Herdsmen deadly attacks stalled Agatu’s constituency projects, says lawmaker

The Minority Leader of the Benue State House of Assembly, Alhaji Audu Sule, said on Wednesday that deadly herdsmen attacks in Agatu Local Government Area of the state had stalled constituency projects in the area.

Sule, (PDP-Agatu Constituency), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi that economic activities had been grounded in the area because of the bloody attacks.

He said the attacks had taken a toll on the people of the constituency, leaving them mentally and physically demoralized.

“Constituency projects I embarked on such as the construction of a skill acquisition centre for empowering women and youth, drilling of boreholes, electricity supply and the building of a health care centre are all grounded because of the incessant attacks.”

According to him, donor agencies and other investors willing to invest in Agatu are now having second thought due to insecurity.

The lawmaker, however, said that he had focused on granting scholarships to Agatu youths to enable them acquire education.

Sule said that the lives of many promising young men and women, who could have been the constituency’s leaders of tomorrow, had been cut short.

“The few left are in pains and traumatized, due to the brutal murder of their loved ones, he said, referring to the killing of hundreds of farmers in Agatu last year by marauding herdsmen."

“Farmers and artisans are displaced, they are hungry and left idle. They want to work but are not given the opportunity to work. Our internally-generated revenue is poor.”

The minority leader appealed to people and stakeholders involved in matters concerning the Local Government to ensure that peace was restored in Agatu.

Sule stressed that the people of Agatu had no land designated for grazing reserves for herdsmen.

“The government did not cede any land for herdsmen as grazing routes."

“Agatu people cannot have Fulani herdsmen come here to disrupt our activities in this harvest period from February to April."

“We want to avoid them completely this harvest season, we have had enough,” he stated.

He argued that describing some people as “indigenous Fulanis in Agatu”, was wrong, saying: “they are all visitors to our land’’.

The legislator warned mischief makers, trying to politicise the Agatu crisis to desist from such acts.

Sule said that he and his constituency remained opposed to the agreement reached on Jan. 6 between the Agatu people of Benue and Fulani herdsmen from Nasarawa State for the establishment of grazing routes in Agatu this month.

“Only the sole administartor and youth leader of Agatu in Benue signed and agreed for grazing reserves to be established in Agatu."

“The agreement was signed with the Ardo Fulani, Malam Loko Nor and a representative of the Sarkin Loko, Malam Saidu Ladan all from Nassarawa State,” he stated.