Thursday, June 27, 2024 -Amnesty International reports that 2,600 individuals, predominantly women and children, have lost their lives in attacks on 50 communities in Benue between January 2023 and February 2024.
Amnesty International Programme Director, Mrs Barbara
Magaji, disclosed this during a photo exhibition and news conference on
Wednesday, in Makurdi.
Magaji further said 18 out of the 23 local government areas (LGAs) in the
state, were constantly under security threats by armed attackers.
“These attacks are significantly affecting food security and livelihoods
because the affected communities are farmers and displacement make them unable
to carry out any farming activity.
“These displacements are having significant and
adverse effects on the right to livelihoods, and depriving thousands of
children of the right to education and development.
“As of March 2023 when the last counting and
documentation was done, the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps and host
communities accommodated a total of 489,245 IDPs,” Magaji
said.
She further quoted the state’s Ministry of Education and the Teaching Service
Board as saying that, at least 55 schools had been destroyed by armed bandits
or closed down due to insecurity, leaving hundreds of children out of school.
She stressed the need for Nigerian authorities to end the attacks in Benue
because they had a duty to protect lives.
She maintained that governments at all levels must ensure that these attacks
were investigated and justice given to victims and their families.
“Nigerian authorities must ensure that suspected
perpetrators of human rights abuses are brought to justice through fair trial.
“Nigerian authorities must investigate the security
lapses that enabled gunmen to carry out attacks and get away with it.
“People who are displaced must be provided with adequate
humanitarian support, standard of living and children’s education must be
continued,” Magaji said.
Meanwhile, in his goodwill message, the Commanding Officer, 72 Special Forces
Battalion, Lt Col. R.B. Kefas, who was represented by Lt Danjuma Abba, stated
that criminality had been curtailed in all the crisis prone areas, promising
that the efforts would be sustained.
Also, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Steve Yabanet, who was
represented by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Okon Asuquo, said that the
police was working round the clock to reduce criminality to the barest minimum
in the state.
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