An attack by suspected armed robbers, last night, on Okpoga community of Okpokwu local government area, Benue State, has left 3 vigilante members dead and 3 others battling for their lives.

Reports say about 15 armed robbers suspected to be from neighboring Edumoga village stormed the community at about 2am this morning, shooting sporadically at a cluster of vigilante group members at a roundabout.

As a result, 3 members of the local vigilante group were killed and their bodies have been deposited in a mortuary while 3 others who sustained gunshot wounds are receiving treatment at St. Mary’s Hospital, Okpoga.

The vigilante group vehicle was also damaged during the attack.

The armed men then proceeded to rob two shops, carting away with goods worth thousands of Naira.

This is not the first time armed robbers will clash with the vigilante group in Okpoga community.

Two months ago, four persons believed to be natives of Okpoga and neighboring Ingle community were killed in a similar clash.

According to the Police, this latest incident, together with the last one, are under investigation.

Source: http://benue.info/in-benue-robbers-kill-3-vigilante-members-in-okpokwu-lga/

RIP to the dead

What is Benue turning into

Don't be surprised if those robbers are Fulani herdsmen.

RIP to the deceased.

It is regrettable that those who sacrifice to safeguard others lives and property be paid back in this way. May their souls rest in peace.

With benefit of hindsight, I think there might be more to the murder/robbery incidence. My sincere suggestion on way out or around this frequent clashes should be for the Okpokwu Local Govt to convene a meeting of all the districts of the local govt on the need to for peace among other things such as reviewing the Vigilante Service's activities, composition etc.

From my little findings (which may be wrong or partly wrong):
1. Other districts of the LGA (or specific districts) are perceived/stereotyped to be criminals by the Vigilante/Okoga people and are always maltreated by the vigilante operatives even while going about their normal legitimate activities.
2. The above stereotype holds without consideration of bad elements also of Okpoga extraction in Okpoga.
3. The vigilante composition appears to be limited to only indigenes of Okpoga to the exclusion of other districts.
4. It appears that the political class(largely of Okpoga extraction) sees Okpoga, which is the Head Quarters of Okpokwu LGA, as only belonging to Okpoga people to the exclusion of other indigenes of other districts of Okpokwu LGA and the vigilante is set up to protect only Okpoga and her people but not other parts of the LGA.

If the above points are true, efforts should be made to resolve the issues and the entire LGA people made to see the need for peace and security. At such point, all the different districts of the LGA should see the need to protect the entire LGA and not just Okpoga. Contribution by all districs to the membership of the vigilante service will then made the vigilante acceptable to all and they will operate in all parts of the LGA.

To be involved by the different districts/clan heads are the identifiable bad elements in the different communities to make this a success.

Giving the youth a source of livelihood will also help a great deal. The current soft agric loans, being advanced by the CBN for rice/soya bean, aimed at diversification, would have helped a great deal to greatly engage the youth. But unfortunately. many of them who applied for the loan from the LGA have backed out following the crisis that greeted the project as it relates to the pulling out of some of the participating banks(Skye Bank and FCMB where thousands of farmers had already applied for the loan. This left many farmers and cooperative who had completed their applications stranded.

The decision of the affected farmers to back out/discontinue followed instruction from the govt that they should go and open accounts afresh in another bank (Keystone bank) using N2000 and N10,000 for individuals and cooperatives respectively. Their reason not to go back to it is that the difficulties involved in opening account and the costs involved (transport to township plus account opening balance) coupled with the fact they now have misgivings about the project(due to the change of bank crisis) seeing it as one of the insincere loan projects of the past administration they suffered for to apply for but nothing ever came out of it. Many of them, losing confidence, vowed never to participate in any such govt programs again.