Teary Umahi Attacks Ortom, Says Benue Should Establish Security Outfit

Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has described the recent
killing of Ebonyi and Benue indigenes by herdsmen at the border
between both states as a wicked and satanic act.

He spoke on Tuesday when he visited victims of the attack at the
Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital (AEFUTHA).

More than 30 persons have been killed in the attacks which
occurred on Saturday although locals said the death toll is over
50.

The governor said he could not understand the raping of little
children by the killer herdsmen.

“What I saw this afternoon is nothing but an act of wickedness
and Satanism.

“I do not know for any reason why people should be raping two
years old little children, putting knives on 1-year-old little
children, killing mothers, killing fathers, for what reason!” he
said.

The governor also condemned the Deputy Governor of Benue State,
Benson Abounu for allegedly saying that the Benue state government
is yet to ascertain the identity of the victims.

The identity of the victims has been in contention since the
incident which claimed many lives.

Our correspondent gathered that though the communities attacked
are geographically located in Benue, they are mostly Izzi (a
dialect and clan in Ebonyi) speaking people.

The affected communities are said to have been wrongly places in
Benue state during state creation and which have been a source of
dispute between the two states

Due to the closeness of the communities to Abakaliki, the state
capital, the victims were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Umahi advised the deputy governor to stop playing politics with
such a delicate matter involving human lives.

“But what worries me so much is that the Deputy Governor of
Benue state came on air to say that they don’t know whether these
people are from Benue state or they are from Ebonyi state -that is
the height of irresponsibility.

“We know that we have boundary problems with Benue state but we
have a buffer zone and this place is not within the buffer zone.
These people are residents of Benue state, paying their taxes in
Benue state, having facilities, everything in Benue state.

“Yes, they are Ebonyi indigenes. We have indigenes of the
southeast in Edo state, in Rivers, in Akwa-Ibom, in so many other
locations in this country even beyond the shores of this
country.

“But that doesn’t mean that security-wise we are responsible for
them. These people even if they were not from Ebonyi state and this
attack occurred, they will still have to come to Ebonyi state, we
will still have sheltered them and given them proper medical
treatment. Everything should not be reduced to blame games.”

Umahi also urged the people of Benue to form their own vigilante
to secure themselves and stop blaming President Muhammadu
Buhari.

He vowed to assist the communities in Benue with a large
concentration of Ebonyi indigenous people to set up their own
security outfit similar to Ebube Agụ security outfit to enable them
to protect themselves

“It is important that the people of Benue state should form
their own Ebubeagu to protect their own people instead of blaming
Mr. President.

“Mr. President cannot be everywhere. What we are going to do
since no one is taking care of these ones and we don’t want them to
complain is that we are going to form Ebubeagu in these communities
that are Ebonyi people but they are residents of Benue state.

“They are paying their taxes there but because we cannot rightly
ask the security agencies from Ebonyi state to go over to Benue
state and protect the lives of the people of Benue state, they will
not obey us.

“We are going to send our youths to that place to go and protect
the people over there, it doesn’t matter who owns them, the most
important thing is to protect their lives,” he said.

He warned criminal elements to stay clear of Ebonyi state as
security agencies and Ebube Agụ are on the alert to fight them to a
standstill.

Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has described the recent
killing of Ebonyi and Benue indigenes by herdsmen at the border
between both states as a wicked and satanic act.

He spoke on Tuesday when he visited victims of the attack at the
Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital (AEFUTHA).

More than 30 persons have been killed in the attacks which
occurred on Saturday although locals said the death toll is over
50.

The governor said he could not understand the raping of little
children by the killer herdsmen.

“What I saw this afternoon is nothing but an act of wickedness
and Satanism.

“I do not know for any reason why people should be raping two
years old little children, putting knives on 1-year-old little
children, killing mothers, killing fathers, for what reason!” he
said.

The governor also condemned the Deputy Governor of Benue State,
Benson Abounu for allegedly saying that the Benue state government
is yet to ascertain the identity of the victims.

The identity of the victims has been in contention since the
incident which claimed many lives.

Our correspondent gathered that though the communities attacked
are geographically located in Benue, they are mostly Izzi (a
dialect and clan in Ebonyi) speaking people.

The affected communities are said to have been wrongly places in
Benue state during state creation and which have been a source of
dispute between the two states

Due to the closeness of the communities to Abakaliki, the state
capital, the victims were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Umahi advised the deputy governor to stop playing politics with
such a delicate matter involving human lives.

“But what worries me so much is that the Deputy Governor of
Benue state came on air to say that they don’t know whether these
people are from Benue state or they are from Ebonyi state -that is
the height of irresponsibility.

“We know that we have boundary problems with Benue state but we
have a buffer zone and this place is not within the buffer zone.
These people are residents of Benue state, paying their taxes in
Benue state, having facilities, everything in Benue state.

“Yes, they are Ebonyi indigenes. We have indigenes of the
southeast in Edo state, in Rivers, in Akwa-Ibom, in so many other
locations in this country even beyond the shores of this
country.

“But that doesn’t mean that security-wise we are responsible for
them. These people even if they were not from Ebonyi state and this
attack occurred, they will still have to come to Ebonyi state, we
will still have sheltered them and given them proper medical
treatment. Everything should not be reduced to blame games.”

Umahi also urged the people of Benue to form their own vigilante
to secure themselves and stop blaming President Muhammadu
Buhari.

He vowed to assist the communities in Benue with a large
concentration of Ebonyi indigenous people to set up their own
security outfit similar to Ebube Agụ security outfit to enable them
to protect themselves

“It is important that the people of Benue state should form
their own Ebubeagu to protect their own people instead of blaming
Mr. President.

“Mr. President cannot be everywhere. What we are going to do
since no one is taking care of these ones and we don’t want them to
complain is that we are going to form Ebubeagu in these communities
that are Ebonyi people but they are residents of Benue state.

“They are paying their taxes there but because we cannot rightly
ask the security agencies from Ebonyi state to go over to Benue
state and protect the lives of the people of Benue state, they will
not obey us.

“We are going to send our youths to that place to go and protect
the people over there, it doesn’t matter who owns them, the most
important thing is to protect their lives,” he said.

He warned criminal elements to stay clear of Ebonyi state as
security agencies and Ebube Agụ are on the alert to fight them to a
standstill.