APC chieftain reveals why herdsmen have been successfully killing farmers in Benue, their strategy
Fulani herdsmen who have continuously attacked Benue towns and communities have been very successful because of their tactics, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has revealed.
Many communities in Benue state are still mourning their loved ones as a result of attacks by the herdsmen
Chief Mike Okibe Onoja, a former permanent secretary in the federal civil service, made the revelation on Monday, March 27, 2017 adding that the Fulani herdsmen have adopted the guerilla-style approach in their attacks on communities.
NAIJ.com learnt that Chief Onoja described the attack by the herdsmen as ‘guerilla war’ while lamenting that such attackers are hardly ever arrested because of this strategy.
READ ALSO: My son started killing at the age of 12 – Vampire’s mother, Mrs Chibueze
The Nation reports that Onoja, who spoke in Makurdi, the capital of Benue state shortly after he was conferred with an honorary doctorate degree of Letter by the state university, said the security situation in the country particularly in Benue state, calls for urgent and immediate action by the federal government.
“This is not an open confrontation where they can face security agents. Is like a guerilla type of situation where they take you by surprise, attacked you and run away.
“And in that type of situation, it is difficult to arrest the particular individuals for prosecution, so federal government must step up surveillance in every nook and crannies of the affected states to beat them.
“It is surprising that none of the herdsmen behind the killings in Benue state and other parts of Nigeria has been persecuted.
“It is either they mark, strike and get away uncaught or they are doing it with the backing of some very strong people in Nigeria.
“But so far, they have been very smart about it. They attacked, killed people, destroyed houses and run away like in a guerilla type of war,” he reportedly stated.
NAIJ.com had earlier reported that the state has endorsed a law banning open grazing by herdsmen as a way of tackling the persistent clashes between farmers and herdsmen in the state.
NAIJ.com's correspondent was recently in Kaduna to assess the level of damage in the attack by alleged herdsmen on the southern part of the state. Here is the video: