President Tinubu had visited Benue on June 18 following the deadly Yelewata attack that claimed over 100 lives, where he urged former governors and traditional rulers to collaborate with Governor Hyacinth Alia to combat the worsening insecurity.
Former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has said that President Bola Tinubu’s directive on addressing the security challenges in the state has not been implemented weeks after it was issued.
President Tinubu had visited Benue on June 18 following the deadly Yelewata attack that claimed over 100 lives, where he urged former governors and traditional rulers to collaborate with Governor Hyacinth Alia to combat the worsening insecurity.
However, speaking during an interview on Channels TV on Monday, Ortom revealed that no meeting has been convened since the president’s visit.
“We have not had any meeting, so maybe we are still waiting if the governor calls to go there, because Benue State belongs to us, and there is no way we can allow this to continue to happen,” he said.
Ortom explained that the Yelewata attack, which drew Tinubu’s attention, hit close to home as the affected area is part of his local government.
“Where this incident took place, in Yelewata, where over 200 people were killed, that is my local government. The mother of my father comes from that Yelewata. So, it is as good as home. It is my place, and we are waiting for the governor, if he calls us, we’ll go there,” he added.
The former governor also reflected on his time in office, stating that he made every effort to work with traditional rulers, security agencies, and local communities to tackle the spate of attacks.
He added that he firmly opposed policies such as Ruga and cattle colonies introduced under the Buhari administration, describing them as “camouflage to deceive Nigerians.”
“Each time they brought it, I stood against it. It’s unfortunate they didn’t listen because I gave statistics on what is obtainable in other countries. There is no way cattle rearing and farmers can cohabit. There will be crisis,” he said.
Ortom noted that some of the violence in Benue was driven by foreign elements, claiming that some attackers were from Chad, Niger, Senegal, Mali, and Libya.
“People here collaborated with those foreigners to invade our land and take over. It is a deliberate attempt to wipe out a particular people. That is the truth,” he said.
While praising Tinubu’s response to the Yelewata killings, Ortom said the previous government failed to address the crisis.
“This government, when the Yelewata attack happened, the president went there himself, and he ordered the security agencies to apprehend those people. This did not happen when the former government was there,” he explained.