring that Benue people would continue to be loyal and as well support him even after 2027.