Last Sunday’s terrible murder of farmers in Igama town Edumoga, Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State by suspected armed herdsmen was termed as barbarous and horrifying by Governor Samuel Ortom.
He cautioned that if the government fail to protect the residents of the state from the ongoing killings, they may resort to self-defense.
The people of the state, according to Samuel Ortom, are not cowards and follow the law, claiming that even the laws of the land allow for self-defense.
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The alleged armed herders invaded the Edumoga village early Sunday morning as the victims were getting ready for church service, killing at least 15 people and destroying all of the community’s homes.
Governor Samuel Ortom described the killers as “cowards and criminals who must be fished out and prosecuted without delay,” according to Nathaniel Ikyur, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary.
“When I started talking about the threat of killer herdsmen in my state, many people believed I was playing to the gallery,” Governor Ortom said.
Because the federal government has refused to act effectively and firmly against them, this has gradually spread to all other sections of the country.”
It is for this reason, the governor said, that they have continued to act with impunity, emphasizing that the slaughter of innocent farmers in Edumoga, Okpokwu LGA is yet another barbaric act by Fulani herdsmen that must not go unpunished.
The governor stated that the peaceful attitude of the people of Benue, who accommodate others, should not be taken for granted, and that the law must take its course in apprehending criminal elements, no matter how long it takes, while urging his people to stay law-abiding.
