Chairman, Association of Mbaikyor Sons in Diaspora, Simon Kofi, said the Benue community had apprehended two herders and handed them over to the police.
By Jeffrey Agbo
Benue State Government on Tuesday buried 17 victims of Mbaikyor, Gwer East Local Government Area (LGA)) allegedly killed by armed herders.
Speaking during the burial, Governor Hyacinth Alia said the solution to the incessant attack on farmers by herders is the formation of vigilante groups.
Armed herders on March 7, attacked Mbaikyor community in Benue and killed 17 persons, including a retired WO2 Army officer and a boy.
Two out of the 17 farmers were earlier buried because the corpses were fast decomposing, but the remaining 15 were buried on Tuesday.
Represented by his Deputy, Sam Ode, Alia condemned the brutal killing of the people.
He said the Benue Government was committed to the protection of lives and property of all citizens.
“Today is a sad day in the history of Benue State; to line up caskets like this, is unacceptable. I am so sad and my heart is heavy to behold this kind of sight that shouldn’t have happened.
“Security is not for government alone because there is no one that can protect you like yourself.
”You need to have a Joint Security Taskforce or vigilante groups that would be properly profiled and handed over to government to handle them.
“That is the solution to the insecurity we are facing in the state,” he said.
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The governor pledged to construct the rural road that passes through the axis to ease the movement of security agencies to the area in times of emergencies, adding that the community also needs a police station.
The governor further promised to meet with the families of the bereaved after the burial.
Earlier, Elias Audu, a member of Benue House of Assembly representing Gwer-East State Constituency, regretted that in spite of the availability of fighter jets in the country to tackle such incidents, security agencies do not live up to their billings.
Audu advised that security operatives should be reprimanded because they failed to intervene in the crisis using the available fighter jets in their disposal, adding that the attack lasted over three hours.
Chairman, Association of Mbaikyor Sons in Diaspora, Simon Kofi, said the Benue community had apprehended two herders and handed them over to the police.