By PETER AMINE

A member of the Benue House of Assembly, Hon. Peter Uche (APC/Guma I), has decried incessant attacks in his constituency that have claimed many lives and destroyed properties.

Uche whose constituency covers Yelewata where scores were killed in June 2025, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Makurdi that the situation has not abated.

The lawmaker expressed worry that the attacks resulted in the displacement of thousands of his constituents and also brought untold hardship on the survivors.

He called for proactive measures from government to address the menace to enable the people, who were predominantly farmers, to return to their farms.

“The situation is not better; we are still facing serious insecurity. Just Wednesday, innocent people were gruesomely killed on their farms by attackers at Imande Dem.

"I was away attending the burial of the mother of the majority leader, but I am making plans to visit the affected communities and sympathise with the families, who lost their loved ones,” he said.

Uche stated that as a member of the assembly, he consistently raised several motions to draw the attention of the chief security officer of the state to the plight of his people.

The lawmaker said that he had also engaged community members, who lived in volatile areas to be security conscious and also report suspicious persons and movements to security agencies.

“A disturbing fact is that these perpetrators move freely with their cattle under open grazing, despite the existence of an anti-open grazing law.

“For reasons best known to the government, that law has not been enforced.

“At my level, I cannot enforce the law; I can only call on the government to act, which I have done repeatedly through motions in the house.

“But these attacks continue, and the perpetrators move freely,” he added.

He, however, commended security agencies for their relentless efforts to address the situation that has kept the people away from their farms. (NAN)

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