Residents of Yelwata in Benue State have been accused of harbouring perpetrators of the recent massacre in the community and gave them food and women.
The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, made the accusation at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja during an expanded interaction with journalists.
He told journalists that before the incident, troops had received intelligence about potential attacks in various communities across Benue State and were mobilized accordingly.
The CDS said local informants also helped the attackers identify the location of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp at Yelwata, resulting in the high casualty figure recorded.
“Upon arrival at the mentioned locations, it turned out that the information was misleading as the real attack had been executed in Yelwata using “a hit-and-run approach.”
“These criminals were harboured by people in the community. They were given food. They were even given women. They were guided on where the IDP camp was located. Yet, security forces received no information.
“This is why we consistently urge communities to be vigilant and report suspicious activities. Security is everyone’s responsibility,” he said.
General Musa said President Tinubu had directed full activation of all national security forces, assuring that the perpetrators of Yelwata killings would be brought to justice.
He described the porosity of the nation’s borders as a growing threat amid the rising instability in the Sahel region.
“The flow of arms and fighters from crisis-hit countries like Sudan, Libya and the Central African Republic is worrisome, warning that these elements are exploiting Nigeria’s vast and unmonitored frontiers.
“Nigeria should learn from a country like Pakistan which successfully built a fortified double-layer border wall to separate itself from Afghanistan,” he said.
According to him, Nigeria’s security challenges require a “whole-of-society approach involving collaboration between the military, civilian institutions and the public.
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