Benue Chemical Killings: Governor Suswam Call National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) For Investigations

Bnue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam has made a formal complaint to the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Professor Bem Angwer, on the recent killing with Chemical Weapons of the Tiv  farmers by the Fulani Herdsmen in the state, asking the commission to embark on thorough investigation.

According to the Governor, Fulani militants killed over 30 Benue farmers with chemical weapons in the past two weeks, while hundreds have been killed during the various attacks on the Benue people.

Suswan made the complain  at the Government House in Makurdi, confirming that three containers of the suspected chemicals used by the herdsmen have been submitted for analysis at the appropriate quarters. He urged the NHRC not to leave any stone unturned in its efforts to unravel the source of the chemical weapons used against Benue citizens in Gwer-West, Logo, Katsina-Ala and Guma.

He said corpses of those killed with chemical weapons had been deposited at the mortuary withe their bodies having no signs of gunshot wounds or use of knife or stick.

 The National House of Representatives had earlier entertained a similar complaint via a motion brought before it by the Chairman of the House Committee on Women Affairs, Mrs. Christina Alaaga.

House of reps had ordered operatives of the Department of State Security, Nigerian Army and the Police force to move in and arrest the perpetrators , while they also requested the Federal Government to compensate the farmers who have lost their crops and sources of livelihood to the crisis.

The Lawmaers also asked the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to donate relief materials for victims of the Fulni attacks in  the state.

The Nigerian Army has since deployed troops to the affected states of the North central which include Benue, Nasarawa and Zamfara state, and a seemly normalcy returned to the areas as military troops was reported to have countered the Fulani Militias i n Benue state.

Earlier,NHRC's Executive Secretary also said the human rights commission had commenced investigations into the allegation, informing the that the international community is equally worried about the killings and alleged use of chemical weapons in Nigeria.

He condoled  with the governor over the deaths and solicited assistance from wealthy persons to the displaced persons as reports from the camps of displaced persons indicated that thy need relief materials.