Ortom: At least 6,000 people killed by bandits in Benue since 2017

Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue, says over 6,000 residents of the state have been killed by bandits since 2017.

Benue, among several states, has witnessed attacks by gunmen which have led to killings, abductions, and displacement.

The governor had consistently accused the federal government of not doing enough to address banditry in the state.

Speaking in an interview with Arise TV on Friday, Ortom claimed that the state has 2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs).

“When you have bandits all over the place, and nobody is making an effort to apprehend them, and they are killing people every day,” he said.

“Just three days ago, a DPO was killed, and some people were murdered. There is no week that I don’t lose 10 people. Since 2017, up to 6,000 people have been killed by bandits. I have over two million IDPs.”

On Thursday, Ortom alleged that some personalities led by Muhammadu Sanusi, a  former emir of Kano, made some allegations against him in an attempt to set him up for attacks.

The allegations were said to be fuelled by Ortom’s perpetual stand against herders across the country.

Reacting to the allegation, the governor said he is not against any ethnic group, adding that everyone is subjected to the same law regardless of ethnicity.

“Am I the first person who has talked about profiling Fulani people? Have you not heard what the Sultan said some time ago about banditry in Nigeria? Have you not heard what the governor of Kastina said before? Or the Taraba governor?” Ortom said.

“To show you that I am not against any ethnic group, I am a Tiv man and I preside over other groups here. And when they do wrong I tell them they do wrong. The law banning open grazing also provides that if anyone is caught rustling cattle, the individual should be arrested and prosecuted. Tiv people have been arrested and prosecuted.”