The president warns the governor to stop playing politics with issues of security.
President Muhammadu Buhari says he has been left disappointed after Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, blamed him for not doing enough to secure the state in particular and the nation in general.
Killer herdsmen have been wreaking havoc in Benue for many years now over grazing land.
Some 11 soldiers on peace keeping mission in Benue were recently killed by unknown gunmen.
Across the country, no one appears safe as bandits and terrorists keep an entire nation on tenterhooks.
Governor Ortom recently said Buhari has become insensitive to the killings across Nigeria.
He also asked the federal government to seek for foreign help; seeing as it is now overwhelmed.
At other times, Ortom has alleged that Buhari has been notoriously soft on suspected killer herders of Fulani extraction.
Buhari responds
President Buhari has taken exception to the governor's remarks, saying through his spokesperson Garba Shehu that he is just as concerned about keeping Nigerians safe and secure.
“President Buhari also states his disappointment and sadness to hear Samuel Ortom, the Governor of Benue State, make a litany of accusations against his person and his government following the recent unfortunate incidents in the state,” the statement from the presidency reads.
“No responsible government takes pleasure in such events as the killing of the military and that of innocent citizens taking refuge in an Internally Displaced People’s camp.
“President Buhari is deeply pained by the terrible acts of violence happening not only in Benue State but also in other parts of the country and expects that the law enforcement agencies will go to every possible extent to catch the perpetrators of these heinous acts and bring them to justice.
“The lives of fellow citizens should not be desecrated by deploying them in political diatribe which unfortunately appeared to be the intent of the string of emotional attacks and blame laid at the doors of the President for those killings by Governor Ortom.
“President Buhari took an oath to defend the life and property of every citizen, a duty he takes seriously and is committed to ensuring.
“Those citizens, regardless of their affiliations, who either incite, sponsor or are proven to be abettors of these atrocities will face the law squarely and be answerable for their crimes against our fellow citizens and nation,” the statement adds.
The president also asked Ortom to cooperate with the federal government in the implementation of a number of national programmes to address the underlying issues affecting peace, progress and development in the country.
The president urged the governor to place the welfare of the people above partisan or other interests.
Ortom belongs to the opposition PDP. He defected from the governing APC in July of 2018 and subsequently announced that he has no plans to ever make a return.
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