Senator Abba Moro, representing Benue South Senatorial District and the Senate Minority Leader, has expressed deep concern over the ongoing killings in Benue State, particularly in his constituency, by suspected armed herdsmen.
Speaking during a live interview on AIT on Wednesday night, Senator Moro described the spate of violence marked by killings, kidnappings, and the destruction of property as “a harvest of deaths”; and a national tragedy.
He commended Governor Hyacinth Alia for finally speaking out against the escalating violence but stressed that condemnation alone was not enough. “Governments at all levels must go beyond words,”; he said, urging for concrete action, including the establishment of permanent security bases in vulnerable communities across the state.
Senator Moro criticized the ongoing disarmament of local communities by security forces, which he said has left residents defenceless against heavily armed attackers.
“People have been rendered vulnerable by the seizure of basic self-defence tools like cutlasses and Dane guns,”; he lamented, calling on authorities to rethink such policies in light of the current realities.
Reiterating Governor Alia’s recent statements, Moro emphasized the troubling pattern of attacks where “the killers come, strike, ransack entire villages and simply walk away unchallenged.”; He demanded a complete overhaul of the country’s security architecture, calling on the National Security Adviser and other stakeholders to act decisively, not just issue condolences and promises.
Senator Moro explained that legislators consistently raise motions and pass resolutions on the Senate floor, but their efforts are often ignored by the executive arm. “Our hands are tied when those responsible for execution don’t act,”; he stated.
On the motive behind the attacks, he said, “Whether this is land grabbing or genocide, the motive is immaterial; the duty of the government is to stop it.”; He expressed outrage over reports that herders have been occupying deserted villages post-attacks, calling it “insulting and unacceptable.”; He urged security forces to reclaim and restore those communities.
“It has become obvious that unless we take the challenge of protecting ourselves in our own hands, we will be exterminated completely. If the government continues to fail us, we’ll have no choice but to devise our own local means to defend our lives and property,”; he added.
