The Peoples Democratic Party stakeholders in Nasarawa state have raised that alarm over the renewed violence in the state, calling on President Goodluck Jonathan to deploy extraordinary measures to halt the killing.
According to the leadership and chieftains of the PDP, what is happening in the state is more grievous than what happened in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states when emergency rule was declared in those states.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the PDP chairman in Nasarawa, Yunana Ilya, therefore, said it will not be out of place for the President to declare emergency rule in the state.
Ilya said, “all the havoc committed in the state are more grievous than what happened in Yobe, Adamawa and Borno where the state of emergency were declared.
“Therefore, calling for the deceleration of state of emergency in Nasarawa state would not out of place”.
He posited that the violence should not be seen as just an ethnic war between the Eggon and Fulani/Alago but a wel orchestrated ethnic cleansing plan backed by the state government.
According to him, “The security situation in Nasarawa State has worsened in recent weeks following the importation of large number mercenaries who have now embarked on widespread destruction of villages, towns and communities spread across Nasarawa South and Nasarawa North Senatorial Zones”.
He therefore, enjoined the Federal Government to quickly halt the gradual spread of terrorism in state, saying it could have multiplier effect on the north central zone.
Ilya spoke further, “There is no doubt that those who are carrying out the widespread destruction are professional terrorists brought into Nasarawa State. The security agencies must arrest sponsors of these attacks and must deploy troops to destroy the terrorists’ camps located in parts of the state.
“The mercenaries in their tens of thousands, who are armed with the latest assault weapons, have destroyed more than twenty-five towns and villages in the last two months.
“They burn and destroy houses everywhere they go, shoot at people, slaughter women, children and the aged and destroy farmlands leading to widespread displacement of tens of thousands of people who have suddenly become refugees in different parts of the state.
“The attacks, which are highly professional and military in nature, are carried out either in the night, early hours of the morning or even in broad daylight as the mercenaries have absolute superiority in weaponry and freedom of movement.
”These mercenaries, who are kept in camps in Nasarawa North and Nasarawa South Senatorial Zones, are also supplied with vehicles, which they now use for sudden attacks on settlements, towns and villages.
“Presently, the state is threatened with near collapse of public order while anarchy is increasingly becoming the order of the day.
“Let it be stated clearly that all available information shows that what is going on is not an ethnic war between the Eggon and Fulani/Alago as widely claimed by the state government. On the contrary, the violent destruction of lives and properties is being carried out by imported mercenaries who are brought in by the Governor and his agents and are given specific instructions to wipe out communities, towns and settlements in a clear programme of political ethnic cleansing to achieve a specific political objective.
”There is no doubt whatsoever that these mercenaries are hired and sustained by the state government to completely dislocate the voting population in order to enable Governor Al-Makura to return as governor of Nasarawa State in 2015.
“There is definitely a careful programme of ethnic cleansing being executed to achieve a wicked and selfish political end by the APC-controlled state government under the leadership of Governor Tanko Al-makura”
