President Olusegun Obasanjo has justified the army action as part of a peace-keeping operation to deal with the conflict between the Tiv and the Jukun peoples of the area and rejected calls for the soldiers responsible to be punished.

Although a judicial inquiry has been ordered into the army's action and events that led up to it, it has not yet started its work.

Shaken

After inspecting the destroyed town of Zaki Biam and its surrounding villages Mr Na'Abba and his parliamentary colleagues said they were deeply shocked at the destruction they had witnessed.

He said that soldiers are supposed to defend the territorial integrity of Nigeria and not shoot fellow Nigerians.

Mr Obasanjo had said that soldiers are trained to kill and if deployed that is what they will do.

Hundreds had to leave their homes

Accompanying Mr Na'Abba on his tour was the traditional leader of the Tiv people who bore the brunt of the army operation.

Chief Alfred Torkula appealed to the government to withdraw the troops which he said were still active in Benue state harassing and torturing his people.

Tiv women, he said, were being particularly singled out by the army.

These comments follow similiar statements made in recent days by politicians and traditional leaders both in Abuja and in Benue state who have expressed their disquiet at the government's muted response to the army killings.