ACF Condemns Killing of Soldiers, Alleged Revenge Mission on Communities

John Shiklam

The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has condemned the killing of soldiers in Benue State and the alleged revenge mission by the Nigeria Army on communities in Konshisha Local Government Area of the state.

The forum also commended the Zamfara State Government for exposing the security men who were assisting bandits in the state.

Eleven soldiers, including an officer, were ambushed by bandits on April 5, 2021, while on a routine operational task in Benue State.

The forum, in a statement by its spokesman, Mr. Emmanuel Yawe, said it does not subscribe to lawlessness and barbarism and called on security agencies, community leaders and the Benue State Government to fish out the perpetrators and punish them.

Yawe however maintained that as dastardly as the actions of the bandits were, the reaction of the army was out of proportion, stressing that punishing poor, innocent people who have nothing to do with the killings of soldiers in Konshisha is unfair and not the best way to go.

“We were attending the National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Council (NEC) meetings of the Arewa Consultative Forum in Kaduna when news started trickling in of another round of bloodshed in Benue.

“We hesitated to issue a statement, hoping to get full details before going into it.

“For now, we have been informed by army headquarters that soldiers on stabilising operations in the state code named operation Whirl Stroke were ambushed.

“Ten of the soldiers and one officer had their weapons seized, were brutally murdered and their bodies set ablaze by the bandits who mounted the ambush,” the statement said.

It stated further that: “We at the ACF do not subscribe to such lawlessness and and barbarism. We condemn the actions of the bandits without reservations.

“There was no need killing members of the Nigerian Army who were merely on a mission to keep the peace.

“As dastardly as the actions of the bandits were, we find the reaction of the Army out of proportion.

“A petition signed by Gabriel Suswam, who represents the area in the Senate to the army headquarters, says the army is on a revenge mission in which villagers whose home are far away from the troubled area in Konshisha Local Government are being bombed with helicopter gunboats.

“We believe that as wrong and criminal as the actions of the bandits are, the army should not use a sledgehammer to kill a fly.

“We call on the security agents and community leaders and the state government to fish out the criminals and punish them.”

The forum said: “Punishing poor, innocent people who have nothing to do with the killings of soldiers in Konshisha is unfair and not the best way to go.

“The ACF calls for restraint on both sides in this crisis so that more innocent blood is not shed.”

The forum also commended the Zamfara State Government for exposing the security men assisting bandits in the state.

“We are happy that Governor Bello Matawalle has authorised the exposure of yet another round of soldiers who have been supplying arms and animation to bandits.

“These criminals have used these arms to make sure that the law abiding people of Zamfara and Nigeria know no peace.

“We have in the past told the governor to go ahead and expose those involved in these conspiratorial acts and let the heavens fall.

“Now that seven of them are exposed and arrested, the ACF joins all patriots in hailing the governor and calls on all other Nigerians with information on these evil men to expose them so that Nigeria will experience peace and economic progress,” the forum said.