A spectre of death now hovers over us. We are living in the valley of the shadow of death. Benue is overwhelmed by the clatter of gunshots, the xylophones of death. It is so loud, so real, so surreal, and so palpable, yet it appears like some people think this fulani thing is like any other piece of regular politics. The fulani herdsmen invasion is still being treated with levity.
Time was when we had a governor that spoke so loudly about fulani herdsmen attacks. Gov Ortom was unjustly derided as being alarmist. The new governor has a different approach. His policies of security or insecurity being conducted in secrecy and anonymity now appears senseless in the face of brazen attacks. Gov Alia should by now acknowledge his flaux pas and publicly announce the commencement of the implementation of the 2017 Anti-open grazing prohibition law.
Fulani herdsmen attacks are now boldfaced, more brutal, more unforgiving and sustained. These are not mere skirmishes. There’s nothing like relative peace anymore. Peace has been completely banished in Benue.
Just while one could be tempted to describe this as a situation of war, one discovers the absence of the other army in war situation. There are no reprisals from the Benue people. Sheer anarchy has been let loose in Benue as about 20 out of twenty-three local governments are under regular herdsmen terror.
The fulanis have no settler territories to be attacked. The war is theirs to fight and win and get the feeling of superior citizens. Theirs is an organised side with a standing army or even a more sophisticated band of mercenaries at their beck and call. Their battle cry comes in the dead of night like the knell of carnivorous guerrillas. It also comes in the afternoon under the watch of the ancient sun like bugle of a normal conventional war..
The war in the last three weeks has concentrated heavily in the three local governments of Gwer-West, Makurdi and Gwer East, a stark reminder that the seat of government is at their mercy. We have seen countless incidences where terror group overpower military formations and taken over their premises.
The threat is as palpable in its ferocity as it is also symbolic in its execution. It defies whatever sanctity we ever attached to the institution of government at the sub-national. Infact, the invaders seem to be responding to political rhetoric in the state. They seem to listening and enjoying the disagreements, vulnerabilities, and incapacity of their victims to respond, having been caught in the web of self-deprecation. They appear amused by the ambivalence of the Benue leadership which is either unable or unwilling to raise alarm about the genocide.
The people are trapped, They have no choice but to fight back gallantly to defend themselves. At this level of the massacre, what on earth could prevent the Governor and the SGF to jointly summon all Benue indigenes of high standing at home and abroad to protest to the President of Nigeria, a mass delegation in sancloth at the villa inAbuja? What else could be dominating discussions among civil rights activists, ASUU, NBA, NLC, student union bodies, tribal associations, women organisations and the likes of Benue more than mass rallies in Benue and Abuja? What public gatherings could be more suitable for the situation in Benue now than for the sake of mass burials or sensitization of youths to protect their land?
The fulani herdsmen struck their most fatal blow yet on the very day the two weeks ultimatum given to them by the Tiv and Idoma traditional leaders to leave the Benue expired. They struck with impunity, knowing fully well that Nigerian politicians or traditional leaders talk much but act little.
Latest reports from Apa and Gwer West local governments show that scores of people including women and children were been gruesomely murdered or maimed or raped. The Benue floods again with sorrows, tears and blood not with rain and water. IDP camps are brimming over with feeble inmates; many new ones are also springing up in places hitherto ascribed with relative peace.
The regular attacks on the Benue people come in a programmatic pattern. They come at the beginning of cropping seasons ostensibly to disrupt food production in the Benue valley or at times close to either elections or census to obfuscate the political participation and stability of the people.
Our people do endlessly cry about economic stagnation and political marginalization while the rest of country moves ahead with development. This last massacre of Benue people in Apa and Gwer West must however not be swept into oblivion. The Government of Benue State must speak up. It’s not enough for the governor to regularly announce to us the number of people killed or injured as if we don’t listen to the news ourselves. He must lead the way. He needs to come out of this docility to do something more drastic and deliberate. He needs to mourn the dead, declare a day of mourning, give them a befitting mass burial to be broadcast on international media to awaken the sleeping world. No region of the world passively receives such ethnic cleansing without a whimper.
Nobody expects us to cry so nicely to the Nigerian leadership for the sake of political correctness. Nobody expects us to shy away from addressing tens of press conferences and rallies everyday to plead our case before the world. And of course, nobody else is expected to tell our story more convincingly than our poor selves.
Most importantly, let us aspire to remain true sons and daughters of our fathers that fought hard to wade off intruders on our land. Let us not helplessly surrender to the barbarians who want to turn the Benue valley from being the food basket to the valley of death.
Let us be inspired by the words of the Psalmist that ” though we pass through the valley of the shadow of death, we shall fear no evil” Let us be resolute and united at this most trying times of our lives in Benue state.
A spectre of death now hovers over us. We are living in the valley of the shadow of death. Benue is overwhelmed by the clatter of gunshots, the xylophones of death. It is so loud, so real, so surreal, and so palpable, yet it appears like some people think this fulani thing is like any other piece of regular politics. The fulani herdsmen invasion is still being treated with levity.
Time was when we had a governor that spoke so loudly about fulani herdsmen attacks. Gov Ortom was unjustly derided as being alarmist. The new governor has a different approach. His policies of security or insecurity being conducted in secrecy and anonymity now appears senseless in the face of brazen attacks. Gov Alia should by now acknowledge his flaux pas and publicly announce the commencement of the implementation of the 2017 Anti-open grazing prohibition law.
Fulani herdsmen attacks are now boldfaced, more brutal, more unforgiving and sustained. These are not mere skirmishes. There’s nothing like relative peace anymore. Peace has been completely banished in Benue.
Just while one could be tempted to describe this as a situation of war, one discovers the absence of the other army in war situation. There are no reprisals from the Benue people. Sheer anarchy has been let loose in Benue as about 20 out of twenty-three local governments are under regular herdsmen terror.
The fulanis have no settler territories to be attacked. The war is theirs to fight and win and get the feeling of superior citizens. Theirs is an organised side with a standing army or even a more sophisticated band of mercenaries at their beck and call. Their battle cry comes in the dead of night like the knell of carnivorous guerrillas. It also comes in the afternoon under the watch of the ancient sun like bugle of a normal conventional war..
The war in the last three weeks has concentrated heavily in the three local governments of Gwer-West, Makurdi and Gwer East, a stark reminder that the seat of government is at their mercy. We have seen countless incidences where terror group overpower military formations and taken over their premises.
The threat is as palpable in its ferocity as it is also symbolic in its execution. It defies whatever sanctity we ever attached to the institution of government at the sub-national. Infact, the invaders seem to be responding to political rhetoric in the state. They seem to listening and enjoying the disagreements, vulnerabilities, and incapacity of their victims to respond, having been caught in the web of self-deprecation. They appear amused by the ambivalence of the Benue leadership which is either unable or unwilling to raise alarm about the genocide.
The people are trapped, They have no choice but to fight back gallantly to defend themselves. At this level of the massacre, what on earth could prevent the Governor and the SGF to jointly summon all Benue indigenes of high standing at home and abroad to protest to the President of Nigeria, a mass delegation in sancloth at the villa inAbuja? What else could be dominating discussions among civil rights activists, ASUU, NBA, NLC, student union bodies, tribal associations, women organisations and the likes of Benue more than mass rallies in Benue and Abuja? What public gatherings could be more suitable for the situation in Benue now than for the sake of mass burials or sensitization of youths to protect their land?
The fulani herdsmen struck their most fatal blow yet on the very day the two weeks ultimatum given to them by the Tiv and Idoma traditional leaders to leave the Benue expired. They struck with impunity, knowing fully well that Nigerian politicians or traditional leaders talk much but act little.
Latest reports from Apa and Gwer West local governments show that scores of people including women and children were been gruesomely murdered or maimed or raped. The Benue floods again with sorrows, tears and blood not with rain and water. IDP camps are brimming over with feeble inmates; many new ones are also springing up in places hitherto ascribed with relative peace.
The regular attacks on the Benue people come in a programmatic pattern. They come at the beginning of cropping seasons ostensibly to disrupt food production in the Benue valley or at times close to either elections or census to obfuscate the political participation and stability of the people.
Our people do endlessly cry about economic stagnation and political marginalization while the rest of country moves ahead with development. This last massacre of Benue people in Apa and Gwer West must however not be swept into oblivion. The Government of Benue State must speak up. It’s not enough for the governor to regularly announce to us the number of people killed or injured as if we don’t listen to the news ourselves. He must lead the way. He needs to come out of this docility to do something more drastic and deliberate. He needs to mourn the dead, declare a day of mourning, give them a befitting mass burial to be broadcast on international media to awaken the sleeping world. No region of the world passively receives such ethnic cleansing without a whimper.
Nobody expects us to cry so nicely to the Nigerian leadership for the sake of political correctness. Nobody expects us to shy away from addressing tens of press conferences and rallies everyday to plead our case before the world. And of course, nobody else is expected to tell our story more convincingly than our poor selves.
Most importantly, let us aspire to remain true sons and daughters of our fathers that fought hard to wade off intruders on our land. Let us not helplessly surrender to the barbarians who want to turn the Benue valley from being the food basket to the valley of death.
Let us be inspired by the words of the Psalmist that ” though we pass through the valley of the shadow of death, we shall fear no evil” Let us be resolute and united at this most trying times of our lives in Benue state.
