State Govt to legally arm newly formed Community Volunteer Guards
By Peter Duru, Makurdi
It’s been three weeks of bloodbath in what seemed a coordinated attack on communities in neigbouring Makurdi, Guma and Gwer West Local Government Areas, LGAs, of Benue state where armed herdsmen mindlessly bared their fangs on helpless farmers leaving close to 70 people dead and more than double that figure injured.
The marauders also razed houses, food barns, and farmlands in some of the besieged communities leaving in their wake trails of devastation that may take the communities several years to recover.
Perhaps the period under review may best be described as one of the worst in the history of the state in the gory slaughter of defenseless farmers and their family members by the bloodthirsty marauders aside the 2018 new year’s day coordinated massacre in Logo and Guma LGAs that claimed close to 80 lives sparking widespread outrage both locally and internationally.
The timeline of these attacks clearly indicated that the state has daily been recording an average of four deaths in attacks unleashed on the farming communities by the armed herders who have suddenly turned Benue communities into theaters of blood, sorrow and tears.
Available records of these attacks indicated that on April 14, 2021, the armed herders invaded Goh community a suburb of Naka, Headquarters of Gwer West LGA and murdered about eight persons. Goh community is less than three kilometers from Naka town.
Next on the line was Makurdi LGA where a family of four and three others including children were gruesomely murdered at Mbamondu community, Makurdi Modern Market Council Ward on April 17.
And on April 21, a traditional ruler and five others were also killed in three separate attacks on Tse-Zoola village Agan Makurdi LGA, Odugbeho in Agatu LGA and Mbayer-Yandev in Guma LGA.
In fact Governor Ortom ran into the victims of Tse-Zoola attack while returning back to Makurdi after an official engagement and had to personally intervene to ensure that the area was not thrown into a turmoil following the murder of the traditional ruler.
The Governor was also compelled to cancel most of the events organized in his honor by individuals and groups to mark his 60th birthday anniversary in show of solidarity and concern for families who lost loved ones in the spate of attacks.
And less than 48 hours after, came the coordinated invasion of Tse Ukor, Tse Gborigyo and Tse Uhembe communities all in Mbayer-Yandev Council Ward of Guma LGA on April 23 which claimed 17 lives and left scores injured.
Following that attack, Governor Ortom had to visit…
