Benue killings: Nigeria’s security knew about attack beforehand
The president of the Middle Belt Forum, Bitrus Poju has alleged that all the security agencies across the country knew about the Yelewata attack before it happened.
Poju in an interview with Arise Television said the attack by the suspected armed herdsmen on the residents of Yelewata in Gumu Local Government Area of Benue State could have been averted.
According to Poku, he received a security alert about the attack earlier and was sure that the security agencies also received such an alert.
His words, “I received a security alert on the 27th of last month from someone, warning that the Fulani were planning to attack Yelwata.
“I still have it on my phone. That means, if it got to me, it would have reached the security apparatus of this country before the attack,” Poju said.
Also stating that security agencies and their leaders are nonchalant about the happenings across some parts of the country, Poju called for a more strategic effort towards curbing attacks and killings in Benue and other states of Nigeria.
“Unfortunately, when you see a government that deliberately Mr President, irrespective of my appreciation of his visit to Benue whether it achieves some objectives or not, at least it’s better than that of the former president. He appointed the NSA, a Fulani man; the Chief of Defence Staff, a Fulani man; the Minister of Defence, a Fulani; and the Minister of State for Defence, a Fulani. Now when such information reaches these high offices, do you think it would go beyond that? It will not.
“Whether it is an allegation, a security report, if an ordinary citizen like me can have it forwarded to my phone from somebody, then the security apparatus would have had it, the DSS would have investigated it, the DIA would have investigated it and they would have confirmed it,” Poju added.
