In reaction to the killings, Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka said the herdsmen have declared war on Nigeria.
The Nigerian Army has deployed special forces in Benue, Taraba and Nasarawa states amid heinous killings by Fulani herdsmen.
The presidency announced this on twitter on Wednesday, January 10, 2018.
The attacks started in the wake of a new year as herdsmen slaughtered scores in Benue villages while follow-up attacks in the state and other states claimed more lives.
This sparked a public outcry with many calling on the Federal Government to take a decisive position in combating the crisis.
In reaction to the killings, Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka said the herdsmen have declared war on Nigeria.
He called on President Muhammadu Buhari not to treat the crisis the same way former President Goodluck Jonathan did with the Boko Haram insurgency.
The president had ordered the Inspector-General of police, Ibrahim Idris to relocate to Benue, being the most affected state in the fresh crisis.
Idris had said there would be no need for military intervention in Benue, noting that it would be welcomed only when the police is overwhelmed.
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But in what looks like a clear message that Buhari is not shielding the Fulani herdsmen, the President ordered the military to move in.
There have been increasing insinuations that Buhari is condoning the actions of herdsmen because he is a Fulani man himself.