Fear, on Tuesday, gripped residents of Rijo in Unweje Community of Ogege Ward, Utonkon in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State, as the residents fleeing in droves following the influx of armed men suspected to be herdsmen, leading to the disappearance of two farmers.
John Ekueme, Chairman of Rijo Community, who disclosed this in a statement, explained that the armed groups, believed to have fled from neighbouring communities into Rijo “are now operating from forests around Igumale, the Headquarters of Ado LG” with a call on Authorities to come to their aid.
According to him, the attackers who are kidnapping and carrying out other heinous act on members of the community on a daily basis emerge from hideouts in the forests near Igumale to carry out raids on surrounding settlements, with Unweje Village as one of the worst affected area.
Read also: Herdsmen sack 4 Benue LGAs, kill 23
Ekueme said, following the the rising insecurity in the area, the only primary school in the community was shut down, as parents are no longer sending their children to school for fear of the unknown.
The community leader further decried the destruction of farmlands, noting that cassava and yam crops had been repeatedly destroyed, posing a serious threat to food supply and the livelihoods of families who are predominantly farmers.
He called on the Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia, as well as Security Agencies, to take urgent action to prevent further attacks and restore normalcy in the area.
“We are appealing for the deployment of security personnel to Rijo and neighbouring Villages in Ogege Ward, with coordinated operations to dislodge armed groups, adding that swift efforts to locate and rescue the two missing persons, and the establishment of a permanent security presence in the affected communities will nib in the bud security threats in the area”, Ekueme said.
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
