The Defence Headquarters, Abuja, on Monday, said no troop had been
deployed in Benue and other states as recommended by the Vice President
Yemi Osinbajo’s committee on herdsmen crisis.
The Defence Director of Information, Brig-Gen John Agim, said the
police were on the ground in the states, stressing that the military
were the “last line of defence.”
The Osinbajo committee, which
was set up by the National Economic Council to find lasting panacea to
the killings by herdsmen across the country, recommended increased
military presence in Benue and other states affected by the attacks.
But Agim said the decision had not been communicated to the military.
He said, “The report just came out. They (the troops) have not moved
in. You will recall that the Federal Government asked the
Inspector-General of Police to move into Benue State. I have seen the
report that the military are going to be given more roles; but that was
just yesterday.
“There is a laid down rule and regulation. The military are the last
line of defence. We cannot become the police. It is only when the police
go in and they find it difficult that we move in. In a normal
situation, the state governor will ask the President, who will take the
request to the National Assembly before military is deployed.”