The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration for finally designating bandits as terrorists.
However, he said that the federal government’s job would only be considered complete in that regard when groups like Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), and Fulani Nationality Movement (FUNAM) are also labelled as terrorists.
Ortom made this known in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Nathaniel Ikyur on Thursday.
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The governor who was reacting to the interview President Buhari granted Channels Television on Wednesday insisted that the step taken by the federal government now would go a long way to contain the atrocities of the criminals and give citizens opportunities to go about their legitimate businesses unmolested.
According to the governor, “even though the federal government’s measures on bandits now seems strong, the security challenges will only be adequately addressed if similar hard position is taken on Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, MACBAN and the Fulani Nationality Movement (FUNAM) who have vowed and continued to cause mayhem in Benue State and other parts of the country because of the anti-grazing laws.”
The governor went on, “for us in Benue State, the law has come to stay. It is irrevocable. In fact, we have maintained our position that Benue State has no grazing routes, reserves or areas so whatever. It was enacted in good faith for peace and order in the state. It was done among other things to end the incessant farmers/herdsmen clashes in the state.”
Governor Ortom also tasked the President to do all that is necessary to revamp the ailing economy and save citizens from poverty saying “Nigerians have absorbed enough hunger and misery in the hands of the All Progressives Congress (APC) misrule. Or is it possible that Mr. President is not aware that Nigerians are dying from his misrule.”
He dismissed the President’s tagging of the PDP as failure, insisting that “as a critical stakeholder of the PDP, this is completely false. If anyone has failed, it is the Buhari led APC federal government that has failed by taking Nigeria from top to bottom.”
Governor Ortom declared that “the PDP is ready to rescue Nigeria from the insecurity and economic horror placed on Nigerians by the APC, stressing that the party is better prepared with laudable programmes on the welfare of Nigerians and to rebuild the nation from the APC tale of woes.
He added that from all indications, the APC administration has since ran out of ideas pointing out that “they have exhausted all their lies and have nothing more to tell Nigerians”.