By Henry Ibya, Makurdi
A group, Turan Consultative Forum, TCF, has condemned unprovoked attacks and ceaseless killing of innocent Turan people by heavily armed herdsmen militia, a development that has unfolded a tragedy of monumental proportion, describing the act as genocidal.
Making the condemnation while reading a text of a press conference held at Jato-aka town in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, leader of the forum, a confraternity of Turan elites, Prof Philip Abachi, supported by secretary of the group Dr Dennis Ayaga, explained that Turan communities for well over a decade have been under siege by what the duo described as non-state actors.”
These terrorists rated by Global Terrorism Index, as the fourth deadliest terrorist group in the world only after Boko Haram, ISIS and Al- Shabab have launched several deadly attacks on our villages, leaving behind scores of dead bodies, burnt houses and destruction of farms with survivals now living in pitiable conditions as Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs”, Abachi recalled with great displeasure.
According to leader of the group, coordinated attacks by the invaders have led to the fleeing of their people from their ancestral homes without shelter, clothing, food and other basic amenities such as medication.
He, on behalf of Turan elites, expressed appreciation to the role of other stakeholders such as traditional rulers, Kwande people, youths, military, socio-cultural associations both home and in the diaspora, the church through relentless prayers as well as state, local and the federal government for their various contributions.
He argued that there was the need to step up strategies on how to tackle the horrid security situation in the land in order to facilitate the safe return of the people who are predominantly farmers to their ancestral homes as that would have positive impact on the food security in Benue State and Nigeria, given that Benue is the food basket of the nation.