Benue Killings: Troops Got False Intel from Community Members — Defence Chief

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, says local informants misled the Nigerian Army before the massacre in Benue State that claimed over 200 lives.

Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, Musa revealed that on the day of the attack, troops stationed in Yelewata community were dispatched to another location based on false information, leaving Yelewata vulnerable.

“There was a fake attack in the other village when the troops moved in; that is when they came to attack the other one. That is what happened,” Musa said.

He added that insider sabotage played a critical role in the success of the deadly assault.

“Because of the insider information, the actual day that it (attack) happened, the troops were there,” he said. “There are people telling them about the movements of the troops. I can tell you that when troops are moving on an operation, there are people who are monitoring the soldiers.”

The CDS expressed concern that the attackers had accurate knowledge of high-value targets, especially internally displaced persons (IDPs).

“The places they burnt were targeted. They were specific areas. Those areas where the IDPs were staying. The question is, those guys that did it (attack), how did they know that this is where the IDPs were staying?” he asked.

Musa further alleged that some residents were actively collaborating with the killers, providing not just information but material and human support.

“Within the communities, there are people giving information about what is happening in the areas,” he said. “Residents of the communities harboured the assailants while handing them food and ‘women’.”

The June 14 attacks in Yelewata and Daudu communities in Guma LGA drew national outrage and prompted an emergency visit by President Bola Tinubu on June 18.