Nasarawa State Governor, Alhaji Tanko Al-Makura, and his Benue State counterpart, Mr. Gabriel Suswam, were at the State House yesterday to seek the federal government’s assistance in tackling the security crises in their states.
There have been tensions in the two states following attacks by members of a militant group and Fulani herdsmen during which over 20 policemen were killed in Nasarawa State and scores of others in Benue State.
The two governors briefed Vice-President Namadi Sambo on security situations in their respective states and urged the federal government to urgently step in.
Al-Makura told reporters after his meeting with the vice-president, the policemen were waylaid and killed on Tuesday by cultists known as the Ombatse militia group at Alakio village, about 10 km from Lafia, the state capital.
He said the policemen were part of a contingent drafted to the state to dislodge the group that has been trying to destabilise the government of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in the state.
According to him, the essence of the briefing is to seek the assistance of the federal government in curtailing the activities of the group, which the state government had a year ago dislodged before they re-surfaced about a fortnight ago.
Al-Makura said: “Just yesterday(Tuesday), we had a very bitter security problem that caused the death of some security officers in the state.
“This is a situation that is so grave and I feel it is very important that I come to brief the vice-president about the security situation and to seek assistance so that we can handle the matter once and for all.
“Already, the group from Eggon extraction called Ombatse has been proscribed since the beginning of this year because of the activities of the members. They go from one place to another, harbouring arms, attacking any area that has any conflict with any of their members. The group is banned and its members are those causing this problem in the state and we feel it is necessary to bring this to the notice of the federal government.
“Before now, there were one or two arrests. But as a result of yesterday’s (Tuesday) event, I am yet to be briefed on the number of arrests that have been made. Already, I learnt that security operatives are making arrangements to see how they can contain the situation. It is on that point that I will know how many arrests have been made.”
He said the state government thought it had subdued the group about a year ago only for it to resurface and resume hostilities by attacking and forcibly initiating people from their tribal group into their rank.
He said: “Two weeks ago, we discovered a certain militia group holding arms and carrying out cultist activities in the state. Since January, this thing has not abated and in the past two weeks, it took a total different dimension.
“We decided to hold a security meeting to find a way of solving the problem. The solution was to go to the shrine and pick on the cult leader so that the problem will be solved once and for all.
“As security operatives were approaching the shrine, unknown to them that ambush had been laid for them, these people attacked them and this resulted in the death of more than 20 policemen.”
He pledged that his administration would assist “victims of the attacks, those who are security operatives and those who are not. We will see how we can assist their families.”
Al-Makura’s counterpart in Benue who also briefed State House reporters after his meeting with Sambo said the state needed the help of the federal government to tackle the insecurity in the area.
Suswam told the reporters that scores of people, including of women and children, were killed and property worth millions of naira destroyed in a clash between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in Agatu Local Government Area of the state.
Although he did not put a number to the casualties of the crisis, the governor said 10 of the attackers, along with heavy weapons and many rounds of ammunition, were nabbed by the combined task force of the police the army and the State Security Service (SSS) operatives.
He lamented the incident, adding that proactive measures must be taken to check the upsurge of violence sweeping through the country.
He explained that during his meeting with Sambo, they agreed on the need for a national conference to resolve the matter.
“I came to brief the vice-president on the security situation in Benue. You must have heard that there are serious altercation between the Fulani and the local farmers. This time it happened in Agatu Local Government, which is one of the local government areas that the Senate president represents, they almost overrun the local government, and there were a lot of killings a lot of property destroyed.
“I felt that I should come to brief the vice-president who is holding forte for the president and I also discussed other sundry issues that relate to the general security situation in the country.”