Benue killers could be Boko Haram, Libyan rebels – Senator

Nigerian Senate Chamber used to illustrate the story.

A lawmaker has said that suspected herdsmen responsible for the attacks in Benue state and other parts of the country could be defeated Boko Haram insurgents or displaced Libyan soldiers.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, Abu Ibrahim (APC, Katsina South), said this while speaking with journalists on Thursday as he called for thorough investigation.

He added that normal Fulani herdsmen are not known to possess sophisticated weapons.

“We have to seriously investigate this. A normal Fulani man is not known to carry AK47. The security agencies should probe whether the defeated Boko Haram insurgents were involved; whether the Gaddafi phenomenon has spilled over to Nigeria.

“It should be considered whether displaced Libyan soldiers had a hand in what happened because it is not easy to acquire AK47,” he said.

While commending the police for their swift action in response to the situation as well as deployment of soldiers, the senator urged security agencies to control the situation and stop the killings before it escalated .

Speaking on insinuations that the executive, under President Muhammadu Buhari is not committed to stopping the attacks because he is a Fulani man like the herdsmen, he said this was untrue.

“It is not true because the president has taken steps to bring the situation under control. He has deployed soldiers to Benue State, he ordered the Inspector General of Police to relocate to Benue. He has taken other measures that may not be for public consumption.

“It is therefore wrong for anybody to say that the president is not interested in what happened in the state. When the president saw that the police effort was not bringing effective result, he promptly deployed soldiers,” he added.

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