A prominent woman leader in Benue, Mrs Rebecca Apedzaan, says she is hopeful of changes in security operations in the state after President Bola Tinubu’s one-day visit.
Apedzaan said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday while speaking on the visit of the president to assess the security situation in the state.
“With the recent statement made by Mr President, I don’t think he was properly briefed on the situation, but thank God he is coming so he can see things for himself.
“The security situation requires immediate attention so that the people can go back to their ancestral homes and farm,” she said.
“The security agencies seemed not to have helped matters. In spite of the presence of all the security formations in Benue, the situation remained tense.
“We have a Tactical Air Command of the Nigerian Air Force team in Benue that can use their fighter jets to fish out those faceless people from their hideouts, but nothing is happening,” she said.
The woman leader advocated for a meeting of the governors of Benue, Nasarawa, and Taraba to find a lasting solution to the security challenges.
“The Benue government should have a meeting with the government of Nasarawa and Taraba on how to curb the insecurity at the borders,” she said.
She stressed the importance of stationing security agents that are trustworthy to guard the borders with neighbouring states to counter any attacks.
Apedzan urged the government to try and rebuild the homes that were destroyed in Yelwata to enable the people to leave Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, as we can’t be beggars in our state.
She appealed to the Benue government to take over the treatment of victims at various hospitals, who are receiving medical attention for injuries sustained during the attack at Yelwata.
