Killings: Ortom faults Buhari’s letter to Senate

Killings: Ortom faults Buhari’s letter to Senate


…tells IG to resign if overwhelmed

JOHN CHARLES and John Charles

The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has faulted the claims by President Muhammadu Buhari that his administration had taken positive actions to halt herdsmen killings in the state.


Buhari had, in a letter to the Senate last week, highlighted steps that his administration had taken to arrest the crisis in Benue State, where 73 victims of herdsmen attacks were given a mass burial.


But Ortom, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media and ICT, Mr. Tahav Agezua, told our correspondent on Friday that the Benue people had yet to see or feel the impact of the President’s action because the killings were still going on in isolated cases.

He lamented that the herdsmen had occupied several communities after sacking the residents and that the residents were living as refugees camps away from their homes.

The governor’s spokesperson insisted that the Fulani herdsmen were still killing innocent people in the state, despite the deployment of security men in some communities.

He said, “Killings are still going on in Benue State. The Federal Government should step up its action towards solving the problem instead of claiming that it has taken enough measures against the herdsmen.”

…tells IG to resign if overwhelmed

The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has urged the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, to resign his appointment if he cannot bring an end to the herdsmen killings in Benue and other states.

Ortom gave the advice, following a statement by the IG blaming the anti-open grazing law in the state for the New Year killings.

The governor, through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Terver Akase, on Saturday, said the law was enacted in the state to bring a lasting solution to the ongoing attacks in the state.

He said, “If truly the IGP said what was widely reported by the media, our conclusion is that he is a clear case of a man who is either on a mission to mislead the nation or is complicit in the attacks on Benue communities and the killing of many people by terror herdsmen.

“With his latest demand that the ranching law of Benue be suspended, it is now clear where the loyalty and interest of the Inspector-General of Police lies — certainly not with innocent Nigerians. Little wonder herdsmen still proudly carry out sophisticated weapons and willfully terrorise innocent people in the state without being arrested.

“We wish to place it on record that contrary to the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari that the IGP should relocate to Benue to ensure that the killings stop, the IGP spent only one day in Benue and left for a destination where only he can tell. No one has seen him in Benue since that day.

“Benue now has nearly 100,000 internally displaced persons in seven camps established by the state government. We therefore find IG Idris statement as a mockery and a shameful dance on the graves of those killed in the state by herdsmen.


“If the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Idris, is not competent to help bring an end to the invasion and killing of innocent people in Benue and other states by herdsmen, the noble thing to do is to resign instead of twisting facts to suit his objective.