Police officers on Sunday fired teargas at a crowd of protesters in Makurdi, Benue State, who were demonstrating over the brutal killing of residents in Yelewata and Daudu communities in Guma Local Government Area.
What started as a peaceful protest later turned chaotic when police officers arrived and fired teargas canisters into the crowd to disperse them.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian military has commenced aerial surveillance over Makurdi and its surrounding areas, including parts of Guma and Gwer West local government areas, to monitor the situation and prevent further attacks. Low-flying military aircraft were seen hovering over the city and neighbouring communities throughout Sunday.
Benue State Commissioner of Police, Mr Emenari Ifeanyi, later told reporters that the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had taken control of the security operations in the state.
“The IG has taken over the security of Benue State. As I speak to you now, the IG has already sent Special Forces who are already on ground, and more are coming. All the Special Forces are intelligence-based. They will go, no matter where the bandits are, and get them,” he said.
He said some of the Special Forces had arrived in Makurdi the previous night, while others were already positioned in areas such as Naka, Apa, Agatu, Daudu and Yelwata.
“We are in control of the situation, so I’m assuring all citizens of the state that we are in control. All the security agencies are with us on this. We have already made some arrests,” he said.
The police commissioner also said Governor Hyacinth Alia had provided all the needed logistics to support security operations. He explained that the gunmen attacked Yelwata because the security forces had cleared other areas they used to operate from.
“What you see happening in Yelwata yesterday is because we have taken over Apa, Gwer West and are moving seriously in Agatu. They just want to do something to show that they are in control, while they are not, and will never be. Whatever is paining you is paining us more. We are here to protect lives and property. We have security everywhere now, even in Yelwata, there are tactical teams in the bush even before the attack,” Ifeanyi said.
He appealed to residents not to block the work of the Special Forces and tactical teams so they can act quickly and catch the attackers.
“Give the Special Forces and tactical teams room to work. If you prolong your stay here, you are giving the enemies more time to plan. We have intelligence reports of their movement and we are blocking them, and you will see the end result,” he said.
