By Peter Duru, Makurdi

Amnesty International, AI, has decried the ceaseless armed herdsmen attacks in Benue state lamenting that between January 2023 and February 2024, over 2,600 persons, mostly children and women were murdered in over 50 communities.

The Program Manager of AI Nigeria, Barbara Magaji who raised the concern Wednesday in Makurdi during the presentation of the research findings on the attacks in Benue state, pointed out that the incursions left hundreds displaced, some wounded, raped and others kidnapped.

She noted that “50 rural communities in the state recorded at least 135 attacks leading to the deaths of over 2,600 people many of whom are women and children. This has left hundreds displaced, wounded, raped and others kidnapped.”

According to her, “Benue state has 23 Local Government Areas, LGAs, of which 18 have been affected by insecurity and face continuous attacks by armed attackers.

“These attacks are significantly affecting food security and livelihood, because the affected communities are farmers and displacement make them unable to carry out any farming activity.”

She stated that the incursions had also led to the destruction of over 55 schools across the state leaving hundreds of children out of school.

The Program Manager called on the Federal Government to put an end to the attacks in the state as well as conduct impartial investigation into the carnage and ensure justice for the victims, survivors and their families.

She emphasised that “Nigerian authorities must ensure that suspected perpetrators of human rights abuses in the state resulting from the attacks are brought to justice through fair trial.

“Nigerian authorities must investigate the security lapses that enabled gunmen to carry out these attacks and get away with it. Those with responsibility for protecting lives and property must be held to account.

“People displaced must be provided with adequate humanitarian support, standard of living and children’s education must be continued. Special attention must be paid to how the conflict affects children and a plan must be made to protect their rights. The attacks and conflict in Benue State must never happen again.”

Governor Hyacinth Alia, represented by the Director General, Bureau for International Cooperation and Development, BICD, Leo-Angelo Viashima, said the administration had made the Benue IDPs situation a global concern.

He said this was achieved following the Governor’s meeting with over 50 international partners who after that had shown commitment to the humanitarian situation in the state.

He said the determination was determined to ensure an end to the attacks in the state in order to have the displaced persons return to their ancestral homes to engage in farming activities.

He said the state was enjoying relative peace and the state government had already set in motion the processs of having the IDPs relocate to befitting environment and their ancestral homes stressing that the ongoing construction of rural roads across the state was part of that initiative to ensure access to the communities by security operative in the event of an emergency.

While reeling out other measures put in place by the administration in collaboration with partners to improve the condition of IDPs in the state, the Governor harped on the need for a home-grown solution to the situation.