Former
Senate President, David Mark, still smarting from victory at the rerun polls
yesterday escaped death during a visit to Agatu Local Government Area of Benue
State currently under siege by Fulani herdsmen where he went to ascertain the
level of destruction caused by the recent attack by the herdsmen almost turned
sour as his convoy was greeted with a hail of bullets.
Mark
who was in company of the former minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro,
member House of Representatives Ohimini/Otukpo, Honourable Ezekiel Adaji,
security aides, newsmen and party supporters were however unhurt as a rapid
response from security men on the convoy warded off the attack in Akwu
community.
The
incident caused a huge commotion as the herdsmen were seen taking off with
their herds while members of the convoy disembarked and headed in the other
direction before the intervention.
However,
Senator Mark went through the eight communities affected including Aila, Akwu,
Okokolo, Adagbo, Akwu, Ogboju and Odugbeho which are completely destroyed by
Fulani herdsmen.
Mark who regretted the level of carnage assured the people that he would ensure such situations did not occur again.
He
called on the people to go about their businesses peacefully, adding that the
perpetrators of the act would be brought to book through legal means One
of the youth leaders, Michael who spoke at Aila lamented the porous security in
Agatu local government and angrily told the former senate president to tell the
president to remove the soldiers as “we are competent now to defend ourselves”.
Also
the youths in all the communities accused the Benue State Governor, Chief
Samuel Ortom and the Inspector General of Police Solomon Arase of not visiting
the affected areas to see things for themselves adding that when the deputy
governor, Mr. Benson Abounu visited, he only stopped at Apa where the displaced
persons were camped.
But
Mark appealed to the youths to maintain peace and be law abiding as he promised
to convey what he had seen to the government for prompt action Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase has
said that the number of people said to have been killed during the recent clash
between the Agatu’s of Benue State and their Fulani counterparts had been over
exaggerated.
In
the clash the Agatus had claimed that 300 of their people including children
and pregnant women were killed by the Fulani herdsmen. 7,000 others were said
to have been displaced.
The
battle between the Fulanis and the Agatus was said to have started after 10,000
heads of cattle belonging to the Fulanis were reportedly killed.
Addressing
Stakeholders during a visit to Minna, the Niger state capital, the Mr. Arase
said “I was around, I travelled to Makurdi, I did not see where 300 people were
buried.”
“If
you kill, you don’t just bury; you must take the corpse to the Police station
before you bury, we don’t have that number of people”. He however did not give
the official casualty figure.
Mr.
Arase said the Police High command had completed arrangements to check the
incidence of cattle rustling around the country, adding that the Police would
next week start what he called
‘Metro patrol’ designed to arrest cattle rustlers.
‘Metro patrol’ designed to arrest cattle rustlers.
Under
the programme motorized policemen would patrol the nook and crannies of the
country purposely to fish out cattle rustlers and apprehend and prosecute them.
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