Several Killed As Herdsmen Strike In Benue; 20 Policemen Killed In Nasarawa
File: Fulani Herdsmen
Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue on Wednesday alleged that some Fulani herdsmen attacked Agatu Local Government Area of the state, leaving "high casualties including women and children".
Mr. Suswan disclosed this to State House correspondents in Abuja after a closed-door meeting with Vice President Namadi Sambo at the Presidential Villa.
He said he was in Abuja to brief the vice president on the security situation in his state and other sundry issues.
"You must have heard that there are serious altercation between the Fulanis and the local farmers.
"This time it happened in Agatu Local Government, which is one of the local governments the Senate President represents; they almost overran the local government.
"There was a lot of killings, a lot of property destroyed and I felt that I should come to brief the Vice President, who is holding forth for the President.
"I also discussed other sundry issues relating to the general security situation in the country," Mr. Suswan said.
He confirmed the arrest of 10 of the mercenaries, who perpetrated the mayhem, by a joint task force of the Police, Army and SSS.
"We have arrested 10 of them with heavy weapons and many rounds of ammunitions and they are with the police now.
"The casualty is high, I don't want to be misquoted as per the numbers, but it is high casualties.
"The Fulanis normally come when people are sleeping; so they killed both women and children and everybody," the governor said.
Mr. Suswan's counterpart from Nasarawa State, Governor Umaru Al-Makura, had earlier met with the Vice President to brief him on the security situation in his state.
Mr. Al-Makura had confirmed the killing of 20 policemen on Tuesday by a cult group known as the "Ombatse" militia group at Assakio village, about 10 kms from Lafia, the state capital,
Ombatse, an Eggon word, means "time has come".
Speaking to State House correspondents, Mr. Al-Makura said the victims were murdered while on official duty.
He said the policemen were on lawful duty, dislodging the militia group when they were ambushed and killed.
The Nasarawa governor said that the group, which had besieged the state, were bent on destabilising the State Government.
"This group is causing the commotion and insecurity in order to upstage the government," he said.
Mr. Al-Makura said the State Government had a year ago dislodged the group.
He expressed regrets that the group re-surfaced about a fortnight ago, unleashing mayhem and killing innocent people.
He said, "We have a very bitter security problem that has caused the death of some security officers in the state.
"Two weeks ago, we discovered a certain militia group holding arms and carrying out cultist activities in the state.
"Since January, this thing has not abated and in the past two weeks, it took a total different dimension.
"They have been going from one place to another, including churches and telling people from that particular ethnic group to come and take portions that are meant to empower them to do what they want to do.
"This escalated and is causing serious concern for the state. We decided to hold security meeting to find a way of solving the problem."
According to Mr. Al-Makura, the militia resumed hostility by attacking and forcibly initiating people from their tribal group into their group by making them to drink prepared concoctions to hallucinate them and make them do their bidding.
The governor, however, expressed the readiness of his administration to uproot the group by whatever means available to it.
He announced that the Nasarawa State Government would hold an emergency security meeting to deliberate on the matter for appropriate action.
Mr. Al-Makura also pledged that the State Government would assist the families of the victims of the attack.
Reacting to both incidents, Mr. Suswam said they should be treated as a national issue with a decisive action taken by the security agencies.
He decried a situation where issues of security were politicised while security personnel were been killed with impunity.
"Where people kill uniform people with impunity is totally unacceptable and when there is a situation like that and the security agencies react and people say they are excessive it is not right.
"You know there must be some fears instilled in people. The way we are going, if people can look at uniform people and go out and ambush them and kill them in the manner it was done, I don't think that that should be acceptable to anybody.
"I do not support people who say that security people are excessive at times in the action they take because they must make sure that such a thing must not repeat itself.
"I just want to solicit the support of every Nigerian; this is not an issue that should be politicised and put on partisan table as some people are doing.
"This is an issue that must be addressed collectively.
"When U.S. was attacked both the Republicans and the Democrats joined hands together knowing that it was a problem of the nation," he said.
The governor said governors of the affected states had been pro-active by engaging the people and ensuring that the security situation did not degenerate.
--Thank you for this clarification. I thought the same thing when I saw the news story, but am not as close to the ground as you may be. Historically this conflict has raised its head over and over again. With politicians always stirring the pot!
-Jamaine
From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com [mailto:usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Zacharys Gundu
Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2013 9:30 AM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fwd: {'Yan Arewa} RE: Gunmen Kill 20 Police Officers In Nasarawa –[ BETWEEN JUSTICE AND PRAGMATISM IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST TERRORISM]
The situation in Nasarawa State is not caused by Boko Haram. The state failure(collapse) in Nigeria is forcing communities and ethnic groups to resort to self help. In this particular case, if my information is correct, the Eggon are merely organising to protect themselves against Fulani herdsmen who have been killing farmers at will in the state and other parts of the country. Since the Nigerian Goverment is too afraid to look the Fulanis in the face and tell them they cannot continue killing others to take their lands for their cattle, it will be difficult to discourage people from trying to protect their ancestral lands. The Nigerian government is in fear of certain nationalities that is why practices like nomadic animal rearing are still in vogue and because the cattle are owned by big time politicians in the towns who can arm the Fulani and retain mercenaries to harass farmers and kill at will, Governors like Al Makura would rather go after local farmers who have no money to arm themselves but are protecting their kith and kin using ancestral rituals and ways of protection. The Governor's conduct here is shameful and directed at the wrong target.
Zacharys Anger Gundu
Department of Archaeology
Ahmadu Bello University
Zaria. Nigeria.
234-8038995052
234-7081634391
--- On Thu, 5/9/13, Oluwatoyin Adepoju <ovadepoju@gmail.com> wrote:
From: Oluwatoyin Adepoju <ovadepoju@gmail.com>
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Fwd: {'Yan Arewa} RE: Gunmen Kill 20 Police Officers In Nasarawa –[ BETWEEN JUSTICE AND PRAGMATISM IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST TERRORISM]
To: "USAAfrica Dialogue" <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>, WoleSoyinkaSociety@yahoogroups.com, "Igietseme, Joseph (CDC/OID/NCEZID)" <jbi8@cdc.gov>
Date: Thursday, May 9, 2013, 1:28 PM
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Igietseme, Joseph (CDC/OID/NCEZID) <jbi8@cdc.gov>
Date: Thu, May 9, 2013 at 12:16 AM
Subject: {'Yan Arewa} RE: Gunmen Kill 20 Police Officers In Nasarawa – www.channelstv.com
So the Police is not supposed to chase these killers into any neighborhood they hide to launch these attack. We should remember that the last time American security agents were chasing just two killers, the entire community was SHOT DOWN! If any innocent resident had defied the orders, or harbored the killers without reporting to the authorities, that resident would have had him/herself to blame!
So as we said previously, people have to see the unfortunate loss of innocent lives as the JTF is attempting to protect the lives and properties that Boko Haram members waste everyday as an extension of Boko Haram menace in the society! And what is not helping matters is Boko Haram's new tactic that involves hiding within the non-combatant and unarmed civilians and shooting at the security agents and/or planning or launching attacked against their targets in the community.
At this point, serious combined community, intelligence, police and military actions are needed to deal with this terror crisis!. Boko Haram's indiscriminate targets include: educational institutions, places of worship including churches and mosques of Muslims who don't worship like Boko Haram, traditional rulers like Emirs, Sultans and Imams, Govt facilities, military/police barracks/stations, and of course public gatherings of innocent people.
A time has come when a community leaders and residents MUST decides whether it will continue to harbor criminals and terrorists or take control of their communities by either fishing out Boko Haram members from their communities by themselves [they have to know some of them by now if they are operating in their midst] or cooperate with security agents to identify the assailants in their communities! Shikiena! There are no other ways to sanitize these communities now without the risks and collateral damages. Take care. JUI
From: Raayiriga@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Raayiriga@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Aminu Hassan Gamawa
Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2013 5:37 PM
To: aminugamawa@yahoo co. uk
Subject: [Raayiriga] Gunmen Kill 20 Police Officers In Nasarawa – www.channelstv.com
Gunmen Kill 20 Police Officers In Nasarawa
Posted by: Channels Television Posted date: May 08, 2013 In: Headlines | comment : 0 Comments and 0 ReactionsGunmen on Wednesday attacked police officers in Alakio village, 10kilometres from Lafia, the state capital, killing no fewer than 20 police officers.
According to the Commissioner of Police in Nasaarawa state, Mr Akeri Mame, the victims were going about their lawful duty of dislodging some criminal abode before they were hit by gun shots from the unidentified gunmen.
But, the Governor of Nasarawa state, Ibrahim al-Mukura is reported to have told journalists in Lafia that the attackers are cultists, popularly called 'Ombatse militia group', that were terrorizing the state."
He however maintained that no amount of intimidation would stop his administration from continuing with the war against cultists in the state.
A similar attack was allegedly recently staged in the state when security operatives were attacked and killed by the group which also launched attacks on civilians, killing undisclosed number of people a fortnight ago.
__._,_.___
MU TASHI MU FARKA, 'YAN AREWA, MU SAN BACCI AIKIN KAWAI NE. - DR. MAMMAN SHATA.
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