Benue Massacre: Former NSCDC Commandant Calls For Full Security Agencies Involvement Than Mere Community Defense
By Raheem Ibrahim
A former Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Dr. Nnamdi Naps Okonkwo, has called for full security agencies’ involvement in tackling the continuous killing and destruction of property in Benue State.
Reacting to the recent statement by the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, that communities in Benue State should rise up in self-defense, a security consultant, Dr. Okonkwo, who is also a security consultant, insisted on more involvement of the military and other state security agencies in the protection of lives and property in the troubled communities.
It would be recalled that the CDS, on Tuesday, was reported by a section of the media as having made the statement during his assessment of the level of destruction of lives and property allegedly by herders at Yelewata community in Benue State.
Exclusively speaking with our correspondent on Wednesday, Okonkwo highlighted a number of factors that are likely responsible for the killings, which include Farmers-Herders Clashes, Resource Scarcity, Destruction of Farmlands, Cattle Rustling/Theft, Historical Grievances, Weak Governance and Insecurity, Lack of Effective Law Enforcement, Judicial System Failure, Proliferation of Arms, Political Manipulation and Exploitation of Tensions.
According to him, “do or die” mentality, socio-economic factors, poverty and unemployment, lack of opportunities, breakdown of traditional conflict resolution mechanisms, are the other likely reasons responsible for the endless circle of militia attacks on innocent citizens in Benue and other parts of the Northern states.
“To resolve the recurring conflict, a multi-faceted and comprehensive approach through strengthening of the nation’s Security and Justice Systems through deployment of well-trained and equipped security forces to flashpoints and ensuring rapid response to distress calls, enhancing intelligence capabilities to anticipate and prevent attacks, diligent investigation and prosecution of all perpetrators of violence, regardless of their background, to end impunity and build trust in the justice system,” he advocated.
The security consultant also called for disarming of illegal armed groups and control of the proliferation of firearms, promoting dialogue and peace-building, community-led mediation through dialogues and reconciliation processes between warring communities (farmers and herders, different ethnic groups), led by respected community and religious leaders.
He reasoned that revitalizing and empowering traditional conflict resolution mechanisms, where they are still effective, could go a long way towards halting the incessant attacks, saying, “Activities that foster interaction should also be encouraged towards building inter-ethnic trust among other efforts.”
