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A civil society group, the Benue Arise Network, BAN, has called for the immediate resignation of the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris for his alleged complicity in the Benue killings.
The group also expressed worries over what it tagged as alleged plot by the Inspector General of Police to embark on mass transfer of top ranking Police officers of Benue origin holding command positions in the state.
In a statement released in Makurdi at the weekend, BAN through its
Organizing Secretary, David Mzer lamented that the Inspector General of Police had taken sides in the Benuekillings and abdicated his responsibilities to ensuring the safety of lives and property of all Nigerians.
The statement reads in part, “We want to inform world of an alleged clandestine order by the IG of Police over the killings in a Benue state.
“We real ugly gathered that he has directed a compilation of the list of all Benueindigenes in positions of authority in the Police within the state. His intention according to our findings is to transfer all of them out of the state and replace them with those who will do his bidding.
“We keep wondering why the Gboko Divisional a Police Officer DPO was invited to Abuja for questioning after a mob action in Gboko; yet those of Guma and Logo local government area where hundreds of farmers are killed, and over 100,000 people displace have not suffered similar fate. We call on the President and the Police Service Commission to investigate this issue.
“You may recall that few days after the signing of the Benue state Anti-Open Grazing and Ranches Establishment Bill into Law, precisely on Tuesday, 30th May 2017, the Fulani Socio-cultural group, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore under the leadership of Alhaji Abdulahi Bodejo (President) and Engr. Alhassan Sale (Secretary) in a press conference held in Abuja kicked against the Law in Benue State, vowing to mobilize their members nationwide to resist the implementation of the law.
“The group also erroneously laid claim to being the real habitants of the Benuevalley. Several threats were issued after this.
“Thereafter the Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, the Benue State House of Assembly, ethnic and religious groups, civil society groups and several others condemned the threats from the herdsmen and called on security agencies to arrest the leadership of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.
“They also called the attention of the Presidency to these threats by the herdsmen in order to avoid bloodshed inBenue State.
“The herdsmen made good their threats on New Year Day by attacking innocent and defenseless citizens of the State in Guma and Logo Local Government areas, leading to the death of over 73 people and properties worth billions of Naira destroyed.
“Till today, the leadership of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore is yet to be arrested or invited for investigation by the Nigerian Police or any security agency in the country.
“We have seen IGP blame the killing of innocent and defenseless people in BenueState on the Anti-Open Grazing Law, and the Force Public Relations Officer refer to Governor Ortom as a “drowning man” on National Television.
“In the light of the fore-going, we call for the immediate resignation, dismissal or sack of the Inspector General of Police and the Force Public Relations Officer.
“We demand a full explanation from the Nigerian Police on what the spokesman meant by his assertion that the Governor of Benue State ‘is a drowning man.’
“We are aware that police officers guard Governor Samuel Ortom, if the police now refer to Governor Ortom as a drowning man, is the security of the Governor guaranteed? Is there anything the police know that we are not aware of?
“The bias and unprofessional conduct of police officers like the IGP and the PPRO is largely responsible for the recent ranking of the Nigerian Police Force as the worst police force in the world by the World Internal Security and Police Index (WISPI).
“We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to act decisively by arresting the leadership of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.
“In the same vein, we call for the proscription of the said Miyetti Allah group and a declaration that it is a terrorist group and should be treated as such.
“We are all aware that the good people ofBenue State stood firmly for President Buhari in the build-up to the 2015 general elections, and massively voted for him to become the President of Nigeria.
“President Buhari presented himself as a man of integrity, an unbiased Nigerian who is for everybody and belongs to nobody. Surprisingly, President Buhari’s Presidency has shortchanged the people ofBenue State who overwhelmingly voted for him, in terms of projects and appointments.”
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