NEWS DIGEST – The Chairman, Sir Ahmadu Bello Foundation (ABF), Babangida Aliyu, has advised the Benue Governor, Samuel Ortom, to cooperate with the Federal Government in tackling security challenges confronting the state.
Aliyu, a former Governor of Niger gave the advice in Makurdi on Thursday when he led members of the foundation to a stakeholders meeting in the state.
He said it was important for the governor to cooperate with the federal government because of its control of the security agencies in the country.
Aliyu also advised the governor to seek the loyalty of security operatives in his state to ensure compliance with directives.
He advised the governor to patronize security agencies by providing some of their basic needs to enhance their operational effectiveness.
The former governor decried the upsurge in terrorism across the state and blamed it on external elements.
He also appealed to traditional rulers to be involved in intelligence gathering for improved security in the state.
On his part, former Court of Appeal President, Justice Mamman Nasir, called for peace in the state and charged the people to cooperate with their leaders for prevalence of peace in the state.
Other stakeholders, who spoke at the meeting, stressed the need for justice and called on the federal government to fish out perpetrators of the killings in the state and bring them to book.
A lawyer, Mr Bernard Hon (SAN) said cattle rustling were a specialized crime that was perpetrated by those that understand the ways of cattle.
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“No one can rustle cattle without understanding its language; no Tiv man has the capacity to rustle cattle. It is wrong to suggest that the Tivs are cattle rustlers,” he said.
An activist, Mrs Rebecca Apedzan, called on the foundation to prevail on the federal government to compel herders to obey the anti open grazing law in the state.
She said it was wrong to attempt to sweep the killings under the carpet and portray the victims as criminals.
Apedzam also called for the stoppage of indiscriminate arrests of Benue youths by security operatives.
Others including the Chairman of Mzough U Tiv, Mr Edward Ujege, lamented the ongoing insecurity in the state.
Ujege said three quarters of Logo local government council had been occupied by armed herders.
The chairman appealed to Northern leaders to restore the legacies of late Ahmadu Bello by working for the unity of the North.
On his part, a first class chief, Abu Shuluwa, said it was impossible to revive the grazing routes as had been canvassed by some people in the country.
He said the federal government was the worst culprit of encroachment on the routes saying it had built trunk A roads, constructed schools, police posts, built bridges and even airports in some places.
Shuluwa said that what was happening in the state was clearly against the spirit of one North as preached by the late political sage.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the members of the foundation included, former governors Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano and Gabriel Suswam of Benue states respectively.
Other members of the entourage were the Secretary-General of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Retired Justice Maman Nasir, former Speaker, Benue House of Assembly, Mrs Margaret Icheen and Prof A.K. Yahaya.
