President, Yoruba community in Benue, Chief Isaac Akinkunmi, yesterday called on the federal government to step up efforts to check insecurity in the country. Akinkunmi, who made the call while donating relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at Abagena camp in Makurdi, described the killings of innocent people in the country, particularly, in Benue state, as “unwarranted.”
He expressed worry over the continuous attacks on the people of Benue state which had left over 200, 000 persons homeless and several children out of school. Akinkumi, who is also chairman, Tito Group of Companies, said there was the need for the Nigerian leaders to “see the lives of people as sacred and avoid equating lives of Nigerians with that of cattle.”
“Nigeria is the only country I know that the whole area is a grazing place. It is in Nigeria that you see cattle in Church, airports, schools and highway,” he said. In his remarks, the executive secretary, state Emergency Management Agency, Emmanuel Shior, commended the gestures of the Yoruba leader.
Shior explained that the agency had informed the governor, Samuel Ortom, of the need to close down two camps due to their vulnerable to attacks by the militia herdsmen. He said: “Recently, we noticed that the militia herdsmen have been attacking two IDPs camps at Terkimbi and Agbeda; this made us to report to the governor on the need to officially close down the camps. “We expect that the aff ected displaced persons move into town and put up with their relatives.”
