Benue state government has urged the Inspector General of Police,Ibrahim Idris to resign his
position for incompetence and for allegedly taking side with killer herdsmen and twisting the facts of the killings in the state.
The statement issued in reaction to the alleged claim by the IGP that the killings in Benue was instigated by the state’s grazing law, signed on behalf of the state government by Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Terver Akase accused the IGP of Seeing the mouthpiece of the
masterminds of the Benue
killings.
The statement read in part, “we read statements credited to the
Inspector General of Police,
Ibrahim Idris as having blamed the recent killing of innocent Benue people by herdsmen on the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law of the state.
“We thought that the IGP was misquoted and expected the
police authorities to issue a rebuttal to the reports hence our delay in responding swiftly.
“Consequently, we have to
respond to the erroneous
impression which the reports have created.
“Indeed it was these unrelenting spate of attacks that prompted the people of the state to seek a permanent solution to the
incessant clashes between
farmers and herders hence the law for the establishment of ranches as the best method of animal husbandry across the globe.
“The law which has
constitutional backing followed due process with the requisite public hearings and inputs from various stakeholders.
The police authorities had ample opportunity to also make input while the process was ongoing. They however failed to do so.
“The unfortunate claim by the IGP indicates that some of those saddled with the responsibility of protecting lives and property as well as maintaining law and order have abdicated their duty and become accomplices with
those undermining the very
existence of the country.
This is shameful.
“If truly the IGP said what was widely reported by the media, our conclusion is that his is a clear case of a man who is either on a mission to mislead the nation or is complicit in the attacks on Benue communities and the killing of many people by terror herdsmen.
“IGP Idris needs to be reminded that Fulani herdsmen attacked Benue State more than 50 times and killed scores of people before the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law was enacted in the state.
The law could therefore not have been the cause of the crisis “The IGP should tell Nigerians if states like Adamawa, Zamfara, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Enugu, Edo, Plateau among others where armed herdsmen have killed hundreds of people also have anti-open
grazing laws in place.
“It will be recalled that a few days after the killings took place and all fingers were pointed towards the direction of armed herdsmen, the IGP quickly rose in defence of the herdsmen and frantically tried to divert attention from the genocide
being perpetrated by herdemen with a comment that it was a ‘mere communal clash’. Did he not know that there was a law in place in Benue State when he made that statement?
“With his latest demand that the ranching law of Benue be
suspended, it is now clear where the loyalty and interest of the Inspector General of Police lies– certainly not with innocent Nigerians.
He has now positioned himself not only as the
mouthpiece of those who are
killing Benue people but indeedas their shield.
Little wonder herdsmen still proudly carry out sophisticated weapons and
willfully terrorize innocent people in the state without
being arrested.
“We wish to place it on record that contrary to the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari that the Inspector General of Police should relocate to Benue to ensure that the killings
stop, the IGP spent only one day in Benue and left for a
destination where only he could tell.
No one has seen him in Benue since that day.
“Nigerians must know that
contrary to the statement
credited to the IGP, herdsmen are still killing people in Benue.
It will therefore be
wrong to say that enough
security has been provided. At the last count after the mass burial of 73 victims of the attacks, about ten people have been killed in Guma Local Government Area, one killed in Logo and many more are receiving treatment in the hospital having suffered varying degrees of injuries with property worth millions of naira destroyed.
“Benue now has nearly 100, 000 displaced persons in seven camps established by the State Government. We therefore find IG Ibrahim Idris’ statement as mockery and a shameful dance on
the graves of those killed in the state by herdsmen.
The constitutional responsibility of the police is
to maintain law and order and
not to make or criticise same.
“That the IGP would have the
audacity to blame a law made to
ensure peace in the state and
call for its repeal amounts to
taking sides with lawless groups
that gave notice to invade and
carried out their threats.
There is no surprise that the
police ignored petitions for the
arrest and prosecution of
leaders of the Miyetti Allah
Kautal Hore, the masterminds of
the current invasion and the
attendant massacre.
“If the Inspector General of
Police, Mr Idris is not
competent to help bring an end
to the invasion and killing of
innocent people in Benue and
other states by herdsmen, the
noble thing to do is to resign
instead of twisting facts to
suit his objective.”
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