The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has alleged that some community members in Benue State were accomplices to the attackers who killed several residents recently in Yelwata community of Benue State.
CDS Musa made the allegation while speaking on Thursday during an expanded media interaction at Defence Headquarters in Abuja.
The military chief alleged that some local informants provided accommodation, food, and even women to the bandits and terrorists who carried out the recent deadly attack.
He added that the informants also helped the attackers to identify the location of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Yelwata.
Naijapunchnews reports that General Musa further disclosed that the troops had received intelligence about potential attacks in various communities across Benue state and were mobilised accordingly.
However, upon arrival at the initially mentioned locations, it turned out the information was misleading, as the real attack had already been executed in Yelwata using a hit-and-run approach.
“These criminals were harboured by people in the community. They were given food. They were even given women. They were guided on where the IDP camp was located. Yet, security forces received no information,” the CDS lamented.
He, however, added that based on the directive of President Bola Tinubu, the full national security forces — Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, and intelligence agencies — have been activated to track down the armed criminals and bring them to justice.
He called on the communities to see security as a joint effort, not just the responsibility of the security forces.
“This is why we consistently urge communities to be vigilant and report suspicious activities. Security is everyone’s responsibility,” he stated.
The CDS also called on the federal government to urgently address the issue of Nigeria’s porous borders, which he described as a growing threat amid rising instability in the Sahel region.
He said some armed fighters from crisis-hit countries like Sudan, Libya, and the Central African Republic, are taking advantage of Nigeria’s porous borders and unmonitored frontiers.
He proposed learning from countries like Pakistan, which successfully built a fortified double-layer border wall to separate itself from Afghanistan.
The CDS offered heartfelt condolences to the families and communities affected by the Benue attacks, especially the tragic killings in Yelwata and other violence-stricken areas across the country and reiterated the commitment of the armed forces to the protection of lives and properties.
“These senseless killings weigh heavily on our hearts. We remain fully committed to ensuring justice and restoring peace to every part of Nigeria,” he said.
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