By Godwin Kingsley, Lafia Nasarawa State Governor Umaru Tanko Al-makura has called on the Federal government to review the military operation in the state to guide against extra judicial killings.
The governor made the call on Friday in keana, when he paid a condolence visit on the paramount ruler of Keana,’Osana of Keana’ Emmanuel Elayo, over the alleged killing of scores of herdsmen during a military operation on Wednesday in the area.
According to him, the casualties of the Tuesday’s operation were herdsmen resident in keana and not insurgents as widely reported by some national dailies.
He however, stressed the need for the operation to be reviewed to focus on tracking the real insurgents traversing the borders of Benue, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Plateau, Taraba and Kogi states.
Al-Makura, who disclosed that he was not informed of the military operation until it was underway, emphasised the need for traditional rulers to be duly informed of such operations in their locality in order to avert the incidence of innocent casualties.
The governor called on the people of the area, especially the herdsman to remain calm and not to take law into their hands.
He assured the people that adequate measures were being put in place to avert such incidence and promised that the issue would be reported to the military authorities and the President.
He maintained that the community based approach of resolving the farmers/ herdsmen feud in the state was yielding results and would be improved upon.
Responding, the Osana of Keana, Emmanuel Elayo, described the incident as “unfortunate” as the herdsman and farmers in the area were working hard to fish out criminal elements infiltrating their ranks to cause mayhem.
Elayo, acknowledged that most of those killed were resident in his domain and had lived peacefully with other ethnic groups in the area.
He said 10 corpses were brought to his palace by the herdsmen, while three others were receiving treatment at the hospital following the operation.
He urged the people of the area to eschew all forms of violence as no meaningful development could be achieved in an atmosphere of rancour.
Meanwhile, the Nasarwa state Commissioner of Police, Idris Ibrahim told Prompt News Online that the unfortunate incident would not jeopardise the pact signed by the farmers and herdsman in the state.
According to Ibrahim, youths from the warring groups were in his office on Friday to reassure him of their commitment to the peace pact initiated by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar
