•Tinubu and NANS logo
Nigerian students under the aegis of The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) today called on President Bola Tinubu-led administration to declare a state of emergency in Benue State to halt the incessant killings allegedly being perpetrated by suspected herdsmen.
The student body noted that the coordinated overnight killings and destruction in Yelwata community in the state has colouration of ethnic cleansing, warning that if the killings are not halted, Nigeria is risking a genocide situation which happened in Rwanda years back, reports Nigeran Tribune.
The demand by students for the declaration of a state of emergency in Benue is coming on a day President Tinubu is visiting the state to meet with stakeholders on how to put an end to the mindless killings in the state.
NANS, however, urged the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration to find a lasting solution to the incessant killings not only in Benue, but Plateau and other states of the federation facing similar situations
According to a statement signed by the NANS National Vice President on Inter-Campus and Gender Affairs, Felicia Akinbodunse, on Wednesday, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, the bloodshed in the the neighbouring states of Benue and Plateau is barbaric and condemnable.
Akinbodunse who expressed dismay over the inability of security agents to curtail the mass murders, said the federal government must do more to put a stop to the ugly situation.
She added that the FG must not allow the unfortunate incidents to cast a dent on the successes recorded by the incumbent administration of President Tinubu, hence the need to put more preventive measures in place.
The NANS National Vice President expressed condolences to the families of the victims of the Yelwata’s attacks, calling for a collaboration between the federal and Benue State governments in the fight against deadly skirmishes in the state
She, however, urged the federal government to beef up security around campuses of tertiary institutions as well as student residential areas in Benue State.
“NANS condemns the latest attacks in Yewalta in Benue State where no fewer than 200 people, including children were massacred by suspected killer herdsmen. This is not only barbaric but a dastardly act which is tantamount to genocide and ethnic cleansing.
“The federal government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must up its game and tackle this menace headlong. The people of Benue and Plateau States are living in fear and at the mercy of their assailants.
“With these unabated killings, we are afraid that Nigeria is inching towards genocide and ethnic cleansing that Rwanda witnessed years ago. We, therefore, urge the President Tinubu-led administration to tackle and nip the skirmishes in the bud, and restore peace in the affected communities. Also, the perpetrators of the murders must be identified, fished out and prosecuted accordingly.
“While we commiserate with families of the victims of the attacks in Benue, NANS hereby reiterates its call on the FG and Benue State government to collaborate and put measures in place to save the people of the state from the siege of terrorists,” Akinbodunse stated in the statement.
She, however, declared that NANS will not hesitate to mobilise students across the nation to protest the mass killings, if the massacre persists.
