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Ortom Seeks Proactive Steps To Tackle Alleged Herdsmen Killings

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has called for more proactive measures to tackle the incessant killings of innocent residents by suspected herdsmen in the state. … Continue reading Ortom Seeks Proactive Steps To Tackle Alleged Herdsmen Killings


Ortom Condoles With APC Over Benue LG Chairman's Death
(File) Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom
'Same Stories' Worry Ortom, Seeks Proactive Steps To Alleged Herdsmen Killings
File photo

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has called for more proactive measures to tackle the incessant killings of innocent residents by suspected herdsmen in the state.

The governor, who was a guest on Channels Television’s News At 10 on Tuesday, said he was troubled that the suspects are yet to be apprehended despite promises made by the security agencies.

READ ALSO: Alleged Herdsmen Killing Of 33 Persons Sparks Protest In Benue

“My worry is where we are told that these people will be apprehended and they are not. So far, we have not seen anyone,” he said via Skype.

“These people come with sophisticated weapons, they come kill, slaughter people, and do all kinds of havoc that at the end of the day, no single one of them has ever been arrested in this country.”

Governor Ortom said he had informed President Muhammadu Buhari about the killings and that the President had directed the security agencies to ensure the culprits were apprehended.

He, however, said the case as always been the same in terms of getting the suspects arrested, although the security agencies have been helpful with the implementation of the ban on open-grazing in the state.

The governor said: “I’m afraid that we will hear the same story; this has been happening. This is not the first time killings have taken place in Benue State but each time we are told that they are going after them and at the end, there is no result.”

“I am not saying I’m not having their (security agencies) cooperation, they are usually there. Like today (Tuesday) in our security meeting, we have deployed them – they have gone searching for these people but the fear is that they will come back with the same story that those people were not found.”

Following the recent attacks, the governor who made an on-the-spot assessment of some of the scenes of the killings said what he saw was ‘devastating’.

According to him, it is unfortunate that the state is experiencing such mishaps at the beginning of a new year.

During his visit, Ortom said aside from the reported death figure of 20 people, 13 more dead bodies were recovered while others who got missing were presumed dead.