Highs and lows of Buhari’s visit to Benue
President Muhammadu Buhari seemed to have lost a great deal of popularity in Benue State as a result of the incessant attacks and killing of people in the state following unresolvable herders/farmers acrimony. But has his recent visit made any difference?
President Buhari visited Benue State on Monday and held a stakeholders’ meeting with various groups who expected that his coming would proffer a lasting solution to the unabated killings in the state.
After arriving the Makurdi airport at 10:43am, he proceeded to the Government House in Makurdi, accompanied by Governor Samuel Ortom, the Chief of Air Staff, Sadique Abubakar, Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Audu Ogbe among others.
At 11:18am, he walked into the new Banquet hall of the Benue Peoples House where the interaction began with representatives of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), representatives of farmers in Benue, Benue State Livestock Guards, Benue Joint Sociocultural group Mzough U-Tiv, Omi’Igede, Idoma National Forum, religious groups, traditional institutions and women groups among others.
Apart from speakers at the meeting who repeatedly welcomed the president, there wasn’t the usual fanfare or merrymaking reception that often goes with such memorable occasions.
Nothing changed in Makurdi, the state capital, because residents went about their normal businesses like every other day. This was not the same in the build-up to the 2015 general elections when Buhari came to the state for campaign. At that time, security operatives had a tough time controlling the crowd and traffic in all parts of Makurdi metropolis.
Only the military parade displayed in Buhari’s honour at the airport on his arrival made the difference, otherwise, the routes/ streets which he plied to the Government House for the meeting remained empty, no banners were displayed at strategic places to signify that he was warmly welcome, neither did market women or school children dress in special attires to troop out to catch a glimpse.
The sense of belonging bestowed to the president publicly was a gift of flowers presented to him on arrival by a little girl at the airport and perhaps, the dozens of security troops deployed all over the town to keep vigilance alongside a military aircraft which hovered within Makurdi until his departure.
Despite heavy security presence, some placard carrying youths defied the odds as they besieged the roundabout leading to the entrance gate of the Government House to register their grievances and appeal to Buhari on matters that bothered them.
The protesters used Yusuf-the president’s son who recently recovered from a motorbike accident, to depict that they too deserved to live and enjoy their right as Nigerians to access better living.
The earlier scheduled itinerary of Buhari’s visit which included a courtesy call on the Chairman of the Benue State Council of Chiefs, Tor Tiv the fifth, Professor James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse and a visit to one of the eight displaced persons’ camps in the state was cancelled.
At the stakeholders meeting, the Chairman of the Benue State Council of Chiefs, Tor Tiv the fifth, Professor James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse, urged the president to redesign the security architecture of the country such that states could make inputs and traditional rulers are given roles to play.
Ayatse told the president among other things to caution his security chiefs to restrain themselves from making comments which are not comforting to victims of herders and farmers clashes and appealed to the federal government to support the anti-open grazing law as it is dear to the people of the state.
Also speaking the President General of Mdzough U Tiv, Engr. Edward Ujege, told the president to clearly declare support for the grazing law of the state and compensate victims of herders’ invasion.
Ujege claimed that herdsmen’s attacks in Benue predated the anti-grazing law as he alleged that the attacks date back to eight years ago.
In the same vein, the Benue elders such as Brigadier-General Atom Kpera, (rtd), Major General Lawrence Onoja (rtd) and Senator Paul Unongo in their separate speeches accused the Inspector General of Police, Ibarhim Idris, of failing to act on the president’s instruction to relocate to Benue, the need for Buhari to support the law and stop killings.
The chairman of the state branch of Myetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) Alhaji Ubbi Haruna and his counterpart from the State’s Livestock Guards, Alhaji Aliyu Tershaku, said they were not part of those causing trouble in the state.
Haruna denied allegations that MACBAN was responsible for the killings and attacks in the state as he stressed that his association had always appreciated peaceful and harmonious coexistence between farmers and herdsmen.
Tershaku on his part, denied allegations that neither him nor the Livestock Guards were a militia group of the state government, adding that he had been working with the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, dutifully and lawfully.
He said the Livestock Guard consisting of Fulani herders and some Tiv natives had carried out successful operations to arrest cattle rustlers and other criminals in Benue and Nasarawa states.
The representative of Benue peasant farmers, Terlumun Akputu in his speech noted that his members were threatened by starvation occasioned by the increased attacks.
According to him, more than 160, 000 peasant farmers are now refugees in their own land because of the herdsmen’s attacks.
Governor Ortom told the president that Benue people were happy to receive him as he appreciated him for listening to the people for over two hours instead of only one hour which the meeting was scheduled for.
He appealed to the president to upgrade the military exercise Ayem Akpatuma (Cat Race) to an operation so that they would effectively secure the deserted rural areas to enable over 170, 000 displaced people return home.
The governor urged the president to intervene on federal roads across the state and effect the arrest of leaders of the Myetti Allah Kautal Hore who threatened and allegedly carried out killings in the state.
He however exonerated the Myetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), saying they were cohabiting with his citizens peacefully and had no problem obeying the law except that they had asked for more time.
The governor who also asked the federal government to support the state’s anti-grazing law, intimated him that apart from the 73 slain victims buried on January 11, this year, 65 more people had been killed in Guma and Logo while 26 were killed in Okpokwu with over 5000 displaced in Mbatoho community of Makurdi LGA.
He added among other things that 170,000 people live in eight displaced people’s camps across the state.
President Muhammadu Buhari, in his response to all the issues raised at the meeting pleaded with people of the state to apply more restraint and continue to live peacefully together.
He noted that he was not aware that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, disobeyed his directive to proceed immediately to Benue at the wake of killings on new year’s day.
The coordinator of a non-governmental organisation, Jireh Doo Foundation, Ms Josephine Habba, said, “I’m not just disappointed but confused. He didn’t console the people of Benue, neither did he condemn the killings in the state or say anything about our grazing law.”
Barrister Amali Amali, the National President of Idoma National Forum added, “The visit only afforded us the opportunity to bare our minds. We were able to let him (Buhari) know that we stand by our antiopen grazing law as the only solution to the crisis. We spoke our minds about the IGP. Otherwise he didn’t say anything for us to take home because he wanted to be careful. I won’t say am disappointed for him coming at all.”
The President-General, Tiv Youth Organisation (TYO), Timothy Hembaor, described the visit was a sham and intended to ridicule the pains of Benue people in the hands of their attackers.