As a result of what the Sankera Peace and Development Forum (SAPPEDEF) calls Governor Hyacinth Alia’s (who is currently in his first term) delay and claimed inaccessibility, the security situation in Benue State has deteriorated.
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Saturday saw the release of a strongly worded statement from the Sankera-based non-profit peace advocacy group. The statement was signed by National President Dr. Paul Gbande and National Secretary Doshima Vembe. The group’s mission is to restore order in the region often referred to as Nigeria’s “food basket,” and they warned that the state government’s failure to engage critical stakeholders has hampered these efforts.
While troops and personnel have kept up their best efforts to combat instability across the state’s 23 local government areas, SAPEDEF urged the public not to place blame on security institutions.
“Our investigations have shown that the Catholic Bishop of Katsina-Ala Diocese, Most Rev (Dr) Isaac Dugu, initiated a peace process. As a result, suspected criminal gangs have decided to lay down their arms, but there are certain conditions that the Benue State government must meet,” the statement stated.
According to SAPEDEF, the Bishop Dugu-led peace movement has provided a viable road map for ending the bloodshed along the Sankera axis, and the state government should follow this path. According to the group, Governor Alia has not only ignored the Bishop’s recommendations but has also refused to call a meeting of all relevant parties to discuss them.
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Bishop Dugu’s meticulous and patriotic interface with these people, who opened up about their grievances and the path to a peaceful Sankera, is an important topic, and as concerned stakeholders, we are worried that the governor has (allegedly) refused to address it or call for an expanded stakeholders’ meeting.
It was also revealed by SAPEDEF that the Full Fire Boys and the Chengs Boys, two criminal factions, were involved in the latest spate of killings. One of the factions was apparently receiving help from Fulani elements in the area.
A number of individuals associated with these violent organizations are involved in cattle rustling, as stated by the group. As a result, the Fulani herders want their cows back, which causes tension to rise and eventually leads to deaths.
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Claiming that security agencies were already prepared to work with the peace initiative, the organization urged political leaders to exhibit the same level of commitment.
All parties involved agreed that Bishop Dugu’s peace process was the greatest option for ending the violence in Sankera and the surrounding area. The situation of instability in Sankera territory and its surroundings has been worsened by Governor Alia’s decision to postpone the peace process.
They asserted that disarmament efforts had been thwarted and violence had festered due to what they perceived as the state government’s callousness.
The livestock rustling by a notorious kingpin in the region is the root cause of the increasing security threats in Sankera. The disarmament initiative would have advanced significantly if the governor had taken action on this issue as early as last year.
In reality, the Fulanis did not plan the recent massacres in any of those regions. The Chengs Boys and the Full Fire Boys were at odds with one another. “And whenever there are conflicts, members of both factions assault members of the other’s family,” the organization asserted.
Additionally, it claimed that grassroots leadership was unable to combat instability and execute developmental programs since the state administration ignored and underfunded local government organizations.
We have the authority to state that our beloved Governor Alia, His Excellency, is supposedly unavailable to key players in the security ecosystem. Consequently, SAPEDEF expressed their disappointment that he is unable to handle or attend to secret materials, such as security suggestions, with the necessary urgency. Finally, they urged Governor Alia to step up and lead the charge to put a stop to the violence in Benue State.
We want the governor to know that whenever he takes serious action, the level of insecurity in Sankara and the rest of Benue State will be drastically decreased. In addition, SAPEDEF urged the governor to follow the peace model put out by the Bishop, who has demonstrated more than just lip service to the issue.