Herdsmen Killings: Go home, defend yourselves with stones – Ortom tasks residents

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, on Tuesday told the Internally
Displaced Persons, IDPs, to go home and use stones to defend
themselves.

Ortom explained that he was tired of keeping IDPs in camps over the
uncontrollable killings in the state.

He, therefore, charged residents to embrace self-defence.

The governor said this during his visit to the displaced persons after
armed herdsmen attacked Naka, Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue
State.

This was after the Chairman, Gwer West Local Government Council of
Chiefs, Chief Daniel Abomtse said that 24 persons were killed on
Thursday's attack on Mbapa, Mbapupuu, Mbachohon, and Enger, all in
Agagbe District in Gwer-West LGA.

He said, "David in the Bible used ordinary stone to defeat his enemy,
it is now time for you to stay at home and use the stone in your homes
to defend yourself instead of running away.

"I believe in the rule of law, equity and fairness, but I cannot
continue to keep IDPs and l can't afford to have another IDPs in Gwer
West. This must stop. We must stop truncating the future of our
younger generation.

"When we allow laws to be violated and nobody takes action, it then
allows for impunity and when you give room to impunity, it will result
to anarchy which will in turn breed a lawless society.

"Therefore, we the citizens must rise up to support the security
agencies by way of providing lawful and necessary logistics such as
information, equipment and financial support to back up their
operations.

"Just yesterday (Monday), a soldier was killed in Guma, security
agents are not spared. Security challenges are enormous. The gruesome
murder of 24 people by Fulani herdsmen is quite condemnable.

"Time has come if you are willing to live in Benue State, you must be
ready and willing to be law abiding."

The governor added that the state government was working with
traditional rulers and other necessary organs of government to
strengthen the vigilante team so as to give it full legal backing that
would enable the group assist the security personnel in curbing
criminal activities in the state.