COAS relocates to Benue over killings 
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.- Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, has relocated to Makurdi, the Benue capital, over the incessant killings of innocent villagers by suspected herders and militia groups.
The killing, which was becoming almost a daily occurrence, had left many dead, several others injured and maimed, and several houses burnt, leaving many homeless.
Oluyede departed Abuja, Tuesday morning, accompanied by his Principal Stafftaff Officers (PSOs) and other top officers at the Army Headquarters, to the state to have an on-the-spot assessment of the situation on the ground.
Sources said the army chief had ordered the deployment of more troops to the state to give the militia and other armed groups terrorising the people of the state the battle of their lives.
In Benue, the source said, the COAS would hold strategic meetings with all operational and unit commanders to brainstorm on the way forward as well as review the ongoing operations with a view to end the killings.
The COAS would also visit troops’ locations and operational bases in the state to interact with troops and boost their morale and fighting spirit.
The COAS was also expected to visit villages that had been attacked and reassure residents of their safety and the resolve of the Nigerian army to protect the lives and property of law-abiding citizens.
The COAS was said to be unhappy with reports of daily killings in Benue that had ravaged the state in the past few weeks and may order some strategic changes, including the redeployment of some commanders to head some of the operational units on ground.
Oluyede, while in the state, would personally lead troops in the operation on the battlefront.
