ACF urges FG to probe killing of over 50 herdsmen in Nasarawa airstrike

The Area Consultative Forum (ACF) has called on the Federal Government to investigate the killing of over 50 herdsmen in an airstrike in Doma Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

The Nasarawa State Police Command had confirmed the killing of the herdsmen, noting that preliminary investigation revealed that the herdsmen were killed after they went to Benue State to pay fines for the release of cattle impounded by the Benue Livestock Guards implementing the state’s Anti-Open Grazing and Ranching Law.

“While they were loading some of the cows into vehicles on Tuesday night in Kwatiri village, a border community between Benue and Nasarawa, something like a drone or an aircraft hovered in the air and shelled them,” the command’s spokesperson, DSP Ramhan Nansel, had said.

Reacting to the incident via a statement issued on Sunday by its Secretary General, Murtala Aliyu, the ACF urged the Federal Government to immediately fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act to face the law.

It said: “Sources told the ACF that drone strike happened while the livestock were being offloaded after the owners were forced to take back their cattle in trucks from Makurdi.

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“This incident came barely six months after a similar incident in which hundreds of livestock were killed when a helicopter gunship belonging to the Nigerian Air force from the Makurdi Base Operation carried out the strike killing and wounding the animals and some herders in Awe also in Nasarawa state.

“In a serious country, the death of one person is enough to attract the attention and intervention of the government. The Nigerian air space is managed by the Federal Government through the Nigerian Airspace Management Authority (NAMA).

“So we expect the Federal Government to immediately fish out the perpetrators of this dastardly act, whoever they are to face the law. We however wish to commend the Nasarawa State Government for the intervention they made so far in giving medical attention and support to survivors and the victims’ family.

“The ACF condemns this unwarranted killing and extends its condolences to the families of the deceased and the Government of Nasarawa State.

“We called for adequate compensation to be paid to the families of the victims,” the Forum stated.

The Star