GOVERNOR Samuel Ortom of Benue State on Wednesday explained why he believes that President Muhammadu Buhari is “complicit” in the alleged herders attacks on farming communities in the state.
Governor Ortom who appeared as a guest on Arise TV’s The Morning Show, Wednesday stated that when a government allows herders to carry AK-47 on the one hand and disallow others not to bear arms, the obvious conclusion will be that the government is complicit.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkG2JOFf5BA[/embedyt]
According to Ortom, he floated Community Volunteer Guards, a vigilante group, to assist the conventional security agencies in checking herders’ attacks in the state, but that President Buhari declined the state government’s request for permission to provide automatic weapons to the vigilante group.
“It is unfortunate that the federal government seems to be complicit in the manner the herdsmen are killing our people. I had interfaced with the federal authorities, Mr President, I have sat with him and I brought these things before him. The truth is that when you allow the Fulani herdsmen to carry AK-47 (rifles) and then allow the local people and even the Community Volunteer Guards to carry pump action rifles, (they cannot confront the herdsmen),” Ortom said, adding that the highest weapon used by guards is pump action rifle.
“But you know that one hundred Community Volunteer Guards with pump action (rifles) cannot confront two Fulani herdsmen with AK-47 (rifles). These are automatic weapons. And that was what led my state Executive Council to apply to the president and the federal government to also permit us to at least allow the Community Volunteer Guards to be armed with automatic weapons so that they can truly confront these herdsmen,” Ortom said, adding that herdsmen attacks in the state would have ended if the president and the federal government had granted his request.
“When we applied, we were told that those weapons are prohibited for citizens to carry. So, they cannot allow us to carry them. And the challenge I have with the federal government’s response to my request for automatic weapons for the guards is why are they allowing Fulani herdsmen to carry these weapons?” Ortom asked, as he further queried: “Where have they arrested these Fulani herdsmen and taken them to court and prosecuted them and dealt with them?”
He challenged the federal government to quickly tackle “herders’ attacks”, which he noted, are being witnessed across the country mainly in the North-Central states.
Governor Ortom also stated that as a Christian, he had forgiven President Buhari for his failings and that he expects the incoming administration of Bola Tinubu to provide security for Nigerians so that the country can return to its days of glory.
“For me, as a born-again Christian, I have forgiven President Muhammadu Buhari. He has taken us from top to bottom, but that does not mean we should continue to hold it on him,” he said.
