Benue state governor, Samuel Ortom has refuted the statement credited to the Minster of Defense Mansur Dan-Ali that anti grazing law was the reason herdsmen are killing people.
The minister after a meeting with Buhari on Thursday blamed the implementation of the anti-open grazing bill in some states as the major cause of the killings by Fulani herdsmen in the country.
Dan-Ali said the decision of some states to enact laws banning open grazing triggered the violence.
But Ortom in his reaction described the statement from a high placed personality like Dan-Ali as provoking to the families of victims killed by herdsmen.
The governor speaking to newsmen in Markurdi said President Buhari is being misled by people around him, adding that Dan-Ali’s comment has implied the federal government has provided immunity for herders and their cattle who now kill and maim.
“The comment from such a highly placed personality in the country is quite provoking and could be likened to a dance on the grave of those murdered unjustly by the gunmen on new year’s day.
“It is unfortunate that these kind of people are manned with the responsibility of providing security for our state.
“The other day, the federal government came up to say the killings were done by Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) and the same minister was quoted as saying that we should accommodate foreigners in our state.
“Foreigners who came here illegally should be accommodated?
“I think people are misleading President Muhammadu Buhari. The killings predated our grazing law and killings have also been going on in others states without grazing law as we speak.
“I will conclude that the wrong set of people are around Buhari and that pains me. What a country
“I serve a living God who would surely in due course avenge the perceived injustice currently being done to the people of Benue just as he urged his citizens to remain law abiding.
“They should stop diverting attention and address the real issues of the moment as the matter has capacity to consume the nation in the near future.” Ortom said
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