Benue Under Siege: Army Chief Moves In to Stop Bloody Killings
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, has relocated to Makurdi, the capital of Benue State, to address the escalating killings of innocent villagers by herders and militia groups.
The violence, which has become almost daily, has left many dead, injured, and displaced, with homes burned and communities devastated.
Oluyede left Abuja on Tuesday morning, accompanied by his Principal Staff Officers and senior military officials, to conduct an on-the-ground assessment. He has ordered the deployment of additional troops to confront the armed groups terrorizing the state.
The COAS is set to hold strategic meetings with operational commanders to review ongoing security operations and formulate plans to end the killings. He will also visit military bases to boost troop morale and reassure affected communities of the army’s commitment to protecting citizens.
Recent attacks in Benue have been widely described as ethnic cleansing. Last weekend, gunmen killed 43 people across communities in Gwer West and Apa Local Government Areas. These attacks followed an assault on Rev. Fr. Solomon Atongo and several communities in Gwer West LGA, where 42 people, including a mobile police officer, were killed.
