Wike’s call for emergency rule in Benue unfortunate, says Ortom

Why I made the call, by Rivers governor

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom yesterday condemned a comment made on him and the security challenge in his state by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and dared him to first declare a state of emergency in his own state rather than call for it in Benue.

Wike had yesterday called for the declaration of a state of emergency in Benue State as a result of the recent killings there through a publication in one of the national dailies (not The Guardian).

Ortom who replied his Rivers counterpart while fielding questions from journalists at the Governor’s Lodge in Makurdi yesterday described Wike’s call as laughable and unfortunate, adding that there were more killings in Rivers than in Benue.

His words: “It is unfortunate because if you talk about declaring of a state of emergency as a result of killings, I am aware that there are more killings in Rivers than Benue. Here we know the root, in Rivers there is no root.

“When you do things as if there is no leadership, you take laws into your hands, we do not do that here in Benue. And I will not subscribe to taking the laws into my hands or for anybody to take the laws into his hands in Benue.”

Ortom who said he inherited a state that was ravaged by criminality, killings, terror, assassination and kidnapping, pointed out that the issues of Fulani herdsmen and criminalities in Benue had been brought under control.

He argued that the rivalry between farmers and herdsmen was not peculiar to Benue, adding that his government had sent a bill to the state House of Assembly in which it proposed ranching is the best option to end farmers and herdsmen clashes.

“But I will not join issues with Wike. I will rather leave him to his conscience to judge him,” Ortom stated.

Meanwhile, Wike said yesterday that his call for the declaration of a state of emergency in Benue followed the fact that Ortom had lost control and lacks the capacity to stand up for his people.

Addressing the University of Port Harcourt Governing Council at the Government House, during a courtesy visit on Thursday, he alleged that Ortom was among the All Progressives Congress (APC) governors who plotted emergency rule against Rivers when the state had security challenges.