Herdsmen: Gov. Ortom reacts to kidnapping of Catholic Priest in Delta

The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom on Wednesday condemned the
kidnapping of a Catholic Priests and three others by suspected armed
herdsmen in Umutu/Abraka, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta
State.

Ortom, who described the abduction of the four Reverend Fathers as
"barbaric, dehumanizing and shameful," warned that the activities of
herdsmen, if not checked may affect the conduct of 2019.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akase, Ortom
wondered why "armed herdsmen have chosen to make harmless clergymen
targets of attacks,"
adding that the "motive of the perpetrators is clearly beyond mere
grazing of cattle."

He stated that the resolve of herdsmen to sack communities and claim
ancestral lands belonging to the people was threatening the existence
of Nigeria.

Ortom lamented that the people of Benue State were still mourning the
killing of two Catholic Priests and 17 worshippers by herdsmen in
Mbalom, Gwer East Local Government Area of the State, earlier this
year.

Urging security agencies to act swiftly to ensure the release of the
kidnapped priest and the other victims in Delta State, the governor
called on other "Nigerians to rise in condemnation of persistent
attacks on innocent people, particularly the current spate of violence
against the clergy."

The Governor warned that the "activities of armed herdsmen, if not
checked, will affect the smooth conduct of the 2019 elections in parts
of the country."

He said the government and people of Benue State were standing in
prayers with the Catholic Dioceses of Warri where the abducted priests
hail from.