One of the bullets allegedly fired by soldiers attached to 707 Special Forces Brigade in Makurdi, Benue State hit a secondary school pupil, Ayew Atume, killing him instantly. Atume had just returned from school and was having lunch at home when the stray bullet hit him, on Tuesday.
According to PUNCH, some members of a vigilance group in the community had intercepted a car conveying some suspected Fulani herdsmen.
The security guards who carried out a search on them reportedly found arms in the vehicle, which forced them to detain the occupants (instinct of self preservation).
A resident, who pleaded anonymity, said the herdsmen alerted soldiers in the Kashimbila area of the state, who rushed down to the scene and
reportedly freed the men, shooting continuously. In the process, one of the bullets strayed and killed Atume, who was eating happily in his home. May his soul rest in peace.
Government should defuse this situation by empowering the herdsmen financially to start commercial ranching. Too much blood had been lost from open grazing and the unpopular and evil grazing reserve proposal bill is bound to cause more trouble if allowed to see the light of the day. It should not just be suspended, but thrown into the trash can were it rightly belongs. The herdsmen should be disarmed and allowed to be the businessmen they are.
People arming them should stop. The herdsmen should be allowed to be businessmen. We dream of the day when herdsmen would have large commercial ranches exporting dairy and beef, not these kinds of stories.
Imagine a country where soldiers are working in connivance with terrorists.
May the soul of the little boy rest in peace.
Hmmmm
Rip