Lawmakers expressed concern that bandits have been operating incessantly in Benue State unhampered for a long time.
The incessant attacks by bandits in Benue state, which have claimed many lives, and properties and rendered many homeless and displaced have become a huge call of concern at the National Assembly.
To curtail this ugly insecurity trend, Rep. Austin Achado (APC, Benue) presented a motion of urgent national importance on the need to address the attacks on the Mbaikyor community of Gwer East local government area of Benue state.
Lamenting the attack by bandits, Rep Austin noted that last week Thursday 7th of March 2024, twenty people were killed, a ninety-year-old set of twins were burnt beyond recognition, an eight-year-old was gruesomely murdered, Fifty houses including the village market were burnt, and the whole community sacked leaving many injured.
He expressed dissatisfaction that security agencies in the state did not promptly respond to the distress call within the Three hours that the attack lasted, adding that security forces arrived at the scene of the incident Twenty hours after the bandits fled.
“Within Three hours that the attack lasted, there was no response from the security agencies, despite distress calls to the relevant government and security agency by an indigene. The Nigerian Air Force Base, Markurdi, is less than Thirty kilometres from the Mbaikyor community, and a joint military security task force checkpoint is less than fifteen kilometres from the community. Sadly, the security forces only arrived at the scene of the incident Twenty hours after the bandit left.”
“The Maurauding bandits have a for a long time been left to operate in Benue state Unhindered, and have built up the resilience, capacity and courage to go into the communities, kill and burn down villages without any security challenge. Consequently, many farmers now have no access to their homes and farmlands.”
The House, concerned about the attacks, referred the issue to the committee of defence and police affairs for further legislative action.