• Gen Musa
Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, on Thursday, revealed that some residents of Benue State allegedly assisted the armed criminals responsible for the recent massacre in the Yelwata community, where many lives were lost.
During an extensive media briefing at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, Gen. Musa stated that certain individuals within the local population provided the attackers with shelter, food, and even women.
He also claimed that local informants directed the assailants to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp in Yelwata, which contributed to the high casualty count.
Despite the military receiving prior intelligence about potential threats in various areas of the state and deploying forces accordingly, the attackers employed deceptive tactics to carry out their assault.
“These criminals were harboured by people in the community, they were given food, they were even given women, they were guided on where the IDP camp was located. Yet, security forces received no information,” the CDS lamented.
In response to the massacre, President Bola Tinubu has ordered the full deployment of all national security forces — including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, and intelligence agencies — to hunt down those responsible.
General Musa stressed the importance of public cooperation with security agencies, reiterating that, “Security is everyone’s responsibility.”
He also urged the Federal Government to urgently strengthen control over Nigeria’s porous borders, citing the influx of arms and fighters from conflict-ridden countries such as Sudan, Libya, and the Central African Republic.
The instability in the Sahel region, he warned, is increasingly spilling over into Nigeria through unmonitored routes.
