President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja Monday met with shareholders from Benue State over the recent killings in the state and asked them to restrain their people.
Buhari, in a statement later by his spokesman Mr Femi Adesina, called on the government and people of the state to exercise restraint following the recent attacks on some communities.
The president assured that all the perpetrators of violence in the state would be made to face the wrath of the law.
“Your Excellency, the governor, and all the leaders here, I am appealing to you to try to restrain your people. I assure you that the Police, the Department of State Security and other security agencies had been directed to ensure that all those behind the mayhem get punished.
“I ask you in the name of God to accommodate your country men. You can also be assured that I am just as worried, and concerned with the situation,’’ the president said.
He said all those involved in the conflict that culminated in loss of lives would not escape justice, including any illegally armed militia in the state.
He commiserated with all the victims of the attacks, and the families who lost loved ones and properties, noting that the government would make efforts to ameliorate the situation of all the victims.
President Buhari said relevant agencies had been directed to start catering for the humanitarian needs.
He told the delegation that his administration had already begun a process of finding lasting solution to the perennial challenge of herdsmen conflict with farmers and communities around the country.
He said the Inspector-General of Police had been directed to relocate to the state to provide security for lives and properties, urging all Benue indigenes to trust the security agencies and report all suspicious cases of movements in the state.
The statement quoted Governor Sam Ortom, who led the delegation, as saying the tension would be reduced with the Federal Government’s intervention to find a lasting solution to the herdsmen attacks.
“We will leave here to rebuild confidence in our people,’’ he said.
The Tor-Tiv, Prof. James Ortese Iorzua Ayatse, was quoted as saying his entire domain had been thrown into mourning due to the incessant attacks.