Gov Alia has abandoned us to be slaughtered by herders — Gwer West resident cry out
…Calls On Tinubu For Help.
The people of Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State have cried out to President Bola Tinubu to come to their rescue as daily herdsmen attacks and killings especially on the Makurdi-Naka road have cut them off from the rest of the state.
The people have accused the State Governor Hyacinth Alia of abandoning them to their fate and doing nothing to halt the killings.
The desperate calls to the President are coming on the heels of growing killings in the area which have made analysts to describe the Makurdi-Naka road as “the shortest route to hell”.
The road has become a dark spot where many are regularly robbed, killed, maimed, raped and kidnapped with reckless abandon, but nothing has been done to rein in the perpetrators of the horrible things happening there.
Governor Alia has not visited the area or even made a statement condemning the killings along the road.
The people of the area and other road users feel betrayed by the government that promised so much in terms of security.
Ugbede Meshach who is from Gwer West could no longer take it as he took to his social media account and wrote lamenting:
“I smell a rat! This time, those killers had knocked me really hard by taking away the life of my cousin brother’s wife and leaving my cousin sister with scores of injuries on her head.
Where do we go from here?
Tyoshin life doesn’t matter anymore or what?
If the perpetrators of this heinous crime are men in Khaki or Agbada, they will never feel what is called peace, and their death will be the shameless of all.
Rest in peace, mummy
Till we meet to depart no more.
O lord, my God! please, come to our aid”, Meshach cried.
On his part, Tivta Samuel was more direct in accusing the state governor of complicity in the killings.
“What a shameless, confused and incompetent Government under Fr. Alia… There was an attack along Makurdi- Naka road last night, a lady named Mrs Martha Kwaghdoo Orya was brutally killed, there is no single statement from the Benue State Government and you are here praising the Governor unecessarily?” Tivta questioned.
Another respondent, Gumor Ken Agbu wrote on his Facebook wall:
“Gwer West Again!
Mkd- Naka road under Fulani attack now at Mrs Mbajwa farm.”
Prominent among those who lost their lives on the Naka road earlier in the year was the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, in charge of Naka Division, Gwet West Local Government Area, LGA, Superintendent, SP, Mamud Abubakar, who was brutally killed by the armed men during a gun battle to rescue some commuters that were taken hostage by the marauders in one of their operations.
Passengers of several commercial buses and cars, including those belonging to the state government-owned Benue Links Transport Company, have persistently come under attacks, and some of the victims taken away by the armed men only to regain their freedom when ransom is paid for their release.
Gwer West is not the only local government affected by persistent attacks by herdsmen and bandits jn recent months. Guma and the three local government areas of Sankera are also badly affected.
A few days ago during the thanksgiving mass in honour of Secretary to the Government of the Federation Senator George Akume in Wannune, Tarka, Bishop of Katsina-Ala, Most Rev Isaac Dugu openly told Governor Alia that the bandits in the area had sent him a message to tell the Governor that they want amnesty to enable them reintegrate into the society. The Governor however did not touch on the message when was speaking later at the event.
Economic life in some parts of Benue State has collapsed as the people can no longer go to their farms.
When contacted by newsmen, the Special Adviser to the governor on Security and Internal Affairs, Chief Joseph Har, promised that his office was putting machinery in place to storm the forests on that stretch with state security outfits to clear it of the bandits who have turned the area to their haven.
