Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has revealed that security operatives have arrested some of the perpetrators who were involved in the gruesome killing of about 200 residents in Yelewata, a community in Benue State.

While speaking with Arise TV on Monday, Musa stated that security operatives are working towards ensuring the return of normalcy to the community and others by arresting perpetrators, but this has not been publicised.

“The police have arrested a number of people. And actions have been taken. Investigations are ongoing with the DSS and the police. You know, it takes a lot.

“So, because we are law-abiding individuals, we have to be sure of what we’re doing. And I think that’s a critical aspect. All the security forces are working together to ensure that this stops,” he said.

Speaking on the controversies surrounding the Benue killings, the CDS described it as a complex mix of terrorism, banditry, land grabbing, reprisal killings, and political manipulation, not a farmer-herder crisis as some have opined.

He also spoke about the military’s war against terrorism, noting that members of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) are deploying modern warfare technologies such as drones and attending training abroad to intensify the insurgency.

“We had information about some other ones coming together because some of them also go for foreign training abroad, and then they want to use technology, drones, particularly.

“We have had reasons to see them use drones. But again, after the initial about five weeks ago that we had those setbacks, we have re-strategised our operations. And now they’re on the run. We have taken down so many as we speak,” he said.

Over the years, Nigeria has searched endlessly for a permanent solution to the insecurity and terrorism threatening the country. Many security experts have attributed the rise in insurgency to Nigeria’s porous borders.

The CDS reaffirmed this, saying, “Having gone through my analysis and looking at the Sahel, the main attraction to all these terrorists and bandits is Nigeria, because of this perception that Nigeria is a rich country. And there is no law to prevent them from getting there. And the borders are porous.”

According to him, fencing the country’s borders will help reduce the number of terrorists and bandits trooping in from the Sahel.

“For us to be secure, it is important. Let us fence our borders. Some people say, ‘Look, it’s expensive.’ But I say, what is money if you are dead? It’s of no use,” he added.