Residents of the villages along the highway stretching from Okpokwu to Ogbadibo Local Government Areas, LGAs of Benue state have raised the alarm over the occupation of the expansive forests on that axis of the state by armed herdsmen.
They lamented that the marauders have converted the forests to their haven and brazenly engage in attacks and kidnappings of commuters on the Otukpo-Ugbokolo-Otukpa-Orokam road without resistance.
A member of the Orokam community and practicing Journalist who spoke on condition of anonymity said weekend that the marauders operate in the communities with impunity.
He said “from the information we have received so far from persons that were kidnapped and released after ransom was paid, the gang members are made up of Fulani herdsmen. And the hotbed of their operations is that stretch of road between Ugbokolo and Otukpa. There is a thick forest called Okungaga, that is one of the places they have converted to their fortress.
“Unfortunately security agencies seem so helpless to tackle the menace as no decisive action has been taken to deal with the situation in order rout them out.
“The local Vigilante and the Benue State Community Volunteer Guards also lack the capacity to confront them because the marauders wield automatic weapons and no one in his right sense will dare confront them.”
