By Queen Kunde
The Middle Belt Journalists Forum (MBJF) has expressed shocked over the renewed violence in Benue State on Wednesday afternoon where several people in Borikyo, in the Ukum Local Government Area of the state were killed by unknown armed men.
In a press statement the president of the Association, Mr. Mark Mayah called on the Military Authorities and particularly the Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Christopher Musa, the Service Chiefs, and the top echelon of security and defence formations in the country to save the Middle Belt region from the continuous deadly attacks allegedly by armed marauding herdsmen/ unknown gunmen who have laid siege on several communities in the region as exemplified by the killings in Plateau, Benue and Kogi States in recent time.
According him “The recurring incidents in the region to say the least, are most unfortunate, barbaric and tragic and those responsible for the attacks and killings must be tracked down and held accountable as the killings in the region have assumed a monumental proportion”.
He said the region which seems to be the sole target for these genocidal attacks has remained under the stranglehold of the killers for over two decades.
We are very sad at the development and we are calling on the Federal Government to step up effort to end this act of continuous blood bathe in the Middle Belt geopolitical zone of the country the statement read.
The region has made enough sacrifices to keep this country together and it’s efforts must be appreciated.
It is wrong for anyone to label what is happening in the region as farmer’s/herdsmen conflict while in actual sense, it is ethnic cleansing with the aim of possessing the ancestral land.
The Federal government is charged to muster the political will that is required to save the region from the systematic genocide.
The life of every Nigerian is sacred and important and it is the responsibility of the federal government to protect the masses against internal and external aggression. It is high time the Authorities sit-up to its primary responsibility of securing the country.
“We are also appealing to the Inspector General of Police, all the Service Chiefs and the National Security Adviser to swiftly intervene and thoroughly investigate the cause of the persistent killings. We seek humanitarian assistance for those displaced by the conflict” Mayah added
“The Middle Belt Journalists Forum shares in the grief of the families of those that lost their lives and property in the unfortunate incidents and call on the people to be steadfast and co-operate with the security forces for the restoration of lasting peace” he concluded.