Benue Govt Attributes of Murder by merging land, label attacks as terrorism

The Benue state government has condemned the latest waves of violence in the state, blaming the attack on what was described as an organized criminal group with a calculated agenda to displace the original population and seize their ancestral land.

Speaking at The Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, Head of Press Secretary for the Governor, Mr. Teroo Kula, describing the perpetrators as terrorists who descended to the public with motorbikes and AK-47 rifles, launched a coordinated attack that made the residents die or neglected.

“What happened in the state of Benue was somewhat unfortunate,” Kula said during the interview. “This is not a random incident. Some people have decided to regulate themselves and plan a criminal attack on the country. From what we see, they come with the intention to reach the land.”

According to a spokesman for the governor, the victim died due to a new attack in Ukum and the regional logo of the local government has increased to 72, underlines the severity and scale of violence.

Kula stressed that the attack was far more systematic and brutal than what might be considered an isolated communal clash.

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“This is not what you call the clash of farmers,” he said firmly. “This is direct terrorism. They kill, hurt, and expel people from their ancestral house, and then try to occupy the land left by the natives.”

He painted a gloomy picture of the latest attack, noting that the attackers arrived from neighboring countries in large numbers, targeting residents who were not suspicious in agriculture, local markets, and even places of worship. “They came on motorbikes, armed with AK-47, and were attacked without provocation. That is why the death toll has been very high,” he added.

Kula also challenges the narrative that is often encouraged in national discourse, warnings of label errors such as clashes. “When someone is attacked in their agriculture or in their homes without warnings, it is not a clash. It is an act of intentional violence. As long as we continue to interpret this attack, people will continue to misunderstand what is happening in the Benue state.”

The position of the state government adds to the developing concerns among human rights observers and security analysts who have warned that violence in the middle belt becomes more organized, and has the potential to be part of a broader campaign to disrupt and seize control of rural communities.

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