‘Over 1,000 killed, 2,000 villages sacked by armed herdsmen in Benue’s Sankera axis’

VANGUARD

A group, the Coalition of Sankera Elites, CSE, has raised the alarm over the activities of armed herdsmen in the Sankera axis of Benue state, lamenting that over 1,000 individuals have so far lost their lives to the marauders who also ravaged over 2,000 villages with properties worth billions of Naira destroyed.

Sankera axis comprises of Ukum, Logo and Katsina-Ala Local Government Areas, LGAs, of the state.

Addressing the media weekend in Makurdi, leader of the Coalition, Mr. Job Tiza who decried the security situation in Sankera known as the Food Basket of Benue,  pointed out that armed herdsmen have forced the people to flee their homes and farms and taking refuge in Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, camps and homes of loved ones in other communities.

He insisted that the government was not doing enough to tackle insecurity in that part of the state in order to protect the lives and property of the huge farming populace which had become a threat to the food security of the state and the country at large.

He stated that since July 2023 “the people of Ugbaam, Kundav, Borikyo, Mbatian, Mbazum, and parts of Uyam Council Wards in Ukum Local Government have been forcibly displaced from their ancestral homes for the first time in recorded history. These homes are now permanently occupied by the marauding herdsmen. They are grazing freely as we make this press statement.

“Statistically, these six council wards account for 50 percent of Ukum’s population. Thus, it is not an exaggeration to state that about half of the local government’s population is displaced and currently seeking refuge either in IDPs camps or with relatives in Sankera and Zaki Biam.

“Over two thousand villages in Sankera have been devastated, with more than one thousand individuals killed by the invaders and properties worth billions of Naira destroyed. Our communities are helpless, for it appears the government has surrendered our land to these invaders and criminals.

“Sankera is predominantly an agrarian society, and the intermediate area is vital to Benue’s status as the Food Basket of Nigeria. However, we can no longer access our farmlands as Sankera is now facing serious starvation and unable to provide food for the nation. This is a food security crisis that should worry every person of goodwill.”
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