Benue herders attack: Army establishes new outpost in affected community
…To avert retaliatory attacks
…Cautions community against taking laws into their hands
By Titus Atondu, Makurdi
The Nigerian Army has established a new outpost at Mbaikyaor, Mbalom in Gwer East local government area, the Benue state community where armed herdsmen recently killed about 15 people with scores of others receiving various degrees of injuries.
The Army has merged 401 Special Forces with Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) to form Sector 1 Operation Whirl Stroke for effective and more productive security operations in Benue State, and to avert further retaliatory attacks in the community.
The prompt intervention of OPWS has halted further escalation of the crisis and has led to the restoration of normalcy in the affected community as fleeing members of the community have started returning to their respective homes, as revealed by Nigerian NewsDirect investigation.
According to a member of the community who spoke to Nigerian NewsDirect on condition of anonymity, some Fulani herders entered the community with their cows for open grazing which prompted the villagers to arrest and handover three of the herders to the police at the Aliade Police Divisional Headquarters.
The villagers accused the herders of grazing their cows to destroy their farms and stored farm produce like yams and cassava.
It was gathered that despite the herders’ arrests, they returned the following day with their cows in their numbers. In the ensuing chaos, as the villagers pursued the fleeing Fulanis, some of their cows were left behind.
They further revealed that the herders later returned at night to retrieve their cows.
However, the establishment of the new outpost has prevented the possibility of retaliatory attacks and has restored confidence in the devastated community.
The Army has, however, cautioned the community members against taking laws into their hands while also instructing them to report any suspicious activities of armed herders around their community.
