Government has Abandoned Us to Our Fate, Lament Agatu Masacre Survivors

By George Okoh in  Makurdi
 

Survivors of the recent bloody Agatu invasion by armed Fulani herdsmen have raised the  alarm lamenting that they had been abandoned to their fate by the government.

They regretted that they had no homes to return to, no standing school in the sacked communities for their children and wards to attend nor food to eat in the various communities.

Speaking through their leader, Elder Ekoja Imanche, the Agatu indigenes lamented that since the cessation of hostilities in Agatu land, the people were yet to start their lives all over again because the government had reneged on its promises to help rehabilitate razed communities and avail the victims with lifeline.

According to them, “after the cessation of hostilities in Agatu land, we were told to return back to our homes with promises from the government that our communities would be rehabilitated and our families would be assisted to start life all over again since all our houses, farmland and food barns were all destroyed.

“Unfortunate, as I speak with you, no such assistances has been extended to us, at the moment no school is standing in Agatu land, all of our houses have been razed and we have no homes to live in, our farmland, and food barns have all been destroyed.

“We have no food to eat and we cannot access the major farmland we have between Gwer West and Ogbaji because Fulanis are still occupying there, same for Odugbeho down to Okokolo an axis renowned for its farming prowess the people cannot access their farms.

Continuing, Elder Imanche said, “Everyday we hear of relief materials coming to the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, most of who are presently squatting in Makurdi and Ugbokpo but unfortunately we are not seeing any of such.

“The truth is that we have been abandoned and government has left us to our fate even the local government caretaker committee chairman has not visited the area to ascertain the condition of the people. That is the unfortunate condition we have found ourselves.