Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue says the people of the state are fighting terrorists, murderous herdsmen and crime, not any Fulani as some Nigerians believe.
Ortom made the clarification in Makurdi on Monday, while briefing journalists on the state of insecurity in Benue.
“We are not against any tribe, especially the Fulani people, but against terrorists, murderous herdsmen, bandits, kidnappers and all kinds of criminals within the state.
“We are actively supporting our security agencies to ensure that all remaining sources of banditry, kidnappings among others, are mitigated,” he added.
The governor said that for any democracy to thrive, there must be enabling laws to support it, adding that his administration in that regard had domesticated and enacted more than 20 laws since 2015.
He said he would not join the troubles with his Bauchi state counterpart Bala Mohammed for his comments on the herders issue, insisting that livestock remains the only solution to the persistent problem.
Ortom, therefore, said that Mohammed owed Nigerians an apology for comments that herders should be allowed to carry AK47 rifles.
However, he praised President Mohammadu Buhari for deploying security personnel to handle the state’s security challenges, noting that because of that, Benue was enjoying relative peace at the moment.
On the issue of pensions and tip arrears, he said that his administration had already remitted more than 600 million naira to the PENCOM state, adding that pension issues would end in the next two years.
According to the governor, despite the recession and shortage of funds, his administration was able to judiciously implement the state budget over the years.
