From Henry Ibya, Makurdi
Association of United Farmers Benue- Valley, AUFBV, has appealed to the international community, Non Governmental Organisations, NGOs, and people of goodwill to prevail on the Nasarawa State government and the commissioner of police to release the corpses of over 392 farmers, following an attacks seven months ago in Keana Local Government Area.
President of the association, Dennis Gbongbon, in a statement yesterday, also appealed to President Bola Tinubu, Governor Hyacinth Alia and his Nasarawa State counterpart to direct the immediate release of relief materials to surviving victims of the massacre.
He said apart from the incident which claimed the lives of those farmers, students, a female teacher of FGC Keana, serving corps members and about 30 female sex workers are still missing, alleging that on January 1, Alago militia stormed the residence of a man identified as Igbazua, gang raped his wife, Eunice before killing Igbazua in cold blood.
According to Gbongbon, after killing the victim, the hoodlums abducted the wife to an unknown destination, lamenting that farmers in Nasarawa State are going through psychological and mental torture, as their female children are constantly defiled and their wives gang raped by criminals.
He also alleged that the victims, who are now Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, have been abandone, lamenting that vulnerable IDPs comprising farmers, children, women and the aged are suffering without food, while some are sleeping on bare floors, with children going about naked despite the harsh weather condition.
The AUFBV president alleged that the police had confirmed during an interaction with family members of victims that those who sustained injuries during the incident are being treated at a hospital they had refused to disclose seven months after, lamenting that up till now, the whereabouts of about 30 female sex workers and other people are still missing.
Ggbongbon, who lamented that nobody knows where the corpses of the victims were dumped, insisted that over 200 IDPs who were staying in stores at Keana township market square and those in primary schools, have been missing till date
” The question is where are those people? When the police addressed the people after the genocide, they said some were injured as a result of gunshots and were taken to the hospital.
” What is the name of the hospital? What are they being treated for? Are the injuries so serious that it could be treated for seven months? Which hospital?” he queried, arguing that even if there was no improvement, their families should be made to know exactly what is happening, accusing the police of being economical with the true information.
He called on Governor Alia, Tor Tiv, Professor James Ayatse, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator George Akume to use their positions to prevail on President Bola Tinubu to direct the immediate release of relief materials to the survivors, as well as find lasting solution to the crisis.
The group equally appealed to the federal government and the international community to add their voices by prevailing on Nasarawa State to direct the release of the corpses to the bereaved family members for burial, as well as Mrs Eunice Iorzua, who was allegedly gang raped and abducted on January 1 after her husband was murdered.
