Benue: CDS, traditional sovereigns meet, promise to end insecurity

The head of the defense staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, on Thursday, has convened a high -level peace defense meeting with traditional sovereigns, including the Tor Tiv, the professor of HRM James Ortese Ayatse and the Och’idoma, HRM John Elaigwu Odogbo in Benue’s state.

The meeting aims to find a lasting solution to the security challenges that face the state.

The meeting, held at the old Hall of Government House Makurdi, marked the second in a series of commitments with real fathers and stakeholders of the community.

During the briefing of journalists after a Porta Chiusa session, General Musa underlined the sincerity of the federal government and military leadership in solving the security challenges by facing Benue Dati.

He recalled previous consultations, including the recent visit of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as part of the current efforts to guarantee the State and guarantee to displaced citizens returning to their communities.

“We have a challenge in Benue’s state and I think we work together, we will find a solution.

“When we sit and speak sincerely, bringing out everything that strikes us, we will be able to find the solution,” he said.

The CDs expressed appreciation for Tor Tiv and Och’idoma for their contributions and asked for continuous collaboration between communities and safety agencies.

He urged the real fathers to consider the military as a partner and “children” who work towards peace in a region with shared history and struggles.

General Musa also stated that some individuals, both internal and external, were feeding the crisis for political or economic earnings.

He underlined that the military would not forgive the possession of illegal weapons or criminal activities, regardless of the identity or effectiveness of the authors.

“Anyone who brings illegally weapons will be arrested. If threatens the security forces, it will be neutralized. This is the mandate,” said the CDS.

He also observed that the military committed themselves to replicating the successes of the construction of peace recorded in other regions in difficulty.

He warned the military personnel against the complacency and reminded them of their constitutional duty to protect their life, their colleagues and host communities.

He also revealed that the outcome of the meeting would be sent to the president for further actions.

Speaking for recent attacks in Yelwata, General Musa confirmed the arrest of suspicions, adding that the accusation will now follow, a development that he said had been expected for some time.

“We are committed to ending the era in which crimes are not unpunished. There will be no sacred people. Anyone involved in violence must face justice,” he said.

On the resetting of the displaced persons, the CDs have revealed that Yelwata is now guaranteed with further forces deployed and preparations are underway to facilitate the immediate return of the IDPs to their communities.

He also touched the issue of Cameroon refugees residing in some parts of the state, some of which have contributed to local tensions.

The efforts have observed, they are also ongoing to facilitate their return.

“The real measure of our success is when the IDPs leave the fields and return home. This is our goal, and we are working hard to reach it,” he concluded.

The Tor Tiv that also spoke recognized significant improvements from the last commitment and expressed optimism on the fact that the renewed dialogue would have helped to permanently deal with the state’s safety problems.

He said that Benue’s people also play a role in the conflict and have also compromised in some cases.

“We are taking responsibility and we are working to keep our people under control to prevent further clashes,” he said.

He urged the security forces to arrest and pursue any criminal elements within traditional domain.

The Och’idoma, for his part, underlined the need to distinguish between peaceful residents of Fulani and armed shepherds responsible for violence.

“We are not saying that all Fulani should leave. The well -known and peaceful have been with us for years. We are asking only those who transport arms and cause terror, killing, raping and destroying our farms to leave,” he said.

He added that Benue’s people must be able to return to their farms and feed the nation as a “food basket of the nation”.