" ITREALMS: Benue herdsmen attack: FG urges restraint in media coverage

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Monday, January 15, 2018

Benue herdsmen attack: FG urges restraint in media coverage

The Federal Government (FG) has requested media and public commentators’ restraint in coverage and comments on the fallouts of what it described as recent farmers and herders clash in Benue State, so as not to inflame the situation, reports ITRealms.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made this call at the weekend, told ITRealms in a press statement that Federal Government is working hard to address the situation with a view to preventing a recurrence, not just in Benue State, but nationwide.

“It’s incumbent on the media and public commentators not to engage in actions that can aggravate the crisis,” he said.

Mohammed explained that for avoidance of doubt and fear of being misunderstood that “we are neither saying the media should not cover the crisis nor asking public commentators to desist from commenting on it. All we are saying is that both must be circumspect.”

He pointed out that the current poisoned atmosphere of “incendiary comments, unrestrained use of pictures and footages that offend human sensibilities as well as fingerpointing can only exacerbate the situation and complicate ongoing efforts to end the crisis.”

Further, Mohammed said the Federal Government is absolutely saddened by the loss of lives and the destruction of property resulting from the crisis, and recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari, in commiserating with the Benue Governor, unreservedly condemned the killings and also assured of the necessary security measures to prevent further attacks and bring the perpetrators to book.


He insisted that FG has mapped out short and long-term solutions to the incessant clashes between farmers and herders, including a planned conference of stakeholders, and assured of the government's strong determination to find a lasting solution to the farmers/herders' clashes.

Ayo Midele/GEE

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