The One Idoma Initiative have condemned the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase over his comment that the figure of the Agatu killings were exaggerated.
In a statement on Saturday, the convener of the group, Barr. Paul Edeh faulting the IG’s claims, said Arase’s comments were very unfortunate and disheartening.
During a visit to the police in Niger State, Arase had said: “I was around, I travelled to Benue State, I did not see where 300 people were buried.”
Edeh said he wondered how the IGP reached his conclusion after only spending four hours in Agatu.
“We are yet to believe the IG made such statement. But if the comment truly came from him, then he just betrayed us,” Edeh said in a statement issued on Saturday.
According to the statement, during the Free Agatu Protest organized in Abuja on March 2, the IG personally sent the Commissioner of Police in Abuja, to inform them that he was going to visit Benue to ascertain the situation.
“The IG promised to brief us as soon as he returns from his trip, only for us to read in the newspapers few days later, quoting him as describing the situation in Agatu as mere hyperbole.
“Such statement is very unfortunate and disappointing.
“It is laughable, yet, annoying that the IG could not fault the claims by the Fulani herdsmen that over 10,000 of their cows were reportedly killed by Agatu people without proving it.
“It is obvious he is not in tune with reality. We urge the IG to still go back to the ghost communities and do his findings well before coming to make such disheartening statement,” Edeh added.
He finally thanked the federal government for approving the deployment of soldiers to the ravaged community.
