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The Area Consultative Forum (ACF) has called on the Federal Government to investigate the killing of over 50 pastoralists and butchers around Doma in Nasarawa state by a purported Drone strike on the 25th January, 2023.
This was contained in a statement issued by the forum’s Secretary General, Murtala Aliyu, and made available to newsmen in Kaduna on Sunday.
The statement noted, “To our knowledge, only government has the power to deploy armed drones.
“The circumstances surrounding the killing of pastoralists who went to Makurdi, the Benue state capital, to retrieve 1 250 impounded cattle from the Benue Livestock guards after paying a fine of N29 million to guards left us grasping over the sad incident.
“Sources told the ACF that a drone strike happened while the livestock were being offloaded after the owners were forced to take back their cattle in trucks from Makurdi.
“This incident came barely six months after a similar incident in which hundreds of livestock were killed when a helicopter gunship belonging to the Nigerian Air force from the Makurdi Base Operation carried out the strike, killing and wounding the animals and some herders in Awe also in Nasarawa state.
“In a serious country, the death of one person is enough to attract the attention and intervention of the government.
Thus, the statement declared that the Federal Government manages the Nigerian air space through the Nigerian Airspace Management Authority (NAMA).
“So we expect the Federal Government to immediately fish out the perpetrators of this dastardly act, whoever they are, to face the law.
“We, however, wish to commend the Nasarawa State Government for their intervention in giving medical attention and support to survivors and the victims’ families.
“The ACF condemns this unwarranted killing and extends its condolences to the families of the deceased and the Government of Nasarawa state.
We called for adequate compensation to be paid to the victims’ families.
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