Nansel said that preliminary investigation revealed that the pastoralists had on Tuesday, gone to Benue to pay fines for the release of cattle impounded by the Benue Livestock Guards implementing the State’s Anti-Open Grazing and Ranching Law.
Nansel said the Commissioner of Police, Maiyaki Mohammed-Baba, had visited the scene of the incident and also attended the burial of the deceased alongside the State Deputy Governor, Dr Emmanuel Akabe and some traditional rulers.
He called on the people to remain calm and not take laws into their own hands.
The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) had also condemned the alleged killing and called for full investigation to unravel those behind the attack.
MACBAN, in a statement made available to newsmen by its National Public Relations Officer, Muhammad Nura, said “this is the third time we are experiencing such happenings.”
He said that apart from the victims, livestock were also killed in the attack.
“MACBAN describes the action as not only condemnable but a war crime under
the Geneva Convention that prohibits the wanton killing of livestock.
“We call on the authorities to investigate this terror, punish the culprits and to be sure that incidents like this will not happen again,” the Nura said.