KEANA – Gov. Umaru Al-makura of Nasarawa State has called on the Federal Government to review the military operation in the state to guide against civilian casualties.
Al-makura made the call when he paid a condolence visit on the paramount ruler ‘Osana of Keana’ Emmanuel Elayo, over the killing of herdsmen on Friday in Keana.
The killing was alleged to have taken place during a military operation on Wednesday in the area.
According to him, the casualties are herdsmen resident in the area and not insurgents.
He suggested that the operation should focus on tracking the real insurgents traversing the borders of Benue, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Plateau, Taraba and Kogi.
The governor called on the people of the area, especially the herdsmen to remain calm and not to take law into their hands.
He assured the people that adequate measures were being put in place to avert such incidence, and promised that the issue would be reported to the military authorities and President Goodluck Jonathan.
Al-makura said that the community-based approach to resolving the farmers/herdsmen feud in the state was yielding results and would be improved upon.
In his response, Elayo describe the incident as “unfortunate”.
Elayo said that the herdsman and farmers in the area were working hard to fish out criminal elements infiltrating their ranks to cause mayhem.
He urged the people of the area to eschew all forms of violence as no meaningful development could be achieved in an atmosphere of rancour.
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Idris Ibrahim, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the incident would not jeopardise the pact signed by the farmers and herdsman.
According to Ibrahim, youths from the warring groups were in his office to reassure him of their commitment to the peace pact initiated by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar. (NAN)
