The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, has disclosed that residents of Yelwata in Benue State harboured the perpetrators of the recent massacre in the community and gave them food and women.
The Defence Chief revealed this at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja yesterday during an expanded interaction with journalists.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had, during his condolence visit to the state on Wednesday, directed the security forces to fish out the perpetrators of the attack that left over 100 dead and property destroyed.
The Defence Chief told journalists that before the incident, troops had received intelligence about potential attacks in various communities across Benue State and were mobilised accordingly.
He said 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.”
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.
He stated: “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.”
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.