Samuel Ortom, Benue State governor, has insinuated that there are reasons the federal government has not been cracking down on bandits and Fulani militia killing and kidnapping Nigerians.
In an interview aired on Channels Television on Monday, Ortom asked why the federal government is not deploying the same measure of resources used on the arrest of leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, and Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo, better known as Sunday Igboho, to address terror unleashed on Nigerians by Fulani herdsmen.
The governor lamented the level of atrocities committed in his state by bandits and Fulani herdsmen, including the recent killing of humanitarian workers.
Ortom insisted that he sees lack of commitment on the part of the federal government in ensuring that there is security in the country.
He also claimed that a top government official came out to say that Fulani militias “are invisible”.
“I see a lot of lack of commitment on the part of the Federal Government in ensuring that we have security in this country. I will give an example: recently, the Federal Government has demonstrated the capacity by going after Nnamdi Kanu, who was leading IPOB. I am told he was even arrested in a foreign land with the cooperation of Interpol and so on”, he said.
“I heard that Sunday Igboho has been arrested. With that kind of commitment, it shows that the Federal Government has the capacity.
“Today, bandits, Fulani militia are terrorising the entire country, the country is in disarray and these Fulani militias have come out with video clips…and they have identified where they are. It was amazing that a top government official comes out to say that the Fulani militias are invisible. How? Are they spirits? Why is the government not going after these Fulani militias and bandits that are terrorising the entire country and terrorising my state?
“Just two days ago, two humanitarian workers were gunned down in my own village by these Fulani militias and their phones taken away. And the Fulani militias took the phones and when one of their (victims’) brothers called, they confirmed that they had killed them and they are in possession of their phones and that they should tell me to repeal the prohibition of open grazing otherwise they have the right to continue to kill since I said there would be no open grazing in Benue State.
“These people who are here, who are calling themselves bandits and are kidnapping our children from school, who are calling themselves Fulani militia and are killing people, driving them from their lands and taking over, why is the Federal Government not going after them like they went after Sunday Igboho and went after Nnamdi Kanu?”
Ortom maintained that the All Progressives Congress-led federal government has failed Nigerians, adding that over 1.5 million persons out of Benue’s 7 million inhabitants, are currently displaced due to attacks by herdsmen.
“APC has failed this country. Is it security, is it economically, politically and socially? Where are we today? We can’t go to our villages. How many Nigerians can move from Lagos to Kano, Abuja to their villages? It is a problem. APC has completely failed, so, why should I go there to join them? To do what?” he added.
