BREAKING: Benue Govt Reveals Intention Of Terrorists Responsible For Attacks

The Benue State Government has attributed the recent wave of attacks on its communities to criminal elements with the intention of forcibly acquiring land from the residents.

Naija News reports that this accusation was made by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Hyacinth Alia, Tersoo Kula, during an appearance on Channels Television’s “The Morning Brief” on Tuesday.

According to Kula, the attackers, whom he described as terrorists, use motorcycles and AK-47 rifles to terrorise communities, forcing people from their ancestral lands. He emphasised that the perpetrators’ primary aim is to displace the residents and claim their land.

“What is happening in Benue State is rather unfortunate,” Kula stated.

“Some people have decided to organise themselves and plan criminal attacks on the state. From what we are seeing, they come with the intent to grab land,” he added.

Kula further clarified that the scale and nature of the attacks indicated that this was not merely a case of farmer-herder clashes, as is often portrayed. Rather, it was an orchestrated campaign of terrorism.

The latest reports indicate that the death toll from the recent attacks on communities in the Ukum and Logo local government areas has risen to 72.

Kula explained that the attacks were well-planned, and the attackers arrived in large numbers from a neighbouring state. They targeted farms, markets, and even worship centres, further escalating the violence.

“They came on motorbikes, armed with AK-47 rifles, and attacked people in farms, markets, and even worship centers. That is why the death toll has risen to 72,” Kula noted.

He emphasised that the term “clashes” is a misrepresentation of the brutality involved in these attacks, stating that these acts of violence should be referred to as what they truly are—terrorism.

Kula condemned the tendency to downplay the attacks as simple clashes between farmers and herders. “When someone is in their house or on their farm and is attacked without warning, that is not a clash. As long as we keep misrepresenting these attacks as clashes, people will continue to misunderstand what is truly happening in Benue State,” he said.