Benue State government on Tuesday conducted a mass burial for 17 victims of the recent armed herdsmen attack on Mbakyor community, Mbalom Council Ward of Gwer East local Government Area, LGA, of the state.
Recall that on the night of March 7, 2024, armed herdsmen attacked Mbaikyor community, where they murdered 19 persons, including a retired Army Officer and a boy.
Two of the victims were earlier buried as the corpses were said to be fast decomposing due to the gruesome manner they were murdered.
In his funeral oration, Governor Hyacinth Alia noted that the formation of Vigilante groups in the villages could serve as the solution to the activities of the rampaging armed herdsmen in the state.
Represented by his Deputy, Dr. Sam Ode, the Governor said, “Today is a sad day in the history of Benue State; to line up caskets like this is unacceptable. I am so sad and my heart is heavy to see this kind of spectacle that shouldn’t have happened.”
He noted that “security is not for government alone because there is no one that can protect you like yourself; you need to have a Joint Security Taskforce or vigilante groups that would be properly profiled and handed over to government to handle them. That is the solution to the insecurity we are facing in the state.”
The Governor assured that his government was working round the clock to tackle the security challenges facing the state and sued for the cooperation of all.
He also pledged to construct the common road in the axis to ease the movement of security agencies to the area in times of emergencies, stressing that the community also deserve a police station.
The Governor who prayed for an end to mindless killings assured that he would meet with the bereaved families after the burial.
Also, the lawmaker representing Gwer East in the State House of Assembly, Elias Audu, wondered why despite the availability of attack helicopters to tackle such threats, security agencies did not live up to their responsibilities even when the attack lasted over three hours.
He however lauded Governor Alia for all he had done since the incident, including the Easter distribution he made available to the victims’ families.
President of, Masev Development Association, MDA Prof. Vitalis Tarhule, noted that the primary responsibility of government was the protection of lives and property, even as he appealed to the government to endeavour to protect the people.
He added that similar attacks had occurred in 2014 and 2018 bringing to a total about 40 lives that were lost, insisting that there was the need to establish a security post in Mbaikyor to stem activities of armed herdsmen in the area.
Also, the Chairman, Association of Mbaikyor Sons in diaspora, Simon Kofi informed that his people had apprehended two herders and handed them over to the police due to their nefarious activities.
He explained that the marauders attacked the community after they were asked to stay away due to their unacceptable activities in the community.
The victims were later interred after an interdenominational service was conducted for them by Priests and Pastors.