Ex-NAFDAC DG condemns killings of women, children in Benue
The former Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control,(NAFDAC), Dr Paul Orhii, has condemned the killing of persons in Yelewata Community, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
Following the killings, some protesters on Sunday converged at the Wurukum Roundabouts in Makurdi, wielding leaves and appealed to the Federal Government to protect all the citizens within its sovereignty.
Orhii in his statement, described the killings in Benue as “despicable, barbaric, inhuman and satanic acts that all people of conscience must rise up in unison to condemn.”
No fewer than 100 people were reportedly killed and several others injured when terrorists invaded the communities on Saturday, though local leaders estimate the toll could exceed 200, with reports of entire families burnt alive and security officers among the victims.
The development attracted public outrage, with several Nigerians on social media urging the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in Benue.
“Benue, once described as the food basket of the nation, has unfortunately been turned into a Hobbesian state where life is short and brutish because of the murderous attacks of the suspected Fulani armed herdsmen,” he lamented.
He said that Benue community leaders and elder statesmen have individually expressed concerns about the genocidal activities of the criminal herdsmen, but they have failed to present a united front to confront the carnage perpetrated by the criminals.
Orhii, however, condoled the Benue State Governor, Rev Fr. Hyacinth Alia, bereaved families of Yelewata and the people of Benue over the loss of innocent lives.
He urged the government to urgently train residents on self-defence techniques and empower able-bodied men in various local communities to serve as the civilian first line of defence against external attacks.
“Governments must introduce new all-encompassing and holistic kinetic and non-kinetic strategies to tackle the hydra-headed menace posed by the criminal armed herdsmen,” he said.
