Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State on Wednesday urged residents especially those in rural environs to brace up with lawful weapons and begin to confront assailants on a mission to kill people in their homes.
Ortom said it became necessary to confront the challenges of killings going on in local areas by invaders since it was no longer fashionable to continue to cry for help.
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“It is no longer fashionable to continue to cry out for help. We must now be alert and ready to confront these killers. This is another way we can assist the security agencies in combating this menace since they are obviously overstretched beyond limits,” he said.
The governor in a statement by his spokesman, Nathaniel Ikyur, made the call for citizens to fight back their attackers when he reacted to the fresh killings of five people in his hometown.
He listed the names of the dead bodies allegedly killed by armed herders who attacked Tse Ahentse near Iyordye in Guma LGA early hours of Tuesday.
The deceased include; Clement Tortiv, Enoch Utim, Terkimbi Kutaer, Mtaaega Tyogbea and Aondoaver Swende. It was gathered that those who sustained injures are Sunday Gaga and Torkwase Igbira.
Ortom, therefore, stressed the need for the federal government to synergise with his administration and step up military operations that will flush out suspected armed herders from neighbouring states bordering Benue.
The governor said, “It is time to end this unnecessary shedding of innocent blood. We can do it if we cooperate with each other. The situation where killer herders take shelter with our neighbours, sneak in and kill our people without provocation will not be tolerated any longer.
“Let the security agencies continue to cooperate with us in Benue to end this bloodletting. Let us dislodge these invaders from wherever they may be hiding for peace to return to our communities.”
The governor on that note called on Benue people to begin to arm themselves with “lawful weapons as prescribed by law and defend themselves against the invaders.”
