There is no gainsaying that armed herdsmen are on the loose in Benue communities and the sad reality is that the people are counting heavy loses. The monumental loss of human lives and properties is unquantifiable and the count is still ongoing.

From Agatu to Apa, Otukpo to Ogbadibo, Gwer West to Makurdi, Guma to Buruku, Katsina-Ala to Logo, down to Kwande local government areas of the state, the mass murder of men, women and children by armed herders, remains the same. No mercy, no fear of God, and no human feeling by the plunderers who appear to be driven by the sheer motive of spilling blood of the innocent, taking over land and stealing whatever else belonged to their victims.

Women and children, including nursing mothers and toddlers, were not spared by the marauders who invade, kill everyone on sight and plunder the communities.

In fact, in the last few weeks, it has been tales of sorrow, tears and blood in the state, and the people are yet to come to terms with what has hit them like a hurricane. In all of these atrocities, the people are left with no choice but to wonder why a state that is home to three military formations could be brought to its knees so easily by a rag-tag army of herdsmen militia.

The outcry became even louder when few days ago, the marauders struck in Makurdi, the state capital, with all the security agencies in place. In fact, Agan community precisely, which is less than three kilometres from the heart of the state capital, where three youths were murdered in cold blood, is just a stone throw from the 72 Special Forces Brigade and not far away from the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering, NASME, all in the North Bank axis of Makurdi town.

Besides, the state also falls within the coverage of the special joint security team codenamed ‘Operation Whirl Stroke’, OPWS, which carried out what is known as ‘Exercise Ayem A’Kpatuma’ that lasted three months. Unlike the Exercise, OPWS was set up in May 2018 with superior strength to flush out the armed marauders and criminal gangs operating in the state.

The survivors of the latest attacks and killings in the state are still telling harrowing tales of how they were attacked and left at the mercy of the invaders even when help could easily have come from personnel of the military posted to nearby military outposts to ensure security for the people but who allegedly looked the other way while the invaders perpetrated their atrocities.

Such was the account of Mr. Peter Johnson, who lost loved ones in the weekend’s attack on Edikwu Ankpali where about no fewer than 28 lives were lost and several others sustained life-threatening injuries.

Johnson said that armed invaders stormed the community in a commando fashion, after opening fire on those they came across, also went from house to house slaughtering those who could not escape.

Johnson recalled thus: “They had earlier in the afternoon invaded Ijaha, Ibele Ochekwu and everyone thought it was over, but not until around 6:30pm when we started hearing heavy sounds of gunshot and people started running for dear lives.

“They killed and slaughtered our people like animals without resistance. But the painful part of it all is the fact that while this was going on, people reached out to the military outpost In the area for help but they did not come to the aid of our people until the attackers left.

“Maybe they were scared of the firepower of the marauders but we expected that they will come to defend the people who are at the mercy of the killer herders.”

On his part, a youth leader in Apa LGA, Mohammed Sedu, who lamented that it was a horrific and heart-rending sight in Apa LGA, said: “It was like war had broken out in the community; corpses, including those of women and children littered the whole place with stench of blood everywhere. That is what Fulani herdsmen turned our communities into.

“But most painful is the fact that those who were posted to our communities to ensure security of lives and property of the people tactically failed to do so for whatever reason. So we are asking that they be redeployed because of what use is a military post when they cannot come to the aid of the people when needed?”

Also lamenting the ordeal of his people, the Chairman of Gwer West LGA, Mr. Victor Ormin, who fought back emotions when he saw the corpse of a two-year-old baby among those slaughtered like animals by the invaders, described the attack as a genocide.

And he queried: “What would they say is the sin of this two-year-old baby that they killed with a knife? This is too much for me to take. Just two days ago, I buried a father and his two sons of over 50 years.

“I also buried another five people and five others were taken to the mortuary on Saturday. Now we are talking about 40 or more people. This is a genocide,” he said.

The Chairman pointed out that the soldiers stationed in the area had pointedly told him that they were under instruction from the military hierarchy not to attack the invaders as they have no power to disobey their superiors and that it is only the President and Commander-in-Chief who could counter such military order not to attack the marauders who are killing and maiming innocent persons in the state.

“We are not saying that the military is incompetent; the soldiers are waiting for the orders and the mandate to do what they have to do. But such order has never been given by those who should do so”.

The angry chairman, who threatened to quit his position, disclosed that a mobile police man, identified as Magaji, who had dedicated his whole life to service and was always at that junction along Naka road whether he has bullets or not, was also killed by the invaders.

“When the armed herders came, they said he finished his ammunition and was shouting for people to leave and Magaji was killed,” the chairman reported.

On his own part, the Chairman of Gwer West Traditional Council, His Royal Highness Daniel Abomtse, said his subjects had been driven away and their land and property taken over by the herdsmen in the last 15 years, forcing his people to take refuge in other places just to save their lives.

The royal father disclosed that one of the attacks happened in a community located very close to a military post but the victims never got help when the attack started.

According to the monarch, the 45-kilometre Naka-Makurdi Road has already been taken over by the marauders who have scared away commuters from plying the road and strike at will on that axis.

“They have made that axis their base and frequently launch attacks on the people from there. I will advise that military posts be established at Tyolaha, Ahumbe and major points on that stretch and other parts of the Local Government with clear directive to engage the marauders when sighted. That will ensure security and return of peace to my domain,” the royal father stated.

But while that remains a dream, the unceasing killings, destruction and displacement of the young, the middle aged and the old in Benue continue unabated, and tears continue to drip like blood in the food basket of Nigeria. (Vanguard)