The Executive Director of the Mzehemen U Tiv Foundation (MUTF), Prof. Kohol Iornem has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to show leadership and end the “pervasive killings” in Benue State.
Prof. Iornem, who expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for scheduling a visit to the state, even though somewhat belated, urges the President to fulfil the six-point demands outlined in an open letter from leaders of various groups of Benue sons and daughters in the diaspora.
The MUTF Executive Director hopes that the president’s visit to Benue State will not mirror the events of 2018, when former President Muhammadu Buhari directed the Inspector General of Police to relocate to Benue, but ultimately left without resolving the ongoing violence. He also mentioned the recent visit from the Chief of Army Staff, which preceded one of the most brutal attacks the region has ever faced.
Prof. Iornem, however, remains optimistic that President Tinubu’s visit, as the Chief Security Officer of the country, will help put an end to the pervasive killings.
“Benue people are on a thin line, and if results are not seen following President Tinubu’s visit, the situation could reflect the saying that if you push a goat to the wall, it will surely bite you,” he cautioned.
While expressing sympathy and solidarity with the victims of the Yelwata attack, Prof. Iornem urged President Tinubu to seize this unique opportunity to demonstrate strong leadership. Additionally, he called on “Benue sons and daughters to unite with the Governor to confront our common enemy.”
The Benue diaspora community demands the following from the President: “That Your Excellency publicly acknowledge and condemn the massacres in Gbagir, Yelwata, Otukpo, Apa, Logo, Kwande and other affected communities for what they truly are, acts of terror, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity; that federal security forces be deployed in a coordinated, sustained, and responsible way to all at-risk areas in Guma, Logo, Ukum, Gwer West, Agatu, Apa, Otukpo, Kwande and other hotspot LGAs; that a full, independent, and transparent investigation is launched into the failure, or complicity, of military personnel in Yelwata and elsewhere. Anyone found guilty should be made to face legal consequences; that a thorough federal resettlement and rehabilitation program is started for displaced Benue communities, including rebuilding homes, farmlands, schools, clinics, and other; that the Federal Government announce and enact a plan to recover ancestral lands under illegal occupation and ensure a safe and dignified return for displaced persons; and that Your Excellency organize immediate, ongoing dialogue, not between “warring parties,” but between the Federal Government and Benue stakeholders, to address systemic injustice and create genuine peace for the people.
