The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom has called on community leaders to expose those behind the killing of 10 officers of the Nigerian Army troops.
The Governor made the pleading in a statement on Friday while addressing the recent crisis between communities in Konshisha and Oju Local Government Areas. He then called for restraint on all sides, including the military.
Samuel Ortom noted in his communiqué that he has already directed leaders of the affected areas to ensure that the weapons the “bandits” took away from the military personnel deployed to bring peace between the warring communities are returned without delay.
The Army had earlier reported that its troops came under attack while on a routine operational task, it was not clear who the attackers were at the time.
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The military stated that the troops comprising one officer and ten soldiers were initially declared missing, this led to the deployment of a joint search and rescue team comprising the Nigeria Army troops and personnel of Operation Whirl Stroke.
Unfortunately, the search and rescue team found all the missing troops dead in Konshisha LGA of the state, while bodies of the slain troops were evacuated.
The Army maintained that efforts were still ongoing to track down the perpetrators of the criminal act with a view to bringing them to justice.
Reacting to the incident, Governor Ortom begged members of the affected communities to expose the perpetrators of the unprovoked attacks on the military. He condemned the act and said it is capable of jeopardizing the efforts of the Government in returning peace to the area.
He disclosed that in an effort to find a solution to the crisis, he has set up a boundary committee headed by the Deputy Governor, Engineer Benson Abounu, to resolve the land dispute in collaboration with the National Boundary Commission.
The committee had fixed a date for the demarcation of the area in discourse when the renewed violence ensued between the Bonta Community of Konshisha LGA and Okpute Community of Oju LGA.
Ortom assured the people that his administration is determined to see the end of the crisis and will support the security agencies in bringing the trouble makers to justice.
He also begged the military to avoid civilian casualties and protect law-abiding people while efforts were on to recover their missing weapons.
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