By Abraham Uwuasom
Governor Samuel Ortom has called on the Federal Government to provide additional security for the State.
Governor Ortom’s appeal followed a renewed attacks on some communities of Logo and Guma Local Government areas by Fulani herdsmen, leading to loss of lives and property.
Speaking to Newsmen, Tuesday shortly after a State emergency security meeting at the Benue Peoples House, Makurdi, Governor Ortom said the federal government must rise to protect the state from herders.
The Governor told Newsmen that based on the security reports he received so far, over tenty persons had been killed by the herdsmen including a member of the State Livestock Guard from Logo Local Government Area.
Governor Ortom stated that People of the state were being law abiding citizens in the face of implementation of the Anti-open grazing law which is why they were not confrontational, noting however that there was a limit to which they could be pushed to the war.
He said the Open Grazing and Rranches Establishment Law which came into effect was not against herdsmen but to help them adopt better approach to cattle rearing in conformity with best practices worldover.
Governor Ortom who thereafter visited the Benue State University teaching Hospital, Makurdi to see victims of the attack and corpses deposited there, lamented the enormity of the destruction caused the State, pointing out that Benue needed protection from the Federal Government at this auspicious moment.
The Governor described the attack as unfortunate, regrettable and unacceptable as the Government and People of the state would no longer tolerate it.
Also speaking to Newsmen at the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, the Chief Medical Director, Professor Terlumun Swende said that they had received many corpses and victims with intense degrees of injuries, described the attacks on them as being highly coordinated.