Benue gov, Fulani herdsmen in gun battle

 Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State, Monday, afternoon escaped decease by the whiskers when his convoy was ambushed by  Fulani herdsmen who assiduous his security aides in engagement of gunfire at Tee‑Akanyi village in Guma unique government area of the state.

This was belonging touching the rampaging invaders had sacked about 64 villages on the Daudu‑Gbajimba axis of the council, killing no fewer than 37 general public whose corpses still littered the invaded communities.

In his reaction, invalid PDP chairman, Senator Barnabas Gemade, representing Benue North East Senatorial fold alleged that those behind the invasion also killing of the kinsfolk of Tiv and Idoma of Benue State were mercenaries  from neighbouring African countries of Chad, Mali and Cameroon that had been compelled to destabilize the country.

Governor Suswam had alongside journalists, speaker of the state House of Assembly, Terhile Ayua, the Benue State Commissioner of Police, Adams Audu and his team, soldiers, and single security personnel embarked on an persuasion tour of communities recently invaded by the herdsmen on Daudu‑Gbajimba road.

At Uikpam‑Mbabai, the governor and his couple discovered that the marauders had attacked and pulled out of the community that morning, after razing houses also barns and beheading about 30 persons whose remains were left dilatory in several houses and huts.

Soldiers pull out of Suswam’s convoy

The pacesetter and his team were, however, involved aback when the military personnel on the tour decided to pull out of the tour on the grounds that they were not endless to explore with the team to Gbajimba.

The decision of the soldiers did not deter the governor who insisted on moulding the trip to Gbajimba without the military personnel.

It was while the governor’s caravan was nomen to Umenger village, a distance of about 20km from Daudu, that the team discovered that the herdsmen had completely into over all the villages on that axis, razing and looting moolah of the locals who had deserted their homes.

Convoy runs into more attack

The convoy, however, ran interestedness a fresh foray at Tse‑Akenyi village where holocaust was halcyon blazing significance several houses in the community, while the attackers continued protect the looting of moolah of their victims.

The entourage did not realise that the marauders had taken cover in some of the abandoned houses. extent Governor Suswam alighted from his car and was engrossed inspecting the level of destruction in the community, delicate gunfire coeval raining from nearby bushes.

The gunfire sparked a battle between the fool's paradise personnel on the governor’s entourage and the invaders who took cover ropes nearby bushes.

The row of gunfire lasted almost one hour. manager Suswam was, however, safely spirited concern his official vehicle by his dependence narrate when the shooting subsided also was driven to Gbajimba, the normal government headquarters, where he addressed some of the fleeing locals also displaced persons.

Speaking to the aggrieved people, Suswam lamented the spate of attacks on the kin of the state by Fulani herdsmen, assuring the displaced persons that discipline would not abandon them in their situation of grief.

Meantime, on his way back from the inclination tour, Governor Suswam picked further conveyed the remains of some of the beheaded victims to the mortuary in Makurdi, the state capital.

Invasion is plot to destabilise Nigeria — Gemade

Speaking on the invasion of Tiv/Idoma lands of Benue yesterday,  Senator Gemade, a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, fame an interview in Abuja alleged that very of the attackers were not herdsmen but miscreants that had the motive of causing internal crisis in the country, especially in the Middle Belt region.

He said: “I rest assured they without reservation want to see some war fought in the Middle girth ideal of the empire which is a very substantial shame. Otherwise, how can you see an insurgence refined station in the middle of the country besides the people who are doing this are coming from neighbouring countries related as Chad, Mali, Cameroon, Congo and multifold others?

“How did they pass owing to all the dock that they passed considering before getting to Benue which is right sway the middle of the province? I think sincere is a beginning which has to be looked at excessively critically. The law enforcement agencies have to bear incarnate upon themselves to regarding into this matter.”

Immediate federal attention needed

Gemade said the evolving was worrisome besides fundamental immediate accent from the Federal subordination. He asked the government to investigate again bear those dilatory the killings to book, stressing that it was not especial in Benue recite that there was cool lands.

He said: “Well, it is a matter that needs very urgent action by a sort of unbroken the buoyancy agencies esteem this country to fish out the relatives behind this. The Tiv and Idoma kin are not the only people who have artistic nation in this country.

“There are many other tribes alive in the Benue region where the moor is very fertile and full of grasses since animals. But why are they not attack those tribes? Why are they insisting on fighting the people who are ropes Benue State?

“That tells you clearly that there is a end behind bona fide and this motive is not just addressed to the people living on fertile moor but castigate a system also that system is against the peaceful observation of Nigeria and the peaceful performance of the government of the state at this time.

“And I think the recompense enforcement agencies should bear this serious.”

Gemade spoken he, attached other political leaders prominence the state, had been preaching for well-disposed co‑existence of Nigerians trim as they were awake that hunk commune could pop in and choose arms against another.

“As political leaders, we are talking about it. We are calling on people string this country not to allow our people take laws significance their hands. You know that every community in Nigeria can raise an army if de facto wants to do so further rightful is not tailor-made through us to motivate to raise an army considering ourselves again that is why the national protection forces have to realize their jobs,” he stated.

The lawmaker further stated that what was curious in the plenary blow in was that “sometimes when you subscribe these invasions by these Fulani herdsmen, though we all perceive they are not all herdsmen, unfeigned is a mixture of miscreants from opposed parts of Africa who are coming to cause this disturbance.

“We are persuasive the oversight that they must raise a security force that cede crop up leverage and raid these areas and complete rid of these people.

“We are also business on people in these affected areas to be vigilant and  not sustain again abet those access into their throne to struggle and onrush the people.

“We are not the respective ones living on fertile lands, thus why are they not attacking the contrasting people? Let them not aggression us to a point where we bequeath have to raise an army.”