Following the invasion of Okpale-Ogege, Edumoga in Okpokwu local government area of Benue State by suspected herdsmen, leaders of the community, yesterday, besieged the state police headquarters in Makurdi, the state capital, to seek deployment of more security personnel to the affected area to avert further bloodbath.
The leaders of the effected communities, led by Mr. Philip Oguche, Secretary of Edumoga Development Association EDEMA, said they besieged the command headquarters to brief the police on the incident and to assure the command of their willingness to cooperate with the force to check the crisis.
Oguche who confirmed that a farmer was killed while several others sustained injuries in the crisis, said: “Though normalcy has returned, we came to make a formal complaint and also asked for more police presence in Edumoga to check further crisis.
“We have been assured by the command that the crisis will not excalate, on our own we will do everything to ensure that reprisal attacks did not occur anywhere in Edumoga.” Confirming the visit, the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Assistant Superintendent, ASP, Moses Yamu, said the community came to formally report the issue and to assure the command of their will gneiss to cooperate with the police to stem the crisis.
He said, “Already the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bashir Makama, has deployed enough officers and men to the community to stem further crisis in the area and he is personally monitoring developments in the affected community.”
