Following calls in some quarters on President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in order to frontally confront insecurity in Benue state, the Presidency has said that such was not on the card for now. Sources in the Presidency said the President preferred to exploit more viable and far reaching options to resolving the challenges than accede to the call for emergency.

A source who preferred anonymity because he has no authority to talk to the press said: “From his body language, the President is not likely going to heed the call for emergency dec- laration in Benue state. He is more politically experi- enced than to fall into such trap. If you look at those calling for emergency close- ly, you will find that many of them are politically motivated. Some of them have an axe to grind with the governor. You can be sure that the President would not want to be drawn into their politics. Yes, there are killings by killer herders or terrorists but the President believe that the problem could be solved locally by isolating the criminals and bringing them to book.”

Another credible source in the security circle at the Presidency said: “The President believe in resolving the issue by adopting kinetic and non-kinetic measures. He was in Benue on Wednesday where he suggested the constitution of a committee consisting of all critical stakeholders, including former governors, traditional rulers, cultural and other political influencers in the state.

The primary objective of the panel, in which the Presi- dent offered to serve, is to engage and make broader consultations among the people in order to resolve all differences with the aim to restore peace in the state. You will also recall that the President also mandat- ed the security agencies to deploy men to the state and ensure that the merchants of death in Benue are hunted down, arrested and pros- ecuted. As we speak now, the military and other sis- ter security agencies have been fully deployed and I can assure you that the elu- sive peace will be enforced in the state. So, rationally, there is no need for state of emergency for now.”