Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, has charged people of the state to acquire legal weapons prescribed by law to defend themselves in view of the looming insecurity the state.

According to reports, Ortom made the call against the background of rising tension and apprehension at the weekend in Onyagede community in Ohimini Local Government Area of the state where a strange helicopter has constantly been seen hovering and dropping off men dressed in military uniform in the vicinity, thus raising fears of a possible imminent air strike.

The governor noted that there was compelling need for communities in the state to take their destiny into their hands by acquiring legal weapons prescribed by law to ward off the invaders.

Ortom also advised the people to equally be vigilant and remain alert to security issues in view of the security situation in the state.

According to reports Ortom spoke during a Thanksgiving Mass held at St Paul’s Catholic Parish, Utonkon in Ado Local Government Area in honour of his Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Chief Ekpe Ogbu, who was kidnapped by Fulani terrorists in his village, alongside his driver and two others.

He noted that in view of the looming insecurity in the state, there was the need for collective effort to tackle the challenge, emphasizing: “The people of Benue South Senatorial District must stand up and support the government to resist the invasion of our communities by Fulani herdsmen-terrorists.”

The Governor insisted that communities must take their destiny into their hands, stressing that “everybody must be vigilant and acquire legal weapons prescribed by law to ward off the invaders.”

He disclosed in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Nathaniel Ikyur, that those responsible for the kidnap of Chief Ogbu have been arrested and were facing prosecution.

Governor Ortom also stated that he would soon meet with the Idoma Area Traditional Council to review the security situation in the zone in order to map out strategies to curtail insecurity in the area.

He maintained that no one will stop him from speaking out against the atrocities perpetrated against the people of the state by Fulani terrorists, stressing that the society was too advanced for the crude approach deployed by the invaders whose major aim was to take over the ancestral lands of the people of Benue.

He encouraged them to sustain their support to security agencies posted to their area to enable them perform their duties. The governor noted that the Community Volunteer Guards was to support community policing and implored the people to report any suspicious movements around their communities.

Ortom commended Ogbu as a model and appreciated the community for supporting him, noting that they have had a cordial working relationship.

On the appeal by the celebrant concerning the state of Government College, Utonkon, the governor said his administration would liaise with the management of Benue State University, with a view to making the college a campus of the university and directed the Commissioner for Education to initiate a memo for the upgrade of some blocks at the institution as a first step.

Paramount ruler of Idoma nation, Och’Idoma, His Royal Majesty, John Elaigwu Odogbo, who also attended the event, prayed God to continue to preserve Chief Ogbu.

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