The Commissioner of Police in Benue, Fatai Owoseni, has stated that the state is under threat of attacks from herdsmen, communal clashes and armed bandits.
Owoseni stated this on Tuesday in Makurdi during his maiden news briefing.
He described the attacks on villages in Katsina-Ala and Zaki-Biam axis as pure banditry.
“You people are already familiar with the crisis in the state; there are three dimensions to it and we need to separate it from one another.
“You have the herdsmen attacks, the communal crisis in some parts of the state and pure acts of banditry.
“What is happening in the Katsina-Ala and Zaki-Biam axis are just pure acts of banditry and communal clashes.
“Ukum and Katsina-Ala local governments have a long history of communal crisis which, unfortunately, some political elements and bandits have taken advantage of.
“This bandits are connected to the notorious wanted Benue militia leader, Terwase Akwaza.
“So, following the directives of the I-G, a Special Police Team has been deployed to that axis to end acts of criminality,” he said.
Owoseni also disclosed that two local government chairmen of Ukum and Katsina-Ala, together with other stakeholders, had been interrogated following the crisis.
He expressed regret that the command had yet to find one of its police officers deployed to Guma to repel the herdsmen attacks on the communities in the local government council.
The commissioner said that there were no recent attacks on Guma, but expressed regret that the commotion that happened on the borders of Benue and Nasarawa states was caused by panic and not attacks.
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