President Bola Tinubu has directed the Benue State governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, to allocate lands for ranching in the state.
Tinubu gave the directive while addressing the governor during a town hall meeting organised in Makurdi, the Benue state capital, on Wednesday.
According to the president, the allocation of lands for ranching will help abate the incessant attacks by suspected herders on unsuspecting villagers.
The president made the call after no fewer than 200 people were killed by suspected herders in Yelewata, a village in the Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
The president also directed the Benue State Ministry of Agriculture to “follow up” in the allocation of lands for ranching.
Chronicle NG reports that Tinubu formed a committee on Wednesday to help restore long-term peace in Benue State following last Friday’s tragedy in the Yelewata hamlet in Guma Local Government Area, which killed over 200 people.
Tinubu advised Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia on the need for stakeholder management for peaceful and progressive governance, urging him to support the operations of the peace committee, which also includes federal officials and non-indigenous residents of the state.
“Let us meet again in Abuja. Let’s fashion out a framework for lasting peace. I am ready to invest in that peace. I assure you, we will find peace. We will convert this tragedy into prosperity,” the president told Alia.
Also speaking to the governor, Tinubu said, “I wanted to come here to commission projects, to reassure you of hope and prosperity, not to see gloomy faces. But peace is vital to development,” he said.
“The value of human life is greater than that of a cow. We were elected to govern, not to bury people.”
Tinubu called on the people of Benue to support Alia, urging communities to embrace peace and inclusion.
“This is a very critical time. The governor needs your help. Let’s have a committee with non-indigenes incorporated.”
He assured the state of the federal government’s backing and his personal resolve to end the continuous killings, saying, “I give you the assurance that we will find peace; we will convert this tragedy to prosperity again and again.”
Armed herders allegedly stormed Yelewata village in Guma LGA of Benue State late Friday, June 13, unleashing one of the deadliest assaults the state has seen in years.
