The Coalition of Southern and Middle Belt Youth Leaders Assembly, COSMBYLA, the umbrella body of all the youth groups in the South East, South South, South West and Middle Belt regions, have accused the Federal Government of Nigeria of plans to kill all Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Benue State.

COSMBYLA says it is displeased and totally disappointed over the inhuman attitude of the Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari towards Nigerians who are internally displaced as a result of the activities of murderous Fulani terrorists who killed their kinsmen and relatives, set their homes and Communities ablaze and are seeking refuge in Benue Internally displaced Persons, IDPs, camps for shelter, food. and other necessities needed to survive.

According to a statement signed by Hon. Goodluck Egwu Ibem, President General, COSEYL; Terrence Kuanum
Coordinator, Forum of Middle Belt Youth Presidents; Shittu Waheed, Coordinator, South West Youth Leaders Forum (SWYLF), Tito Zokumor, President, South South Youth Forum (SSYF);and made available to GBETU, It is also ”disappointing that the federal government will be joking and playing politics with the lives of Nigerians whose negligence to their responsibility of security which is the first duty of the Federal Government to Nigerians brought them to IDPs camps. It is totally unacceptable that the federal government will allow such huge financial burden on the state government alone.”

The statement further reads;

”These IDPs persons is a creation of the federal government led by President Muhammadu Buhari who is the Chief Security Officer of the Nation and the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces for his inability to provide adequate security and protection for this persons who had to run for their dear lives out of their ancestral homes to seek refuge in the IDPs camps.

”From the look of things and the body language of the Presidency, one will deduce that the federal government ignored Benue state IDPs because they want them all dead in other to reduce the population of the state thereby reducing the voting strength of the state come 2023 general elections.

”The blatant refusal of the federal government to assist or play its part in taking care of the IDPs in Benue state as what obtains in other states in the north east where the federal government assisted and is assisting to take care of the IDPs is a 2023 election strategy of the APC led federal government to depopulate the state which is well known to be a rooted PDP state.

”Though we do not speak for any political party because we are non-partisan in all sense of the word, but for the FG to play politics with the lives of Nigerians in Benue state is inhuman, wicked, barbaric and unacceptable. The FG must jettison politics and do the needful by taken up its responsibility of taken care of Benue IDPs who are bonafide citizens of Nigeria.

”By now, Nigeria should have come of age to differentiate between politics and governance. Human lives is sacrosanct and nobody should play politics with the life of another.

”If President Buhari or the Presidency is not comfortable with the sincere and honest stance of the Benue state Governor Dr Samuel Ortom on national issues, does it mean that the federal government will allow more than 1.7 million Nigerians to die simply because its doesn’t like the face of the state governor?. This is wickedness taken too far and not politics.

”Private persons, corporate bodies, some state governments and churches have made some donation and contributions to support the Benue state government for the upkeep of those at the IDPs camps in the state. It behoves on the federal government to make serious commitment for the daily upkeep of our brothers, sisters, father’s and mothers at the IDPs camps.

”President Buhari is not the president of the APC or APC controlled States neither is he the president of only his kinsmen – Fulanis, but president of Nigeria and it is his duty and responsibility to do the needful by giving financial and material support from the federal purse for the upkeep of those at the Benue state IDPs camps.

”It is against national and international charter for the federal government to ignore its citizens when they are faced with challenges such as this.

”We commend the Benue state Governor Dr. Samuel Ortom who in all sincerity and purpose has made and is making sacrifices both personal and official to ensure that the IDPs are well taken care of, but he needs to be given maximum support by the federal government. You don’t hit a child’s head against a stone because the said child is strong. He needs all the assistance from the federal government.

”The resources needed for the upkeep of the IDPs is the collective wealth of Nigerians entrusted in the care of the president. But it is surprising that the body language of the president makes it look as if the money or support needed from the federal government for the upkeep and welfare of the IDPs persons is his personal money.

”We need to remind the president that the people who elected him, elected him into office to serve them and not to be their boss who does what he desires but one who leads according to the layed down laws in our constitution. He should serve the people and stop acting as the boss because public office is about service and service it should be. Enough said!”