A member of the Benue House of Assembly, Peter Uche (APC/Guma I), has decried incessant attacks in his constituency that claimed many lives and destroyed properties.
Mr Uche, whose constituency covers Yelewata, where scores were killed in June 2025, said on Friday in Makurdi that the situation had not abated.
The lawmaker expressed worry that the attacks resulted in the displacement of thousands of his constituents and also brought untold hardship on the survivors.
He called for proactive government measures to address the menace, enabling the predominantly farming population to return to their farms.
“The situation is not better. We are still facing serious insecurity. Just on Wednesday, innocent people were gruesomely killed on their farms by attackers at Imande Dem.
“I was away attending the burial of the mother of the majority leader, but I am making plans to visit the affected communities and sympathise with the families who lost their loved ones,” the lawmaker said.
Mr Uche stated that, as a member of the assembly, he consistently raised several motions to draw the attention of the state’s chief security officer to the plight of his people.
The lawmaker said he had also engaged community members living in volatile areas to be security-conscious and to report suspicious persons and movements to security agencies.
“A disturbing fact is that these perpetrators move freely with their cattle under open grazing, despite the existence of an anti-open-grazing law. For reasons best known to the government, that law has not been enforced.
“At my level, I cannot enforce the law. I can only call on the government to act, which I have done repeatedly through motions in the House. But these attacks continue, and the perpetrators move freely,” he added.
He, however, commended security agencies for their relentless efforts to address the situation that has kept the people away from their farms.
(NAN)
