Terseer Ugbor, member representing Kwande/Ushongo federal constituency in the House of Representatives, says communities in Benue state may have no choice but to adopt self-defence strategies amid unrelenting attacks.
Speaking on Monday, Ugbor lamented the lack of a functional local security architecture, saying existing efforts by successive state administrations have not yielded the desired results.
He said: “You see, the DG of the DSS publicly said communities will have to come up with self-defence mechanisms. Communities will have to defend themselves.
“Communities will have to come up with vigilantes and other systems where you can protect your communities. This is what Benue needs to do.”
Ugbor recalled the former governor Samuel Ortom’s attempt to enforce security through the anti-open grazing law and the establishment of a volunteer force but said current efforts like the ‘Anyam Nyor’ security outfit have fallen short.
He said: “Unfortunately, we’ve not seen much of the impact of ‘Anyam Nyor’ in Benue.
“So we’ve not been able to set up a good security architecture to protect our communities in Benue. We’ve just not been able to.”
The lawmaker also argued that the military formations currently stationed in Benue are only tasked with peacekeeping and not equipped or authorized for offensive operations against attackers.
“The military formations in Benue are there for peacekeeping. They’re not there to go all out and open fire on the Fulani, open fire on the Tiv people, or any other tribe in Benue; they are there to maintain the peace,” he said.
Ugbor said the limited mandate means the military cannot pursue attackers across state lines or confront them proactively.
His words: “When these people come and attack, they attack and they retreat. The security presence is not there. It doesn’t have the mandate to pursue them,.
“But right now, with this situation, the military needs to go on the offensive. If not, this problem will not stop.”
His remarks come days after suspected herdsmen reportedly killed at least 59 people in Yelwata, Guma LGA.
The massacre left dozens injured and displaced thousands, prompting renewed national concern over the rising death toll and the state government’s inability to stop the violence.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.
