Akume, enemy of Benue people, says Ortom

The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has accused one of his
predecessors, George Akume, of being one of the enemies of the
people that are unleashing terror on the state.

The governor, who spoke on Saturday in an interview with our
correspondent in Lagos through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Terver
Akase, said the people of the state were shocked to hear Akume
blaming the killings on the state government.

Akume reportedly spoke to journalists in Abuja on Friday.

In his reaction, Governor Ortom said, “He (Akume) is part of the
enemies of Benue State. He has now shown that he is one of the
willing tools in the hands of the enemies of Benue State. This
government enacted a law to prohibit open grazing, thereby drawing
the anger of those who want to oppose this.

“Those people came out and threatened that there would be no
peace in the state until the law was repealed. They followed their
threat with attacks and they came out to claim responsibilities.
One of them called Garus Ololo justified the January killings that
it was a reprisal attack for the stealing of 1,000 of their cows by
cattle rustlers.

“So, if a serving senator who is from Benue could go out and
claim that Benue people are killing themselves, that person does
not only know about the killings but he is part of those killing
the people.”

Akume had blamed the establishment of the livestock guards by
the Ortom administration as the reason for the incessant attacks on
the farmers by the herdsmen.

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