The Chairman of the Traditional Council in Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State, Daniel Abomtse, has raised an alarm over the influx of armed herders into local communities following recent US airstrikes.
Speaking to newsmen on Saturday, the traditional ruler expressed concern about the increasing presence of armed herders in his domain.
He stated, “I felt their movement in my local government as well as in Agatu LGA. They have been running away from Sokoto to coastal areas in Gwer West and Agatu with sophisticated arms and grazing openly. They are in my domain.”
While appreciating the US airstrikes, Abomtse urged former President Trump to extend military operations to Benue, Kogi, Taraba, Niger, and Plateau states.
“What President Trump has done is the best thing to have happened to the government of Nigeria. I commend him for dealing with the menace in the country, which began about 16 years ago,” he added.
Efforts to confirm Abomtse’s claims with the spokesperson for the Benue State Police Command, Udeme Edet, were unsuccessful, as her phone rang unanswered and messages sent were not replied to at the time of this report.
Meanwhile, security sources have indicated that the recent strikes have left Sokoto terrorists in disarray as residents and community leaders from Tangaza, Gudu, and parts of Illela in Sokoto reported that the Christmas attacks had disrupted bandit operations and forced them out of their hideouts.
According to some community leaders, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, signs of dislocation and movement among armed groups have been evident since the strikes.
Some bandits were seen moving in smaller groups towards remote forest corridors, while others were believed to have attempted crossing into neighbouring border communities to evade aerial and ground surveillance.
A community leader in Tangaza remarked that the airstrike “sent a strong signal” and compelled criminal elements to abandon familiar routes and camps. “People are cautious, but there is relief that their hideouts were hit,” he added.
Government officials in Sokoto State confirmed that intelligence assessments were ongoing to determine the direction and scale of bandit movements following the strikes.
A senior official stated that security agencies had been placed on alert to prevent terrorists from infiltrating safer communities, emphasising that border patrols and joint operations with federal forces were being intensified to block escape routes.
Security expert Bashar Umar noted that the state government, in collaboration with the military and other security agencies, was strengthening surveillance across flashpoints, particularly in border local governments, to curb the movement of terrorists.
In related news, it was reported that the US has resumed surveillance operations in the Sambisa Forest, Borno State.
A Sahel-focused terrorism tracker, Brant Philip, disclosed this on X on Saturday, sharing flight-tracking data indicating that an aircraft was operating over Borno State.
According to the post, the aircraft identified was a Gulfstream V, a long-range business jet commonly modified for ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) missions.
“The United States resumed ISR operations today on ISWAP in the Sambisa forest, Borno State in North-East Nigeria, after a pause of one day following the strikes in Sokoto State,” he wrote.