Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, has relocated to Makurdi, the Benue State capital, over the incessant killings of innocent villagers by herders and militia groups.
The killing, which is becoming almost a daily occurrence, has left many dead, several others injured and maimed, and several houses burnt, leaving many homeless.
This is as hundreds of women in the troubled Apa Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State on Tuesday morning took to the streets to protest the incessant killings in their communities.
The women, who thronged the major road in Ugbokpo, the headquarters of Apa LGA, expressed anguish over the escalating attacks, lamenting their being rendered widows, with countless children left orphaned.
Sources confirmed that General Oluyede departed Abuja, Tuesday morning, accompanied by his Principal Staff Officers (PSOs) and other top officers at the Army Headquarters, to the state to have an on-the-spot assessment of the situation on the ground.
Sources further said the Army chief has ordered the deployment of more troops to the state to give the militia and other armed groups terrorising the people of the state the battle of their lives.
In Benue State, the source said, the COAS will hold strategic meetings with all operational and unit commanders to brainstorm on the way forward as well as review the ongoing operations with a view to end the killings.
The COAS will also visit troops’ locations and operational bases in the state to interact with troops and boost their morale and fighting spirit.
The COAS is also expected to visit villages that have been attacked and reassure residents of their safety and the resolve of the Nigerian army to protect the lives and property of law-abiding citizens.
The COAS is said to be unhappy with reports of daily killings in Benue that have ravaged the state in the past few weeks and may order some strategic changes, including the redeployment of some commanders to head some of the operational units on ground.
General Oluyede, while in the state, will personally lead troops in the operation on the battlefront. He is expected to spend some days in the state before relocating back to Abuja.
Recall that the attacks in Benue have been described as ethnic cleansing by many, as gunmen suspected to be herdsmen have embarked on a killing spree, attacking villagers in their villages using sophisticated guns and machetes.
Last weekend gunmen killed 43 persons in renewed attacks carried out on several communities of Gwer West and Apa Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Benue State.
The attacks occurred barely one week after herdsmen militia shot a priest, Rev. Fr Solomon Atongo, along the Makurdi-Naka road and attacked four communities in Gwer West LGA, including the village of Bishop of Makurdi Catholic Diocese, Wilfred Anagbe, killing 42 persons, including a mobile police officer.
Written with reports from Vanguard, PUNCH
