FG’s commited to ending bloodbath in Benue, says governor Ortom

By : Joseph Wantu, Makurdi

Date: 4 May 2018 5:00am WAT

Governor of Benue State Samuel Ortom speaks about internally displaced people and farmer's violent clashes from Logo and Guma communities at Gbajimba IDPs camp outskirts of Makurdi, capital of Benue State in northcentral Nigeria on January 4, 2018. Nomadic cattle herders have all but left Benue state, driven away by fighting over access to resources and a new law banning migratory herding, an age-old practice necessary for the survival of the livestock. More than 100 people have been killed since early January, with 100,000 fleeing their homes to safety, according to the local emergency management agency (SEMA). After months of inaction, the Nigerian army announced the imminent deployment of troops for "Operation Cat Race" in several city states, including Benue to end the violence. / AFP PHOTO / PIUS UTOMI EKPEI

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Governor Samuel Ortom has said the renewed commitment of the Federal Government would end the bloodbath in Benue State.

Addressing the State House of Assembly yesterday in Makurdi on measures being taken by his Security Council to contain the killings, the governor expressed optimism that the additional deployment of security personnel, the military, police, civil defence, would solve the problem.

He urged residents to unite against external aggressors instead of engaging in internal conflicts.

The speaker, Terkimbi Ikyange, commended the governor for his doggedness in resisting the “take-over of Benue land”, assuring him of the support of the legislature.

However, the Neo-Black Movement of Africa (NBM) has condemned the mayhem in the state and parts of the federation.

Consequently, it urged the Federal Government to deploy troops in the affected areas to forestall further killings by suspected herdsmen.
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In a statement yesterday in Lagos, the movement’s president, Chief Felix Kupa, noted that the sustained attacks on Benue communities and others was alarming, barbaric and unimaginable, adding that the action of the herdsmen passed for terrorism and genocide against the people.

Flaying the Federal Government over its seeming indifference towards the issue, Kupa said: “We want to use this medium to call on the government to show more commitment to the implementation of the law against open grazing.

The killings are security breaches that have gone awry. A holistic approach that involves amicable resolution of land ownership and use between farmers and herdsmen must be sought and enforced.”

He regretted that the carnage had continued unabated while the concerned authorities keep acting as people with no lasting solution to the problem, thus posing a serious threat to the peaceful co-existence of citizens nationwide.

Kupa stated that the quest for the revamp and growth of the Nigerian economy would remain elusive if the mayhem was not addressed especially in Benue, the ‘food basket’ owing to the diversification agenda of the current administration hinged on agriculture.

He added: “We urge the Federal government to take a decisive action by ordering the security agencies to bring the situation under control as well as arresting and prosecuting the perpetrators.”

Condoling with the families of the victims in affected states, Kupa stressed that life was sacred, and as such, none should be lost on account of violence.

He, therefore, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently compensate the affected families and persons as well as end the attacks.
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