President Muhammadu Buhari has denied insinuations that he overlooked the killings that happened in Benue, saying he is genuinely worried over them.
Buhari stated this on Monday in Makurdi during a stakeholders meeting held between farmers, herdsmen and government officials including Senators and Members of the House of Reps.
The president said he was doing his best to tackle the insecurity across the country.
” I am doing my best; I am not aware that the I-G did not spend 24 hours in the state as directed by me, I am getting to know this in this meeting.”
He also said the meeting was not the best place to expose the inefficiency of his appointees and appealed to the Benue people to exercise restraint and live in peace with their neighbors.
He said the rice imports had dropped by 90 people cent and said states were me involved in massive rice cultivation.
On his part, Gov Ortom appealed to the president to upgrade the ongoing military exercise in the state tagged ” Ayem A kpatema” to an operation to effective curb herdsmen attacks.
”If the exercise is upgraded to operation it will assist greatly in ending the incessant attacks and senseless killings by herdsmen,” he said.
He urged Benue people to exercise restraints and learn to live in peace with other people.
He said that many states in the federation were now involved in the massive cultivation of rice.
Gov. Ortom appealed to the Buhari to upgrade the exercise Ayem Akpatuma to Operation to enable security agencies to chase away the killer herdsmen from the state.
He reiterated his call for the arrest of the leadership of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore for the being responsible for the killings.
Ortom still maintained that ranching was the best option for cattle breed g in the country.
He also called on the federal government to take over the management of the Benue University Teaching Hospital, College of Education Katsina-Ala and Benue Polytechnic Ugbokolo.
A representative of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Benue Chapter, Shettima Mohammed, denied responsibility for the Benue attacks.
He said the association was peace loving and the exact opposite of its public presentation by government officials.
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