President Muhammadu Buhari was in Benue State on Monday as part of his troubleshooting visits to states that have suffered loss of lives and property occasioned by hoodlum attacks.
Buhari while being received by Benue State leaders in Makurdi, gave his word that his government will end the killings forthwith.
Buhari met with farmers, herdsmen, government officials and other stakeholders in Makurdi, dispelling insinuations that he paid scant attention to the killings in Benue State.
“I cannot overlook the killings in Benue or any other part of Nigeria. I cannot do that. I am genuinely worried about the attacks in Benue and we are doing everything to end them,” he said.
For him, the insecurity in some states is a major concern to his government, adding that concerted efforts are being made to safeguard the lives and property of the citizens.
Buhari expressed surprise that the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, flouted his order directing him to relocate to Benue, and remain there until normalcy returned to the State.
“I am getting to know that in this meeting. I am quite surprised,” the president said.
He, however, reasoned that the meeting was not the appropriate place to expose the inefficiency of his appointees, and appealed to Benue people to exercise restraint and live in peace with their neighbours.
Buhari appealed to the people to pay more attention to farming, especially rice cultivation, saying that rice importation had dropped by 90 per cent since some states embarked on massive production of the commodity.
Speaking earlier, Governor Samuel Ortom, appealed to the President to upgrade the ongoing military exercise in the state tagged “Ayem Akpatema”, to a wider operation to effectively curb herdsmen attacks.
“If the exercise is upgraded to a wider operation, it will assist greatly in ending the incessant attacks and senseless killings by herdsmen,” he said
He urged Benue people to learn to live in peace with other people.
Ortom said that many states are currently involved in massive cultivation of rice, and urged his people to join the trend.
The governor reiterated his call for the arrest of the leadership of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, alleging that the body is responsible for the killings in Benue State.
Ortom maintained that ranching is the best option for cattle breeding in Nigeria, and advised herdsmen to embrace the practice, in order to minimise the clashes caused by open grazing.
A representative of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Benue Chapter, Malam Shetima Mohammed, however, denied links with the Benue attacks.
“Our association is a peace loving one and the exact opposite of what is being portrayed,” he declared.