Benue State Community Volunteer Guards has nabbed a Fulani herdsmen with locally fabricated pistol in Makurdi, the state capital.
The arrest occurred after the herder trespassed on farmland with his cattle in the Agboghol community, near Modern Market, a suburban area of Makurdi.
This arrest follows the recent killing of James Okoh, the commander of the agro-rangers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, during an operation by armed herdsmen in Shaapera community, Gwer West of the state.
The Special Adviser on Security and Internal Affairs to the governor, Mr. Joseph Har, praised the community for not resorting to self-help and assured that the suspect would be handed over to the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and Public Order, Barr Felix Mnyim, for prosecution in accordance with the law.
Har said, “I got a distress call from Agboghol community behind Modern market by the River bank where the people farm there, that herders came to graze on their land and in the cause of trying to ask them to stop grazing one of them (a herder), drew out a gun, luckily they overpowered and apprehended him.
“Immediately, I deployed my PA who happens to come from that axis with men of the Volunteer Guards to the place where he (suspect) was apprehended with a locally made pistol as you can see here.
“The one that interests me most is the level of reasoning of those locals to get a herder with arms and they didn’t kill him, but apprehended him and handed over to the government.
“We want to officially present same according to law to the Attorney General of the state who will follow it up, because experience has shown us that we got similar issues like this with evidence, handed them over officially to the police, the police handed them over to the court, only God knows how they got bailed.
“So this time, we want the Attorney General to be involved and make a public prosecution, because if herders are caught with arms as it is now, then the law should take its cause, not taking laws into our hands.”
The Commander of the Benue State Community Volunteer Guards, Capt Ayuma Ajobi (rtd), emphasized that the recent events demonstrated the importance of their motto, ‘when you see something, say something’.
He expressed gratitude to the informant whose swift action led to the arrest of the armed herder.
After preliminary investigation, the suspect will be handed over to the appropriate authority for further action.
The suspected armed herder, speaking through an interpreter, claimed that it was his brother who strayed into the farmland near the river at Agboghol community. He stated that the pistol was found on him during a search by the villagers.
“I just bought it from someone who gave me one ammunition and the person was planning to come to teach me how to use it,” he said.
