Niger Delta Elder Statesman and foremost Ijaw Leader, Joseph Ambakederimo, has alleged that the unprecedented massacre in Benue state where more than 200 people have been killed, was the handiwork of some “fifth columnists in the system”.
Ambakaderimo who strongly condemned the unending killings and wanton destruction of property in Benue and other states of the country wondered for how long such does this barbaric acts will be allowed to continue.
“We enjoined all men of conscience to speak up to say enough is enough, no doubt it can now be safe to say much of it is politically motivated besides farmers and cattle headers clash.
“To my mind fifth columnists within the political class in Benue State are stocking this fire for a predetermined end, we all know from time past how issues of insecurity have been used to discredit and make political opponents look weak and portray them as incompetent. The use of innocent people as cannon fodder to score cheap political gains must stop”.
In a statement he issued in Port Harcourt on Thursday, the Ijaw leader wondered that if the goal (killing) is to continue on this path and use it as a pretense to declare a state of emergency, “that would be a joke taken too far and such persons must be identified and made to face the full wrath of the law.
“Too much blood has been spilled, I urge President Bola Tinubu to thoroughly investigate this killings to identify what is amiss that has refused to go away and call for an everlasting truce”.
He expressed happiness that the President was able to visit Benue to at least ascertain the true situation on ground by interacting with victims, urging him to be cautious and not take hook – line and sinker what the politicians and elite who are clearly polarized from top to bottom would pass on to him as the truth. “One on one interaction with victims is the sure way to decipher the root cause of the crisis”.
Ambakaderimo noted that the never ending killing happening in Benue, Plateau and other states is beginning to rub off negatively on President Tinubu’s administration therefore the President is advised to put his foot down and take on this monster.
“Insecurity has now become the easier way to label a President incompetent and drive it through the media and becomes a national discourse. This is what is happening right now.
“These killings are sponsored by the political class to make the President appear weak. So if the President thinks these killings are happening far away from Abuja therefore it’s the State Government’s problems to solve he might just be making a grievous political miscalculation of his career”, he alleged.
