From Joseph Uchenna, in Makurdi
The Former Benue Finance Commissioner and President/Founder of Apa Legacy Sustainability Initiative, Dr David Olofu, has called on the Federal Government to construct a highway along the corridor of River Benue from Lokoja through Benue communities to Taraba State as part of measures to stem the tide of insecurity.
Olofu made the call when he visited some parts of Apa Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State, which were recently attacked by herdsmen, especially Ankpali Edikwu, Ojantele/Akpete and Ikobi communities .
He said that the ungovernable space within the corridor has tremendously contributed to the murderous activities of herdsmen.
According to him, “these criminal elements usually take advantage of the vulnerability of the spaces as their habitat where they hide to carry out their nefarious activities.”
He noted that constructing a coastal highway along the corridors of river Benue from Lokoja through Benue communities down to Taraba would not only deter criminals from carrying out their activities around the area but would also generate and enhance economic activities along the corridors.
Olofu while sympathizing with the communities, also donated cash relief to the victims.
The philanthropists, who had in the past intervened in critical areas such as provision of scholarship to many indigent students in Benue State and free health services to vulnerable people in Benue South Senatorial District, called on both the federal and state governments to focus more on provision of good roads in the rural areas as a precursor to tackling the menace of herders criminality.
His words: “If we have good roads, our military and security agencies can easily and swiftly rush to promptly rescue our communities if they are timely informed about any attack. If there are no good roads, the security agencies will find it difficult to quickly rush to the places of attacks when invited.
“Without roads, the security agencies who obviously cannot be stationed in every nooks and crannies of our community will have difficulties in arriving your location in a prompt and expeditious manner to nip an impending attack in the bud.
Dr Olofu who described the frequency of these unprovoked attacks by the suspected herdsmen as an epidemic, called on the people to be united against the menace, stressing that the attack would only stop when the entire people irrespective of tribe, creeds, religions and partisan interest genuinely come together to fight the scourge.
He also called on the youth not to abdicate the responsibility of policing their various communities to the elders and the vulnerable, saying that they should organize themselves into vigilante groups.
In his words, “I was trained by my father via his farms. My elder brother and all of us were trained by my father in the same vein but see what has happened. Our people cannot go to their farms and there is no home for them to stay. Where do we go from here. This is not only painful but devastating to say the least”.
Speaking further, Dr. Olofu also urged the Benue State Government to as a matter of urgency establish Border Communities Development Commission (BCDC) to ramp up developments in the frontline communities of the state.
