- Threatens Litigation
By Amos Aar
THE ASSOCIATION of Mbaikyor Sons In Diaspora (AMSID) has challenged Mr Tersoo Kula, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State to either effect the arrest of Wandor youths he accused of cattle rustling which allegedly resulted in the killing of several people in the community by suspected herdsmen or tender unreserved apologies to the youths of the community with 48 hours.
AMSID threatened to take legal action against Mr Kula if he fails to meet these demands within 48 hours.
Following a press conference by the Masev Development Association (MDA) last Sunday to kick against Governor Alia’s alleged attribution of the killing of the people of Wandor, Mbaikyor in Mbalom council ward of Gwer East LGA of Benue State on Thursday, March 7, 2024, Kula had on Monday clarified that his principal did no declare all Masev people as cow thieves but was specific on those culprits.
In a statement signed by AMSID president, Mr Simon Sarwuan Kofi, on behalf of Mbaikyor people and made available to National Record on Tuesday, the group expressed concern that the CPS had in paragraph 7 of his defence of Governor Alia pointed out that rustling had caused the Wandor killing.
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The Paragraph 7, as quoted by National Record in its report of Kula’s rejoinder, reads: “That rustling is fingered in this latest Mbalom attack, it is not an indictment on Masev people, and a leverage for gangs of herders and their agents. No. It is not an indictment on the entire Masev people in no way.
AMSID claimed that before the attack, Wandor youths had reported the destruction of their crops by herders to the police at Aliade and refused to collect any money from the herders as settlement, insisting that the police should compel them to leave their community.
“With the dearth of consolation words from the government of Benue State that failed in the first place to perform her constitutional role of protecting her citizens, the Mbaikyor people are however consoled by the MDA press conference that took place at NUJ House, Makurdi on the 10th March, 2024 whereat MDA condemned in clear terms the assertion linking the tragic loss of lives and destruction of property in Wandor, Mbaikyor within Mbalom Council Ward of Gwer-East Local Government to cattle rustling.
“As pacifying as the MDA press conference is to Mbaikyor particularly the youths, it is rather unfortunate that the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Benue State, Tersoo Kula, in para.7 of what looks like a defence to the MDA press conference of 10th March,2024 insists “that rustling is fingered in this latest Mbalom attack” . AMSID hereby call on the CPS to, as a matter of urgency, effect the arrest of the Wandor youths that are cattle rustlers, whose rustling activities is “fingered in this latest Mbalom attack”. If this cannot be done, the CPS should tender unreserved apologies to the youths of Wandor, Mbaikyor within 48 hours, failing which AMSID will not hesitate to take legal action against the CPS.
“The CPS should note that being a CPS to the governor is not a license to denigrate people who are law abiding. It will NOT interest the CPS to know that as law abiding citizens, Wandor youths reported the destruction of their crops by cattle to the DPO in Aliade.
“The youths refused the police advice to them to collect money from the Fulanis for the destroyed crops. They said they were not interested in the Fulani money but the police should help them tell the Fulanis to leave their land.
“WO2 Julius Mbatsavbum Gbatar, Rtd. one of the casualties of the attack even warned the police not to take money from the Fulani in respect for the case. A warning that made the police angry. These are the youths that can’t be appreciated and sympathized with but rather disparaged by Mr CPS.
“The CPS should know more about the Anti-Open Grazing Law of the state and what the government is doing about it than telling people about Wandor Youths he doesn’t know any, please”, the statement read in part.
