Lack Of Clear Cut Boundary Demarcation Cause Of Insecurity In Border Town Of Keana, Guma
Rabiu Omaku
The Honorable Member Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Hon.Mohammed Adamu Omadefu representing Keana constituency (APC) has attributed a lack of clear-cut boundary demarcation in the border town of Keana in Nasarawa State and Guma Local Government of Benue State as causes of the unabated security challenges in the area.
Hon.Omadefu, the Chairman, House Committee on Information explained that the anti-grazing law of Benue State which was not obtainable in Nasarawa State gave room to open grazing by Fulani herders who in the cause of grazing for pasture trespassed to Benue State.
He appealed to the State Boundary Commission to swing into action by demarcating boundaries between the two states for the interest of peace and tranquility.
He described Keana and Guma Local Government of Benue State as a flashpoint for skirmishes, adding that settlers within the borders don’t know the demarcation.
The Lawmaker appreciated Governor Abdullahi Sule for his quick response to any emergency in Keana, Giza, attesting even before the episode of the Gidan Awam airstrike, there are pockets of killings in Communities.
Appealing to Fulani herders not to embark on any reprisal attack, saying the Government is on top of the situation, given assurance that the Government has deployed both land army and navy to patrol the location of the airstrike and beyond.
Impeccable sources revealed that Fulani herders who are grazing in Nasarawa State cross border to Benue State and are chased out back to Nasarawa State by the Navy and in the process killed 14 cows few kilometers away from Awam, a Tiv settlement in Giza.
A leader of Fulani herders, Ardo Lawal during an inspection of the airstrike site revealed that over 40 cows were killed during an airstrike by navy helicopter.
He disclosed that over 100 cows sustained degrees of injuries while over 300 cows were missing between Nasarawa, Benue border.
The Director Personnel Department of Giza Development Area revealed to Journalists that they were informed of the operation as people are warned not to go to the farm that day.
Ardo Lawal described the incident as quite unfortunate for the Governor of Benue State to attack innocent Fulani herders who are grazing in Nasarawa State.
“Just imagine what happened in this bush, there was no complain of the destruction of any crop by herders, and cows were just killed like that”.
Calling on both Federal and State Government to do the needful by compensating Fulani pastoralists especially those that, whose cows were killed, injured and missing.
He appealed to his kinsmen to remain calm for the time being, When a team of Journalists visited the acting Chairman of Macban, he declined to comment.
The state Chairman of Nasarawa State Boundary Commission, Ibrahim Aliyu in an interview attributed the delay in the operation of the Commission to the pocket of skirmishes experienced in the border town of Guma and Keana.
