00:00Venue State Governor, Rev. Father Hyacinth Norma Malia has confirmed the killing of 23 persons by herdsmen who invaded the Naka community and other communities in Arpa and GW of West local government areas on Sunday.
00:14The governor in a statement he issued on his personal ex-social media profile, said, the attacks on the locals were unprovoked.
00:23On Tuesday, large numbers of women were seen on protest march in Arpa local government area over the weekend herdsmen killings which the women said have continued unabated due to government negligent attitude of governance.
00:36The women, dressed in black and carrying placards, marched through major roads, demanding urgent intervention from the state and federal governments.
00:45The women gathered at the major road in Udboppo, the local government area headquarters, expressing deep anguish over the escalating violence that has left many widowed and children orphaned.
00:57It was gathered that communities like Aja Harakobi, Edeku Angpali, and Odegbo have suffered multiple deadly attacks in recent times.
01:06Protesting with one of the placard inscriptions, Voice of the Hopeless Women, the women presented a letter at the local government headquarters detailing their pain over what they described as relentless assaults on their families, homes, and farmlands.
01:21Venue State Governor, Hyacinth Norma Malia in a statement stated that,
01:26It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the loss of 23 innocent lives, 12 in Arpa and 11 in GW of West local government areas, due to brutal and unprovoked attacks.
01:38These killings are unacceptable, and as your governor, I will not sit idle while our communities are turned into killing fields.
01:45Following an emergency security council meeting this morning at government house, I have ordered joint security forces to immediately move into the affected areas and beyond.
01:57Their mission is clear, stop the violence, sweep the communities, and restore peace.
02:03This government stands firmly with every grieving family and displaced resident.
02:07We are mobilizing every available resource to protect lives and bring those responsible for these heinous acts to justice.
02:14More updates will follow as our security teams are on the ground.
02:19I urge all citizens to remain vigilant and cooperate with security operatives as they carry out the duty.
02:26Venue State Police Command of the Nigeria Police Force, in a statement on Monday,
02:31said that the Commissioner of Police in the state has redeployed and relocated some of its top offices to the affected communities
02:38with a mandate to restore peace and order and as well arrest perpetrators of the crime.
02:43The Venue State Police Command, under the leadership of CPM and Area Fengi,
02:49has deployed resources to flashpoints in the state including ARPA and GW of West local government areas
02:55where 10 and 12 persons lost their lives respectively and 5 others were hospitalized.
03:01In the last one month, personnel posted to these areas have been contending with these attackers
03:06and have suppressed them in most areas.
03:09Unfortunately, these drowning bandits searched for vulnerable persons and attacked them,
03:14killing some persons on the 1st of June 2025.
03:19However, the CP assures affected communities of his resolve to fight these attackers till they submit to the rule of law.
03:26He has deployed additional police offices to beef up security
03:30and mandated them arrest offenders and prevent such unprovoked attacks.
03:34The CP commiserates with families and friends of the deceased
03:38and redeploys personnel to cover up entries and exits to flashpoints.
03:42The police stated as contained in the press release signed and made available by DSP Udamede,
03:48the police command public relations officer.
03:51Meanwhile, the former Anambra state governor and former presidential candidate of Labour Party.
03:57In the last concluded Nigeria general elections,
04:01Peter Obi in a statement some days ago,
04:03blamed the continued killings and high level of insecurity in Nigeria on leadership failure.
04:09He said,
04:10The news of the continued senseless killings that have gripped parts of Taraba,
04:14Benue, and Kogi states in recent times is heartbreaking.
04:19What we are witnessing is not merely violence.
04:22It is a failure of leadership and a gaping wound in the soul of our nation.
04:25In recent months, a wave of violence has devastated communities across Taraba,
04:31Benue, and Kogi, claiming countless lives and wiping out families.
04:37Among the victims are children, women, and even men of faith,
04:41casualties of a prolonged crisis that shows no sign of abating.
04:45The bloodshed is staggering, yet the response remains weak and muted.
04:49As homes are destroyed and communities torn apart,
04:53we risk normalizing the unacceptable,
04:55mass killings, displacement, and the collapse of law and order.
05:00These are not mere statistics.
05:02There are fellow Nigerians.
05:04Each life lost is a tragedy that must not be ignored.
05:07I have always maintained that the primary duty of the national government
05:11is the protection of life and property.
05:13When this duty is repeatedly ignored when innocent citizens are butchered and nothing changes,
05:19we must ask ourselves, what kind of nation are we building?
05:24What future are we promising our children?
05:26I mourn with the good people of Taraba, Benue, and Kogi.
05:31I share the grief, and I feel their pain.
05:33But I also raise my voice because silence in the face of such horror is complicity.
05:39We need urgent action, not rhetoric.
05:42We need justice, not excuses.
05:45We as leaders must value human life and will defend it with everything we have.
05:50Nigeria cannot continue like this.
05:53This is not the Nigeria we deserve.
05:55We must end this bloodshed.
05:57We must reclaim our humanity, Peter Obi stated.
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