…Ortom cancels 60th birthday bash
Benue has again descended into another round of mourning with the slaying of a traditional ruler and five others in three separate attacks on its communities by suspected herdsmen in the last 24 hours.
The attacks, according to reports, were carried out at Tse-Zoola Village Agan Makurdi Local Government Area, LGA, Odugbeho in Agatu LGA and Mbayer-Yandev in Guma LGA.
As a result of the fresh mayhem, Samuel Ortom, the State Governor, has put off all manner of elaborate ceremony slated to mark his 60th anniversary, in order to join in the mourning.
Caleb Aba, Chairman of Guma council, who confirmed the attack on Mbayer-Yandev, said the incident occurred at about 8pm on Wednesday.
“It happened at about 8pm though my attention was drawn to the incident at 9pm that Fulani herdsmen invaded Mbayer-Yandev, Council Ward, killing two persons and injuring three others who have been moved to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital, BSUTH, for treatment,” he said.
Julius Abu, Councilor representing Odugbeho Ward and Deputy Leader, Agatu Legislative Council, who confirmed the two persons in his constituency identified as Joseph Babayo and Simon Idewu who by armed herders, condemned the killing as unprovoked.
Abu who said Babayo hailed from Odugbeho, Idewu hailed from Ayila communities, explained that the two were killed along Odugbeho road, appealing for the deployment of military personnel to the area to check the killings and mounting tension, as people were now deserting their homes for fear of more invasion and attacks.
“We have appealed to our people to remain calm and avoid the temptation of taking the law into their hands. We have confidence in the capability of the state government to tackle the challenge,” the lawmaker said.
Ortom was said to have run into the Tse-Zoola village, also in Makurdi Local Government Area, as they mourned their paramount ruler, Zaki Hyacinth Ajon and a middle aged man, Benjamin Anakula, who were killed when the herdsmen invaded the area on Wednesday.
Governor Samuel Ortom who ran into the pandemonium in the community while on his way from an engagement outside Makurdi town appealed for calm assuring that the government would do everything to ensure their safety.
Narrating their ordeal to the Governor, the oldest man in the community, Elder Aho Zoola, said: “The militia herdsmen, without any provocation, attacked our village around 2am when the people were deeply asleep, and killed Zaki Hyacinth Ajon and Benjamin Anakula.”
To the question of the Governor as to whether they had engaged in cattle rustling in the past, Aho answered in the negative, saying the community never had any issue with the herdsmen.
He said: “We have never had any issues with herdsmen even when their herds graze on our crops we watch helplessly because we do not want any problems but despite our disposition they still came and killed our Zaki and our son.
In a statement, conveying the stoppage of all public ceremonies by individuals and groups to mark his 60th birthday, this Friday, Ortom explained he could not be celebrating in the midst of the killing and therefore wished to stand in solidarity and concern for victims of the renewed herdsmen attacks on communities of the state in the last few day.
The statement signed by his spokesman Terver Akase, on Thursday in Makurdi read: “Governor Samuel Ortom will be 60 on April 23rd, 2021. Traditionally, drums would have been rolled out to celebrate the diamond age. But Governor Ortom has chosen to make it low key.
“He (the Governor) will meet with widows, orphans and people with disabilities tomorrow. On Saturday, the Governor will visit IDP camps, and on Sunday go to church to thank God.”
Source Whirlwindnews.com.ng
