The Federal Government has appealed to the media and public commentators
to exercise utmost restraint in their coverage of the fallouts of the
recent farmers /herders ’ clash in Benue State in order not to further
inflame passion and worsen the situation.
In a statement issued
in Abuja on Saturday , the Minister of Information and Culture , Alhaji
Lai Mohammed , said while the Federal Government was working hard to
address the situation with a view to preventing a recurrence , not just
in Benue State but everywhere across the country, it was incumbent on
the media and public commentators not to engage in actions that can
aggravate the crisis.
He said , ”Lest we are misunderstood , we
are neither saying the media should not cover the crisis nor asking
public commentators to desist from commenting on it . All we are saying
is that both must be circumspect.
” The current poisoned
atmosphere of incendiary comments , unrestrained use of pictures and
footages that offend human sensibilities as well as finger pointing can
only exacerbate the situation and complicate ongoing efforts to end the
crisis. ”
Mohammed said the Federal Government is absolutely
saddened by the loss of lives and the destruction of property resulting
from the crisis, and recalled that Buhari , in commiserating with the
Benue State Governor , Samuel Ortom, unreservedly condemned the killings
and also assured him of the necessary security measures to prevent
further attacks and bring the perpetrators to book .
He said the
Federal Government had also mapped out short and long -term solutions to
the incessant clashes between farmers and herders , including a planned
conference of stakeholders.