The Independent Human Rights and Crime Monitoring Group, IHRCMG, has accused the military of encouraging the influx of cattle into Benue State.
The group said the military was aiding the herders to take over Benue communities by violating the Open Grazing Prohibition Law of the state.
Reeling out preliminary report on execution of Exercise Ayem A’ Kpatuma to end herdsmen incursions in Benue State, yesterday, in Makurdi, team leader of IHRCMG, Mr Solomon Adodo, regretted that the state had witnessed more killings, destruction of farmlands and houses despite the coming of the military.
According to the group:
“Exercise Ayem A’ Kpatum is causing more harm than good to Benue communities. Rather than bringing peace and move people back to their ancestral homes, the military has been encouraging more herdsmen to move into Benue communities.
“The military encouraged herdsmen with a handblil, which they used at the launch of the exercise. They circulated the handbill misinforming the general public and giving a perspective that was not true.
“And Federal Government appears to be complicit in the Benue killings in all ramifications, the actions taken so far by the government does not show any political will to end the killings.
“We, therefore, recommend that the military should reassess its operations and sincerely help Benue to enforce the Open Grazing Prohibition Law of 2017.”
