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Declare Herdsmen In Benue Terrorists – Gov. Ortom To FG

Published

4 years ago

July 11, 2020

Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom Saturday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare armed Fulani herdsmen killing innocent people in communities of the state as terrorists, even as the Nigerian Army neutralised two suspected herdsmen who invaded Chembe community in Logo Local Government Area of the state..

The governor’s call followed repeated herdsmen attacks on different communities of the state in the last couple of months.

The latest of such attacks took place last night at Tse-Chembe community near Anyiin in Logo Local Government Area where the herders murdered seven persons in cold blood and left many others badly injured.

Governor Ortom, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Terver Akase, condemned the invasion and killings and described the situation as unacceptable.

He said Benue State has a law which prohibits open grazing of livestock, and stressed that only a terrorist group would deliberately choose to violate the legislation as Fulani herdsmen have done since the law was enacted in 2017.

Governor Ortom stated that declaring the armed herders operating in Benue State as terrorists will end the wave of impunity and guarantee the rule of law.

He called on people of the state, particularly those living in the affected areas to report any suspicious persons to security agencies.

The governor commended officers and men of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) for their prompt responses to distress calls, particularly that of Saturday when the people of Tse-Chembe came under herdsmen’s attacks.

Meanwhile, troops of the joint military spike operation covering Benue, Nassarawa and Taraba states, known as Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), killed two suspected herdsmen who invaded the Chembe community.

New Telegraph learnt that the herdsmen were among those who had stormed the community on Friday night.