To stop the killings in Benue State, the Federal Government has been urged by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) to employ all available security measures.
The recent attack in the Yelewata community, which claimed many lives, greatly alarmed the Northern officials.
In a statement, Professor Tukur Muhammad-Baba, the Forum’s spokesperson, expressed sympathy to the government, the people of Benue State, the Yelewata Community, and even Nigeria in general. He also prayed for the deceased’s souls to rest in peace.
According to him, ACF vehemently and unambiguously denounces the needless killings that have been going on for far too long.
He said the situation dishearteningly seems to defy solutions, including decisive action by the Federal Government-controlled security agencies.
He said, “That the Yelewata tragedy would take place within days of the COAS’s relocation clearly illustrates that prevailing curtailment strategy must therefore be reviewed, to frontally confront the discomfiting regime of terrorism, insurgencies, banditry, communal conflicts, etc, however labelled.
“Proactive measures, including vigilance, improved intelligence gathering must be the crucial ingredients of new curtailment strategies against the recurring cycle of senseless violence.”
ACF called on citizens of Benue and other violence-prone states to commit to rejecting hate narratives, fear and anger and replace same with empathy and understanding, cooperation and reconciliation.
It further demanded that the Federal and Benue State Governments provide sufficient relief supplies to the Yelewata and other impacted villages right away.
All individuals found guilty must be held accountable, the ACF spokesman said, adding that impunity cannot be let to persist.
The Forum also urged religious and community leaders in the impacted communities to take advantage of every chance available to them to act, promote thorough and inclusive intercommunal communication and understanding, condemn incitement and violence, and advance the ideals of forgiveness, reconciliation, tolerance, and shared humanity.
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