…Urges construction of highway on River Benue corridor from Lokoja, through Benue communities to Taraba

By Peter Duru, Makurdi 

The Founder of Apa Legacy Sustainability Initiative, Dr David Olofu, has urged the Federal Government to construct a highway along the corridor of River Benue from Lokoja in Kogi State through Benue communities to Taraba State as part of deliberate measure to check spiralling insecurity in that axis of the country. 

He made the call when he visited Ankpali Edikwu, Ojantele/Akpete, Ikobi among other communities attacked by armed herders in Apa Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue State. 

Dr. Olofu noted that the absence of the infrastructure in the ungoverned space within the corridor had in no small measure contributed to the activities of marauding herdsmen on that axis. 

He said, “these criminal elements usually take advantage of the vulnerability of the spaces as their habitat where they hide to carry out their nefarious activities.” 

While sympathising with the affected communities the philanthropists who had in the past intervened in critical areas such as provision of scholarship to many indigent students in the State and free health services to vulnerable people in the Benue South Senatorial District, donated cash to the victims. 

He called on both the federal and state governments to focus more on the provision of good roads in the rural areas as a precursor to tackling the menace of the marauding herders. 

According to him “If we have good roads, our military and security agencies can easily and swiftly rush to promptly rescue our communities if they are timely informed about any attack. If there are no good roads, the security agencies will find it difficult to quickly rush to the places of attacks when invited. 

“Without roads, the security agencies who obviously cannot be stationed in every nook and cranny of our community will have difficulties in arriving your location in a prompt and expeditious manner to nip an impending attack in the bud.” 

While lamenting the frequency of the unprovoked attacks by the suspected herdsmen which he described as an epidemic, Dr. Olofu called on the people to be united against the menace stressing that the attack would only stop when the people irrespective of tribe, creed, religion and partisan interest genuinely come together to fight the scourge. 

He also called on the youths not to abdicate the responsibility of policing their various communities advising that they should organize themselves into vigilante groups. 

He pointed out that “I was trained by my father via his farms. My elder brother and all of us were trained by my father in the same vein but see what has happened. Our people cannot go to their farms and there is no home for them to stay. Where do we go from here. This is not only painful but devastating to say the least.” 

He also urged the Benue State Government to as a matter of urgency establish Border Communities Development Commission, BCDC, to ramp up developments in the frontline communities of the state. 

Also speaking, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of Apa Legacy Sustainability Initiatives, Prof. David Salifu disclosed that their mission was to commiserate with the affected people over the unfortunate incidents. 

He said: “We are here on behalf of Apa Legacy Foundation. We are not here because of politics. We are here because of love, mutual respect and relationship. 

“We are here to commiserate with you and comfort you and pray for you for God to help protect the land from the menace of the rampaging herdsmen in our land”. 

An elder statesman, Chief Bernard Omaiye thanked the Founder of Apa Legacy Sustainability Initiatives, and the Chairman for their humanitarian interventions which he acknowledged would no doubt impact meaningfully on the lives of the people of Benue South Senatorial District. 

He urged Idoma sons and daughters to collaboration and help in tackling the menace of herdsmen in the land. 

In their separate reactions, the Clan Heads of Edikwu, Chief David Otokpa and the Aadu of Edikwu, Chief Elaigwu Abutu lamented that 12 people were killed and several others seriously injured in the attack at Ankpali-Edikwu,. 

The royal fathers lauded Dr Olofu and his team for the show of love and for commiserating with the people of the area in their moment of grief following the armed herdsmen incursions in the area.