Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has lamented the spate of attacks in the state, saying that as a result of the insecurity, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) keep increasing.
Addressing journalists in the Ortese area of the state on Tuesday, Ortom said between 2018 and now, IDPs have increased from 500 to over 1.5 million.
“I never envisaged that we will have 500 IDPs and then it will rise to over 1.5 million and we are still counting. As at last week, there were still attacks,” he said.
“These Fulani bandits have continued to kill our people and even those that attempted to go to their villages were killed.”
Noting that the state government is constrained financially, the governor lamented that it has become extremely difficult to meet the needs of displaced people in the state.
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He, however, said both the local and state governments provide food items on a weekly basis to the people staying in Ortese camp
According to him, the state government will provide additional relief materials.
As part of efforts to alleviate the suffering of the IDPs, the governor also disclosed that his wife is launching a programme to provide health services to the displaced persons.
