By Scholastica Joseph, Makurdi
The Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has called on Benue people to begin to arm themselves with “lawful weapons as prescribed by law and defend themselves against the Fulani invaders.
Ortom made this call while reacting to the killing of scores of villagers from Ahentse community in Ndzorov council ward, Guma local government by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen militia.
Nzorov is the council ward of Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State and Principal Special Assistant on Soecial Duties, Abrahams Kwaghngu.
The Governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Nathaniel Ikyur, said “it is no longer fashionable to continue to cry out for help. We must now be at alert and ready to confront these killers. This is another way we can assist the security agencies in combating this menace since they obviously overstretched beyond limits.”
He also called on the federal government to step up military operations that will flushout armed herdsmen from states bordering Benue.
He said stepping up security operations will, to a large extent, help end the invasion of Benue communities by killer herdsmen who have continued to use the porous nature of the state borders to invade hapless communities on the Benue side of the border.
Governor Ortom who expressed sadness over the recent attack on is kinsmen in Tse Ahentse, said it is time the federal government further “steps up the military operations in states that share common boundaries with Benue state because these communities along the borders have become targets of the armed herders.”
He emphasised that “It is time to end this unnecessary shedding of innocent blood. We can do it if we cooperate with each other.”
He recalled that he has been synergising with his counterparts by holding joint security and peace meetings to build confidence amongst the people so that they will live in peace with one another.
He bemoaned “the situation where killer herdsmen take shelter with our neighbours, sneak in and kill our people without provocation” saying, “this will not be tolerated any longer. Let the security agencies continue to cooperate with us in Benue to end this bloodletting. Let us dislodge these invaders from wherever they may be hiding for peace to return to our communities.”
Some of the victims include Clement Tortiv, Enoch Utim, Terkimbi Kutaer, Mtaaega Tyogbea and Aondoaver Swende while Sunday Gaga and Torkwase Igbira were badly injured.
