April 28, 2021

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has decried the killings in the state, while lamenting that in the last two weeks over 70 persons have been killed in three local governments.

This, he noted, was in addition to the recent attacks that left seven people dead, and several others hospitalised.

He made the comment on Tuesday in reaction to the recent killing of residents allegedly by herdsmen in parts of the state.

According to the governor, the people of Benue are being overstretched and running out of patience due to the incessant attacks on their communities.

Ortom insisted that the activities of herdsmen in the country must be condemned while calling on the governors to come together to hold the President to account.

The President the said, has taken oath of office to secure the country and provide security for lives and property. “This is unacceptable, this cannot continue, Our Patience has been overstretched, the people are fed up”.

He added, “Mr. President must rise up to address the nation himself, not Garba Shehu or any of his assistance. Mr. President must tell us where we are going in this country, this is too much.”

“The President cannot continue to be aloof, he must rise up to address the nation and not any of his assistants. I have written to him and the security agencies that Miyetti Allah anchored a meeting in Yola, saying unless we repeal the prohibition of open grazing law nobody will know peace”.

He accused President Muhammadu Buhari of working for the Fulani tribe to take over Nigeria.

“What is happening now, to me, is very clear; Mr. President is just working for these Fulanis to take over the whole country.

“His body language is what is being played out,” the governor alleged while condemning the activities of herdsmen in the state.

He added, “The body language, the action and inaction of Mr. President shows that he is only the President of Fulani people; I have known this.

“We are becoming a banana republic, if we have a president who gave the security agencies order to shoot at sight, whosoever is having AK-47 and the Minister of Defence came out to say that they cannot shoot at sight… so who is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces?

“The President must tell us what is wrong with him, so that we can all help him. We believe in the unity of his country but we have been pushed too far”, he added.