In a statement issued by the National Secretary of Advertising of ACF, Professor Muhammad Tukur Baba, and made available to journalists, the forum condolated with members of the Yelwata community, the government and the people of the state of Benue, and in fact Nigeria as a whole.
The statement commented: “We pray for the rest of the souls of the dead, we sympathize with the injured and we wish them a quick recovery.
“ACF categorically and unequivocally condemns the meaningless murders that continue to increase for too long, each time with tragic consequences and powerful threats to our shared destination in Arewa and, in fact, in Nigeria.”
He regretted that “the horrible Yelwata incident is only the last of a series in cascade of catastrophic violence between farmers and shepherds, which seem to challenge the solutions, including the decisive action of the security agencies controlled by the federal government.
“The fact that Yelwata's tragedy takes place a few days after the relocation of the COAS clearly illustrates that the prevailing reduction strategy must be reviewed to face the disconcerting regime of terrorism, insurgency, bandider, community conflicts, etc., however, tagged.
“Proactive measures, including surveillance and improved intelligence compilation, must be the crucial ingredients of the new reduction strategies against the recurrent cycle of meaningless violence.”
ACF asked the citizens of Benue and other states prone to violence that they commit to rejecting the narratives of hatred, fear and anger, and replace them with empathy and understanding, cooperation and reconciliation.
The Forum also requested the immediate provision of appropriate aid materials to the Yelwata and other affected communities by the federal and state governments of Benue.
The statement chose the efforts of the governor of the state of Benue, who has visibly tried to design a new approach to find a lasting peace in the state, refreshingly, through inclusive efforts to build peace to dig up the underlying causes of the cycle of violence.
In doing so, he declared that impunity should not be able to maintain influence; All guilty found must be taken before justice.
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