From Attah Ede, Makurdi
Residents of Agan in the North Bank area of Makurdi, Benue State, on Friday took to the streets in protest against the arrest of innocent civilians by security personnel.
The protesters lamented what they described as the alarming rate of arbitrary arrests of civilians by security operatives in the area.
The protesters, comprising mainly youths and community members, accused security agencies of targeting innocent residents under the guise of maintaining peace, while turning a blind eye to armed Fulani herdsmen who have been repeatedly linked to attacks in the state
According to eyewitnesses, over 50 individuals were arrested in a single day, with similar operations reportedly taking place daily.
“Every day, they come and pick our people mostly able-bodied young men while the real threats, the armed Fulani herders, are left unchecked,” a protester said.
They noted that the situation has overwhelmed them with fears as they can’t differentiate both herders and security agencies.
“We’re afraid of the Fulani herdsmen, and now we’re afraid of the soldiers and police too. Who is protecting us,’ another protester lamented.
The residents are calling on the Benue State Government and relevant security authorities to intervene, end the indiscriminate arrests, and focus on tackling the root causes of insecurity in the area.
Meanwhile, the Benue State Police command said it is currently carrying out operations across the state to clampdown on criminals and ensure the safety of lives and property.
The command police public relations officer, DSP Udeme Edet, in a statement on Friday, explained the operations are gradually yielding results as evident in the arrest of suspects and destruction of criminal hideouts around Apa, Guma, Gwer-west, Sankera axis and other areas.
“As part of support for operatives in the field, members of the public are requested to avail the police with useful information rather than distract the police’ ongoing focused clearance operations with any form of protest.
“Assembling people for protests at this time is distracting the police from engaging criminals as logistic attention will shift to protection of protesters thereby creating room for criminality to continue thriving .Also, such assembly could be hijacked by hoodlums to pepertuate mayhem.
“The command recognises every inconvenience experienced by the good people of Benue state and is committed to this clearance operation that will create lasting peace. We are at the last stages of the operation.
” These police operations are in synergy with all sister security agencies in the state and with the support of the State Government and other security stakeholders within and outside the state.
“Members of the public are therefore warned to desist from assembling themselves to join any form of protest that will endanger their lives and cause unnecessary distractions to the ongoing police operations”, Edet said in the statement.
The command encouraged people to support all police operations in their communities as security is everybody’s responsibility.
