The Governors of Nasarawa and Benue State have appealed to the Agatu and Fulani communities in Benue and Nasarawa State respectively, to overlook past wrongs inflicted on either side, and give peace a chance.
The Governors made this appeal when they both visited the Agatu community in Benue.
The officials met with traditional rulers and members of the Agatu and Fulani communities, with the hope of finding solutions to the lingering farmer herder clashes that has claimed many lives and resulted in loss of property running into millions.
The visit involved an assessment tour of the major crisis areas, after which were made by speeches by representatives of both communities and both Governors with the hope of getting a better understanding of the problems within the area.
Governors Samuel Ortom and Umaru Tanko Almakura in their separate remarks stressed the need for all parties to sheathe their swords and embrace peace.
Governor Almakura said the visit to Agatu was a culmination of painstaking efforts by both Benue and Nasarawa state governments aimed at restoring lasting peace between farmers and herdsmen in the area.
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He maintained that both state governments would not relent on efforts at brokering peace between the warring parties.
Gov. Ortom on his part, noted that as brothers, farmers and herdsmen were bound to have differences and disagreements but reconciliation was paramount.
He said no meaningful development could be achieved in an atmosphere of rancour and violence.
Both communities lauded the governors’ efforts at ensuring a lasting peace in the area, as well as expressed their appreciation for the historic visit by both Governors.
A cash donation was jointly made to the Agatu community by the Nasarawa state Governor and his Benue counterpart for the purchase of building materials with the proviso that neither of the parties or communities are allowed to take laws into their own hands.
The mediation process is a continuous process until peace fully returns to the warring communities.
