Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has said that he could no longer sleep as a result of the incessant Fulani herdsmen attacks in several communities across the middlebelt state.
“I can’t sleep in Government House here with my two eyes closed for 20 minutes because looking at my people undergoing this kind of trauma in the state is enough trauma for me already,” the Governor said.
Ortom said this while hosting the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Church, Rev. Paul Emeka, and his entourage at Government House, Makurdi on Friday. He called on all Nigerians of goodwill to continue to pray for the peace of Benue and the country at large.
While urging law enforcement and the military to rise to their responsibilities in protecting lives and property, Governor Ortom stated that concerned security agencies must ensure that those behind the murders are apprehended and brought to justice.
“The security agencies must rise up to their responsibility. Somebody must be blamed for this. I cannot continue to be weeping for this carnage everyday. The law we enacted was meant to proffer solution to the incessant herders-farmers clashes,” he explained.
“There are less than 20 million cattle in Nigeria. In India, like America and some other countries even in Africa, there are over 300 million cattle and we don’t hear of this kind of carnage.
We cannot afford to continue in this primitive way of rearing cattle. The time for nomad life is gone. We must adopt a new approach of rearing cattle to ensure we live peacefully with each other,” the governor stated.
“Enough is enough of these killings.
We cannot continue in this manner.
We have prayed and asked that if we have sinned, let God forgive us and may the blood of the people not flow again. If it’s the sin of our forefathers, let God forgive us. After that pronouncement, we want to trust God that He will raise fighters against our fighters.
“We cannot be using swords or guns to fight spiritual beings. That is why we will continue to trust God to fight for us. Our weapons are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling of strongholds. We trust in him and he will never allow our enemies to triumph over us,” Ortom said.
Earlier in his speech, Rev. Emeka, who stated he received the news of the killings of innocent and defenseless people of the state by Fulani herdsmen with shock, commisserated with the government and people of the state over the rampages and promised that the church would continue to pray for the state.
Emeka had brought along relief materials courtesy of the church to assist the state in caring for those internally displaced by the attacks.
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