7,000 Agatu still displaced, neglected, cries Rep

Two months after the killings in Agatu Local Government Area of Benue State by suspected Fulani herdsmen, over 7,000 displaced inhabitants have yet to return to the sacked communities.

The Deputy Chairman, House of Representative Committee on Solid Minerals, Mr. Adamu Entonu, said this on Sunday.

About 500 people were reportedly hacked to death in March when the attackers overran villages in Agatu, burnt houses and left many others injured.

Many local people fled their homes to escape further attacks.

Entonu, who represents Apa/Agatu Federal Constituency in the House.The displaced persons could not return home because they would have nowhere to lay their heads.

He lamented that since the attacks took place, the Federal Government had not started any reconstruction of destroyed buildings and basic facilities like health centres and schools.

Entonu added, “The situation in Agatu remains pathetic. Over 7,000 villagers were displaced and they cannot return home because the attackers left nothing for them.

“Till date, no reconstruction of infrastructure has taken place. There are no facilities and as a result, more people are dying.

“Apart from the National Emergency Management Agency, which sent some relief materials initially, there is nothing else that has happened in the area.

“The materials sent by NEMA were even grossly inadequate. More urgent is the need to quickly rebuilt infrastructure and send these people back to their homes.”

Entonu called on the government to include Agatu communities and other communities in Benue State, which were attacked by the same suspected Fulani herdsmen, in the reconstruction initiative for the victims of Boko Haram in the North-East.

“The attacks in Agatu followed the same pattern as the Boko Haram invasion of communities in the North-East.

“We call on the government to give similar attention to Agatu like it is doing with the North-East; they should reconstruct these villages so that the survivors can return to their normal life,” the lawmaker added.

He called for tighter security in Agatu, saying the current “ad hoc” arrangement of deploying soldiers each time an attack occurred was not sufficient.

“What the people prefer is a permanent Mobile Police Squadron.

“They should be here on a permanent basis so that villagers can seek help before an attack or immediately there is an attack,” he stated.

Entonu explained that the villagers were willing to donate a “large parcel of land” for the riot police squadron to erect its structures in Agatu.

“We have been talking with the Ministry of Interior on this and they have assured us that they will see what it can do,” he added.