Abagana killings:
The governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom has laid the blame for the incessant killings in Benue State on the Federal Government.
He said the killings would have been averted if the government had taken proactive steps since he alerted it of the threat of Fulanis.
Fulanis in about 14 countries according to him met in Yola sometime in the past and declared war on Benue State.
Ortom made the allegation while addressing protesters of the killings at the Abagana IDP camp in the state on Tuesday. The governor also noted that about 70 people were killed in the last two weeks in Makurdi Local Government during his interface with protesters which was televised by Channels Television.
He wondered at the double-speak in government circle noting, “the president had given an order that anybody found with AK47 be killed but such order was countered by the Minister of Defence who said they should not be killed but rather should be prosecuted.
“What kind of country is this. It is better I am not alive to witness this kind of thing. The president gives order his minister counters it.,” he lamented.
The governor who addressed thousands of protesters on the Makurdi-Lafia highway on Tuesday as televised by Channels said he had to address them because they were threatening to take the laws into their hands.
He said he had been alerting the federal government on the threat of the Fulanis noting that many occupants of the IDP camps in the state are being killed.
The governor said Nigeria does not have a government at the federal level. “In the last two weeks, we have buried 70 people just in Makurdi local government. The federal government has refused to take proactive steps to arrest the situations we have in our hands.
“You will recall that I alerted the nation when Fulanis from 14 countries met in Yola and declared that until the anti-open grazing law is repealed Benue will not know peace.
“I did say I was targeted for elimination. That dawned on me. God saved me. I did say they are going after my people. I told the Federal Government to arrest the leadership of Myetti Allah who hosted the meeting, nothing happened. We have been asking the FG to take proactive steps nothing has been done. Our people are being killed in IDP camps. These people were driven from their villages now they are being killed in IDP camps.” He lamented.
He said the body language of the President is being played out alleging that he is working for the Fulanis to take over the country. He called on his colleagues, the governor to salvage this country saying “we may wake up and find no country again. We are fed up. We don’t want to resort to self-help because we believe in the unity of this country. But we are being overstretched.”
